The Roundup Ready Disaster

A mixture of good and bad news on the national food policy front. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first before turning to some more encouraging information...

As you may be aware, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at the behest of the Obama administration, approved the use of a new strain of genetically engineered alfalfa seed in January of this year. This transgenic seed, which was developed by Monsanto, is called “Roundup Ready” alfalfa because it is designed to be resistant to the corporation’s widely used weed killer, Roundup. While this initially appeared to be a windfall for farmers who use transgenic seed, it has become clear that Roundup Ready alfalfa is almost certainly going to prove to be nothing less than an agricultural disaster.

Farmers and scientists across the nation have discovered solid evidence linking the use of Roundup Ready corn and soy, in conjunction with the Roundup weed killer, to massive rates of animal infertility and spontaneous abortion. In fact, infertility rates have been recorded as high as 20%, while spontaneous abortions are occurring at the unbelievable rate of 45%. Scientific evidence suggests that this disaster is being caused by severe micronutrient deficiencies in the soil on farms which use Roundup Ready seed and the weedkiller. Apparently, these deficiencies depopulate the soil of its regular microorganisms and have enabled an as yet unnamed microorganism to take their place. Along with general nutrient deficiencies in Roundup Ready crops, this new microorganism has been identified by scientists as the cause of the disaster. The situation is bad enough as is, but it promises to become even worse as Roundup Ready alfalfa is planted because alfalfa is used primarily to make hay that is fed to livestock. (http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/dr_hubers_warning/)

What comes as the largest surprise, however, is that these scientific findings are not brand new. In fact, the respected plant pathologist Dr. Don M. Huber sent a letter outlining this situation to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on January 17th, 2011. This was weeks before Secretary Vilsack approved the use of Roundup Ready Alfalfa. We are left to wonder why Secretary Vilsack disregarded Dr. Huber’s warning and request for additional time and funding for further research into Roundup Ready crops. We can be sure, however, that Monsanto was tirelessly lobbying the Obama administration for approval of its alfalfa seed.

Furthermore, the Roundup disaster provides us with yet another example of the dangers of transgenic and industrial scale agriculture. Situations like this are what makes the development of sound food policy so critical for our communities, both locally and nationally.

Now, the good news regarding all of this is that there is something each of us can do about the USDA’s questionable decision making. I encourage you to watch the video below, in which Dr. Huber explains the shocking breadth of the crisis, and then sign the petition to ask the Obama administration to ban the use of Roundup Ready alfalfa until further (independent!) research can be conducted. The petition can be found at:

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/dr_hubers_warning/

Dr. Huber Explains Science Behind New Organism and Threat from Monsanto's Roundup, GMOs to Disease and Infertility from Food Democracy Now! on Vimeo.

AGENDA: Working Group Meeting Wed June 8th!

Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County

Working Group Meeting

Wednesday June 8,  2011

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, 1000 S Cooper St.

1.    Welcome and Introductions – 5 min

2.    Discuss changing all meetings to evenings – 5 min

3.    Review final draft of White Paper and discuss next steps, brainstorm list of necessary supporters – 30 min

4.    Food Ordinance Handbook update and next steps – 30 min

5.    Schedule Fundraising Plan Committee meeting - 5 min

6.    General Updates/Announcements - 10 min

All meetings are open to the public, just email josephine@midsouthpeace.org or call 901-725-4990 so we know to expect you.

Food Stamps at Farmers Markets: the carrot, not the stick!

I was just directed to an excellent blog post:

If You Haven’t Been On Food Stamps, Stop Trying to Influence Government Policy

The bottom line?  Until you've been on food stamps, stop trying to tell people who are on food stamps what they should and should not eat.  It perpetuates the popular and beloved American myth that poor people are stupid and don't know how to take care of themselves or their families.  We all make bad food choices, even those of us with economic privilege make bad food choices, and we have more choices to make.  In the words of my friend and co-conspirator, Connie Binkowitz, our job is to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone.  We cannot "punish" people for eating fast food and soda while doing nothing to make affordable healthy options available and accessible in all neighborhoods and to all people.

