Re: [OPE-L] "Let them eat ....": Capital's 21st Century Answer to Hunger in Africa?

[Bill Cochrane <BILLC@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi
This story is a 'shock-horror' beat up on a well intentioned but poorly handled, and probably misconceived, attempt to provide food aid to Kenya by a seemingly naive dog food manufacturer - she would seemed to have tried to turn her prowess at making tasty (reportedly, I myself have not sampled the product) dog food and supplements to making similar supplements for humans. She herself allegedly eats the stuff on her porridge at breakfast. As far as I am aware this isn't even particularly novel as a number of  foods , though with differing production standards and quality of ingredients, are available in both human and animal variants - milk powders, dairy proteins etc for example.
 
Bill Cochrane
Research Fellow
Population Studies Centre 
Centre for Labour and Trade Union Studies
University of Waikato
Ph +647 838 4023
Mobile 021346300

________________________________

From: OPE-L on behalf of glevy@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon 4/24/2006 1:45 p.m.
To: OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OPE-L] "Let them eat ....": Capital's 21st Century Answer to Hunger in Africa?



       Sifelani Tsiko, "Africans, Eat Dog Food!"
            Africans: Eat Dog Food!
            Sifelani Tsiko
            From Black Star News

            A New Zealand dog food manufacturer, Christine Drummond, has
offered to send dog food to help starving Kenyans. She
apparently can't distinguish the difference between an African
child and a puppy-she offered 42 tons of the dog food.
Drummond is still locked in the colonial-era arrogance that
sees Africans as animals and can be treated in any way the
"big bwana" sees fit.

            Drummond, founder of Mighty Mix dog food, said she wanted to
send the first shipment to Kenya in March. She said the relief
food she intended to send, NZ's Raw Dry Nourish, used the same
ingredients as Mighty Mix dog food biscuits. "The first plan
was to send dog biscuits and change the vitamins," Drummond
said, but she changed plans when she realized there were too
many starving children in Kenya. Instead, she added, she
produced a powder that she says just needs water added to form
a sustainable meal.

            Drummond said she came up with the aid idea to send dog food
for hungry Kenyan children after she spoke with a New Zealand
woman whose daughter had just returned from a village in
Kenya. Her plan was to distribute the food through the Mercy
Mission charity, based in Kenya, and promote it as a
"nutritional supplement" rather than dog food. New Zealand
doctors supposedly said it was okay, accordingly to a
published account.

            Mighty Mix dog food agent Gaynor Siviter, told a New Zealand
reporter: "The dogs thrive on it. They have energy, put on
weight. It's bizarre but if it's edible and it works for these
people then it's a brilliant idea. It beats eating rice."