Eat it Up: Food...

Now that we are in Santa Fe and can't enjoy the myriad NYC delicious eats (deli options, food delivery, excellent restaurants steps away from our domicile), we've changed. It might be for the better (except NYC is one of the few places banning transfats in restaurants).

I'm paying more attention to these matters of the mouth, going with my gut, chewing up facts.  In researching the 2007 Farm Bill and concerned about nutrition matters, I adapted this subsidy chart, left, from a wonderful blog, Law for Food.  I'm interested in COOL - the Country of Origin Labeling, originally in the 2002 Farm Bill but delayed from implementation. Powerful forces are against it such as WalMart and big meatpackers.  For the 50% of foods consumed in food service establishments, COOL does not apply. But what has happened to COOL?

I did a little motherly digging because I care and I want you to care, too. You should care about the top of that pyramid at left. Please, click on the flip and stay with me on this.

Once upon a time in Texas we had free-range cattle (with no pesticides on the land and hormone-free) on our ranch/farm.  I cared about the health of my family and feeding my family right.  I hated the fact that junk food that was everywhere on the school campus and on the majority of the grocery shelves.  Parenting for health was a lonely matter in our culture.

Law for Food writes a good summary of the Farm Bill issues this week: "The thing is, these are all sound economic arguments, and they all point to the same thing: the public interest and general welfare are not served by the farm subsidy as it is currently written. There is no metric to measure which shows that the farm subsidy is a good idea, outside of the share prices of big agribusiness."  The article also has the link to Michael Pollen's NYTimes op ed piece I've written last April on Earth Day, thinking about the farm bill on a beautiful day in Central Park.

So, with empty nest I have a little more time to try to get through the noise of the lobbyists and pr factions about the matters.  The 2007 Farm Bill passed by the House in July had "historic investments in fruit and vegetable production, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy while maintaining a strong safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers."  The press release by the House Agricultural Committee said "the bill is about much more than farms. It is about the food we eat...", investing more than $1.6 billion in priorities to strengthen and support the fruit and vegetable industry... expanding the USDA Snack Program which helps schools provide healthy snacks to students during after-school activities to all 50 states and continuing the DOD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides a variety of fresh produce to schools.  But what about COOL?

OK. But. So you don't have to, I went to the bill and read Title X -Horticulture and Organic Agriculture segments of 2007 Farm Bill (pdf):

Sec. 1404 Farmer's Market Promotion Program Funds - $5,000,000 in each year '08, 09 and 2010 doubling to $10,000,000 in 2011 and 2012, not less than 10% of funds used to carry out this section in a fiscal year shall be used to support the use of electronic benefits transfers at farmer's markets.

Funding for additional purchase of fruits, vegetables and nuts in addition to the purchase of fruits, vegetables and nuts required by section 10603 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, the Secretary of Agriculture shall purchase fruits, vegetables and nuts for the purpose of providing nutritious foods for use in domestic nutrition assistance programs, using, of the funds made available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935  the following amounts: $190,000,000 in 2008 going up to $206,000,000 in 2012 and years thereafter. Purchases in the form of frozen, canned, dried, or fresh form...
VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS -- THE Secretary may consider offering value-added products containing fruits, vegetables or nuts under this section, taking into account -- 1) WHETHER DEMAND EXISTS FOR THE VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS; and 2)THE INTEREST OF ENTITIES THAT RECEIVE FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND NUTS UNDER THIS SECTION.

I'm glad we're going to have new things like an annual honey bee report on colony decline and, beginning in 2008, a census of specialty crops.  But I think unless you demand it and speak with your spending, we'll get more frankenfood and processed food. 92% of us want to know the origin of our foods and COOL is a step in being responsible for what we choose to eat. So what has happened to COOL?

My husband has morphed into a gourmet chef, we go to the Farmer's Market at least once a week (it is one of the best in the nation here in Santa Fe) and support fundraising efforts to help get local food to market. I've refound my food roots. We're eating locally.  We're in a foodie's paradise and we're lucky to have local farmers who have water to grow their crops and outlets from which to sell them.  However...

We need to cut subsidies for unhealthy foods and increase support for fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian foods.  Agribusiness is not good for our health?  And... so what's the deal with COOL?

I wrote Removed from Our Food last Januasry, with links to other good articles and I mentioned ethnobotanist/author Gary Paul Nabhan.  A few weeks ago I visited with Gary in Houston and he tells me he's interested in the fate of Bishop Lamy's fruit trees in Santa Fe, destined by the hotel property Bishop's Lodge to be removed in the process of relandscaping.  This makes me sad. sad.  sad.

If you have something to say, I want to hear it.  If you have it figured out, let me know.

Comments

[Janet]

I am constantly at a loss over food purchase. Lexington has a coop that offers locally grown food (as well as bulk spices, grains, and nuts). But Lexington is 2 1/2 hours away. There isn't much locally grown food because there is very little farmable land here in the mountains. There is a farmers' market at the park in the summer, but a number of folks simply go to the grocery store, buy a bunch of produce, then sell it off the back of their trucks. My husband is a vegetarian so we rarely buy meat. It's just so hard to know what to do. Thanks for the heads up - I'll start paying more attention.

[SusieJ]

I get lost with processed food, and restaurant food. I try to cook everything with whole grains, but it does take a lot of time. But it's the only way I think.

[girlfriend]

I loved this and had to comment. After living in Downtown Fort Worth for several years and having Central Market with in a few miles, we were eating well. I thought when we moved to this little town in East TX, that farmer's markets would be on every corner and I there would be NO problem in finding fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. To my horror, all we have is a WAL MART and one independent grocery left and rumor it is to close the end of year. (2 others closed their doors this year). No farmer's market here either.
So, I went back to my roots, and planted my own garden this year. Not the variety I had enjoyed at Central Market. But I refuse to shop at Wal Mart and much less buy there quote 'fresh produce'!. Thanks for doing the research, it sure gives me a lot to think about and looks like more studying on my end!