Ziggy Marley may be best known as the son of legendary musician, Bob Marley and for his own contributions to reggae music but the singer has bigger things in mind than just his music. Alongside his musical career, Marley’s food activism has prompted him to create Ziggy Marley Organics Food, a brand of food that is beneficial and environmentally effective for our communities.
Here’s a clip of his interview with The Root:
How does Ziggy Marley Organics fit in with your career?
Ziggy Marley: It’s a tool for a bigger message and a bigger purpose, and it’s right up my alley. For me, music, culture and food — it’s a whole-body experience. We live in the culture and we have to eat properly, and food is a part of that. Also, it’s a part of how I grew up, with healthy eating and healthy food, in Jamaica.
Everything was from the gardens or the farms. We didn’t go to the supermarket, growing up — I don’t remember seeing supermarkets at all until I was a teenager. We had the garden, we had the ocean and we had the farms. Everything was fresh and everything was organic.
You’re a big supporter of the Just Label It campaign, which advocates for the labeling of genetically modified foods. Why is this so important to you?
The important question is, do people have a right to know what they’re putting into their bodies? If the answer is yes, then everything should be clear and transparent. If people don’t have a right to know, then put nothing on it — no calories, no cholesterol, nothing. But I know we have a right, and that right is important to me.
If food is labeled, some people might choose to eat stuff that’s genetically modified. They might decide they love it. But give us a choice. The big thing here is that the people are the lab rats and the guinea pigs.
