HAMILTON EAT LOCAL

Upcoming Events

27th Guelph Organic Conference
January 24th – 27th
University of Guelph
Contact: (705) 444-0923
Email: organix@georgian.net

Environment Hamilton hosts “Green Drinks”
Tuesday, February 19th at 7pm
The Pepper Jack Café
38 King William Street

Upwind/Downwind Conference with Guest Speaker Gil Penalosa
“Walking and Bicycling: Creating a Great Healthy City of Hamilton”
Monday, February 25th at 7pm
Hamilton Convention Centre
Contact: (905) 546-2424 ext. 1275
Website: www.cleanair.hamilton.ca

3rd Annual Hamilton Food & Drink Fest
March 28th to 30th
Hamilton Convention Centre
Contact: (905) 524-3689
Website: http://www.foodanddrinkfest.com/

Winter's Harvest

January

Apples
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce (Greenhouse)
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Pears
Potatoes
Rutabaga
Sprouts
Squash

February

Apples
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Cucumbers (Greenhouse)
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce (Greenhouse)
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes
Rutabaga
Sprouts
Squash

Royal Winter Agricultural Fair

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

During the Royal we attended the “Local Food Culinary Event” to learn more about how to link restaurant chefs and owners up with local farmers.
The panel was posed with the question, “What is the most important thing farmers can do to access the local food market/restaurant opportunities?” Below is a summary of their interesting answers:

1) Dan Taylor, Prince Edward County
Email: dtaylor@pecounty.on.ca; Phone: (613) 476-2148 ext. 246
Dan Taylor believes entrepreneurship is what’s required of farmers to capitalize on the current popularity of local food and he shared an excellent example of how this could take shape. Prince Edward County is building a local delivery system that will oversee the logistics of handling restaurant orders, coordinate farmers, and manage the pickup and delivery of the goods. This system will be run as a 3-year business by Dan after which will be handed over to the farmers of Prince Edward County.

2) Sasha Chapman, The Globe & Mail
Sasha argued that what will get consumers buying local food, and continuing to do so, is the “stories” of where food comes from. Shoppers want to know how the food they are purchasing was grown and by whom. She argued that farmers should provide customers with this information to personalize the experience.

3) Paul Finkelstein, Teacher/Chef at “The Screaming Avocado”
Email: Paul_Finkelstein@fc.amdsb.ca
Paul argued that students need to shown real food and all that it includes. They need to appreciate what goes into producing food and the benefits of fresh, local food. He stressed the importance of a chef to school/farm to schools program.

4) Toby Nemeth, Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar
Toby emphasized that local food must be readily accessible and available to chefs. It must be as easy as possible for busy chefs to include local food on their menus. In return, chefs must adapt and adopt different practices such as buying whole animals. Because of chefs’ demanding schedule, Toby implored farmers to pursue restaurants. She also noted that having a product list that includes seasonality and availability is quite helpful.

5) Mark Trealout, Kawartha Ecological Growers
Mark encouraged farmers to cooperate with each other to successfully access the local food and restaurant markets. Mark acts as a liaison between farmers and restaurants and farmers themselves. He is involved with a distribution centre in the Kawartha area that is a network of local farmers. Since the creation of this network, farmers now share food, seeds, ideas, and grow complimentary products, which improves their marketability. This cooperation enables two deliveries a week of local produce to Toronto restaurants and the network is expected to double its sales in the coming year.

6) Elizabeth Harris, Brickworks
Website: http://www.brickworks.ca/
Elizabeth spoke to the need of farmers to keep on top of “trendy crops” and crops that are not widely available so that they can offer alternative products.
She also spoke about Brickworks latest initiative which will be setting up a refrigerated drop-off centre for farmers to allow for products to get to restaurants. Farmers will then be able to drop off products at times convenient for them and restaurants will pick them up.

7) Barry Monaghan, Fresh Start Foods
Website: http://www.freshstartfoods.com/
Fresh Start Foods is a wholesale distributor of local fruits and vegetables with locations in Ottawa, Waterloo, Milton, and London. Barry explained that Fresh Start uses computer tracking for information on all food, and employs marketing tools and trained sales staff to
Restaurants and chefs can place orders through their website where they can find a full product list.

8) Susan Benson, Ontario Culinary Tourism
Email: sbenson@crandella.com; Phone: (705) 385-9198
Website: www.savourontario.org
We also heard from Susan who made an announcement about the Ontario Culinary Tourism’s new website that features and promotes local food. The website serves producers, chefs, restaurants, and tourists. Visitors to the site can have access to marketing and promotion tools, a database of Ontarian grown products, and information on restaurants that feature local food.

