Food for People

Humboldt county in Northern California has developed a program that helps people who are at risk of hunger and food insecurity. Their goal is to “provide individuals and households with the emergency and supplemental food they need, while working to address the root causes of hunger in our county”. Food for People is the local food bank having events every Wednesday and Friday providing food for 1000 families each month. This organization also has an Emergency Food Pantry Network with 17 pantries, 3 congregate meal programs feeding another 9,000 to 10,000 people each month. Along with the exceptional meal programs this association offers, low income seniors over the age of 60 receive bags of groceries serving about 600 seniors a month. For citizens who are disabled or ill, Food for People deliver groceries to them and are 100% powered by donations from the community. This locally driven program shows the true potential of community based organizations. Low income citizens far and wide now have a source of food, one of the most basic and necessary components of life.

Along with provisions of food for the needy, Food for People also provides education and outreach programs designed to help low income households make smart choices for adequate nutrition. Recipes, cooking classes, nutrition seminars and kitchen parties all help Food for People and the surrounding community relate and learn about nutrition together. Such community based programs help the people in so many different ways. Physically buy having a meal and filling their stomachs, emotionally from not having to worry about another night not eating, and socially by creating a healthy community with people who love each other.

Food, along with water, is something that everyone has a right to enjoy. Community outreach programs like Food for People help the community stay healthy and stay together. When areas have tightly wound programs and groups, people are more resilient to change and negative scenarios aren’t as bad as they would be without these programs. Personally, I feel like we need localized food banks in every continent, country, state, county, town, community and neighborhood. Whether this bank is in the form of outreach programs like Food for People, or simply a free meal from a friend or business each week, programs like these need to be implemented to help enrich the lives of the wealthy, and the needy.

If you would like to become a part of Food for People or help by donating, you can do so by calling direct at (707) 445-3166 or online at http://www.foodforpeople.org/Donate.html

To be Organic, or Not to be Organic

Italy; the land of love, romance, beauty and food, prides itself for having one of the most exquisite cuisines, produced from the finest locally grown products. This passion for quality has inspired many regions in Italy to join together and boycott the use and sale of genetically modified crops, trying to keep that part of their lives and culture unscathed. Local pressure and county’s beliefs have made it illegal for people to grow GM crops without a permit, and making it increasingly difficult to obtain one.

Recently Greenpeace has taken it upon themselves to protect some of the maize fields in northern Italy that were suspected of GM use and those in close proximity to them. Greenpeace took samples, tested them in a specialized Laboratory and confirmed that the maize was in fact a patented Monsanto maize type MON810. This Greenpeace believes is illegal seeing as the grower did not have a permit to grow such crops. Greenpeace Italia took action by cutting off the buds to stop the spread of GM pollen, this action was intended to bring an end to contamination of other crops and draw attention to the issue, urging the government to take action against these illegal crops.

There is considerable documentation and research that proves that GM crops are indeed a threat to local biodiversity, cross-contamination by insects and winds was feared as well as soil contamination. Cross-contamination could result in a monocrop in which the plants are genetically identical, having mixed organic seeds with patented ones that release pesticides, herbicides and insecticides that could harm the organic seeds, and could harm the insects and other plants around them. In order to restore the natural and variable Italian crops and conserving what they hold so proud inspires Italians to work against companies like Monsanto and GM crops.

            Italy is not be the only country with these concerns, the vicious cycle that has consumed so many of the famers and crops worldwide is becoming more of an issue, people are more aware and speaking out about the destruction and the dwindling crop diversity throughout the world. Monsanto will continue its monopoly over farmers and our food chain if we do not speak up and take drastic measures, to ensure organic sustainable crops.

            These recent events raise the important question; would Italian pasta, vegetables and grains taste the same if the ingredients were affected by GM produce? The answer is that no one knows, and Italy is not willing to take the risk, and frankly when it comes to delicious Italian food, neither am I. 

Gold/Fish?

Alaska is home to many valuable social and environmental and cultural gems; indigenous cultures, oil, gold, salmon and numerous other resources that have recently been discovered and exploited, some unfortunately at the expense of others. Recently Anglo American and Northern Dynasty Minerals have decided to excavate a gold mine in Alaska’s very important and sustained Bristol Bay. The Guardian reported that retailers including Tiffany & Co. have decided, in objection to the environmental damage and long-term destruction of an indigenous culture, not to sell gold mined from Bristol Bay.  They are more specifically concerned with the damage it would do to the Wild Alaskan Salmon population in the Bristol Bay Watershed which is an essential food source to the Alaskan Natives as well as the world’s largest outstanding wild sockeye salmon fishery, an industry worth about $320 million a year. These companies who are said to have a combined sale value of close to 5.6 million dollars, have made their point clear; the gold is just not worth the incredible sacrifice

            Internationally, wild salmon fisheries are slowly being diminished, Bristol Bay remains one of the most unstinted sustainable fishing grounds left, unfortunately it is predicted that close to 10 billion tonnes of mining waste would be produced as well as the movement and displacement of water in salmon spawning locations. Alaska Natives and fishermen greatly rely on these salmon supplies for their subsistence and livelihoods; gold mining would deplete their resources and would damage their way of life and income.

