5 Foods You Should Avoid in 2010

While "voting with your fork" is an effective way to demonstrate your food values, it's important to remember that the term describes both what you should buy and also the things you should avoid purchasing.

Rather than singling out specific foods to stay away from, I've instead listed five "classifications" of food you should think twice about before purchasing in 2010.  Here are the top five:

1) "Factory-farmed" meat -- This is basically any meat product you can purchase in the grocery store, and certainly anything with the name "Tyson," "Hillshire Farm" or "Smithfield" on it.  Meat production -- and more accurately I believe, industrial meat production --  is said to be responsible for up to 51% of total greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.  In addition to the environmental damage these large-scale livestock facilities cause, the inhumane and unsanitary conditions many of these animals are raised in is a leading cause of food-borne illness in the U.S. On average, 76 million Americans are sickened by the food they eat every year (and more than 5,000 die).  If that alone isn't a reason to think twice about eating factory-farmed meat, I'm not sure what is.

2) Anything on a Seafood Watch List -- While much of the conversation about sustainable food focuses on farming practices on land, it's important to remember that we also rely on the oceans for a significant portion of our food supply.  Overfishing in many areas of the country has become a problem over the last few decades as American (and global) consumption of fish has risen.  The result, according to the UN, is that nearly two-thirds of all ocean species are overfished and that -- if current consumption trends continue -- the populations of all wild fish species currently caught could collapse before 2050.  There are some great resources out there that can help you make more sustainable seafood choices when you're cooking at home or going out to a restaurant.  This rating system by Seafood Watch can tell you which species of fish are "safe" to eat, and this guide from The Ocean Project describes seven ways that you can become a more conscience seafood consumer.

3) Anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) -- As we learned recently here at Sustainable Food, new research has found that consuming HFCS actually causes our bodies to grow fat cells and contributes to the early-onset of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.  Not enough to make you think twice about downing that can of soda?  Well, you should also consider that traces of mercury have been found in almost half of the commercial HFCS used in the United States.  So not only can HFCS make you fat, it can also make you sick.  Avoiding HFCS is actually quite easy -- the best things to do are to eat less fast-food, drink less soda and read the labels on the food you eat.

4) Foie Gras -- Ok, so I did single out one.  For those who aren't already painfully aware, foie gras is fattened duck or goose liver made by force-feeding the birds until they nearly explode.  Found in many high-end restaurants across the country, foie gras is a sought after delicacy for many self-described foodies.  However, both sustainable food advocates and animal rights groups have called for the end of foie gras farming, calling it both inhumane and "a disease marketed as a delicacy." While some have been convinced that foie gras production does not equate to torture, I still find it difficult to support a practice that force feeds animals just so that only the wealthiest individuals in the country can enjoy their fatty livers.

5) Out-of-season produce -- As industrial agriculture has changed the way food is produced around the world, it has also destroyed the notion of seasonality in our diets.  No longer must we wait anxiously all winter for the first strawberry of the spring, as there is now an endless variety of fresh produce available in grocery stores year-round.  While this is convenient, the consequences of meeting this constant demand for fresh produce are not to be overlooked.  The average American foodstuff travels 1,500 hundred miles from farm to fork, and 80% of the energy used in the U.S. food system is spent on processing, transporting, storing and preparing food. An easy way to reduce "food miles" is to eat seasonally and purchase locally-grown foods whenever possible.  It's both the environmentally-friendly and delicious choice to make!

(Photo credit: anyjazz65 on Flickr)