It’s a pretty amazing fact when a debate about food creates so much controversy. Even more amazing is when I can be there and vote for a winner.

The debate created as much heat as a political event, in many ways (although the topic centered mainly around the use of the word “organic”) it was downright political, as food now can only be designated as organic by the federal government. One wonders why all of the basic adjectives for describing a food’s most intrinsic attributes have been hijacked by either corporations or the government. Even the word “natural” has all kinds of implications that in today’s modern world must be questioned.

So where does all of this, and the debate, leave the consumer? More confused perhaps. However, at least we’re having the debate, and asking the questions, and awakening to the fact that mother nature has even less control over the natural quality of the food she produces. Is it okay to know where it’s coming from? Which toxic chemicals were used to produce it? Which animal genes were spliced into an apple’s DNA?

But even the implications of Frankenstein science doesn’t hurl us down the rabbit hole as deep as all of the religious, cultural and ethnic fury over how and what we eat.

Nonetheless, aside from sitting through some of the yawn inspiring debaters which were all too scripted, I was largely pleased by the Shakespearean-like versatility in the roles of each player; from the argumentative, to the serious, the clown, and the ever present, “I know it all”.

In this case it was almost entirely clear from the beginning which debate team would reign supreme. Although, even ’till the end I was secretly hoping to be surprised, or should I say disappointed.

Click here and listen for yourself.
– From the Desk of Ana Nieto