I am a subscriber to the Wall Street Journal and I was reading and article yesterday about the agriculture industry fighting country of origin labels on all foods. Seeing a potential article I hit my local grocery store and asked a few people for their opinions on this subject.

Being as this is an opinion based article, I will insert my opinion. I personally can say that I feel just a little more secure now that these labels are mandatory. People want to know where their food comes from and what it’s been through to get to their plate. I mean, I don’t know if I want to eat communist rice or perhaps produce from a certain country that the US is not on such good terms with (Hint: it starts with F and ends in -R-A-N-C-E). fortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certify that your food probably won’t kill you provided you’re not allergic to it and you cook it fully. While that’s cool and all, I would still rather eat beef grown right here in Texas (Howdy Y’all) instead of say Iraqi beef I am sure that the Iraqis don’t do anything wrong to their beef, it’s just a thing many Americans share. Another plus to these labels is the chance of strengthening the economy, preventing deflation (that and inflation are both bad, trust me), saving and creating millions of jobs in especially in Florida and California, and generating fortunes for the good old US of A in tax revenue. (By the way: reading that last sentence in a corny British accent makes it just a little funnier to any bystanders that might be around) Okay, so I’m just a little melodramatic, but in reality, there would be some procession of the economy, some more jobs created, and about ten bucks in taxes (that is if your state charges tax on foods). Fine, for some stupid reason the Agricultural industry in America is against these labels, THAT I cannot understand, can you?

I asked Mr. Joe Walsh (sorry Eagles fans, not that Joe Walsh) for his opinion. Apparently Mr. Walsh had heard something about this as he promptly replied, “I would never purchase anything from Afghanistan.” When I told him that I was not sure but I think that sandbox sand is about the only thing that Afghanistan exports, he insisted that none of “those countries” or any country not on good terms with the US would receive his money. I then asked if perhaps he might purchase a Chilean peach. Walsh stated that while he would rather support America, if the Chilean peaches looked and/or smelled better, then he would not hesitate to buy those instead. Mr. Walsh insisted that these labels should be required by law. I informed him that they were, he replied “Oh” and continued shopping.

Ms. Colleen Shaw felt a little differently. She told me that the labels were only going to disturb the balanced system of the world economy. Apparently the source of her dinner is not a true concern to her. I feel that we should worry about the economy of numero uno (for those of you who don’t speak Spanish, that means “number one”) before we make a fuss over the world economy. I am sure that there are several individuals who agree with Ms. Walsh or who would simply refuse to check the country of origin labels when they had the chance.

In conclusion, the five interviews that I conducted failed to sway me in my opinion. One of the interviewees did, however, try, by throwing out reasons why I should not read those darn labels. I really did not know how bigoted I was for even thinking about who did what to my lunch, or not concerning myself with the best interests of foreign nations, even if they are not on such great terms with the beautiful United States. I feel that my primary concern is, and for good reason should be with the USA and its allies (God save Tony Blair). I would like to thank Joseph Walsh, Colleen Shaw, Ben Thomas, Susan Jacobs, and Benjamin Stephenson for your time, Kroger for not throwing me out, and the makers of microwave pasta thingies for being there in the times that I burn whatever I happen to be trying to cook. The next time that you are selecting foodstuffs with which to nourish yourself, consider taking the time to turn them over, read the fine print, and at least learning where your favorite food was grown, you may be surprised.