permaculture

[Craig Lanoye <lanoye@together.net>]

Rex Harrill wrote:
> 
> Lawrence F. London, Jr. forwarded:
> 
> > Labeling products to indicate the sustainability of their production,
> > processing and distribution is potentially a powerful means toward driving
> > more ecologically sound, socially just and regionally-based development.
> > Recently there has been a surge of interest in these ecolabels, social
> > labels and regional labels as ways to differentiate products in the market
> > place.
> 
> Most of the fruit in the supermarkets where I shop now has little sticky
> labels with a specific number.  So far, I have not found out what the number
> signifies.  My thought: instead of trying to label strictly organic foods,
> what's wrong with labeling ALL food if that is now possible?  Then the
> customer could see what had been applied to the items they wish to eat.  Of
> course I realize it would be difficult to put some of those inordinately 
> long
> chemical names on a little sticker, but they could post a long description
> above the bins or they could adopt coded names for poisons (like "MAL" for
> Malathion).
> 
> Yeah, let's label it all and let the public decide.
> 
> Rex Harrill
> ps---anybody know what those numbers mean?
> 
> --------------------------------------

Rex,

I believe the number tells the cashier what it is and the price etc.  

I agree on the "label it all" idea.  If customers knew even a fraction
of what they injest on or in conventionally produced foods, they may
seek out alternatives more urgently.

Craig