Every corner store in Memphis takes food stamps, but how many farmers markets do?  Well this year, three farmers markets have made the commitment to take food stamps market wide, the South Memphis Farmers Market, the Urban Farms Market, and the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market.  Hat's off to them for their commitment to increasing access to healthy, fresh and local food.  The Urban Farms market has been taking food stamps since late April, and despite using only word-of-mouth advertising, the number of folks coming to the market to use their federal benefits has been steadily increasing.  "Those people" want to buy healthy, organic, farm-fresh produce just like "the rest of us".  Who would have thought?

It's all about access.  You can't expect someone to make a healthy choice if the option just isn't there.  Or if the option is not affordable.  Access means financial access, too.  Soda and fast food burgers are cheap, after all.  And when you need to feel full, that burger does a better job than any local organic apple.  From an economic perspectives, we healthy food advocates have our work cut out for us.

Enter the Double Value Coupon Program.  Wholesome Wave, a Connecticut non-profit, works with farmers markets across the country to implement programs that double people's money when they use food stamps at farmers markets.  This benefits farmers, by helping redirect some of the billions of dollars in food stamps into their pockets, while also benefiting consumers by making the healthy food they want more affordable.   It's a win for farmers, a win for farmers markets, and a win for consumers.  It's a carrot, not a stick.  And we're all for more carrots, right?

Want to see something like this in Memphis?  Well just stay tuned for another couple months.....

Samples and chef demos to be allowed at farmers markets

Are you ready to get a taste of spring in the Mid-South?  This year, vendors at farmers markets in Memphis and Shelby County will be allowed to offer free samples of their products.  While being able to taste a strawberry or cherry tomato may seem insignificant, this simple change has the potential to really benefit both farmers and consumers.

Why is this so important?  "Local farmers sell on taste, " says Melissa Petersen, editor of Edible Memphis Magazine.  "While grocery store varieties are selected for uniformity, mechanization, and ability to stand up to shipping, local farmers chose varieties based largely on flavor and how well they grow in our soil and climate." Consumers might not be familiar with the varieties that grow well here. Farmers’ market produce is picked at the peak of ripeness and arrives very fresh at the market.  Farmers’ market shoppers may not be willing to shell out their grocery money for a purple carrot, or one of the dozens of tomato varieties, or a candy-cane beet, or tat-soi greens without a taste.   Allowing shoppers to try before they buy will increase shopper confidence in their purchases, thereby increasing sales for farmers — a win-win situation for improving access to healthy food, sustaining our regional farm base, and, ultimately, ensuring our local and regional food security.  

Chef demonstrations will be exempt from permitting as well, meaning that markets will not be limited to how many demonstrations they can offer and they will not have to pay a permit fee.  The only caveat is that the food offered for sampling must be prepared ahead in a licensed kitchen and maintained at the appropriate temperature.  The ingredients actually used in the live demonstration must be discarded.  Chef demonstrations are a great way to teach people how to use local and unique ingredients, encourage home cooking, and expose people to healthy recipes.

For Petersen and other local food advocates who have been pushing for sampling at farmers markets for more than four years, this is a major victory.  So what changed?  In October of last year, the Tennessee Department of Health revised the relevant section of the General Environmental Health Manual to "provide guidance... on sampling operations involving foods from a licensed domestic kitchen as well as fruits and vegetables at farmer's markets..."  The revision states that sampling at farmers’ markets is exempt from permitting as long as the food samples are non-potentially hazardous and/or are prepared in a licensed domestic kitchen. Potentially hazardous foods are defined as high water, or low acid, or high protein and include cut melons, cut tomatoes, and raw sprouts.

Changes at the state level are not necessarily a green light for Shelby County.  Food ordinances in Shelby County are more stringent than elsewhere in the state.  Shelby County is the only county in Tennessee that requires that farmers markets be permitted by the health department.  However, in this instance, the Shelby County Health Department's interpretation of the local laws is consistent with state precedent and will allow sampling and chef demonstrations at farmers markets.

