<p>Shameless cut and paste from another favorite forum of mine. I’m wondering what you smart and informed folk think of this. Here’s a snippet…</p>
<p>[The</a> documentary, “Food, Inc.” Seen it? - Food Media and News - Chowhound](<a href=“http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/616597]The”>http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/616597)</p>
<p>"…HOWEVER… and this frustrates me because I don’t understand if its just that we are all gullible, ignorant & clueless or if there is a substantial campaign of misinformation… U.S. Farmers are NOT being decimated by Peruvian asparagus at all.</p>
<p>If you do some research you will find that the Peruvian farmers are having a very hard time staying in business. In 1990, their fresh asparagus would fetch $50 for a 5 kilo box today its $9. Part of the reason is that the U.S. is now flooded with Asparagus grown in Northern Mexico whose peak season coincides with Peru’s peak season.</p>
<p>I should note at this time… that all of Peru’s asparagus… and I mean ALL grows in the Arid coasts and NOT in the Andes where Coca is grown. These Asparagus farmers are almost exclusively wealthy, gentlemen farmers descended from the original colonialists… its the same people growing grapes for wine & pisco etc., only a miniscule portion of Peru’s export quality Asparagus is grown by small farmers and again there is no option of growing coca in the arid coastal lands.</p>
<p>Further… lets get down to the nitty gritty… the farmers in Michigan are not being decimated because the U.S. is importing Peruvian Asparagus. The stuff grown in Michigan is overwhelmingly processed for domestic & export markets. What has happened is that they used to have a big share of the European markets… but they have lost that, yes Peru at some level… but really its Chinese asparagus. Even though Peruvian processed Asparagus enters the EU without tariffs, and Chinese asparagus gets a 16% tariff… the Chinese product is still cheaper. Michigan farmers are being decimated by Chinese farmers not Peruvian or Mexican etc.,</p>
<p>In general… the production of Asparagus is sharply higher as new competitors including Greece & Spain have flooded export markets that used to be dominated by U.S. farmers.</p>
<p>Now I am not at all urging anyone to buy Peruvian asparagus… and I fully support buying local, slow foods etc., but I just think people should get the facts straight so that we aren’t unintendedly mislead by activist filmmakers who don’t feel the need to hold themselves to the intellectual rigours of an academic…"</p>