Locavore News by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: August 4, 2009
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Ontario
Perspectives on good food and farming
Local food focus of Batawa’s best-kept secret
It might just be one of the best-kept secrets in the Quinte region. But if Jeremy Taft has his way, it won’t remain so for long. Belleville Intelligencer story.
Quebec certification ties livestock to direct-seeded feed
Quebec’s provincial ag department and the farmers’ direct-seeding group Action semis direct have set up a certification program tying livestock and eggs to direct-seeded feed crops. The group will expand its Terre vivante program to certify grain-fed veal, young pigeon and table eggs as having been produced using grain produced under zero-tillage, in which crops are seeded directly into the previous fall’s stubble. Alberta Farmer story.
Local Harvest, August 2009
Foodlink Waterloo Region newsletter features Zucchini and a local farm profile on Conestoga Garden Produce. On the website of Foodlink Waterloo Region
Canadian planners put food on menu
The Canadian Institute of Planners followed the lead of its American counterpart at its annual meeting held in Winnipeg this month by putting planning for food and agriculture on the agenda. Speakers told participants it’s been about 50 year since what and how people will eat has been considered part of the public planner’s role. Maybe it’s because of the spectre of declining energy reserves and global warming is finally seeping into the public’s consciousness. Maybe it’s due to the linkages being drawn between the food system and rising levels of obesity, or the safety scares related to our reliance on foods produced and processed by big companies in far-off places. Winnipeg Free Press story.
The Edible City: Toronto’s Food from Farm to Fork
If a city is its people, and its people are what they eat, then shouldn’t food play a larger role in our dialogue about how and where we live? The food of a metropolis is essential to its character. Native plants, proximity to farmland, the locations of supermarkets, immigration, food-security concerns, how chefs are trained: how a city nourishes itself might say more than anything else about what kind of city it is. With a cornucopia of essays on comestibles, The Edible City considers how one city eats. It includes dishes on peaches and poverty, on processing plants and public gardens, on rats and bees and bad restaurant service, on schnitzel and school lunches. There are incisive studies of food-safety policy, of feeding the poor, and of waste, and a happy tale about a hardy fig tree. Together they form a saucy picture of how Toronto – and, by extension, every city – sustains itself, from growing basil on balconies to four-star restaurants. Edited by Christina Palassio and Alana Wilcox. To be published by Coach House Books, November 2009.
Implementing Local and Sustainable Food Programs in California Hospitals
This guide provides health care facilities with practical suggestions to utilize sustainable food programs that support local family farmers, ranchers, and associated businesses. It is targeted towards hospital administrators, food service directors, dieticians, and others involved with food purchasing decisions, in the hope that they will implement some of the suggestions presented. This publication integrates the experience of San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility (SFPSR) and Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) with cutting-edge research conducted at UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz concerning the Farm to Institution market that focuses on hospitals and educational systems. 20 pages published by the San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers with research conducted at UC Davis.
Partnership program to increase EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) use at farmers markets
The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) and the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) announce a partnership program to increase EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) use, access, and improvements at the nearly 4,800 farmers markets around the country. EBT is a specialized debit technology used for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps) purchases. Instead of paper vouchers, EBT processes SNAP payments electronically via electronic wired or wireless terminal. Farmers Market Coalition (US)Â news release.
A Gathering of Local and State Food Policy Councils
From People Power to Public Policy is a special one-day gathering of state and local food policy council organizers and practitioners. This gathering is an opportunity to learn more about policy, projects and partnerships that make up local food systems. It is also an occasion to network with individuals on the cutting edge of local and state food policy issues. Attendees will be able to share innovative ideas that reflect community values and enhance community food security. Community Food Security Coalition announcement.
Safeway emphasizes benefits of local produce
Safeway’s program is designed “to draw customer attention to the company’s wide selection of locally grown produce, including the quality, freshness and sustainability benefits of the product,” according to a news release. Safeway touts shoppers can find more local produce per item than at a typical famers market and highlights partnerships with key grower-shippers. Safeway’s program is simple, inexpensive and makes sense for fresh produce in particular, said Gene Detroyer, a retail consultant and professor of international business management for the European School of Economics.The Packer story.
America’s Favorite Farmers Markets So Far
Since June 1, thousands of people have cast their vote through American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest. AFT’s website lists and continually updates the top twenty vote getters in each of three categories at www.farmland.org. The top 20 markets list holds lots of surprises including the fact that the current market with the most votes overall is in the “small†category meaning that the market has only 30 vendors or less. This is a true testament to what even a small farmers market means to the community. American Farmland Trust website.