Food News

by Alice McKenney
October 3, 2011

The 2008 Farm Bill included the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the goal of which is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Established in 2004 under the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act and amended under the 2008 Farm Bill, the Specialty Crop Block Program provides block grants to state departments of agriculture in all the U.S. states and territories. Examples of the program’s goal of enhancing competitiveness include enhancing food safety, developing new and improved specialty crop varieties, and improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems. One great example of this last initiative are the CSA Fairs currently being produced by NOFA-NY, the New York chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

For the past 20 years, NOFA-NY has supported the CSA farm-marketing scheme in New York that is of great benefit to specialty-crop farmers engaged in direct marketing. CSA is made up of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm by purchasing a share of their annual production at the beginning of the growing season. This marketing system allows growers and consumers to share the risks and benefits of food production. Through direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain increased financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing. In return, consumers gain access to affordable, sustainably-grown specialty crops from June to November.

by Jonathan Thompson
October 3, 2011

The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) awards grants provide low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for fresh, local foods (fruits, vegetables, honey, and fresh-cut herbs) at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, thereby helping to increase consumption of locally produced food provided through direct farmer marketing.

During federal FY 2010, benefits were available nationally to 844,999 low-income seniors from 20,106 farmers at 4,601 farmers' markets as well as 3,681 roadside stands and 163 CSAs. The federal FY 2010 grant to New York State was $ 1,936,972. In New York City, seniors receive their SFMNP coupons at congregate meal sites and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Food and Nutrition sites.

Last year in New York City, the SFMNP distributed $20 booklets to 56,501 low income senior households. To be eligible, at least one member of the household must be over 60 and the household must be at or below 185% of the federal poverty level ($20,147 for a single person household and $27,214 for a two person household). Of the checks issued, just over 80% ($908,628) were used. (This does not equate precisely to 80% of the households since, in some cases, less than a full booklet of $20 was used.) Issuance in 2011 is quite close to last year’s issuance.

The check booklets can be used at any of the 123 markets. Many of the markets are also equipped with EBT terminals so customers also can use their SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits to purchase fresh produce from participating farmers.

Watch this video of seniors using SFMNP checks at markets in Mount Vernon and Niagara Falls, New York.

by Rosalin Luetum
October 1, 2011

Mark Monday, October 24 on your calendar – this year marks the first annual Food Day, to be recognized across the country.  Food Day was created as an opportunity for Americans to join each other to support healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. A project of the not-for-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest, support for FoodDay.org is provided by the Elfenworks Foundation.

Thousands of events will take place in schools, churches, city halls, farmers markets and personal homes to bring together eaters of all kinds: parents, teachers, students, health professionals, local officials and chefs, among others.

Food Day is a people-powered movement. Because funding from government or corporations is not accepted, the success of Food Day truly depends on members of the community. There are three ways to participate:

• attend an event in your neighborhood
• organize a local event
• write to your local Congressperson

The Food Day website offers many resources such as class curricula and film screening ideas to inspire your event and help make it impactful.

An Evening with Freegan.info in NYC
by Hans Bernier
September 2011

How much food do we waste? The statistics state that around 15 - 50% of the food produced in this country ends up being thrown away. As author Jonathan Bloom estimates in American Wasteland, even if we were to employ a conservative estimate, that means that every American throws away around five pounds of trash a day, totaling over 160 billion pounds a year for the nation. The disparity in this 15 - 50% estimate is itself evidence of the growing disconnect between the farm, our plate, and the wastebin. Even though food waste is part of our collective consciousness — think of an archetypal mother’s constant refrain at the dinner table: “clean your plate, there are starving children in this world” — the actuality still remains abstract; we know that our surplus food rarely goes to someone in need.
However, as I recently discovered, some folks are working to address this dilemma. In July, while at a food justice roundtable, I met a woman who identified herself as a Freegan. As described on Freegan.info, Freeganism is an alternative strategy for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.