New Magazine: taste Ontario

taste is a new magazine celebrating the best in local food and drink, and the farmers, chefs and culinary entrepreneurs who bring it all to your table.
Check it out at www.tasteontario.ca

Product of Canada labelling - It's not what you think

Appearances can be deceiving – even when it comes to your groceries. That can of apple juice in your cupboard isn’t exactly what it claims to be. It has recently come to light that seeing a “Product of Canada” label on foodstuffs at the grocery store does not mean it contains purely Canadian ingredients. By law, the label reflects where most of the money is spent on producing a food product. According to current Canadian federal regulations if 51% or more of the product’s cost is spent in Canada, whether via overhead, shipping, or employment costs then it warrants a “Product of Canada” label. Or if the “last substantial transformation” of the goods occurred in Canada then it can also be labelled “Product of Canada.”

These labelling laws were written by the federal government in 1985. It is important to note that in 1985, only 20% of our food was imported. In 2007, 40% of our food is being imported.

Here are some common food items with labelling that has been found to be misleading.

Apple Juice: There are no apple juice concentrate producers left in Canada and only two in the United States. Most apple concentrate sold in Ontario originates in China and ends up on grocery store shelves labelled “Product of Canada.”

Fish: Fish is one of the products that is labelled “Product of Canada” if the last substantial transformation of the goods occurred here. This transformation can include saucing, seasoning, or turning the fish into fish sticks.

Garlic: The “Product of Canada” label on prepared garlic belies the fact that most of the garlic is sourced from China. Despite the tariffs on garlic previously imposed by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal for the country of China, it is Chinese garlic on grocery store shelves (http://www.citt-tcce.gc.ca/).
Ice Cream: If cream is not in the ingredients list (and instead you see modified milk ingredients, skim milk powder, milk protein concentrates, milk protein isolates, casein, caseinates or whey protein concentrates), then most likely you are consuming ice cream made with non-Canadian ingredients.
There is action being taken to address this issue. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is proposing a “Green Label Program” that would spotlight food produced in Canada. You can read more about it at www.cfa-fca.ca under Program and Projects.

According to a Marketplace report a government committee has been formed and members want to require that 51% of ingredients come from Canada if something is to be labelled “Product of Canada”.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency outlines the labelling system as follows:
Both "made in Canada" and "product of Canada" imply that the food was manufactured in this country. However, these statements do not necessarily mean that all of the ingredients used are domestic. It may be possible to use more appropriate and explicit terms than "made in Canada" to describe the process that the food has undergone. For example:
"roasted and blended in Canada" to describe coffee since the coffee beans are always imported;
"fermented and bottled in Canada from Canadian and imported grapes" to describe wine when more than 25 percent of the grape juice or the grapes are imported;
"packaged in Canada" to describe food which is imported in bulk and packaged in Canada;
"processed in Canada" to describe a food such as peanut butter when the peanuts are imported.
The term "made in Canada" should not be used to describe foods when it is only the label or container that is made in Canada.

You can find a guide to the “Made in Canada” label at the Competition Bureau Canada website:
http://www.competitionbeureau.gc.ca

To find out more about the sources of food on the shelves of Canadian grocery stores, you can try calling Customer Information. A toll-free number should be provided on the package. Warning: You may be left with a lot of unanswered questions!

There are several other places you can contact to voice your concern on the issue. It is recommended that you contact both the bureaucratic agency and Minister responsible.

Health Canada:
Office of Nutrition Policy and PromotionHealth CanadaTower A, Qualicum Towers2936 Baseline Road, 3rd FloorA.L. 3303DOttawa, OntarioK1A 0K9
Phone: (613) 957-8329

Email: healthy_eating@hc-sc.gc.ca

The Honourable Mr. Tony Clement, Minister of Health
Minister's Office - Health CanadaBrooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture Postal Locator: 0906COttawa, Ontario, CanadaK1A 0K9
Email:Minister_Ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

Phone: 1-800-442-2342
There is also an online form that can completed, available at:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/tools/feedback/commene.shtml

The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture & Agri-Food:

The Honourable Gerry Ritz
Sir John Carling Building
930 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1A 0C5

Phone: (613) 995-7080

Any letters you send should also be copied to your Member of Parliament:

Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP)
845 Upper James Street West, 2nd floor
Hamilton, ON L9C 3A3
Email: Charlton.C@parl.gc.ca

David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre, NDP)
22 Tisdale Street South
Hamilton, ON L8N 2V3
Email: Christopherson.D@parl.gc.ca

Wayne Martson (Hamilton East – Stoney Creek, NDP)
40 Centennial Parkway North, Suite 2
Hamilton, ON L8E 1H6
Email: Marston.W@parl.gc.ca

David Sweet (Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, Conservative)
59 Kirby Avenue, Unit 3
Dundas, ON L9H 6P3
Email: Sweet.D@parl.gc.ca

Mike Wallace (Burlington, Conservative)
777 Guelph Line
Burlington, ON L7R 3N2
Email: Wallace.M@parl.gc.ca

