The US and EU will soon allow each other's organic food products to cross the Atlantic. But, if I start seeing organic European potatoes in Maine, I'll be pissed.
Is this really necessary? I have said before that 3VotesADay is not anti-globalism, but I am skeptical that Europe really has things to offer that we can't source, in California or at least on our own continent. The article mentions European Chocolate. C'mon! There is no place in Europe where you can grow cocoa. So they take cocoa grown in Africa, ship it north, add milk, package it, then ship across the Atlantic. Farmers in Africa are not going to see any benefit.
The U.S. would do well to encourage cocoa production (and coffee) in Puerto Rico, where it's close by, and inherently fair trade. The multi-hemispheric supply lines make me nervous. We had a tough enough time tracking down bad cantaloupes just within the US last year.
While in the U.S. we can source our tropical luxury items from South America, Europe can source those same items from Africa. Think there might be any support for a contiguous continental diet?
(continental diet, not breakfast...images of bagels in a hotel lobby come to mind)
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