USDA Approves Label for Non-GMO Meat

With all the excitement following the recent passing of the GMO Labeling Bill in Connecticut, environmentalist can once again revel in the recent approval from the USDA for a Non GMO label for meat and liquid egg products.  

Last week, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) approved the label for meat and liquid egg products indicating the absence of GMO entities, the first of its kind. 
The USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service “allows companies to demonstrate on their labels that they meet a third-party certifying organization’s standards, provided that the third-party organization and the company can show that the claims are truthful, accurate and not misleading,” Cathy Cochran, a U.S.D.A. spokeswoman, said in a statement to the New York Times. 

American Consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup Has Declined

       After Melissa's blog post the other day about Coca Cola, I thought it was only appropriate that I follow up with a post about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). High fructose corn syrup is the second ingredient in a Coca Cola  beverage (carbonated water is the first) and can be found in other sodas, juices, and many condiments. Although there is no  research that directly links this sweetener to health problems, too much sugar in any form can be extremely bad for your health, causing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease (find out more here).

But enough with the negativity - the news that I have to deliver about HFCS is positive (for the most part).

According to an article by Grist.com, an environmental news forum, Americans have been consuming less high fructose corn syrup and only 4.5 percent of corn produced in the United States this year it expected to be used for the sweetener.

        "Americans consumed an average of 131 calories of the corn sweetener each day in 2011, down 16 percent since 2007, according to the most recent USDA data. Meanwhile, consumption of sugar, also blamed for weight gain, rose 8.8 percent to 185 calories daily, the data show.

Even with the increase in sugar use, total U.S. sweetener production remains down 14 percent from a 1999 peak, according to the USDA.

“We’re seeing a real decline, and that people aren’t just switching to sugar,” said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington."

Despite the good news, we cannot ignore the "serious public health hangover" that Americans are faced with after decades of consuming sweeteners such as HFCS. This past week researchers in Philadelphia found a 70 percent increase in diabetes in kids under the age of 5 over a 20 year period. 

Regardless, it seem as if the ads similar to the one in Melissa's blog post aren't fooling everyone. In that case lets raise our glasses (of water of course) to our fellow Americans for making a positive change for their health! 

Katie 

It's Almost Summer Farmers Market Season!

As you know from our Winter Food Project, farmers markets aren't just a harvest-time occurrence.  They happen year-round across the state, and a whole host of them will be opening up in May and June and run through the fall.  A listing of the markets where our members sell goods can be found on our website, and you can also view a complete listing of markets on the Department of Agriculture website.

And don't forget, markets don't just sell produce!  You can often use a farmers market as a one-stop shop for all your grocery needs, from delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, to meat, seafood, dairy, sweets, coffee, baked goods, prepared foods, and even some inedible items like wool, beeswax, and crafts.  Give your local market a phone call or check out their website to learn more about their vendors.  Going to a market is a wonderful way to get your grocery shopping done while having a great time and heading home with the freshest goods available!

CT NOFA will be tabling at many upcoming markets this spring through fall.  Check out our website and sign up for our Gleanings eNewsletter to receive regular updates on where we will be and when.  For now, however, here is where we are confirmed so far:

Ellington Farmers Market
Saturday May 12, 2012
9:00-12:00pm
Arbor Park on Route #286/ Main Street
Ellington, CT

Downtown Milford Farmers Market
Saturday July 7, 2012
9:00-1:00pm
58 River Street
Milford, CT

Manchester - CCC Farmer's Market
Thursday August 9, 2012
3:00-6:00pm
35 Oakland Street
Manchester, CT

Higganum Village Farmers Market (tentative)
Friday August 10, 2012
3:30-6:30pm
Higganum Green (intersection of Routes 154 and 81)
Higganum, CT

Stay tuned for more and have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Local Farms Make $5 Billion in Revenue

A new article from NPR's food blog, The Salt, sheds light on the truth behind the profitability of local food.  According to the news giant, "It's easy to think of local food as a diversion for people with plenty of time and money — something that could never be a major source of food in a globalized world. But the number $5 billion might change that perception."  According to a new analysis by the US Department of Agriculture, farmers are selling $4.8 billion a year in fruits and vegetables, mainly to restaurants and supermarket chains.  This is the first time the USDA has included sales to those markets in their analysis, and it shows that there is a lot of room to increase demand further.  In fact, the USDA's study didn't include two key markets, schools and prisons, that have become increasingly popular among local food growers, and that have the potential to greatly increase their overall revenue. 

Ultimately, the number 5 billion is small potatoes (about 2 percent) compared to the much larger sale of commodity crops like soybeans and corn, but the numbers show that local food is a growing industry that has the demand to not only remain sustainable but also become increasingly popular over time.  You can read NPR's full article here.

The best thing any of us can do when shopping for food is to buy local.  Purchasing locally produced crops is great for your health, supports your local economy, and helps make our local economies less dependent on large commodity crops.  Do yourself and your community a favor and buy local, or even start your own garden for the freshest food possible.

