Page 55 - Fall2011

All Thumbs Book Reviews

consumers who have chosen to work together primer of sorts—graphic details of the havoc
outside the system. These food war skirmishes wreaked on the body by some of the more notori-
are slowly appearing on the national radar, and ous organisms we’ve learned to fear such as E.
ground-breaking films such as “Farmageddon” coli O157:H7. To his credit, Hewitt doubts that
should spearhead much more awareness. sterilized, pasteurized, or irradiated food is the
Hewitt travels to the lofty Seattle law offices answer to banish either the organisms or fears
of Marler Clark, to speak with Bill Marler, the of their contamination, and he even entertains
most prominent food-borne illness attorney in the novel concept that regular exposure to many
this country, in order to learn more about food microorganisms in normal daily life helps build
safety issues from his perspective. Among some immunity and healthy resilience. Bolstering
surprising revelations is what Marler “seemed this conviction are the likes of Mark McAfee,
to be saying is that the root cause of food-borne owner of Organic Pastures Dairy: “We are bac-
illness isn’t pathogenic bacteria: It is immorality. teriosapiens. It’s on us; it’s in us. It is us”; Justin To his credit,
It is cutting corners in pursuit of profit.” Marler Sonnenburg, assistant professor of microbiology
himself comments that “…the wheels just came and immunology at Stanford: “[W]e are a victim Hewitt doubts
off the meat industry. It’s degrading to our bod- of hyperhygenitization. The evidence is increas- that sterilized,
ies, to our environment, and to the animals. It’s ingly strong that when our intestinal microbiota pasteurized, or
degrading to our morals.” Yet, he continues, “No is in a normal, healthy state, we’re more resistant
one has convinced me that with the population to disease. In fact, one of the top predictors for irradiated food
we have, we can go back to a non-industrial food salmonella poisoning is antibiotic use within the is the answer
system. And yet the biggest problem we have is last thirty days”; and Lynn Margulis, professor of to banish
the huge scale of it and the motives behind it. It’s geosciences at the University of Massachusetts:
a capitalist model, and we’ve not really figured “The whole idea of good bacteria versus bad either the
out how to infuse the system with a good, strong bacteria isn’t just wrong, it’s suicidal. Some of the organisms or
dose of morality.” things we consider pathogens could be key to our fears of their
Marler is disdainful of raw milk as a food survival in the future. I’m not denying there are
choice, but believes it should be legal albeit toxic bacteria, but there are natural reasons for contamination,

with strict regulation. This type of regulation, it. When we think of these bacteria as something and he even
of course, is just what those who produce or to be defeated we are not thinking ecologically entertains the
procure raw milk recoil from, arguing, among at all.”
other things, that compliance would force small Hewitt reasonably suggests that the more we novel concept
producers to operate on large-scale industry live in isolation from the natural world, which of that regular
standards and thereby perish, along with their course includes eating sterilized, dead, and ersatz exposure to
authentic product. Marler keeps company with foods, the more we disable the natural powers
many who stand by more government interven- of our internal terrain to protect us. Modern in- many
tion as a way to clean up food production. “The dustrialized humans who eat from the common microorganisms
reality is that the only way a society as large trough suffer compromised immune systems and in normal daily
and complex as ours is going to work is through damaged gut biota, along with propensities for
government policy,” he says. In other words, if other disorders, thanks to their position at the top life helps build

business as usual isn’t working, we ought to try of a diseased food chain. immunity and
more of the same. Making Supper Safe is bracketed by first healthy
Certainly those who are poisoned by tainted and last chapters that chronicle Hewitt’s forays
food suffer horribly. Hewitt provides a poisoning (Continued on page 57.) resilience.
Wise Traditions FALL 2011 FALL 2011 Wise Traditions 55

82725_WAPF_Txt.indd 55 9/15/11 2:01 PM