Food Policy Council of San Antonio

Rahm to Chicago: "Let's Move! on Food"

Obama Foodorama reported today on Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel's food policy agenda for the city. Into an urban center already working at improving access to healthy food, he brings added emphasis to Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" agenda for improving public health through better nutrition and increased physical activity. His program lays out a 360-degree view of the problems and solutions for an urban food system.

"To improve food access & affordability, the Mayor-Elect pledges 'a renaissance in local food production & distribution' with new policies and incentives for urban agriculture, grocery markets, food trucks..." Read the whole ObFo post. It brings up a variety of approaches to address food deserts, economic development, health, and community building.

As I reported a few weeks ago, Chicago has had (a) groundbreaking (so to speak) urban agriculture programs (including a branch of Growing Power headed by Erika Allen, daughter of Will), and (b) City proposals that didn't seem to appreciate the assets they were about to squelch. It will be exciting to see the energy that Emanuel can bring, with the broad understanding he seems to have for improving the food system.

Meanwhile, San Antonio also is a partner in "Let's Move!" through the Mayor's Fitness Council and other initiatives. Many of Emanuel's proposals, like making Chicago bike friendly, echo current programs of Mayor Julian Castro. It would be doubly exciting if we could partner with Chicago, leverage the food-system initiatives in our own ways, and move ahead even faster.

One of the best things about the food policy movement is being able to connect with other communities, so that the wheel is not reinvented everywhere. We can adopt and adapt, because while every place is unique, we all face similar challenges in reclaiming our food systems.

More on GMOs: Gonzo labeling, and Mothers Unite

Likelihood in Labeling

On being the market: this post from Natural News puts it together for the guerrila labeling campaign for GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) food. Why guerrilla? Because genetically modified ingredients do not have to be labeled as such in the U.S., so it isn't apparent to most people that they are consuming them in many, if not most, processed foods.

A quote from NN: "This month, the Millions Against Monsanto Truth-in-Labeling Campaign will start taking matters into our own hands. We're sticking 'Oh No! Is It GMO?' labels on non-organic foods likely to contain GMOs as well as non-organic meat, dairy, and eggs coming from animals raised in CAFOs, (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), where they are force-fed GM grains." Follow the link to download the GMO shopping guide, to know what products likely contain GMOs.

Mothers Unite

What exactly is modified in GMO foods? Here is an explanation from a Stonyfield guest blogger: "GE crops, such as “Roundup Ready” soy, sugar beets and alfalfa [and corn and canola and cottonseed] are all engineered to withstand Monsanto’s toxic herbicide, 'Roundup.' The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which is systemically transported throughout the plant and may eventually find its way into our groundwater. In the soil, glyphosate disrupts the complex microbial ecosystem."

Read the entire post, for some of the implications. Then start labeling. And talking to your friends, neighbors, grocer, Congressperson, anyone. It's amazing how unaware we are about this issue.

Coming next--a soil scientist says more about what glyphosate does in the soil, and to animal health.

Outrage and misgivings, and a plan

There is so much worthy stuff to write about in the good food movement, that I rarely feel compelled to give much space to the many things we could be unhappy about with our dysfunctional food system.

However...as I wrote at the end of January, outrage over the deregulation of GMOs continues to swirl in the foodosphere. As the list grew from GE alfalfa to salmon and more, food system activists are almost numb, and casting about for effective ways to respond. All the activism, public comment, court orders, and petitions up to now seem to have meant nothing. What's next?

They are writing. My food policy blog search today is filled with re-postings of this recitation from Food and Water Watch. And this exasperated post, from Natasha Chart, change.org's food blogger (a 2009 post, resurfacing).

Even industry blogger Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton, who writes the column Poultry Perspective on Meatingplace (a meat industry site you have to register to see), expresses some misgivings about their safety, in several of her posts that touch on GMOs.

An ad hoc group of organizations and individuals who oppose GMOs is strategizing in an online discussion group. One thread that is gaining traction is to activate consumer pressure in the marketplace, as was done effectively with the campaign against recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) in milk. What a concept! Related to this is the need to keep up pressure for labeling, which the biotech industry has so far sidestepped in this country.

As I keep saying--"be the market." How will they know what we want, if we don't ask for what we want? I have sent a question about GMO content in their products to H-E-B's online Contact Us form, and I got a personal reply. I'm not going to share it with you; that would be too easy! You'll have to go and get your own. I encourage you to do so. Ask your own questions, and express your own desires as a customer of the business. They need to hear from more of us.

