Catholic advocates encourage people to think about food connections

Published: 2004-11-05

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Although an emphasis on food always increases around the Thanksgiving holiday, Holy Cross Brother David Andrews, head of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, thinks this focus should be year-round. He is not talking about a constant food fest either, but of helping people develop a deeper awareness of where their food comes from and to make conscious decisions to support farmers and food companies that do not exploit workers. This kind of food consciousness is growing, he said, and has been fueled, in part, by the campaign "Eating Is a Moral Act," sponsored for the third year by the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, which is based in Des Moines, Iowa. The campaign -- with its flyers, seminars and educational materials focusing on moral decisions that come into play in food purchasing -- seems to run up against the massive amounts of highly processed convenience foods available in this country and the ever burgeoning number of fast-food chains. But the campaign's message that people need to think before eating -- and not just for health reasons -- is striking a chord for many Catholics across the United States and, in particular, on Catholic college campuses, Brother Andrews said.

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