What's New in Natural Foods

In This Issue

Joel Salatin talks Local Food
Barth Anderson talks PAMTA
May Meals

Hi Everyone,

People in Minnesota are wondering what happens when spring starts in April instead of May. Guess we'll be finding out. This head start on the season has allowed an early start for gardens – and presumably, a longer growing season. More fresh local food for your table! I'm all over local food these days after seeing the movie, "Fresh" and hearing an inspiring speaker at the documentary's recent screening in Minneapolis. I'm sharing my learning below. If you are not up for growing your own food, check out the sidebar to learn about how you can still eat local through CSAs. And, if you keep reading, my guest "columnist" this month will fill you in on the next food issue to be heard in Washington. Enjoy the season!

Local food

My favorite of the recent food documentaries, "Fresh," was screened recently in the Twin Cities. The movie got a little promotional help with a pre-show appearance by a farmer from Virginia who has gained some well-deserved attention following his appearance in another popular food documentary, "Food, Inc." A self-described "Christian-Libertarian-Environmentalist-Capitalist grass farmer," Joel Salatin also has been featured in Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma. Salatin himself is the author of several books, including Everything I want to Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front. He raises "beyond organic" meats and promotes the kind of farming that is healing to the land, food, economy and culture. His talk was most informative.

Answering Tough Questions
Salatin told us that one of the most common questions he hears is: How can we afford local sustainable food? His answer: "You get what you pay for!" He pointed out that most people understand that concept as it applies to cars or other products we regularly use, but we forget it when it comes to food. Similarly, there is value in grass-fed meats and dairy products, which are significantly more nutritious than those from factory farms. He cited the fact that people in Argentina eat a lot more red meat than Americans do, and yet, because Argentineans eat grass-fed beef (not from a factory), they have a much lower (by half!) cancer rate. What's more, grass-fed, pasture-raised animals support a healthy environment.

Putting cost into perspective
Salatin recommended another way to reduce food prices: instead of costly processed foods, buy those that are unprocessed (or natural). And to put the cost of healthier meat in perspective, he pointed out that a whole pound of grass-fed beef costs roughly the same as one happy meal. Of course, this means that you have to know how to prepare food! I can help with that. :) Salatin said it may mean a change in our priorities. "We make a place in our lives for what's important – when people tell me they don't have time to cook, I ask them 'have you watched TV or seen any movies this week?' because most people have the time. The money is there, too. People buy all sorts of things they don't really need instead of spending money on food."

Up against the big guys
According to Salatin, government subsidies and regulations benefit big agribusiness, placing small farmers at a disadvantage and adding to the cost of good food. The higher price of local sustainable food reflects the labor and knowledge required to grow food in a healthy way, too. "This is a craft business, not a widget commodity business."

PAMTA: Just Say No to Drugs (for U.S. Farm Animals)

I'm delighted to have my good friend Barth Anderson as a guest contributor this month. Barth is Chief Blogger at Fair Food Fight and organic policy expert at large. I asked him what he thinks is the biggest food issue on the horizon that people should know about:

Have you heard of PAMTA yet? Chances are you will because it's an issue that's likely to become red-hot over the summer.

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the only microbiologist in U.S. Congress, has introduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), which would regulate the use of antibiotics in agriculture. The current problem is the overuse of antibiotics, which has led to a growing antibiotic-resistance in microbes. An example is MRSA (methicillin-resistant staph), an infection that increasingly strikes patients in hospitals. The MRSA outbreak has taken the lives of tens of thousands across the U.S., and frighteningly, has no known cure.

We must slow or stop our overuse of antibiotics if we're going to continue using these important drugs as a means to protect human health. So what does this have to do with our food?

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that 70% of all antibiotics in the U.S. are used preventively as growth-promoters for pigs, poultry and cattle, and to ward off disease caused by cramped and dirty conditions in factory farms. In June 2001, the American Medical Association went on record opposing the routine feeding of medically important antibiotics to livestock and poultry.

PAMTA would limit the use of antibiotics on livestock we consume to ensure that we are not inadvertently creating antibiotic-resistant diseases that we can't fight with modern medicine. Passing the bill would be a huge step toward a cleaner, more sane food system.

You can learn more about antibiotic-use in farming and PAMTA in our special section at Fair Food Fight. Another thing you can do is contact your representative or senator today and ask them to support PAMTA.

May Meals

Dinner with Jennette meal plans help you use seasonal produce and local foods all year long! This month's meals will inspire you to get in the kitchen with dishes such as "Five Spice Pork Chops with Roasted Asparagus and Shitake Mushroom Salad," "German-Style Potato and Beef Salad with Horseradish Dressing and Snap Peas" and "Pasta with Creamy Lemon Clam Sauce and Leeks." No need to stress about ideas for healthy meals—that's what I'm here for: to make your dinnertime convenient and delicious.

What ways have you found to eat healthy meals while watching your budget? I'd like to hear from you. (link to email contact). And, as always, I invite you to forward this newsletter to friends and family who are interested in good, healthy foods.

Best,
Jennette