            It is very important to understand not only the implications for this specific situation but gold mining in general and its economic, social and environmental impacts locally as well as globally. As acknowledged in the revised World Gold Council’s sustainability statement; most of the countries that rely on mining are less economically developed nations that rely on exporting gold, the WGC advocates striving to obtain sustainable development and mining, and attempts to improve awareness and increase support for this imperative cause. The more the consumer understands the implications of gold mining on the environment and various food sources, the more they can push for action, which is demonstrated in Tiffany & Co. and their commitment to the environment and indigenous rights and traditional food sources in Alaska. Michael Kowalski, CEO of Tiffany & Co. commented: “There are some special places where mining clearly does not represent the best long-term use of resources. In Bristol Bay, we believe the extraordinary salmon fishery clearly provides the best opportunity to benefit southwestern Alaskan communities in a sustainable way. For Tiffany & Co - and we believe for many of our fellow retail jewelers - this means we must look to other places to responsibly source our gold."

Commensality: The Importance of Social Eating

Creating a meal and sharing it with friends and family has long been an important aspect of eating. However our society has increasingly viewed eating as an individual act. Convenience, price, calories, nutrients, fats, etc. are what most Americans consider when making their daily food choices. Under these conditions many would consider a Slimfast shake and a McDonald's salad a reasonable meal. Lunch breaks are squeezed into a half hour period and in many workplaces lunch breaks are alternated so there is somebody working at all times. The half hour allows for just enough time for you to grab your Slimfast out of the fridge, hop in your car, drive to McDonald's, pick up your salad, and consume your meal while heading back to work.

What happened to commensality? Cultures are shared and bonds are created when a meal is shared. We need to bring the importance of community back into food. You can often learn a lot more about someone from cooking with them than from talking. Food engages all your senses and can speak a lot about a person. Heritage is passed down through food. Teaching the younger generations how to cook and interact with food allows them engage with their culture and bond with the past. Sharing food and cooking techniques with friends gives them a chance to learn about your culture. Giving the cultures a taste, a smell, a feeling can increase respect between groups of people. Sharing food can also bring out emotion, like the comfort felt from eating a meal cooked by mom or the romance your partner (or date) cooking for you.

Culture, emotions, and bonding are all integral parts of eating a meal that are being squeezed out because of our busy lifestyle. We need to make social eating more of a priority and a focus when considering what to eat in a day. The connections food can create between people are too valuable too overlook.

Urban-Agriculture

Urban Agriculture in Developing Nations
Urban agriculture is a crucial strategy that helps the inner city poor survive in Latin America. To better define what is urban agriculture I researched an article called Agricultura urbana en Mexico, situaciones y perspectivas, por Ramon Soriano Robles. "Urban Agriculture is the agricultural practice and animal husbandry of inner cities and suburban areas that use local resources of labor, space, water and organic waste to generate sustenance for consumption and local sale." (tr Rosel) However, barter is also an important strategy in many impoverished communities that may have goods or services to trade, but lack hard currency to do so. Urban agriculture is an important part of this informal economy that is common among the less affluent classes of Latin America that depend on it to supplement their diet and help them negotiate a capitalist society in which they may have few marketable skills. A low-wage economy, poverty and lack of other opportunities have influenced the popularity of urban agriculture in Latin America. In contrast, the United States, Canada, and other first world nations have seen an increase in popularity of urban agriculture due to the organic food movement. This is not to say that Latin America doesn't value organic food; rather, the order of priorities is very different depending on the affluence of the society.
The demographic shift to large cities is being experienced on global scale. Today half of the world's population lives in urban areas and 1/6th of the world's total population lives in mega-cities in excess of 10 million people. The vast majority of people that migrate to cities/urban areas worldwide do so in search of employment opportunities. In the U.S. 82% live in urban areas, while on average Latin America stands at 75% and Mexico at 77.3%. These figures are quite similar; however, the percentage of urban poor is much higher in Latin America and developing countries.
In Latin America many people migrate to the cities for low-paying jobs that often do not provide much job security. In this regard one of the principal benefits of urban agriculture is the security of a ready food supply (la seguridad alimentaria) that does not depend on whether they could find enough work that day. The duality of urban agriculture allows a family member who is the primary childcare provider of the household to enhance its food security as well because it is home based. In these ways urban agriculture helps aliviate poverty and enrich the diet of the urban poor.

Agricultura Urbana: una realidad

Complete the Cycle, Compost!

