Living Ethically In The Modern WorldSample

My mom is a professional chef, so I grew up well-fed. For me, food has always been an enriching and comforting thing. Certain foods bring back memories of family meals around the table. 
 
The question, “What’s for dinner?” is a painful one for six year old Yasmin, who lives in Chad where the crops fail and food is sparse. Her mother, having already lost one daughter to malnutrition, steals seeds from ants’ nests to provide for her family. The river, which once flowed freely in Yasmin’s village, has all but dried up. All over Africa the climate is changing; unpredictable weather conditions are causing havoc with harvests and leaving communities like the one Yasmin lives in struggling to survive.
 
So, why then, does it matter how I eat or where I buy my food? 
 
As we see in Genesis, God provides enough for all of humanity. If this is true, why is there so little for Yasmin? Her situation forces me to ask “How are the earth’s plentiful resources being used, and what part do I play in that?” 
 
If I think about it, I can have a huge impact on the planet just by making one meal. For instance, when using exciting ingredients from the supermarket, think of the many thousands of miles have those ingredients travelled to get to the supermarket shelves? What kind of chemicals were used to make them look a certain way? How much was wasted before I purchased the item? 
 
The individual ingredients on our plates have been through a whole system before we take a bite. Much of the food we consume is mass produced, using intensive farming methods which are extremely damaging to both the planet and the people involved. Where I choose to shop, what I choose to buy, and how I eat has consequences.

Eating ethically might make me look for food grown and farmed locally, or look for organic and Fairtrade items. It could mean that I cut certain things out of my diet. This kind of sacrificial eating can become my worship to a God, who created an abundance of food for all, to live a full and rich life.
        
Next time you are shopping, check out where your food items come from. See if next time you could cut down the distances, perhaps choosing to shop at a local store or only buy vegetables grown in your country.