What are even these arguments. There’s criticism to be had of current food systems without it being dismissed as “anti-science woo/pro-starvation”. Many uses of additives/preservatives/“chemicals” follow the profit motive and an extractive mode of agricultural and food production, not a need to make safe food available to all. Restructuring food systems to produce nutritious, safe, and wholesome food requires looking critically at the way food is produced, distributed and preserved, and not worshipping at the altar of the Green Revolution because wheat yields went up.
Just because a chud is expressing an uninformed opinion on food safety and food security, does it mean the current global food system is fine and dandy and that all changes have been for the better. Recognizing the need for cleaner, more local, and fairer food systems doesn’t make me or the millions of peasants, indigenous peoples and activists fighting for agricultural biodiversity and food and seed sovereignty around the world chuds. The use of additives is not evil in itself, but it is a good litmus test on how food access is mediated by processed and ultraprocessed foods as opposed to fresh foods grown fairly and safely.
These arguments exist because the problem is capitalism, but there’s a whole ecosystem of nonsense designed to trap people into blaming literally anything else other than the actual root cause of the problem. Most anti-modern food system arguments aren’t arguing against the “capitalism” and “profit motive” parts, they’re just screaming into a megaphone that they slept through all their high school science classes. It’s pure ignorance, and thus I think “No investigation, no right to speak” should apply here.
There is plenty to say about food additives for sure. You raised a lot of solid points yourself, but a CHUD isn’t bringing up any of those points. They’re far more likely to insist that some vague insidious “chemicals” are added to their food by their scapegoat of the week. There’s no discussion to be had with someone who doesn’t even have the most basic understanding of the issue and is just flailing around in the dark.
What are even these arguments. There’s criticism to be had of current food systems without it being dismissed as “anti-science woo/pro-starvation”. Many uses of additives/preservatives/“chemicals” follow the profit motive and an extractive mode of agricultural and food production, not a need to make safe food available to all. Restructuring food systems to produce nutritious, safe, and wholesome food requires looking critically at the way food is produced, distributed and preserved, and not worshipping at the altar of the Green Revolution because wheat yields went up.
Just because a chud is expressing an uninformed opinion on food safety and food security, does it mean the current global food system is fine and dandy and that all changes have been for the better. Recognizing the need for cleaner, more local, and fairer food systems doesn’t make me or the millions of peasants, indigenous peoples and activists fighting for agricultural biodiversity and food and seed sovereignty around the world chuds. The use of additives is not evil in itself, but it is a good litmus test on how food access is mediated by processed and ultraprocessed foods as opposed to fresh foods grown fairly and safely.
These arguments exist because the problem is capitalism, but there’s a whole ecosystem of nonsense designed to trap people into blaming literally anything else other than the actual root cause of the problem. Most anti-modern food system arguments aren’t arguing against the “capitalism” and “profit motive” parts, they’re just screaming into a megaphone that they slept through all their high school science classes. It’s pure ignorance, and thus I think “No investigation, no right to speak” should apply here.
There is plenty to say about food additives for sure. You raised a lot of solid points yourself, but a CHUD isn’t bringing up any of those points. They’re far more likely to insist that some vague insidious “chemicals” are added to their food by their scapegoat of the week. There’s no discussion to be had with someone who doesn’t even have the most basic understanding of the issue and is just flailing around in the dark.