By Clarice Spiegel
Jan 23rd, 2019
Today marks day thirty-three of the government shutdown, making this shutdown the longest in United States history- beating the original record of 21 days back in 1995-1996.
For those of you who aren’t informed by now certain members of congress refuse to give a certain crybaby… I mean president funding for his stupid wall. Resulting into our month (and counting) long shutdown. How does this directly affect us? You’re probably asking or have asked yourself this, the answer to that question is more ways than one. But I’m not here to list every answer. I’m just here to help a lending hand on what to do during these weird ass times in this *comment redacted* country.
One major effect this shutdown has on us as a country is the regulation of our FOOD. Gov. Shutdown = no pay for Gov. workers. I don’t know how many of you keep up with the news or whatever but we’ve already been given a list of foods to avoid during the shutdown.
(Foods to Avoid):
-Dairy
-Meats, Poultry, Shellfish
-Store bought salads (ham, egg, tuna, chicken, potato, & macaroni)
-Refrigerated ready to eat foods (hot dogs, deli meat)
-Raw Sprouts
-Cantaloupe
-Any uncooked and unwashed fruits or vegetables in general
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) are the two main organizations that run food inspections in the U.S. Without federal inspections risks of food poison have increased. It’s estimated that the FDA will run out of funding by next month due to the fact that they are no longer accepting new applications or taking fees. Before this they were able to keep inspections running by using only 45 percent of their budget. Worker’s are getting tired of working with no pay. So with that being said…
Here are 3 places you can shop during this shutdown to make sure you’re eating safe and helping the economy at the same time.
- Farmer’s Market:
Not only is shopping at your local farmer’s market healthy it’s super affordable too. Food at farmers market is organic and fresh, meaning you won’t have to worry about GMO’s or the thought of your food being in the back of a refrigerated truck for hours or days at a time. It also helps the economy and is good for the environment
2 . Slaughterhouse:
It may not be appealing to the eye and isn’t a recommended option for any vegetarians or vegans that may or may not be reading this. However the meat is fresh and there is always a veterinary examination before and after the slaughter to make sure the animals are safe for human consumption. In addition butchers are certified to slaughter the animals and know how to get rid of any remnants such as blood, skin, and other non-edible offals.
- Kosher Markets:
Just like the two suggestions above Kosher food is fresh and safer to eat vs. food from your local grocery store. Ideally when people hear the word Kosher they think “well isn’t that Jewish food?’ Contrary to popular belief 80 percent of Kosher food sales fall outside of the traditional Jewish market. This is all due to the fact that Kosher foods is carefully and thoroughly produced and inspected.
I’m not sure how much longer this shutdown is going to go on for but I do know i’ll be shopping at these places to get by for as long as I can and you should too.
Edit: The Government shutdown has ended, however President Trump has threatened another if he doesn’t receive funding for his border wall. The advice, as unfortunate as it may be, is still pertinent.
