WRFoodNews December 20, 2010

Below are a number of recent news items concerning the health of Waterloo Region's food system. You can read this issue of WRFoodNews and all previous issues on our website at http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/wrfoodnews. Upcoming events are listed at the bottom and on the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable's website at www.wrfoodsystem.ca/events.

Local Soup Recalled due to Botulism Scare
Barrie Brothers Local Food Company are recalling a line of locally-made soups after a report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found the soups may contain a bacteria which causes botulism, since they were found to be inadequately processed. Foodlink Waterloo Region Executive Director Peter Katona commended the voluntary recall, as it “comes at considerable cost to this fine family business” and is a measure of the Barrie family’s “deep commitment to their customers and the health and well being of our community.” See CFIA product recall at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20101209e.shtml.

Small Farmers creating own Processing Capacity to fill void left by big guys
Two large global processing plants have closed in Soutwestern Ontario in the past three years: Cangro, which processed peaches and pears for Del Monte, and Smuckers, which processed cucumbers for Bick’s Pickles. In response, farmers like Wolfgang Pfenning have invested in their own processing facilities. But as Foodlink’s Executive Director Peter Katona says, while Ontario farmers are certainly capable of growing quality foods, they can’t compete on price with imported foods. Read the feature article on local processing in The Tyee, part of their larger series on scaling up local food in BC and Ontario.

Primer on Ontario’s new Healthy School Food and Beverage Policy
Beginning next September, all elementary and secondary schools in Ontario will have to comply with new policies limiting the sale of unhealthy foods in schools. French fries, chocolate bars, candy and high-sodium lunch meats will all be banned from sale in schools, and 80% of all foods and beverages sold in schools must have higher levels of essential nutrients and lower levels of salt and sugar. The Ontario Nutrition Resource Centre has produced a six-page primer on the new policy which gives all the important details.

New Toronto Organization Pushes Food Forward
The Food Forward Advocacy Alliance is a registered non-profit organization in Toronto that provides a people's voice for a better food system. Formed in 2010, the new organization has already had several high-profile successes, including declaring December 17^th Eat Real Day (encouraging people to avoid fast food), hosting a forum for careers in the sustainable food industry, and pushing the new Toronto City Council to work toward a more sustainable food system by delivering fresh local produce and holiday cards to the incoming Mayor and Councilors. See www.pushfoodforward.com.

Pursuit of bargains leads to food wastage
Remember the days when mothers told their kids wasting the food on their plates was hurting starving children in Africa? Those moms were right. Carefully contrived marketing strategies encourage us to buy more food than we can possibly eat in a timely fashion – resulting in bargains and a lot of food waste. Read the Winnipeg Free Press article.

Upcoming Food Events
Full details on upcoming food-related events in Waterloo Region can be viewed under Upcoming Events on the Roundtable's website. To share news of your event, email details to the Roundtable's Site Administrator, who will post it to the website. Some upcoming highlights include:

Deconstructing Dinner - Tuesday, January 25, 6:30pm, KPL Forest Heights Branch, Kitchener
Organic Grain Marketing - Wednesday, January 26, 1-4pm, Ignatius Jesuit Centre, Guelph
Organic Crop Planning Workshop – Thursday, January 27, 9am-4pm, University of Guelph

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