After having read about Florida tomato growing in a book named "Tomatoland" which has to do with slavery of illegal workers, all the pesticides used because of Florida's climate, the cheap chemical fertilization of "soil" that is really just sand and the associated cancers and other maladies of the workers I avoid the "Florida Fresh" or whatever its called seal. All it really means is that Florida got to tax you more for the salaries of the inspectors and the rest of the employees of that system and then they get to collect any associated "fees".
People who run businesses usually seem to get Stockholm Syndrome once they get their "rubber stamped" seal of approval. Ask the Jews who got their government stamps if they run around bragging about it.
A government stamp usually means someone had to compromise morals and ethics. Including the peoples who issue them.
http://www.amazon.com/Tomatoland-Industrial-Agriculture-Destroyed-Alluring/dp/1449423450
"In this eye-opening exposé, Vermont journalist Estabrook traces the sad, tasteless life of the mass-produced tomato, from its chemical-saturated beginnings in south Florida to far-flung supermarkets. Expanding on his 2010 James Beard Award-winning article in Gourmet magazine, Estabrook first looks at the tomato's ancestors in Peru, grown naturally in coastal deserts and Andean foothills, with fruit the size of large peas. Crossbreeding produced bigger, juicier varieties, and by the late 19th century, Florida had muscled in on the U.S. market, later benefiting from the embargo on Cuban tomatoes; the Sunshine State now produces one-third of the fresh tomatoes in this country. To combat sandy soil devoid of nutrients, and weather that breeds at least 27 insect species and 29 diseases that prey on the plants, Florida growers bombard tomato plants with a dizzying cocktail of herbicides and pesticides, then gas the "mature greens" (fruit plucked so early from the vines that they bounce without a scratch) with ethylene. Behind the scenes, moreover, there exists a horrendous culture of exploitation of Hispanic laborers in places like Immokalee, where pesticide exposure has led to birth defects and long-term medical ailments. Estabrook concludes this thought-provoking book with some ideas from innovators trying to build a better tomato." --Publisher's Weekly
Florida fresh...lulz
Yes...I KNOW it's an old thread. BUT...NO ONE had to STAMP MY REPLY FIRST!!!!!....!!!!!!...!!!
