Just a few weeks ago, I was on the island of Corfu, Greece.
On top of its fascinating history, warm people, and gorgeous scenery, Greece is known for having some of the most fresh and delicious cuisine on Earth, so I spent my time trying out as much local food as I could possibly eat. While Corfiot specialties like sofrito (veal stew) and bourdeto (fish in a spicy tomato sauce) were expectedly delicious, one dish shocked me with just how good it was—and showed me just how delicious good farm policy can be.
That dish? A basic, run-of-the-mill Greek salad.
I’m not usually the biggest fan of salads, and I’ve never even particularly liked Greek salad back home. Most Greek salads I’ve had in the U.S. consisted of flavorless tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lettuce plus dry feta that was too salty and those mediocre black olives you can find in cans at the grocery store. I imagined Greek salad as a boring and unsatisfying dish that tastes like salt and not much else.
However, in a hilltop village near the northwestern coast of Corfu, I decided to give it another try after the owner of the restaurant I was eating at came to my table to proudly talk about his ingredients. I ordered the Greek salad, and as soon as it came out, I could tell that this was different. The tomatoes were redder, the cucumbers were greener, the feta cheese was moist yet crumbly, and the olives looked completely different, having been grown by that very restaurant. Tasting it, I was blown away; every part of the dish was intensely fresh and full of flavor, and the olive oil on top was so good I wanted to drink it. It made me think: If salad tasted this good back in the U.S, people would probably be a lot healthier.
So, why isn’t salad this good in the U.S.? How is so much of the produce in Greece fresh, delicious, and locally-grown, yet still affordable?
Farm policy has a lot to do with it.
As I mentioned in last week’s article, the U.S. agricultural subsidy system overwhelmingly favors large-scale industrial production of grains like corn, soy, and wheat, which primarily go into making ultra-processed foods and factory-farmed meat. Farmers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and all other so-called “specialty crops” combined receive only a fraction of the crop insurance subsidies (17% total in 2017), and even those subsidies tend to favor large industrial producers. Our farm subsidy system greatly increases the advantage of refined grain-based foods over healthy produce in the marketplace.
Most produce, in turn, is grown using the cheapest, most large-scale methods available, keeping costs lower at the expense of flavor, nutritional value, and freshness. What we’re left with is a system where a lot of our produce is not particularly good, nor does it compete with grain-based processed foods in price, thus encouraging underconsumption of whole foods among Americans. The type of locally-grown, high-quality produce that can be found at reasonable prices all over Greece is much less common in the U.S. and is mostly reserved for those Americans wealthy enough to afford the higher prices.
Farm policies in the European Union, of which Greece is a part, make local, natural farming more economically feasible. In addition to country-specific programs, Europe’s common agricultural policy (CAP) generally offers income support to farmers based on land area farmed rather than for the specific crops they produce, thus supporting a greater variety of crops being farmed. Additionally, CAP links additional eco-scheme payments to compliance with certain sustainable farming rules, including those related to plant and livestock health and environmental protection. CAP even offers special support payments to organic farmers, with a stated goal of having 25% of E.U. agricultural land under organic farming by 2030. These policies provide financial support for the type of farming that leads to healthier, tastier food.
Another valuable E.U. policy is Geographical Indications (GI), also known as quality schemes. GI’s provide high-quality agricultural products that are linked to specific regions with special identity protections, legally recognizing these products as a form of intellectual property. The strongest form of GI is known as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). PDO products, examples of which include Kalamata olive oil or tomataki Santorinis (Santorini tomatoes), must be produced fully in the region they are named for and often must be produced according to traditional methods in order to receive PDO status. Because of the high quality of PDO products, they are often world-famous and highly desired by consumers, so farmers in those regions are incentivized to meet the quality and production standards required to qualify as PDO in order to benefit from the reputation. This policy encourages traditional, local farming and makes it economically competitive. Over 100 Greek products have been registered as PDO from a large range of regions, which ensures a rich variety of high-quality whole foods throughout the country. Interestingly, the feta I’ve had in Greek salads in the U.S. (typically made from factory-farmed cow’s milk) wouldn’t even be allowed to have that name in the E.U., since PDO laws require that feta cheese be made of only sheep and goat milk.
All of these E.U. policies come together to promote a farming system that is much more varied, natural, local, and healthy for consumers than the American system. Thanks to policies like CAP and PDOs, I met restaurant owners all throughout Greece who could be proud of their ingredients and still sell them at reasonable prices. My meals often contained delicious ingredients produced organically only a few miles from where I was eating it. Good farm policy is the reason that the Greek salad I had in Corfu was tastier, fresher, and healthier than virtually any salad I’ve had in the U.S..
Given that only 10% of Americans consume a healthy amount of vegetables according to the CDC, it would be a smart idea to take inspiration from the E.U. and support the farming of affordable, natural produce that actually takes quality and taste into consideration, instead of funneling most of our subsidies into industrially-farmed grains.
Until then, I’ll be dreaming of Corfu.
References:
Common agricultural policy (CAP). IFOAM Organics Europe. (2024, December 18).
Congressional Research Service. Federal crop insurance: specialty crops. R45459 (2019).
European Commission. Common agricultural policy. Agriculture and rural development.
European Commission. Eco-schemes. Agriculture and rural development.
European Commission. Greece – CAP Strategic Plan. Agriculture and rural development.
European Commission. Income support explained. Agriculture and rural development.
European Commission. Organic action plan. Agriculture and rural development.
Greek National Tourism Organisation. Select protected designation of origin products. VisitGreece.
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