Two sides to every tail

After my rather (but hopefully not too preachy) rant in " Pig of an issue", I came across this article and made my heart sing!  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22014346

This is a UK initiative (very early days) of 100 farms that are attached to their local primary schools.  The aim, to educate children about where their food comes from, what it takes to rear animals and what happens to them afterwards.

As it was reading the article, I was thinking to myself....this is what I want to see!  Kids, from a young age, are learning where meat comes from and what veg looks like.  They are encouraged  to eat peas straight from the pod, muck out and feed the animals, and, while they probably don’t go to the abattoir, help to sell their products back to the community.

The most I got (as part of the Inner London Education Authority) as a kid was to be shipped out to a place called Horton Kirby in Kent.  This is an educational centre where we were taken to farms, rivers and other places of interest.  Why?  Most likely because we were young kids growing up in the city and needed to experience “the real outside”.  Personally I never really enjoyed it as I was often left feeling sick all day from the bus journey.  Still quiver at the memory of those blue buses and their funny smell now.  And I am still surprised at how big cows are.

Anyway, why does any of this matter?  In Pig of an issue, I got passionate about how badly reared animals was the real crime,  not the undercover operations to expose them.  I wanted people to think about where their meat came from, and even went as far as to say that if people didn’t like the idea of geese being force fed, then how could we allow these sorts of practices.  Well with this small but significant change in attitude is just what we need.

Children are very adaptable and can often help their parents change their own attitudes towards food.  If children (and adults) are able to see how rearing an animal to be happy and healthy then how much tastier it is; then the demand for cheaper meat will decrease. 

People will want to see culpability in the raising of their eventual dinner.  But more than that, they themselves will see it is important to know that bacon, nuggets, burgers were once living breathing animals.  Animals capable of enjoying life and the feeling of sun on their back (when it decides to shine).  But also capable of feeling stressed and scared.  Then people will no longer want to buy a chicken for a fiver, and will rather wait and save for a chicken that costs closer to £10 knowing that that chicken was well looked after.  That it had a chance to grow normally, and walk and scratch around.  Having had that chance, when the time comes to go to the abattoir the chicken will be less stressed.  

Ok so this is a new UK based initiative, what else (if anything) is out there in this space?  

Well there is a new app http://www.henrileworm.com/home/ from the son of Raymond Blanc and voiced by Simon Pegg (most recently known as Scotty from the new Star Trek films).  Currently found in the iTunes store it is "Aimed at children two to ten years to enjoy with or without their parents, “Henri le Worm” is both fun and educational. Designed for the iPad, iPad mini and iPhone, the app encourages interactive play and learning through an engaging story, touchscreen interactions, fun food and animal facts, recipes and sing along music."

Anything fun is a great way to learn even without realising it.   

Ok so this is written for Apple products only, there are still other ways to learn.  

Maybe there is a city farm near you to visit.  Get everyone together and learn where meat comes from, and see just how they should live.  Not in creates but in pens, or if in the "real" countryside in large fields.  The internet is vast and infinite and not always loaded with bad stuff, or your local library.  Whatever you decide to do, there is so much other there it's hard not to dip your toe in.

It is really important to know where your food comes from, the better your relationship with food the happier and healthier you will be.  If kids can do it, we all can.










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