[SustainableTompkins] Food justice article & question

[Tony Del Plato]

This is a terrific discussion and as we all know, an immensely important
one. For many years I was a food educator, primarily vegetarian and
culturally based programs, ie in native communities around NY state.
Currently, as a big brother, I have been cooking and baking with my mentee
for over 5 years. He's learning what he can. However the schools are
seriously lacking in teaching this and other important subjects of life.
Perhaps the Alter HS may be different, but h.s in general doesn't devote the
kind of time and attention to food & ag, including cookng and gardening that
would be beneficial in beginning the education part of the health &
sustainability puzzle. Perhaps some thoughtful health teachers may spend
some time on nutrition, but by and large jr high and hs are woefully
deficient. Like all the alternative movements afoot, we need to either
create alternative institutions or develop enough pressure on established
groups, ie PSTA's, school bds, other education based agencies to make such
changes. Tall order. When my son went to IHS, I joined the PSTA for two
years and tried to raise a variety of food health related concerns,
including biotech and the use of bovine growth hormone in dairy products.
Except for some pats on the back, I received little support to translate my
concerns into action. The food service director was more open minded but
confined by budget requirements and of course the lousy grub that comes from
federal food commodity programs. We need to do what we can from top to
bottom and from the bottom up to make changes. Due to my work schedule I was
unable to continue to be on the PSTA. There are many schools around the
country and even in Tompkins Cty with programs like farm to school, etc. We
just have to keep on keepin' on until, like plastic bags, people see the
benefits and importance of making the changes, as well as challenging the
profit driven rationale of our social/economic system.
Tony Del Plato

On Feb 3, 2008 1:28 PM, Katie Quinn-Jacobs <kqj at quinn-jacobs.org> wrote:

> I agree that the education/time/money matrix is an important component
> to understanding the problem and must be taken into consideration when
> looking for solutions.
>
> I wonder if a volunteer program along the lines of "Big Brother/Big
> Sister" for home gardening could be developed?  Where urbanites
> interested in gardening are matched up with someone who has a garden?
> Sort of a "garden share," where both parties benefit.  This might be
> particularly interesting to older gardeners who would welcome help in
> their gardens.  Perhaps United Way could help fund the initiative?
>
> Although more complex, school credits or health insurance premium
> credits or employer tax breaks could be tied in too to create
> incentives.  Would Walmart give employees a garden benefit?  Could
> students earn physical ed credits for gardening?  Perhaps Blue Cross
> Blue Shield could knock off a few dollars on their premiums if you
> participate in a garden share?
>
> -- Katie Q-J
>
>
>
> Elan Shapiro wrote:
> > Here's a  sobering article about how we  sustain
> > or don't sustain all members of our communities.
> > Question: How can we ensure that
> > relocalization/sustainability strategies
> > (policies, economics practices,  agriculture,
> > lifestyle, etc.) address this issue?
> >
> > Healthy Diets Out of Reach for Many
> >
> > Eating a healthy diet is getting so expensive
> > that many American families cannot afford it.
> > Not only are fruits and vegetables costly, but
> > food price inflation is reducing the ability of
> > low- and middle-income households to get the
> > nutrients they need.  Recent research confirms
> > these findings.
> >
> > A University of Washington study, conducted over
> > a two-year period in the Seattle area, found that
> > good, healthy foods increased in price by almost
> > 20 percent, four times the rate of overall food
> > inflation.  Meanwhile, less healthy, high calorie
> > foods held steady in price or actually dropped.
> >
> > "We were shocked, said Adam Drewnowsky, director
> > of the University's Center for Public Health
> > Nutrition and co-author of the study, The Rising
> > Cost of Low-Energy-Density Foods, published in
> > the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the
> > American Dietetic Association.  "The
> > nutrient-rich calories, the food we should be
> > eating are zooming out of sight, he stated.  "So
> > eating well is becoming unaffordable for many,
> > even in the middle class.
> >
> > As healthy foods get more expansive, unhealthy
> > foods stay cheap.  "When it comes to empty
> > calories, it's very difficult to compete with
> > sugar, noted Drewnowsky.  In Brazil, for example,
> > sugar made locally from sugar cane "is produced
> > at the cost of 30,000 calories for one dollar.
> > Nothing else comes close.
> >
> > The academic findings were recently confirmed by
> > a federal study.  Are Lower Income Households
> > Willing and Able to Budget for Fruits and
> > Vegetables? is the title of a January 2008 report
> > issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
> > (USDA).  It is not surprising that households
> > with income near or under the poverty line spend
> > less money on food than higher income households.
> > But even when they experience a small increase in
> > income, such households will allocate more money
> > to only two of seven product categories -- beef
> > and frozen prepared foods.  For low-income
> > households to prioritize fruits and vegetables, a
> > household's income must increase more
> > substantially.
> >
> > So, how can low- and middle-income families
> > achieve a healthful diet?  "It takes three
> > things, explained Drewnowsky.  "Education, money,
> > and time.  If you have all three, you're home
> > free.  If you have two out of three, you can
> > manage.  But if you only have one out of the
> > three, or zero out of the three, you are pretty
> > much screwed.  And a lot of low-income people
> > have zero out of three
> >
> > For additional information, see the USDA report
> > at:
> > <http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR54/>
> > http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR54/.  The
> > University of Washington study is on the web at:
> > <
> http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/86804079-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=20186529&sid=0/N/619891/If07018007003.fig
> >
> http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/86804079-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=20186529&sid=0/N/619891/If07018007003.fig
> >
> >
>
> --
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-- 
The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it's just
sort of a tired feeling.
 - Paula Poundstone