Published on March 5th, 2009
Want to sell your rice for a cost higher than the government thinks you should? Or slow production to a pace lower than the government’s ideal? Try that in Venezuela, and you’ll have Hugo Chavez’ troops at your company’s doorstep.
On Saturday, Venezuela’s dictator gave orders to the military to “take control” of all rice-processing mills in the country, including some US-owned plants such as the Minnesota-based Cargill. Chavez has been enforcing price caps on food commodities since 2003, and is angered by the rice companies’ recent decisions to reduce production rates in order to catch up on lost profits.
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Published on January 23rd, 2009
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) “is a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy membership organization established in 1997 by its sister organization, International Center for Technology Assessment, for the purpose of challenging harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable alternatives.” CFS has several campaigns going to help educate us about what to eat and what is just not safe. For example, Read the rest of this entry »
Published on January 12th, 2009
Recently, talking about the food crisis globally on our sister site Feel Good Style, I also thought about these same issues domestically, here in the United States, and rediscovered Feeding America (previously known as Second Harvest). Feeding America is a national supporter of local food-banks and kitchens, and they do all this through the use of grants. In their call for help they state that 35 million in the US don’t know where the next meal is coming from, stating that “one in eight Americans is struggling with hunger. Our goal is to fill their bowls with food, and their hearts and minds with hope.”
Not only is this cause to donate, but I am also reminded of how helping at a soup kitchen is one of those things that just feels really good. Their willingness to engage civil society to help care about starving citizens, shows how anyone can make changes to help the starving locally. Perhaps you own a farm, or a big garden and can donate something fresh? Or become a corporate sponsor? Feeding America states that “as a charity with national reach, we can engage the public and raise awareness of this critical issue on a national and local level.” Read the rest of this entry »
Published on December 10th, 2008
Another chef on my personal short list for the White House (Kitchen) Cabinet would be Bryant Terry. He cooks some amazing food as you can tell from his “Eco-Soul Kitchen” posts at TheRoot.com and the pages of his cookbooks, Grub and the forthcoming Vegan Soul Kitchen, but it is Terry’s work in the realm of food justice that makes me want him talking with our next president over dinner.
That work includes his projects such as b-healthy! (Build Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth), a multi-year initiative with the objective of empowering youth to create a more just and sustainable food system. Other projects include People’s Grub Parties in cooperation with the People’s Grocery, the Black and Green Fund, and the Southern Organic Kitchen Project, a program that will help bring nutrition education and food justice to historically-excluded urban communities in the South. Along with his knives, Terry would bring to the White House a unique understanding of the negative impacts of our agricultural policy on our nation’s people.
Chef Terry gave me a moment of time to fill out his “application” for the job.
What would you bring to the table as White House Chef?
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Published on November 3rd, 2008
Originally recommended to me by Reenita when I was asking about a tummy healer, Tulsi tea has proven to be one of my favorite refreshments. Organic India makes a variety of chai, green, jasmine and more, and it is a known comfort in India. Called Holy Basil, this tea aids digestion, and overall internal health for a healthy external glow. My choice Tulsi tea now is Organic India, please see their admirable vision and mission:
“To be a vehicle of consciousness in the global market by creating a holistic sustainable business modality, which inspires, promotes and supports well-being and respect for all beings and for Mother Nature.”
and, Read the rest of this entry »
Published on October 22nd, 2008
The harvest season readily invokes an aura of gratitude for those of us who frequent our local farmers’ market. We feel appreciation as we wander between the overflowing piles of pumpkins, winter squash and root crops – thankful for the flavors of the past bountiful season.
Yet what can we do to express such thanks? How do we channel such inklings of gratitude? Here’s where a dash of out-of-the produce box thinking can stir up rewarding ways to contribute to your local food system in creative ways above and beyond shopping routines. Yes, you could join a committee or existing organization. But sometimes the volunteer path less traveled can be the route to go, coming up with your own vision and project.
Just ask Melinda and Dan Hemmelgarn, long-time supporters of their Columbia Farmers’ Market. Blending their photography and writing talents with their passion for local agriculture, the imaginative duo created a fund-raising calendar featuring area farmers: Farm Hands – a Tribute to the hands that feed us. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on October 15th, 2008
I’m a card carrying member of Slow Food USA and one of the founders of Slow Food Rogue Valley southern Oregon Convivium. I believe it’s my duty and privilege to pass along the follow information about the Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture. I encourage you to endorse it, sign it and comment on it, NOW.
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Published on October 8th, 2008
Searching for that truly virtuous cup of coffee? If you’ve looked into the impact of your morning cup of joe recently, chances are you know that most coffees are their greenest when they’re still on the plantation, or maybe the tree.
Roasting, shipping, marketing, bagging and processing all take a lot of energy, and most coffee in the world travels a fair distance before it ends up in our french presses. Coffee is an equatorial crop, and we don’t all live on the equator.
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Published on September 29th, 2008
Hershey’s, in an attempt to counter rising food costs, has replaced the cocoa butter in many of its candies with vegetable oil, effectively changing their product from “milk chocolate” to “chocolate candy”. Cocoa butter is the ingredient that gives milk chocolate it’s creamy mouthfeel, and it will be noticably absent from Whachamacalits, Mr. Goodbars, Milk Duds, and Krackels, although Hershey’s claims that Hershey Bars, Kisses, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will remain unchanged.
Sigh. Why bother with any of them? Although Hershey’s has made attempts towards more fair trade practices, they’re far from green or ethical. There’s several other ways to get your chocolate fix while supporting responsible companies. Find out how, after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 25th, 2008
Foodies love to forage for new discoveries at the farmers’ market, often finding fresh produce booty at the booth of a new immigrant farmer. From gai cho, an Asian mustard cabbage favored by the Hmong, to epazote, a pungent Mexican herb, new flavors and possibilities can increasingly be found as these immigrant farmers grow in number.
But supporting these new immigrant farmers can go beyond unique produce experimentation. We currently don’t grow nearly enough produce in the United States to meet dietary guidelines domestically. This country desperately needs more farmers to raise fruits and vegetables. With only 2 percent of Americans still farming, even the Census doesn’t count agriculture as a profession anymore. With each of us, aside from Native Americans, having immigrant roots of some sort, supporting new ethnic farmers draws on that American pioneer sprit that the land can gift you with a livelihood. Read the rest of this entry »
