| The summit keynote speaker was Erika Lesser of Slow Food USA. Slow Food has 200 chapters nationally and over 1,000 globally. Erika spoke of their "vision of the world's people eating food that's good for them, good for those who pick it, and good for the planet". Her keynote explored the meaning of the words good, clean, and fair.
Good
Good food means food that's not only good for you, but also food that tastes good. Good food makes the table worthwhile place to be. It respects season, place, culture. Good food is found "in the mouth of the eater".
Clean
Clean food is grown in a way that protects the environment. Contrary to common belief there isn't a necessary compromise. You really can grow food in a way that leaves the land and water cleaner than before. In addition clean food is safe and free of illness, contamination, chemicals.
Fair
The choice between fairness and sustainablity is a false choice. Fair food and good food do not represent opposing values - quite the opposite in fact. Fair food is accessible and fair to workers. The question of fairness led to the "slow food movement".
Slow Food International was founded 20 yrs ago. It has subversive roots. At the Spanish Steps in Rome, a place that's considered a symbol of the Italian culture, a McDonald's opened. This created outrage among the Italian people and a protest began. Every day people cooked pasta and gave it away to anyone who looked like they were thinking about fast food. "We want slow food!" became the motto, and it was spoken in English, because from the beginning they recognized this was a world problem.
Finally the plight of workers. 80 years ago, farm and domestic workers were exempted from fair labor law on purely racist motives - segregationist Southern democrats couldn't abide equal rights for minorities. Today we're still fighting this battle. In Florida the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is fighting slavery in the tomato industry. When confronted Florida Governor Crist wouldn't comment directly, passing the question to Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Terrence McElroy:
"Of course, I say any instance is too many, and any legitimate grower certainly does not engage in that activity (slavery), but you're talking about maybe a case a year," McElroy said. His comments rightly set off a ground swell of outraged reactions by human rights, religious, consumer, and labor organizations and leaders across the country.
Fairness covers growing, picking, transporting, cooking; a fairness solution must cover all these issues. In seeking a true solution we must solve all these issues, for proper solutions "by their very nature hit multiple targets".
Food Summit Panel
After the keynote we were introduced to the panel, Goldie Caughlan, of PCC Natural Markets, Teresa Mares, from the Food Justice Project, Adolfo Alvarez, an organic farmer from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington, and Rosalinda Guillen, from Community to Community, in Bellingham. The panelists introduced themselves briefly and then answered several questions from the moderator and the audience.
The first question from the moderator was what is your vision of a good clean fair food system in Washington?
Rosalinda Guillen talked about a vision of a fair farming system that began with Cesar Chavez. The goal is to share the means of production between farmers and workers, producing food without harming the earth, in a system that supports workers as participants in the system and not a financial liability on a spreadsheet. She also talked about domestic fair trade, noting how fair trade coffee has changed perceptions so that now we can begin to focus on an economy based on solidarity and new ways of looking at the food system.
Goldie Caughlan pointed out "we are all eaters". We should learn to promote real food in our lives, not "food like substances" (in the words of Michael Pollan). We want real, honest, clean food and to achieve alert eaters who want to know where, in what manner, and by whom their food is grown.
Adolfo Alvarez spoke reverently about organics. To hear him speak about the difference between organic and traditional industrial farming is revelatory. He is convinced that organics are better for you, more nutritious and undeniably better for the environment.
The next question was how to reconcile competing needs. If local versus organic is a false choice, what about fairness?
Rosalinda Guillen said that "society should arrange relationships so everyone has healthy food". She pointed out that competing interests exist solely because of economic issues. Solving this will take a lot of thought and work, and this begins by identifying who the people in the community are. Goldie Caughlan spoke of renewing people's connection with their food through cooking and gardening, skills that have atrophied in the culture over the last 50 years. This is in part why she developed PCC Cooks.
Teresa Mares was asked, what can young people do in terms of projects they can participate in locally? She spoke of getting involved in community farms like Lettuce Link, and helping the community through programs like FEEST.
Adolfo Alvarez was asked, can organics can feed everybody? He was unequivocal. Properly managed organics out produces traditional agriculture. Their cherry trees produce a half million pounds on 27 acres, and it's a "much, much, much better product". Goldie Caughlan added that it's a myth that only GM products can feed the planet (perpetuated by companies like Monsanto, currently under investigation for anti-trust activities).
The conversation returned to immigration issues and Rosalinda Guillen pointed out that the current immigration crisus is simply the result of "a system gone wrong", including things like NAFA that just keep making things worse. Finally, the panelists were left with the question what is one activity I can do to change my and others' relationship to food?
Adolfo answered simply "eat healthy", and pass it on to others, for if you eat right your kids will follow. And remember (speaking reverently again), "organics is good". Teresa reminded us to vote. In the mayor's race only one candiate answered questions from Urban Foodlink, and the city council member who sponsored the local foods initiative is up for re-election.
Teresa has too good taste to name names, so I chased down the issues. Mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan's spokesperson would only say that he was too busy to answer any questions about fair and local foods, while Michael McGinn, a Sierra Club chair, gardener, and seed saver, answered all their questions thoroughly and with obvious commitment to fairness and sustainability in the local food system. Additionally City Council President Richard Conlin is up for reelection for Position 2. Mr. Conlin is devoted to local farmers and the city owes him its gratitude for the Local Food Action Initiative. Please, remember to vote! (And if you're not in Seattle, remember to vote!)
As the session closed, Goldie suddenly reminded us about the Eat Local Thanksgiving Pledge. What a cool idea. |
