Uncle Ben left the farm

Again moving things in the kitchen pantry, I came across a package of Uncle Ben’s microwavable rice. Uncle Ben’s. Data from the Wayback Machine remembers TV ads for Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice. The ads never said what the rice was converted from, not that I remember.

The packet of rice had instructions, of course – Open packet 2 inches, put in microwave for some minutes on high, grip by Keeps Kool Grip or some such.

The packet also proclaimed the “rice grains” were grown by American farmers. That’s nice. I noticed, too, that Uncle Ben’s is owned by Mars Food, Inc. Yep, the used-to-be-only candy folks. Mars also owns Banfield, a nationwide pet vet company; Mars Wrigley Confectionary, and a bunch of others. The Mars website uses “better” a bunch of times, advertising the company’s dedication to making the world a, well, better place. Here’s an idea, Mars: Give every person in the world a Snickers bar one day a week. World will be a better place.

Then I noticed MADE IN CANADA. Oh. Those “rice grains” grown and harvested by American farmers are shipped to Canada and processed, zipped and zapped into microwavability, put into pouches with other (flavor added) ingredients and then shipped back to the US of A, sold at a store near you.

Globalism. What a country.