Food Advisory Council meeting notes, 3-9-11

Meeting of the Memphis Shelby Food Policy Council Working Group
Date of meeting: March 9, 2011
Location: Mid-South Peace and Justice Center

Welcome and Introductions
Attendantees
Laretha Randolph - “community busy-body”
Melissa Peterson - Edible Memphis
Nathan Cook - CCHS, obesity, environmental change
Sue Easley - CYCFM
Brandi Franklin - CHEER (research w/ Janice Pride Boone on impacts of  38126)
Josephine Williams - GrowMemphis
Christian Man - Knowledge Quest
Rosalie Bouck - Urban Farms Market

Brief review of formation of Fundraising Plan Committee
Brandi joined FP Committee

Review White Paper Draft
White Paper Draft:
Exec Summary:
remove references to “social justice” (LR)
Expand list of activities
Starting from zero (85% of people reading this don’t know anything about food system)
History of FPC’s - originated in references to other FPCs/structure of FPC
Economic impact of FPC (Brandi Franklin)
money statement
Most people won’t read past executive summary
List organizations in food system appendix (Laretha Randolph)
List organizations in WG in appendix
Audience - generally conservative (Christian Man)
Start exec summary with why its important

Introduction
Current context and why FPCs are good - get more of than in exec summary (Laretha Randolph)
Statistics cited are not powerful
MCS budged $1 per meal, $25 cents?? and school food data (Nathan Cook)
Data from food trust? (Laretha Randolph)
Presenting state of health disparities - tie that to access - economics (Laretha Randolph)
Memphis does not have a healthy food system - state explicitly (Melissa Peterson)
Ken Meter Crossroads Resource Center (Josephine Williams)
CDC data instead of Forbes data
data for high school students (Brandi Franklin)
Reference national trends in obesity (Nathan Cook)
Why is a local and regional food system important/superior to international/global food system? (Sue Easley)
Local = Food Security
Terrorism
Oil prices
Food safety

Mission, Vision, and Values
Take out “we” (Melissa Peterson)
MISSION:  To advance policy and practice in Memphis and Shelby County that strengthens food security and the local food economy
Do values belong in White paper? (Laretha Franklin)
Christian agrees)
VISION:  “A M&SC food system that is vibrant, sustainable and advances the health of residents and the local economy.”
Values sound “hippie dippy” (Melissa Peterson)
Values section eliminated

Stopped White Paper discussion there in the interest of time.
Additional comments/edits should be submitted to Josephine.
Updated version will be maintained in a Google Doc

 Food Ordinance Handbook community meetings
Thursday, March 17th 1:30-3pm and 6-7:30pm

Everyone will send out to their networks.  Christian will create Facebook event

Some stakeholders had a negative experience with Harvard Law student in January.  Suggested steps to mitigate this:
 FAC representative at any/all stakeholder meetings
Josephine will give brief presentation at the start of community meetings
students have been advised on their appearance and manners
Emily Broad has been notified of the negative feedback

 General Updates/Announcements

• Connie has fowarded request for ruling on sampling and demos at farmers markets to Cynthia Nunnelly 
• Wholesome Wave grant award for $6000.  Meeting to take place Tuesday at 2pm at MSPJC 
• Josephine and Emily Broad have a meeting with Dan Springer (Luttrell) on Monday (note:  rescheduled to Wednesday)

Meeting Notes, February 23rd 2011

MEETING NOTES

Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County

Working Group Meeting

Wednesday February 23,  2011

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, 1000 S Cooper St.

NEXT MEETING:  WED. MARCH 9^TH 10:30 AM -12 NOON

In Attendance:  Josephine Williams, Robin Rodriquez, Christian Man, Melissa Petersen, John Paul Shaffer, Brandi Franklin, Laretha Randolph

Welcomed new working group member Brandi Franklin, CHEER project manager with UT Health and Science Center.  CHEER is the Consortium for Health Education, Economic Empowerment, and Research, is a partnership between (UT Health Science Cntr, LeMoyne Owen College, Memephis Houseing Authority, Mustard Seed CDC, First Baptist on Lauderdale, and the Shelby County Health Department) taking a community based approach to addressing health disparities with a focus in the 38126 area.

1. Update on Ongoing Projects

Sampling/Demos at Farmers Markets – an email has been circulated (please see following text of TN Health Department) stating that according to state law, sampling at farmers markets is exempt from permitting.  Interpretations of local law may differ.  Melissa has sent language about chef demos to Otho Sawyer twice for his approval.  Response is still pending.  There was a discussion of other strategies to expedite a statement from the Health Department before the farmers market season begins.  Melissa Petersen will contact Connie Binkowitz and ask her to speak with Janet Shipman as to her recommendations.  We could also potentially bring it up to Let’sCHANGE (Yvonne Madlock or Rev. Robinson) or Mayor Luttrell’s office. 

