People Putting Food First #114
New at www.foodfirst.org
• Industrial Transformation of our Food and Fuel System - a powerpoint presentation by Eric Holt-Giménez, presented at the Planet Diversity Conference in Bonn, Germany, May 2008. http://www.foodfirst.org/en/taxonomy/term/43
• Global launch of an international call by social movements and civil society concerning the World Food Emergency–An Invitation from La Via Campesina–Please forward to other groups http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2130
• Food First Backgrounder: From Food Rebellions to Food Sovereignty: Urgent call to fix a broken food system http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2120
• Small farms as a planetary ecological asset: Five key reasons why we should support the revitalization of small farms in the Global South http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2115
• Food First launches new e-newsletter—African Agroecological Alternatives to the Green Revolution. http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2135
1. Dire human rights violations, Burger King’s dirty tricks, and smart community organizing by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (and their many faith-based and student allies) leads to a historic agreement between Burger King and Florida’s tomato pickers.
2. Public Pressure Overturns Ban on Artificial Growth Hormone Labeling in Pennsylvania
3. Fostering Health, Knowledge, and Community with the Clean Food Network
1.Dire human rights violations, Burger King’s dirty tricks, and smart community organizing by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (and their many faith-based and student allies) leads to a historic agreement between Burger King and Florida’s tomato pickers.
In our last issue (#112) we covered Burger King’s dirty tricks (as did major press outlets). Learn more about this major victory for farm laborers here:
http://www.ciw-online.org/
http://www.nptimes.com/technobuzz/TB20080527_2.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/business/24farm.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Bur...
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080524/NEWS01/805...
2. Public Pressure Overturns Ban on Artificial Growth Hormone Labeling in Pennsylvania
In October 2007, Pennsylvania banned the labeling of milk from cows treated with the Monsanto-engineered rbGH, the synthetic or recombinant bovine growth hormone. This action triggered a deluge of public protest, and finally the threat of a lawsuit compelled Governor Edward Rendell to repeal the ban in a statement released January 17, 2008. As quoted in the government release, "The public has a right to complete information about how the milk they buy is produced."
Dennis Wolff, Pennsylvania's Agriculture Secretary cited problems with consistency of labeling and its potential to mislead as motivating factors for the ban; Rick North of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility pinpoints lobbying from Monsanto that led to the October administrative decision to ban labeling. With January's legislative development, however, legal action can be taken against those who label inaccurately; a valuable new tool that can be used to expose fraudulent claims.
Now the Pennsylvania law ensures that residents will know that unlabeled milk contains milk from cows given rbGH. This battle and victory is just one of many actions across the country where people are fighting for a more just and healthy food system. Building food system sovereignty depends not only on legislation that demands transparency in food production, but also on empowering citizens to understand where their food comes from and how it is produced, and then taking action to get the kind of food they want to eat.
3. Fostering Health, Knowledge, and Community with the Clean Food Network
A group of organic and transitional farmers in Alabama and Tennessee have joined forces to create The Clean Food Network; dedicated to providing sustainable, natural foods. They have banded together so they can sell their seasonal produce, meats, and eggs together to restaurants, through farmers’ markets, and on-line locally.
Collectively, these farmers are stronger than they would be individually, and this is helping them keep their family farms profitable. The Clean Food Network also gives advice to new farmers and allows them to enter the market without having to produce a wide variety of crops. This support network will also help farmers transition from chemical-based agriculture as they work to establish full organic status.
The Clean Food Network also builds community by providing opportunities for local people to come to the farms and help pick, pack, and deliver the food. Through the farmers’ markets consumers can talk with the people who grow their food, ask questions, and get a sense of where and how their food is produced. Furthermore, eating seasonally gives people the opportunity to stretch their culinary horizons by trying new foods. The Clean Food Network opened on April 18, 2008. More information available at:
http://www.cleanfoodnetwork.locallygrown.net/welcome
If you live in other parts of the U.S., you can find farmers who sell directly to consumers at:
http://www.localharvest.org/
Unfortunately, we don’t know of a resource that provides this local referral in other countries around the globe. If you know of such a website, please contact us at foodfirst@foodfirst.org so we can share it with all of our worldwide subscribers.
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This issue of People Putting Food First was compiled by intern Rosalynn Ruiz, associate Rick Jonasse, and staff member Marilyn Borchardt.