Eating Local for the Environment

Wondering what all the fuss on eating local is about? It is a topic that has been receiving a great deal of media coverage and for good reason. Eating local is not only healthier and better tasting; it also benefits the environment. By choosing foods that are produced near you, you are decreasing your ecological impact in several ways.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of eating local is that it dramatically reduces the amount of transportation required to deliver a food product from farm to fork. A recent study conducted by the Region of Waterloo Public Health found that it takes an average of 4,497 km for 58 commonly eaten food items to reach our plates[i]. Compare this to the distance to your nearest farm-gate stand, farmers’ market, or grocery store that carries local produce and the environmental impact is obvious. Buying local means less ‘food miles’ and thus, cuts down on the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Buying local also means supporting the local farms that grow the items on your grocery list. Smaller farms are ideal for selling directly to consumers and through the local market because they are well suited to grow a variety of crops. While large-scale farming operations employ the use of monocultures, smaller farms grow a diversity of crops in order to provide their customers with a variety of products. Varying and rotating crops causes less soil degradation and thus requires less pesticides and herbicides to yield a successful crop. Farmers of small to mid-sized farms are generally more likely to be responsible stewards and protect the ecological health of the land[ii]. With the number of farms dramatically decreasing in Ontario, it is important to support the smaller-scale farms that remain and operate with the integrity of the environment in mind.

Unfortunately, farming is becoming an increasingly difficult occupation. The farmers’ share of the food dollar spent by consumers has decreased from over 40 cents in 1910 to less than 7 cents per dollar in 1997[iii]. Supporting local farmers and ensuring farming is a viable occupation allows them to remain on their farm. Otherwise, many farmers are forced to sell their land to developers eager to build large-scale housing projects on fertile agricultural land. Therefore, buying local and supporting farmers helps combat the trend towards urban sprawl.

The environmental impact of where your food comes from is just one reason for the increased popularity of eating local. A recent poll conducted by the Friends of the Greenbelt found that 8 in 10 of respondents prefer to buy locally grown produce[iv]. After considering the environmental impact of our food choices, it is not hard to see why!
[i] Food Miles: Environmental Implication of Food Imports to Waterloo Region, Region of Waterloo Public Health, 2005.
[ii] Gurin, David, “Farmers’ Markets: Opportunities for Preserving Greenbelt Agriculture.”
[iii] Halweil, Brian. Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket. W.W. Norton and Co. New York. 2004.
[iv] Greenbelt Foundation 2007 Awareness Research.

Fall Harvest: What's available in November

Amaranth
Apples
Beets
Bitter Melon
Bok Choy
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Cantaloupes
Carrots
Cauliflower
Choy Sum
Chrysanthemum
Crabapples
Fuzzy Squash
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce
Lo Bok
Mushrooms
Mustard
Nappa
Onions
Parsnips
Pears
Peppers
Potatoes
Radishes
Rutabaga
Snow Pea Shoots
Sprouts
Squash
Tomatoes (Greenhouse)
U Choy
Water Spinach

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Looking for something fun and educational to do
this November? Check out the Royal,
Canada’s premier agricultral fair
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
85th Anniversary
November 2nd to 11th
The Ricoh Centre, The Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition
Place
Toronto, ON
Contact: (416) 263.3400
Website: www.royalfair.org

To market, to market

The recent interest in the potential reloca-
tion of the Centre Mall Farmers’ Market and
the proposed redevelopment of the Hamilton
Farmers’ Market should remind local con-
sumers and politicians that farmers’ markets
are extremely important community assets
that we can’t afford to lose. Farmers’ markets
present many benefits to participating grow-
ers, the local economy, consumers and the
environment. They also offer farmers a
higher return on expenditure for their prod-
ucts, greater control over their economic
lives, an alternate source of revenue, and an
opportunity to diversify areas of expertise
– in agriculture and business, community
support and networking, and direct-sales
marketing.
Farmers’ markets also help strengthen the
local economy. A dollar spent locally “is usu-
ally spent 6 to 15 times before it leaves the
community. From $1, you create $5 to $14 in
value within that community”. In addition,
consumers drawn to the farmers’ markets
typically spend more money at the stores and
restaurants that surround the market, further
fuelling local economic growth. Farmers’
markets create new job opportunities, par-
ticularly for farm families who often staff the
produce stand, and they have major poten-
tial for safeguarding jobs: a study in On-
tario found that “a total of 24,000 people are
directly involved in preparing and selling the
goods we find in [the province’s 127] farmers’
markets”.
Consumers benefit from the atmosphere and
experience of farmers’ markets; confidence
in and knowledge of growing location and
agricultural methods employed; access to
fresher, healthier food; and strengthening of
local community networks. Farmers’ markets
also help alleviate some pressure on the en-
vironment: the distance food travels is vastly
Update: The proposed new location of
the Centre Mall Farmers’Market is
Ottawa St at Cannon. Contact Eat Local
for more information.
Hamilton Eat Local:
905-572-5967
eatlocal@environmenthamilton.org