Food Ordinance Handbook – We are expecting a brief/memo from Harvard Law School soon dictating their preliminary findings/recommendations for the elimination of the food ordinance handbook and the introduction of necessary ordinances above and beyond state law.  Once we have this brief we can use it be build support and shop around to policy makers.  Four students will be coming in March (14^th through the 18^th) to talk about their research, host some public and stakeholder meetings, and hopefully do some related research on a topic yet to be determined.  The students are comparing Memphis food ordinances to 15 other cities.

White Paper – writing committee will have a draft for the group at the next working group meeting.

Farm to Table Conference – Hosted by Urban Farms, GrowMemphis and Edible Memphis Magazine on February 7^th, the conference had about 75 attendees and we generally a success.  Otho Sawyers session on local farmers markets and other food ordinances was very well attended.  This will be an annual event.

2. Financial sustainability and fundraising discussion – we reviewed the budgets made available of the Community Food Security Coalition website and discussed staffing and fundraising strategies.  The relationship between GrowMemphis and the FAC will be a key consideration fro fundraising.   It was expressed that the Wholesome Wave grant would really kick start fundraising because it would be a tangible result that people can relate to.  The first step is to determine that level of funding is required for FAC function over the next three years.  We may be able to bring in a consultant to help identity funding sources and develop a plan. 

3. Formation of a Fundraising Plan Committee  - Robin Rodriguez and Christian Man volunteered to serve on the Fundraising/Financial Plan Committee.   Brandi Franklin offered to help identify funding sources.

4. General Updates/Announcements -

·    BioDimensions – would like to meet regarding the possibility of partnering on a project to research and make recommendations for implementing a program to supply schools with local food.  Recommended that this meeting take place outside a regular working group meeting and include Melissa Wolowicz, Lauren Taylor, and a representative from MCS Nutrition Services.  Laretha Randolph and Christian Man expressed interest in attending.  Josephine will get in touch with Melissa Wolowocz and go from there. 

·    Shelby County Mayor Luttrell – Mary Phillips of the Urban Farm recently met with Mayor Luttrell, who is interested in sending a representative to a meeting of the FAC working group.

·      Pick TN Products/ TN Farmers Market Promotion Meeting/Conference Saturday April 9^th in Memphis at the Agricenter.  More information will be forthcoming.

Received from the TN Dept of health October 8, 2010:

Ms. Childress,

Thank you for your letter regarding cooking demonstrations at the Jonesborough Farmer's Market.  This issue has been reviewed and a policy update has been issued statewide that exempts sampling operations at farmer's markets (including samples provided at cooking demonstrations); provided no potentially hazardous foods are served to the public.  Potentially hazardous foods include (but are not limited to) meats, eggs, cooked rice, and cooked potatoes. 

The policy is in effect now, it was distributed this week at the manager's meeting.  This is how the policy appears in our manual:

Sampling operations in farmer’s markets, flea markets, and temporary events.

               

Sampling operations located in farmer’s markets, flea markets, and temporary events are exempt from permitting and regulation provided the food products being offered as samples are non potentially hazardous and/or are products  prepared in a licensed domestic kitchen regulated by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Rev. 10-4-10

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly or contact your local environmental health specialist in Washington County, (423) 975-7926.

Regards,

Lori LeMaster

Environmental Health Program Manager

Tn Department of Health

General Environmental Health

425  5th Avenue North, 5th floor

Nashville, TN  37247

(615) 741-8531

Working Group Meeting Agenda, February 9, 2011

AGENDA

Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County

Working Group Meeting

Wednesday February 9,  2011

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, 1000 S Cooper St.

1.    Update on Ongoing Projects –20 min

Sampling/Demos at Farmers Markets (Melissa/Otho)

Food Ordinance Handbook (Josephine/Janet/Otho)

White Paper (Rosalie/Christian)

Farm to Table Conference (Anyone who was there)

2.    Financial sustainability and fundraising discussion* – 20 min

Suggested discussion questions:

How much staff time is required?

How much will it cost to sustain the Food Advisory Council?

From what types of sources should funding be sought?

Do we need outside assistance in fundraising and financial planning (we have funds set aside that can be used for this)?

3.    Formation of a Fundraising Plan Committee – 5 min

4.    General Updates/Announcements - 15 min

*Supporting Material:

page 23 from “Food Policy Councils: Lessoned Learned”  section on staff

sample budgets