Archive for the ‘On The Policy Front’ Category
Cultivation, Cuisine and Climate Change: Is This Compostable??
Not only does it take energy and resources to create the boxes, containers and plastic wraps that cover our food, packaging also contributes to climate change when it breaks down in landfills. Composting diverts this food-related waste from the landfills, and turns it into a new product that can be used to nourish crops, thereby closing the food cycle and preventing greenhouse gas emissions.
Seattle residents are able to put their food waste (vegetable and meat scraps, dairy products, pizza boxes, etc.) out on the curb for collection for Cedar Grove to compost, and last July restaurants were required to provide compostable to-go containers. Coffee shops now pour iced lattes into clear containers made of corn, not plastic. More…
The Farm Stand is Becoming the New Apothecary
This is a great article from the New York Times on a new approach to get people to eat more fruits and vegetables. What do you think? Would you be more likely to eat your veggies if your doctor wrote you a prescription?
The farm stand is becoming the new apothecary, dispensing apples — not to mention artichokes, asparagus and arugula — to fill a novel kind of prescription.
Doctors at three health centers in Massachusetts have begun advising patients to eat “prescription produce” from local farmers’ markets, in an effort to fight obesity in children of low-income families. Now they will give coupons amounting to $1 a day for each member of a patient’s family to promote healthy meals.
“A lot of these kids have a very limited range of fruits and vegetables that are acceptable and familiar to them. Potentially, they will try more,” said Dr. Suki Tepperberg, a family physician at Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, one of the program sites. “The goal is to get them to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables by one serving a day.”
The Nitty Gritty of Seattle’s Urban Ag Code Changes
Marra Farm Harvest, Photo by Steve Tracy
Seattle City Council unanimously voted to pass the urban agriculture land use code amendments yesterday (with the exception of Councilmember Jean Godden who was not present when the vote took place). These amendments were drafted in response to the Local Food Action Initiative’s call on the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to find ways to promote growing food in the city.
Throughout the process, the largest debate on these code amendments swirled around chickens. At first, it was proposed that roosters be banned in the city. But an appearance by a local urban farmer, her children and her rooster at a council meeting seemed to sway councilmembers to drop that part of the proposed legislation. (Council President Richard Conlin and Councilmember Mike O’Brien seemed to be convinced that the problems some roosters present were covered by the noise ordinance.) More…
Seattle City Council Passes Urban Ag Code Changes!
Whoohoo! Yesterday Seattle City Council passed the proposed urban ag code changes. See the press release below:
As part of the 2010 Year of Urban Agriculture, the Seattle City Council approved Council Bill 116907 that supports the rapidly growing local food movement. The ordinance updates the City’s Land Use code governing urban agriculture uses, including allowing “urban farms” and “community gardens” in all zones, with some limitations in industrial zones. Also, residents will now be able to sell food grown on their property. More…
Update on Food Safety Modernization Act
Marra Farm Harvest, Photo by Steve Tracy
Things are looking a little less grim on S510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, thanks to some important amendments being proposed. From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), here’s an update:
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a copy of the “manager’s amendment” to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) which is, in essence, the bill as reported out of the HELP Committee late last year as modified by a long and arduous set of negotiations that have taken place since that time to work out particular issues. More…
Update on City of Seattle’s Local Food Policy Action Plan
Today Andy Fisher from the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) presented to Seattle City Council on the Action Plan being generated in response to the Local Food Action Initiative passed back in April 2008.
Here are some of Andy’s comments:
“We need to coordinate local food policy because cities are already working on this without a full comprehension of the impacts, costs and possibilities. Food is at the crossroads of economy, health, community and culture. Through food policy, the city can address many existing problems and meet its goals.” More…
Subsidies Send Mixed Messages About Diet
Corn harvest
Sightline has found a couple of studies that indicate that as food with poor nutritional quality gets relatively cheaper, our waistlines grow larger. Since 1985, the price of food in the “sugar and sweets” category of the University of Washington study actually fell (when adjusted for inflation). While nutritional foodstuffs cost significantly more today than in 1985, with a price increase of more than 20 percent. Not surprisingly, we buy and consume more of what’s cheap.
Seattle Times asked the lead researcher, Pablo Monsivais, for an explanation of the price disparity. He responded that government subsidies may be to blame since they do not cater to “nutrient-rich agriculture.”
Conversely, many junk food producers that rely on corn and soy (and all of their wondrous by-products) get a major break thanks to federal subsidies. In the last ten years, U.S. subsidies for corn alone has totaled more than $75 billion. What’s not used in making processed food often goes to fattening livestock. More…
Pollan Discusses the Economics of Local Eating to WSJ
In this interview with Wall Street Journal, Michael Pollan explains why some foods are more expensive at the farmers market, and that others are not. Furthermore, he talks about focusing on the quality of food as opposed to quantity, and why spending a bit more on food every now and again makes sense for the consumer and the farmer.
WSJ: Do Bay Area residents eat and shop for food differently from people elsewhere?
Mr. Pollan: The food movement really began on the West Coast, and you can make an argument it began in the Bay Area. There is a much higher level of consciousness here about where food comes from, about eating seasonally and locally, than there is in the rest of the country.
But we have certain advantages that few other places in the country have. We can eat from the farmer’s market 50 weeks of the year—the only reason they close is to get a break Christmas and New Year’s.
WSJ: What do you attribute the greater enthusiam to?
Mr. Pollan: A consumer who is willing to pay more for better food. That’s a matter of consciousness and a palette that has been educated by the chefs locally. Paying $3.90 for a Frog Hollow Peach, there are a lot of people here willing to do it. I don’t know if you can find a more expensive peach in America. My little rule, “Pay more, eat less,” is followed by a lot of people in the Bay area.
First Lady on the Child Nutrition Bill
Michelle Obama has published an article in the Washington Post to express her support for the Child Nutrition Bill, and to urge Congress to pass it. A year ago, the first lady made her point about fresh food by tearing up the South Lawn of the White House and replacing it with fruit and vegetable starts. To encourage a healthy lifestyle of eating well and staying active, Obama launched the “Let’s Move!” campaign to combat the rising obesity rate amongst US children.
To ensure children are eating right, school lunch programs need to be properly funded and have higher nutritional standards. That’s why Obama has called on Congress to pass the Child Nutrition Bill. Here’s more from the First Lady: More…
Cultivation, Cuisine and Climate Change: Rooftop Gardening
Since Seattle is one step closer to implementing legislation that would encourage rooftop gardening, we may as well start looking at how to best take advantage of this new real estate. The following is an article from the Washington Post about producing food on roofs in various forms– green roofs, greenhouses, hoop houses, hydroponic-style, solar-heated, etc. More…
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Categories
News Aggregator
- Why does a posh agricultural college open its doors in summer to urban teenagers? September 7, 2010 Michael Levenston
- The safe use of wastewater in agriculture – Reduced costs for farmers and cities and improved water quality September 7, 2010 Michael Levenston
- USDA Announces Next Steps on Sugar Beets September 7, 2010 Taylor
- Register now for ‘Sheep School’ in Massachusetts September 6, 2010 Taylor
- Urban food garden installations in Bangalore September 6, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Job: Sustainable Agriculture Educator, Garden Manager September 5, 2010 Taylor
- City offers soil-cleaning tips to promote urban gardening September 4, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Michelle Obama in the garden September 4, 2010 Michael Levenston
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