Have a great Tuesday!
-Melissa

How to Stop Useless Food Destruction

The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund is a legal institution in place to defend the rights and broaden the freedoms of family farms and protect consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods.  It's a valuable resource for any farmer or organization that deals with small farms and locally produced whole food, and their 24/7 hotline can help out if you are in a legal pinch.  If you are concerned that government regulators may be putting your rights and your food at risk, they are an organization to contact. 

Here's the story of Monte and Laura Bledso, owners of Quail Hollow Farm in Nevada's Moapa Valley.  On Friday, October 21, they began their farm to fork dinner with paying guests and locally produced food and music.  As their guests were arriving, farm tours were wrapping up, and the final dinner preparation was beginning, the Southern Nevada Health District showed up demanding an inspection.  They declared that the food was unfit for not only human consumption at a public event, but also consumption at a private event or even by animals.  Let me make it clear that there was nothing wrong with the food they prepared, with the sanitation of the facility, or with the farm's legal standing.  Laura and Monte had complied with all regulations up until the event, most of the food preparation was done at a certified facility offsite and a certified food trailer had been rented for the onsite preparation, and they had a special use permit from the US Health Department for the event.  Despite all if their efforts, and regardless of the fact that their food was, indeed, entirely safe for consumption, the inspector gave Laura and Monte no choice but to throw their lovingly prepared dinner that guests had paid for in the garbage.  And to add insult to injury, they were not only required to throw all the food away but were also told to pour bleach on it, thus rendering it completely useless, even for composting.  This story speaks to how out of touch with reality our national food priorities are.  Our government is willing and motivated to crack down on the small farmer who's never had an incident of illness from his or her food, but are unable or unwilling to adequately regulate large-scale factory farms that cause thousands of food recalls, illnesses, and deaths.

Fortunately, Laura and Monte's story has a happy ending.  As the inspector was forcing them to bleach and trash their dinner, they thought to call the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, that then let them know about their right to demand a search or arrest warrant from the inspector in order for them to continue operating on their property.  When the inspector was unable to provide such a warrant, the Health District had no legal recourse but to leave the premises.  Laura and Monte were able to salvage their event, and the guests felt a greater sense of bonding and motivation to enact change as a result of the incident. 

You can go to the Fund's website to read more about Laura and Monte's experience, and to get involved yourself. 

Have a great Monday!
-Melissa

USDA Backed Grants Funding Organic Research at Universities

Sunbright Organics in Tuskegee, Alabama

On Tuesday the US Department of Agriculture announced that it will be funding 23 grants to help farmers in 18 states grow organic crops.  The new grants total $19 million and are aimed at helping small and mid-size organic farmers meet consumer demand and increase farm income at the same time. 

In Alabama, Auburn University is one of the institutions to receive federal money.  At AU the grant will fund integrated pest management research on cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and collard greens, and will help keep organic farms like Sunbright Organics in Tuskagee in business as a result.  Since green leaf vegetables attract a lot of pests and organic farmers shy away from spraying their crops with chemicals, the grant aims to help find an organic way to control these pests that farms like Sunbright Organics can use.

The USDA's strategic plan has a goal to increase the acreage of organically grown crucifers in a tri-state area of the south, and also increase organic production by 25% by the year 2015.  Learn more here.

Sign the Petition for More Robust Funding for Organic Agriculture

Tractor Protest in Madison, WI

A new article by the Examiner points to a new budget cutting process that may decrease the potential for organic agricultural funding in the next Farm Bill.  The expedited process aims to speed up the Farm Bill writing process, but since this means that many food policy decisions will be made in a short period of time, organic funding may end up getting left behind as a result.  To avoid this, the Organic Coalition is asking for citizens who care about local, sustainable, organic food to sign a petition for more robust funding for organic agriculture.

Contrary to popular belief, the organic farming industry is not only viable in the current economy, but booming.  Here are some statistics that the Examiner points out:

• The US organic sector is $29 billion industry, which is even more than the US signed in new weapons orders in 2010, $21.3 billion, according the Congressional Research Service. Those whirled peas bumper stickers must be working.
• The organic food industry creates jobs as four times the national rate and served by over 14,500 organic family farmers. Forget Wall Street, organic farming is where it’s at. It's an instant stimulus package that tastes good.
• The current demand for organic food and beverages exceeds domestic production. In order to meet this demand by 2015, the will need 42,000 organic farmers.

If you want to ensure continued access to safe, healthy food, while at the same time helping your local economy, add your name to the petition.

The History of Organic Farming

Organic is often framed as "alternative agriculture" but it has actually been the norm for thousands of years.  Here in the United States, there are lots of guides to organic agriculture, from when organic was conventional, before the advent of farming chemicals and an industrial food system. 

Instead of reinventing the wheel, check out these old resources: at Organic Roots.

"Organic Roots is an electronic collection of historic United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publications related to organic agriculture.  The collection contains almost 800 documents published before 1942 (before synthetic chemicals became widely used) that contain state-of-the-art information and data that is still very pertinent for today's agriculture.  Access to this data is intended to provide growers with new ideas on crop production without chemicals, as well as help researchers conserve scarce resources by avoiding unintended duplication."

Check out the database here: http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=2&tax_level=2&tax_subject=288&level3_id=0&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&topic_id=2503&&placement_default=0

Compost is an ancient fertilizer, and much more conventional than synthetic fertilizer.