Chicky Pooh

No Chicky Pooh in My Food!

Theology in the Trenches

By Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

It was like any other conversation around the dinner table.  “My, this is good tasting fish! Where’d you get it?” asked grandma.

 

The question was simple and the answer even more so. “Bought it from the store. They were all cleaned, frozen, and packaged. Got me a nice big bag that will last us for days once I cook em all up. We just love them. Not too bad on price either.

 

“What kind are they?” she continued.

 

“Tilapia,” I announced. “Not exactly fresh walleye, but I was flat out of time and had to buy them instead of fishing for them.” I was trying to be funny, but by the looks on our son’s face, this was no laughing matter. He got up and went into the next room, which could only mean one thing. He was doing a little research on the internet. Soon he was back with more questions.

 

“So, where did the fish come from?” He asked, but wasn’t waiting for answers. He went right to the freezer, took out the bag, and confirmed his hunch.

 

“China,” he said. He then went on to read a few facts he’d learned while during his research.

 

“Says here that of all the fish that come over from China, only two percent are actually inspected. Of that two percent, more than eight hundred shipments had to be rejected due to contaminants found in the food.”

 

He continued. “They say that in many places, some farmers actually raise chickens in cages above the fish tanks, conveniently getting rid of the chicky pooh…thus getting rid of the waste and feeding the fish in one swoop.”

 

As grandma pulled out of the driveway, she asked, “What was the name of that fish again?”

 

“Walleye, grandma. I think it was Walleye.”

 

A couple of days later, this topic was still on my mind when I grabbed the package from the freezer, looked up the certified logo, and made a couple of calls. I found out the facts.

 

The fish we’d purchased were certified, and the organization inspecting this package sporting the blue logo with several fish swimming in a circle, inspect well over 50% of the fish entering the country. Not only were the producers certified through their stringent process, but the plant from which they came was as well. She said that their organization is for profit and those who go through them include major restaurant chains and the like. As well, they help various fisheries around the world become better producers of the food we are ingesting.

 

Truth is truth but before we proclaim it as such, we must make sure we go to the right source. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). It says so right in His word, the best source when looking for truth. Amen.