A very valid project for the Food and Gardens Subgroup would be to research all our local meat suppliers (not many!) and talk with them about where their meat comes from.
Questions could be:
[ul]What types of meat do you sell (types of animals and birds it comes from)?
Do you have information about where this meat is supplied from?
For example do you have any information about the type of farming practices used to raise it?
Do you know the location of its source to give an estimate of food miles (kilometres) that are involved in bringing it here for sale?
Do you know where it was butchered?
With products like mince and sausage meat can we get a breakdown of the ingredients?
With fish that is imported what information do you have about the practices used to fish or grow it in the countries where it comes from?
What about products like ham and bacon? Where do they come from? Are any of them imported from overseas?[/ul]
Other businesses that might be good to ask some of these questions are some of the larger restaurants using a lot of meat and chicken in their recipes. I know we love the roast nights at Arana Leagues and the meat is just fantastic and prices so low. Naturally we have to assume it is grain-fed.