When developing a relationship with food it is important to stay connected throughout the entire food cycle. Your interaction should not end after you have consumed a delicious home cooked meal. To complete the cycle of your food's life you must return what is left over from preparation back to the land. You can do this by composting. Composting in an urban setting has become increasingly easier. If you do not have a yard there are small indoor compost containers available to purchase. If you do have a yard (of any size) you can purchase a compost bin or make one. One method to making one is to get a plastic bin or trash can with tight fitting lid, drill a few holes (not too big) in it for circulation, and place it in a place that is out of the way and not in direct sunlight or you may dry your compost out. Now to the actual composting...

The following a some things you can compost:
vegetables, fruits, nuts and their shells, flowers, leaves, twigs, beans, pasta, rice, egg shells, coffee grounds, paper bags, newspaper, manure, and rodent bedding (only if it is paper-based or shavings)

Here are a few things to avoid adding to your compost:
meat, dairy, large amounts of acidic fruit such as citrus, and carnivorous animal waste or litter (ex. cat waste)

Make sure you are adding both "greens" and "browns" to your compost. Worms and microbes do the job of turning the waste into nutrient rich compost, so in order for them to be most effective you want to provide them with a healthy environment. Greens provide nitrogen which is the protein and browns provide carbon which is the energy that proteins need to flourish. Without enough greens it will take much longer for browns to break down and without browns the greens decompose too quickly creating a smelly slime.

Greens include:
food scraps including egg shells, grass clippings, coffee grounds, fresh weeds and leaves

Browns include:
dried leaves, paper, sawdust, straw, and wood products

Turn or stir the compost every few days to provide oxygen and after a few weeks or so you will have nutrient rich compost. You can use your compost on indoor or outdoor plants or donate it to a neighbor or local community garden.

San Francisco's not-so-happy meals

On November 2nd, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a city ordinance banning the inclusion of toys with children's meals that do not meet certain nutritional guidelines.  Hoping to improve the way American children eat, the Board passed these measures in order to create an incentive for restaurants, chains, and food providers to improve their abysmal nutritional records.  The provisions of the ordinance stipulate that toys can be included with children's meals, so long as "the meal contains less than 600 calories, has less than 640 milligrams of sodium and if less than 35 percent of the calories are derived from fat (less than 10 percent from saturated fat)." Additionally, "the meals must contain a half-cup or more of fruit and three-quarters of a cup or more of vegetables. A breakfast meal must contain at least a half-cup of fruit or vegetables" (source). 

The ordinance passed by 8-3, meaning that San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom's planned veto will be overturned.  Unsurprisingly, many fast-food industry groups have been speaking out against the ruling.  McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said "We are extremely disappointed with this decision.  It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for." The group Free to Choose Our Meals is also trying to stop the toy ban.  Many groups supporting the ban have pointed out that "fast-food restaurants spent $161 million advertising to children under 12 and an estimated $360 million on toys distributed with their meals in 2006" (source), and that the industry's self regulation has thus far been unsuccessful in combating childhood obesity.  Both sides seem to be equally passionate, but as the ordinance doesn't go into effect until December 2011, there will be plenty of time for arguing and appealing.  At any rate, an interesting case to keep an eye on!

Food for Thought

While meandering through the web today, I discovered a heap of local food resources I thought I ought to share.

First, is the Eat Well Guide.  This is an amazing tool that lets you search for farmer's markets, CSAs, and farms anywhere across the country!  I would really recommend this for anyone who might be traveling and looking to stop at some regional markets.  There's even a section called "Eat Well Everywhere" which helps you plan where to eat and stop on your trips.  Definitely going to be using this next time I go on vacation (which will, admittedly, not be any time soon!).

Next up is the FoodRoutes Network.  This website is home to a bunch of handy guides on how to eat local and where and how to shop to make that happen within a budget.  There's a lot of information on how to start a "Farm to College" healthy-eating-on-campus chapter, so UW students, if we're not already doing this, we should!  FoodRoutes also has a cool challenge: try and spend just $10/week at your local markets.  According to their website, "[a] recent study in Maine shows that shifting just 1% of consumer expenditures to direct purchasing of local food products would increase farmers' income by 5%."  I think this $10/week idea is really great, especially for us broke college students.  Let's try it out this Saturday at the U District Farmers Market.


Edible Seattle: This magazine, published every two months, celebrates the bounty of the Puget Sound region, advocating for our local foodways and farmers. Part of a national group of publications, there's a lot of nice web content, and a really sweet podcast. 


Lastly, the Food and Water Watch.  Confused about what seafood is safe/not safe or sustainable to eat? Well here's a great seafood eating guide for you!  With the slogan "Know your fish, know your water, know your food," the Food and Water Watch is an amazing multifaceted resource. Tips and tools for living and eating well. 


Enjoy!