There is so much wrong with this picture (additional coverage), I’m not sure where to begin:

1. Let me get this straight. Is it now retailers’ responsibility to be up-to-date on all CFIA labeling criteria when selecting from thousands of products they might carry in their stores? Funny, I thought it was the CFIA’s job to ensure producers met food safety labeling criteria.
2. Officially, the focus of the investigation isn’t the store, it’s the producers. Hmmm, that’s odd. Then why did the inspectors not stop by the producer’s facilities instead of nailing one of many small, local retailers and seizing goods the retailer already paid for but now cannot sell?
3. Wow, way to slam small business and cut if off at the knees. A loss like that can kill a business where cash flow is critical. Not only does the business suffer, so do the employees and their families when they can’t get paid. Great ripple effect if you want more people and businesses in financial dire straits.
4. Oh, and the producers of the pulled products?  Many are registered with the CFIA and believed their labels met all requirements — they also haven’t been contacted by the CFIA since the raid to let them know otherwise.
5. Funnily enough, imported goods on shelves all over the city which are also not bilingually labeled are not generating investigations of such fervor.
6. Then there’s the selective enforcement. What about the chain grocery stores down the street where the exact same non-bilingually labeled products are also sold? Why have they not been investigated?

Want to take some tangible action? Put your money where your mouth is and support local micro food producers and the retailers who provide a critical link in helping ensure quality local products are readily available to consumers.

As for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, they are here for our protection, and we need and want them to do a good job. It’s just a good idea to ensure they are playing by rules that are as fair for the little guy as they are for the big guys.

Join with other groups and individuals who are involved in neighbourhood and city-wide food security and food system activities in looking at networking opportunities in and between different Vancouver neighbourhoods.

We invite individuals and groups who are engaged around food, food security, food justice, and building sustainable and resilient food systems to learn what local Neighbourhood Food Networks are doing, and to meet colleagues, share ideas, and explore ways to work together toward common food security goals.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Langara College, 100 W. 49th Avenue
Room C509

FREE

To register: Please RSVP by calling Langara College Continuing Studies at 604-323-5322. Be sure to quote course number CRN 60916 and include your email address when registering.

This is the Festival’s 15th year of celebrating spring, food, the environment and importance to the health and”‘culture” of our community, and the associated Stone Soup Film Festival’s 2nd year of showcasing topical films exploring the politics of food.

Saturday, May 8th
Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver
12:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Film listing, previews and schedule

The Stone Soup Film Festival responds to the enormous interest in food issues these days. Environmental concerns, globalization, economic collapse are alerting us to the fragility of our food system and the urgency of action. Although the realities surrounding our current land and food systems can be disheartening, our films aim to emphasize the positive efforts being made as a way to empower the current generation to take action.

In doing so, the Stone Soup Food Film Festival aims to broaden the community’s awareness and understanding of food issues, its problems and solutions by screening both locally and internationally films on a range of themes including health and nutrition, food economics, agricultural worker rights, sustainable agriculture, and urban gardening.

West Coast Seeds provides valuable information, along with gardening books and tools, but as I understand it, they don’t actually source their seeds locally. There are a variety of companies that produce seeds grown in our own climate, many of which are also organic. Here are some options:*

Stellar Seeds Sorrento, BC

Salt Spring Seeds Salt Spring Island, BC

Full Circle Seeds Sooke, BC

Two Wings Farms Victoria, BC

Sunshine Farm Kelowna, BC

Other suppliers from slightly farther afield…

Wild Garden Seed Oregon, USA

Heritage Harvest Seed Carman, Manitoba

Lindenberg Seeds Brandon, Manitoba

Territorial Seed Co. Oregon, USA

Talk about taking eating local to a whole new level: you can eat regionally adapted plants, while supporting your Eat Local economy! Learn more about organic seeds at Organic Seed Alliance.

*List courtesy of Gourmet Gardens

——————————-

Related Posts:

Why Local Seeds Matter
Let the Planting Begin
West Coast Seeds

Take a moment to support Canadian Organic Farmers. Support Bill C-474 before Monday March 29, 2010 . Fill out a quick form (seriously, it only takes a sec) and you can write a letter to your MP instantly.

Learn more at Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.

The Scoop

We need our government to uphold the high standards Canada is known for and NOT allow genetically engineered seed into our agricultural system. In a nutshell:

Bill C-474 supports Canadian farmers by requiring that “an analysis of potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is permitted.”

Farmers are at risk when GE crops are commercialized in Canada without  first being approved by our major export markets.

Think about it.

It’s just common sense that if a product is not approved by the people who are meant to buy it, its economic viability is shot. Flax farmers in Canada are already paying the price for this exact problem. We don’t need any more hits to our agricultural economy.

Do what you can, fill out the form at Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, and pass it on. It only takes a moment.

Food expert, nutritionist, NYU professor, and author of Food Politics, Marion Nestle explains how our food systems have reached this point, and what you can do to choose the healthiest food.

