Big News from Japan: UN's Convention on Biological Diversity is a Success

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Nov 01, 2010 at 14:05:17 PM PDT

Here's an excerpt from the article:

For decades, scientists, pharmaceutical firms, cosmetics manufacturers, agricultural businesses and the biotech industry have turned out everyday products that consumers in Japan and other developed nations use without any second thoughts.

Many of these products, from cold medicines and drugs to toothpaste and makeup, were created using plants or organisms from places such as the tropical rain forests of Latin America and Southeast Asia.

They were taken without the knowledge or consent of the indigenous peoples who live there. Or the traditional oral knowledge of the uses of such plants was used for the basis of laboratory research that led to patented drugs, the profits of which were never returned to the people whose knowledge made their development possible.

Under the Nagoya Protocol, access to genetic resources shall be subject to prior informed consent by the party that provides such resources. In addition, parties to the protocol are required to take appropriate measures in accordance with their domestic laws to ensure prior, informed consent or approval and involvement of indigenous and local communities is obtained for access to those resources.

The Disappearance of the Bluefin Tuna

by: Asinus Asinum Fricat

Wed Nov 18, 2009 at 13:35:22 PM PST

A recent analysis of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna population by the WWF shows that the breeding population of the species will disappear by 2012 if the fisheries continue with business as usual, and urges the immediate cessation of fishing this particular species to stop the impending collapse.

"Mediterranean bluefin tuna is on the slippery slope to collapse, and here is the data to prove it. Whichever way you look at it, the Mediterranean bluefin tuna collapse trend is dramatic, it is alarming, and it is happening now." - Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean

You might say, "well, we have the Atlantic and Pacific and we still have fish farming."

Snapshots from Japan: seasonality and urban farming

by: mental_masala

Sat Nov 07, 2009 at 10:17:53 AM PST

I recently went on a short trip to the Tokyo area and thought I'd share a few of the food-related things that caught my attention during the trip.

Seasonality

Although the Japanese can get any food at any time, seasonality still plays an important part in their food culture. I was there in October, which is apparently chestnut season, as advertisements for chestnut ice cream and other chestnut delicacies.   This first photo is an advertisement for chestnut ice cream at the dock for the boat across Lake Ashi in the Hakone region (1.5 hours south of Tokyo). I didn't get a chance to try this version, but later had a scoop from a place in the Machida Odakyu line train station. It had subtle chestnut flavor and the right amount of sweetness, making it the best chestnut item I had while in Japan.

Food Security for All? Not So Much

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Aug 17, 2009 at 10:29:20 AM PDT

What is being pitched as a new agricultural revolution under these forms of investment will look very much like the colonial model of exploitation with the exception that the output will meet commodity demand in high growth countries versus demand in the colonizing nation.

A well coordinated strategy would use the WTO, not to police nations to reduce barriers to trade uniformly, but to coordinate international agricultural policy to ensure food security for all, particularly ensuring short-term efforts to address food security by dumping excess commodities on low income country markets do not crowd out domestic production of agricultural crops in the medium to long-term.

Why aren't we seeing true change in global policies to ensure food security for all? I did a recent follow the money piece on Alternet asking just that. Our global food security policy seems to be entirely driven by the interests of our largest multinational corporations, plain and simple.  

What Do Other Countries Eat For School Lunch

by: Jill Richardson

Wed May 20, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM PDT

The most recent post was about Italy. Italian children eat local and organic food for lunch at school.

Like France, Italy views lunch as an integral part of a student's education. School meals are supposed to teach children about local traditions and instill a taste for the regional food. To that end, Italian law allows schools to consider more than just price when making contracts with meal providers. Schools can take into account location, culture and how foods fit into the curriculum.

All this makes for lunches that are about as different as it gets from American school meals. On a recent Friday, students in the northern city of Piacenza ate zucchini risotto and mozzarella, tomato and basil salad. Tomorrow they're getting pesto lasagna, a selection of cheeses and a platter of garden vegetables. Meat only shows up on menus only once or twice a week, and it's usually not the main course. Compare that to American cafeterias, where it's so hard to find a meatless entree that organizations are petitioning Congress to require a vegetarian option for school lunch.

Cost: $5.60 apiece.