Anna Lappe’s article for Grist examines the pillars the food revolution should be based on: she identifies them as Ecology, Community and Fairness. What resonated with me, in particular, is the approach to thinking about food in a comprehensive way. For instance the decision to eat shrimp should be determined not only by personal health concerns but also on how the shrimp are harvested and their place in the food system; and finally on whether those associated with the shrimp industry are being fairly treated. Are the shrimp farmers/fisher people getting a fair wage? Are we literally wolfing up all the shrimp on the planet? It might taste good and even be good for you but its time to consider whole equation : the global good.
Category Archives: Food Policy
How to bring in a Food Revolution
Posted in Food Policy, Food Security, Nutrition
Tagged food policy, food security, nutrition
An Apple a Day..
…may keep obesity at bay! A new program in Massachusetts will allow doctors to write “prescriptions” for their patients to be filled at the farmer’s market. The idea is to stimulate changes in eating habits and combat childhood obesity. At a minimum, it will expose families and children to the delights of fresh fruits and vegetables. One program cannot change the world but it is certainly one baby step forward to a healthier population. Familiarity with new foods will give way to acceptance. Next time, the whine goes up for nuggets from you-know-where, perhaps the harried parent will be able to negotiate a side of apple slices and ditch the frightful fries.
Russia’s Wheat Crisis
Following a record heat wave, leading to droughts and wildfires, which destroyed one-fifth of the wheat crop this year; the Russian government has announced a ban on wheat exports, reports the Los Angeles Times. With the memories of the food price rise and riots of 2007-08 still fresh , there is concern over the impact on prices of bread, wheat and meat. So far, analysts claim that there is no reason to worry. U.S. farmers have already taken action to support world wheat prices. How the situation ultimately plays out will depend also on the possibility of hoarding by panicky countries and consumers and by speculative activities. The short term price rise may indeed be small but in the long run higher food prices are inevitable as are shortages.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Security
GM Foods Update
After a long hiatus, GM crops are being sown in Europe. In March, it was reported that a GM potato crop, the Amflora crop had been sown in Sweden and now there is news that the EU has decided to let the individual states decide whether or not to grow GM crops. The GM debate is at an interesting point right now. There is a growing recognition that a world faced with the challenge of feeding an ever increasing population needs to consider all the tools at its disposal. Higher temperatures resulting from global climate change are expected to lower crop yields already diminished due to negative environmental changes. The food scarcity of the 1960s and 1970s was met by Mexico, India, China and other countries by a revolution in agriculture brought about by the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and high yielding varieties of crops. A second revolution is needed which will avoid the negative impacts of the first and GM foods present a viable alternative. Every country should frame its policy after careful evaluating the health and environmental concerns, access to GM technology for poor farmers, ethical concerns etc but ignoring GM technology is not a viable position anymore.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security
Cage Free Forever!
California just passed a law ensuring all hens will be humanely treated thus becoming the first cage free state! Good news for hens and humans both!
Posted in Food Policy, Nutrition
USDA’s new Dietary Guidelines
Just a quick note to inform that the USDA’s new nutritional guidelines report is open for public comments till July 8. The report has a fresh approach outlining the need to reduce salt intake, promote a plant based diet, battle obesity and a recognition that we function in a food environment and the whole picture needs to be seen. It is an encouraging step and we can take this opportunity to make our voices heard as well.
Posted in Food Policy, Nutrition, Uncategorized
School Lunch: a Review
The school lunch issue has been discussed before at Thought Food. Recently the challenge of improving the school lunch program has been highlighted under the First Lady’s initiative against childhood obesity . Now comes a new documentary which underscores just how fraught this issue has become. “Lunch Line” reviewed by Tracie McMillan in The Atlantic, promises an illuminating look into the seven decades of the school lunch program. It underscores the need for a qualitative change in food policy. It is not that the answers are not known or that the desired results are impossible to achieve. Yes, one of the problems is money but more important is to understand where school lunch policy gets made: at the USDA. Makes sense, you would think, to link the farmers to the schools. But that agency is more tuned into the concerns of the mammoth corn and soy production complex and the fresh and healthy choices that parents are hoping to see, do not come into play. What we need is an overhaul of the agricultural policy as it exists, a huge task requiring foresight and will, not always found in large quantities in the halls of power.
For all those hoping for better options for lunch, just stay tuned….and watch “Lunch Line”.
Posted in Food Policy, Nutrition
Michael Pollan on the History of the Food Movement
To the casual reader there would seem to be a bewildering array of writing and information on food related topics. Thought Food has tried to highlight a few of them. For an extremely readable and enlightening history food movement, we recommend Michael Pollan’s recent article in the New York Review of Books. It is actually a review of five books which are fascinating in their own right. Pollan incorporates his comments on the books into a review of the food movement itself, a sort of History of Food 101 for the rest of us. Enjoy!
Posted in Food Policy
GM crops 101
The Slates’s Green Lantern outlines some concerns that environmentalists have regarding GM crops. To the positives mentioned here, one needs to add the huge productivity increases from growing GM crops which are going to be vital in view of the coming food crisis discussed in the last post. Also, most of these debates do not highlight the possibility of getting better health outcomes from GM crops enhanced with vitamins or nutrients such as Golden Rice enhanced with vitamin A .
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security, Uncategorized
The Case of Bt Brinjal in India
News came in this week that India has halted plans for commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal (or eggplant). The debate centers around the familiar issues relating to health and environmental issues and loss of biodiversity. Almost at the same time, though, there are reports of plans to grow GM potatoes in the United Kingdom. China is already growing transgenic cotton with plans for other crops such as rice, maize, soybeans etc. According to World Bank estimates, by 2006 , 8% of the global crop area was already planted with GM seeds.
The case for GM crops is made by emphasising their higher yield, reduced use of pesticides and herbicides and their role in curbing world hunger. World population is expected to reach 9 bn by mid-century and public policy needs to tackle the question of expanding food production to meet the increased demand. The shortfalls are going to be exacerbated by the impact of climate change and widespread famine is possible. GM crops represent an important breakthrough in increasing agricultural productivity yet there is stiff resistance to their adoption. In the future though, this may be the best of producing food in a sustainable way. There is a lot of misinformation about GM or “Frankenfood”. No, so far there is no evidence that adopting the cultivation of GM crops for food or feed will make breed pigs with wings or flying potatoes. Actually, rice enhanced with vitamin A , known as Golden Rice or tomatoes enhanced with lycopene could help boost health outcomes in areas of need.
In fact, such is the commotion over this issue that even the Vatican has taken a stand on it! Watch this blog for more updates.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security
Thought + Food 