An articulate, thorough, must-see perspective of the food industry…

Marion Nestle at Gel 2009 from Gel Videos.

The two main characters move to their ancestral home town of Greene, Iowa and plant an acre of corn which they then follow from seed in the ground to wherever it goes, which was very enlightening. It was very nice to see what Michael Pollan was talking about in his book and there are actually a few interview segments with Michael in there too.  I found the whole effort very balanced and less pointed than the Omnivore’s Dilemma but it, none the less, conveyed the same message.

But the thing that struck me the most about what I saw was probably totally unintentional. A number of times in the movie we see humongous mounds of corn that could not fit in the town elevator silos and there’s not one bird on it!

All of my childhood experiences related to handling any kind of food in a rural setting dictate that the corn would be literally covered by opportunist birds, but no. Is it because the corn they grow in Iowa is essentially inedible or perhaps all the chemistry involved in growing it killed off the birds 500 miles around Iowa? I have no idea but it sure is odd. The next thought, naturally is, why the hell would we eat that corn if birds don’t. And yet we do. Mind is boggled. Off I go to pick some kale from my garden, I need a green smoothie to regain my balance.

How come you don’t use recyclable trays for your meat products?

I prefer the hot Italian sausage without the skins which I brown for homemade pizza, but I’m thinking of switching to the grocery store brand, because their trays are recyclable. It’s more hassle for me, but worth it when I think that you must go through a mountain of trays every single day in your production facility.

It doesn’t make sense to me that so many trays are making the trip to the dump when there are alternatives.

Let me know…

I’ll let you know what they say.

As for Hallmark, their 1-800 number is by the phone. I’ll be giving them a call tomorrow morning, first thing.

Much to the horror of some my more “granola head” friends, as I lovely refer to them, I don’t think business or marketing are inherently or wholly evil. I know from personal experience, and that of many clients, that a business can be a great vehicle and create a greater, positive impact than an individual may be able.

“We’re on the battlefield now and we need to fight with the same weaponry. We need to not be David up against Goliath. We need to be Goliath.”

Gary Hirshberg, CEO, Stonyfield Farm
Source: Food, Inc.

I believe we can inspire change, vote with our dollars, reform big biz, reduce carbon footprint, improve the environment, support our communities and farmers, strengthen our local economies, and eat really great food…all while we “accidentally” change the world.

In fact, that’s why I started Local Delicious. I happen to believe big ripples come from little pebbles.

Think I’m crazy? Well, the tobacco companies used to wield the same power that many current food-related industries and mega-companies do. And they were brought to their knees. Why not the food industry, too?

Food, Inc. is one of the more recent films highlighting food security issues. Now the question is, how can we start being part of the solution? It’s more than being informed, it’s about taking action. Even little actions.

Learn more about the issues and what you can do to vote with your wallet at Take Part.

Other posts you may enjoy:
I lost my appetite watching Our Daily Bread
Food Fight, the movie
Eat local, change the world
Loco for local

Much of the information was nothing new from what I’ve seen in other similar documentaries such as Our Daily Bread (warning: do not eat in front of the TV) and the Supermarket Secrets exposé series from the UK (don’t get all superior, the exact same things happen here).

I assure you, I may have seen much of it before, but it’s no less disgusting and infuriating. Whether we’re talking about how animals are “farmed” — and I use the term loosely — or the Big Brother tactics of seed companies, or even industry/legislator incest in food regulation, I hope we start waking up en masse to the seriousness of these issues. Sooner than later.

There were a couple of angles in the film I particularly appreciated. First was an interview with Gary Hirschberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt company, especially the extended version in the special features section of the DVD. He talks about the power of consumers and business to shape how industry and mega-corporations behave, in this case Wal-Mart.

When Wal-Mart gets on the organic food bandwagon you know the concept has gone mainstream. They are in it for the profit, without a doubt, but that profit is driven by consumers. And the side effect is many more tons of pesticide and poison NOT spilling into our watersheds, as well as less crap in our food. How is that a bad thing? (Watch for a brilliant clip where a farmers happily tells Wal-Mart execs who’ve come to visit, “Wow, I’ve never even been in a Wal-Mart store, we boycott them.”)

Another great element of the film is dialogue with a farmer who clearly describes the benefits both health and environmental of choosing small scale, integrated farming methods. Watch for the description of how keeping cows, pigs and chickens together creates mutually beneficial side effects and reduces the need for artificial interference with medication and chemicals. Again, it’s worth watching the extended interview.

And finally, my favourite thing about Food, Inc. was how, after showcasing the sorry state of affairs, they wrap things up on a high note with a list of things anyone can start doing right now to vote with their dollars. The film does an excellent job of highlighting many of the entwined issues surrounding food security, then offering ways for you and I to get involved and contribute to resolving the problem. And it’s not even that hard!

Delicious.