Convenience has a shocking cost, our offer on Black + Blum meal boxes doesn't

Recently I've been investigating potentially toxic coatings on cookware. I was perhaps rather naively trying to unravel the complex set of circumstances that have allowed us, in the name of progress, to be unintentionally putting food in our mouths that are in some cases toxic.   

I was investigating this is a little (ha ha) project that I set myself  at the end of last year, when a scientist friend of mine, began checking my draft on some of the stuff I was writing on PFAS chemicals for that week’s newsletter.  And it was she who introduced a rather sinister sounding phrase, Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDCs ). It’s probable that you are familiar with this term.. However in case you happen to be in the same boat as me, then please see my note below for a simple explanation of the Endocrine System*

The same friend suggested listening to a short three part series on Radio 4, Toxic! Presented by Mark Miodownik (miodovnik) it is a really gripping, and yet finely balanced view of the situation we find ourselves in. Part one (still available on BBC Sounds) was about PFAS chemicals in cookware. This is huge subject and not one I’m ready to write about yet, but it is coming. However, I was hooked and the second in the series was looking at pesticides that we use unthinkingly in the home.

*The endocrine system is a network of glands that produce and release hormones directly into the bloodstream to regulate ,many vital bodily functions, just a few of which are:
1. metabolism,
2. growth, mood, and
3. reproduction
Acting as the body’s chemical messengers, these hormones travel to target organs to control, maintain, and balance our internal processes. 

Many of us scrutinise food labels, debate organic versus conventional and worry about residues on our apples. But, then during routine household jobs of cleaning, hygiene and health, we apply pesticides, often routinely (prophylactically) directly in our homes. The example used in the program was flea treatments for cats and dogs. We are often encouraged to use them regularly as a preventative measure against fleas. It appears to be a common form of  complacency or ignorance that if we aren't eating it, it doesn't enter our bodies.

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In agriculture, some of these substances are tightly controlled or restricted because of their environmental effects. Yet in domestic settings they are widely available, often over the counter.

Here is a fact that I'm sure is going to shock you.

A single flea treatment for a large dog is enough to kill 25 million bees. When I heard this, I felt something shift. Slightly to my surprise I felt a lump growing in my throat ….could it really be that the flea treatment we give our cat could contribute to such wholesale slaughter? And yes, of course the presenter knew what he was saying. He was making a highly emotional point.  But I have checked since.

It is fact.

Bees have become our moral currency. We care about them. We worry about them. So when a veterinary product links directly to their destruction, it lands.

Pollution in the environment
Parasiticides, like flea treatment, don’t vanish after application either. We wash them off our hands, mops and laundry into wastewater systems. They enter rivers. They affect aquatic invertebrates. Environmental damage rarely announces itself loudly. And yet, as with fertilisers in farming, the issue is often not the existence of the chemical, but it's volume because of how casually and routinely we use it.

What can we do? Live in flea infested homes? Put down all our cats and dogs?
The programme had some helpful advice here. They suggested using such pesticides sparingly and only when infestation is seen. In other words cease using it prophylactically and change to a routine of “only when necessary”. Weekly combing can also detect infestation early.
Yet the real question is not whether '25 million' is emotive. It’s whether we have been paying attention to the chemicals we use in our homes? Are we properly and honestly informed?

Here is another fact for you. 
The veterinary sector is no longer a cottage industry. Around 90% of practices are now owned by six large corporate groups. Roughly 25% of these groups' incomes comes from the sale of medications.
There is a balancing argument here, this is not to imply individual vets are cynical or careless or just profit loving capitalists. Most are conscientious and increasingly aware of environmental impacts. But, they operate within a commercial system. Meanwhile, many parasiticides are also purchased without even consulting a vet. The programme made it clear that this isn’t ‘anti vet’ or ‘anti medicine’.

It’s about proportionality.**

I’ve taken up a lot of your Saturday morning talking about something that has little to do with food or cookware. I’ve done this because you may be interested, a bit incredulous or even shocked. I’ve done this because I feel that this is important stuff which somehow, we don’t seem to talking about enough, let alone doing enough about….

**From what I have gathered from this programme, proportionality here, is an argument between environmental, health and commercial interests, making it difficult to resolve.  A lack of public awareness and more limited resources for those representing the environmental and health sides of this argument mean it isn't as fair a contest as it might be.  I don't have fact and figures, but I wonder if the lobbying from pharmaceutical companies has been rather more persuasive up until now in dictating how 'proportional', is perceived.

To Product
After such a controversial start, it seemed only fair to celebrate a supplier who is, in my view, doing rather the right thing, and succeeding at it. An eco-system win, if you will.  Dan Black, co-founder of Black & Blum has lead his company down a route that I greatly admire. Four years ago he joined an organisation called “1% for the Planet” founded by the creator of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia.  

The idea is simple, businesses commit to donating at least one percent of their revenue to environmental causes vetted by the organisation.  This lead Dan to contribute 1% of his turnover to “City Harvest London”. City Harvest works with food companies at all levels of the supply chain across the UK, collecting perfectly good food that would otherwise go to landfill.

Considering that global food wastage is currently around a staggering 30%, this is no small matter. The food they rescue is redistributed free of charge to more than 375 community partners.  Food banks, schools, hostels, soup kitchens and charities across London benefit.  The result is rather elegant. Good food reaches people who genuinely need it, while at the same time reducing the emissions created when waste decomposes in landfill.  An alarming 8-10% of our C02 emissions worldwide are produced by rotting food waste.

This leads me, rather neatly to the product itself….There I go again, beginning to sound like a car salesman.  The argument follows rather nicely therefore that by using Black+Blum Meal Prep Boxes in various sizes and three shapes, you have a leak proof lunch box, that’s Microwave safe (despite being steel, I tested it myself). Or a box to put your leftovers in. They are not the cheapest option, but then good things rarely are. They are, as you might expect, extremely well made and designed to last for years. Importantly, they also avoid the rather less attractive habit plastic containers have, of leaching chemicals, particularly when heated.

They are thoughtfully designed pieces of kit that have these amongst their rather excellent qualities…

Microwave-safe stainless steel construction
100% leak-proof vacuum-sealed lids
Oven-safe (excluding lids) up to high temperatures
Semi-transparent lids for easy meal identification
Dishwasher, Freezer, Microwave and Oven safe
Nestable different sizes, stackable same sizes
Removable seals for thorough cleaning
Lightweight despite steel construction

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The Last Word 
As Paul likes it (brings a smile to his face) when I can tie up my opening thoughts with the products I finish on.  The Cake Competition, that seems to be brewing nicely, is making me reflect on the connection between the small acts of generosity (Cakes) that say "I thought of you” and these stocking fillers. Maybe the link is how food and gifts give a similar message?  The exchange of gifts, much like family meal times or eating out with friends, is a chance to reaffirm relationships with those we love, that can be so sorely tested in our modern individualistic times.  

If that doesn't bring at least a glimmer of a smile I’ll be a Dutchman.

I trust you have, maybe a busy weekend, in view of the time of year, but that you also get some peace as well. I shall be decorating most of the weekend, hopefully interrupted by a friend (bearing cake ?) for coffee.

Warm regards

Andrew