I have plans also to contact some national brands like Triscuit and Wheat Thins, to ask about GMO content, and to tell them I can't trust their brand if it can't be labeled non-GMO. And anything containing soy or corn? The possibilities are endless.

To the barricades, shoppers!

TCOOPS Report

As promised, here is my report from TOFGA's 2011 Texas Conference On Organic Production Systems (TCOOPS). It was held Friday-Sunday, January 28-30, at the Killeen Convention Center.

There were pre-conference farm tours, which I didn't attend this time, sorry! During the conference, there were producer sessions on pastured poultry, grass-fed beef, organic vegetables, insurance and other business matters. And much more.

Len Trevino of Metro Health, a founder of the SA Food Policy Council, spoke on a panel about Food Justice. He talked about the difficulty of undoing cultural changes in food choices among people who have chosen to assimilate into the unhealthy American diet. He also talked about the positive example of our City Manager pulling junk food out of vending machines in City buildings, and new rules that food purchased by the City and Bexar County must come from within 150 miles.

CFSC (the Community Food Security Coalition) held a Farm Bill listening session, a late addition to the program that was squeezed in between the afternoon session and the evening event. Between 30 and 40 people attended to give their input, fortified by non-chain pizza ordered in by the presenters. All the input was forwarded on to CFSC's Washington, DC policy office to be combined with that of other sessions being held around the country. The top 3 issues that TCOOPS attendees wanted to see supported in the next Farm Bill are: support for local food infrastructure, "stop the nutty loopholes," and support for new and transitioning farmers.

Friday evening's event was a screening of the movie "FRESH." This independent film was produced in 2009, and has become a phenomenon of local distribution and activism. While it lays out the same problems with our food system as Food Inc., its stories and solutions take center stage, with lengthy and inspiring segments on Milwaukee urban farmer Will Allen, and Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in Virginia.

The vendor area had booths offering organic fertilizers and soil amendments, literature from Oregon Tilth, ATTRA, and other sources, chickens scratching on trays of sprouts (demo of an innovative growing system), organic treats, and more.

Topics on Saturday and Sunday included more on production and marketing, also soil fertility, compost production, pending legislation and advocacy, web-based tools for farm stores, rules on agricultural valuation of land, international topics, and the problems facing bee populations.

At lunchtime on Saturday were the regional meetings. San Antonio is in Region 2, along with Austin, and a committee of six or seven people stepped up to take leadership on increasing outreach and communication. If you would like to be involved, too, send an email from the About page.

On Saturday evening, there was a banquet of locally produced foods deliciously prepared by Amanda Love, the Barefoot Cook. Each dish was labeled with the ingredients and the farms who provided them. The Keynote speaker was Ana Sofia Joanes (at left), the producer of FRESH. She spoke engagingly about her challenges in making and distributing the film, and about her encounters with the farmers and others she had filmed.

The final session, at midday Sunday, was a business meeting. There were a couple of low-key elections, then board members spoke about last year's accomplishments, and priorities for the year ahead. Each region offered their own goals for 2011. Farm tours are high on the agenda for all the regions, to help bring producers and consumers together. Another topic of interest is new-farmer training. Watch this space!

NCAT Southwest Regional Office opens here

The National Center for Appropriate Technology chose San Antonio as the site of their new Southwest Regional Office, and opened it here in October. Coinciding with a Board meeting, now they will host a reception to celebrate the opening.

"This is a chance for us to introduce ourselves to the community and meet new friends and collaborators," says the Director, Mike Morris. "It's going to be very informal, and we hope people will stop by and say hello."

Friday, February 4, 2011, 4-6 p.m.
Atrium of 110 Broadway, San Antonio

• Network with advocates for sustainable food, energy, and low-income people
• Meet NCAT board and staff from around the country
• Free parking in the World Trade Center garage (510 East Travis)

Their mission: Helping people by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.

From their About page: "Since 1976 the National Center for Appropriate Technology has been serving economically disadvantaged people by providing information and access to appropriate technologies that can help improve their lives. During the organization's rich and varied history, NCAT projects have ranged from low-tech to high-tech, addressing complex issues of housing, economics, and environmental quality. Weatherizing houses, training farmers, monitoring energy use, demonstrating renewable energy technology, testing new products and providing information on building construction are just a few of the many ways that NCAT has contributed to fostering healthy quality of life for everyone."

It's a huge deal that they are here. Show up and learn more!