In grandpa’s time, the only two things that concerned the consumer were: Was it available? Could you afford it?
In the 1950s many foods were only available when they were in season such as tangerines at Christmas, grapefruit in January, strawberries in early summer, rhubarb in spring, etc.. The only person that I knew with diabetes was my cousin who got an insulin injection every morning.
None of my neighbours knew if they were intolerant to shellfish because they couldn’t afford to buy them. None of my schoolmates were allergic to dairy products, peanuts or anything else that I can think of.
The first crop of brussel sprouts that my mom planted in our garden was pulled up by my dad and fed to the hens because dad thought that some disease got into those cabbages and they didn’t grow right. I didn’t like sprouts anyways unless there was lots of melted cheese on them.

Since refrigerated transportation became common, almost any food is available all year round. Now that many foods are prepared or processed with a list of probable ingredients listed on the label, a whole array of new challenges have confronted today’s food shopper. Some foods are so processed and further processed that it is almost impossible to determine what all is in there.
There are a growing number of people who are realizing that they are gluten intolerant, a further degree of that is celiac when even the slightest amount of gluten will make the person violently ill.
Others may be allergic to dairy products, eggs, MSG, peanuts, shellfish or even alcohol.
About two per cent of the population will get gout sometime in their life. Some of my friends carry pills for gout with them at all times. I can regulate gout by eating more rabbit food and less non-structured carbohydrates (sugar, grains, meats, etc.)
Some people are intolerant to GMO foods or even foods containing products made from GMOs and get violently sick if they consume them. Some people have declared themselves vegan and only eat foods with no animal content.
Many of the Jewish faith only eat foods marked Kosher. Many Muslims only eat food that meets Halal criteria.
Some people with no allergies to any food may have trouble understanding why some others lobby for some specific label. Everyone is a consumer. Our challenge as Canadians is to provide them with a Canadian made option for everything that they may need or want.
Remember that political views and religious beliefs are better respected and left alone than trying to change them.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com