Modern Day Gleaning of the Fields When the Miller Family opened their farm for gleaning, 40,000 people showed up. Epicurious and the Denver Post each cover the story with a different bent.
Haaretz reported last week that their second-largest supermarket chain, Blue Square plans to buy a natural foods chain, as well as sell natural groceries in its own chains, Mega, Super Center, and Shefa Shuk.
This move, which mirrors Walmart’s push to sell organic food, and Tesco’s plans to offer more local and regionally-produced products - seems (not surprisingly) motivated by profit margins. Ha’Aretz says, “Blue square CEO Gil Unger has said in the past that he sees the health trend as an engine of growth for the chain.” Read the full article here.
Covered in the JTA today, the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Hillel Forum on Social Justice and the JCPA annual plenum donated $2,000 to negate their carbon impact, requested that no toiletries be delivered to conference goers unless asked, and all paper was recycled.
This is encouraging for a number of great reasons. Last year’s conference was an abominably empty attempt at any environmental awareness, as covered by yours truly and Ilana Sichel in an open letter to Hillel in The Forward, such as the lack of any recycling efforts and the overwhelming amount of complimentary bottled water. It is great to see Hillel (hopefully after that op-ed peice of prodding) take the next step forward.
But noticably, little mention was made of the food at the Spitzer Forum. Read more »
Here’s the second audio installment of my still unfinished CD, ‘Eat Like A Rainbow’.
Click here to hear a rough version of ‘Strong Bones’ (click the player below). This song promotes healthy foods, exercise, cutting down on salt and junk food, and the radical idea that milk is not the only source of calcium. It also talks about bones being flexible as well as strong. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that bones have piezoelectric and other crystalline properties, and enjoy talking with kids about making friends with their skeletons… I’d love to hear comments on the song!
This month I head off to five regional conferences of the NY State School Nutrition Association where I’ll be a presenter, and where I’ll meet with farmers, school food managers, and teachers, to promote these songs, the upcoming album, and my assembly concerts. (More on those and other concerts, and more songs to listen to here on my website, http://jaymankita.com)
Marks & Spencer announce their stores are going carbon-neutral; Tesco announces it’s carbon-labelling all its food products; and Whole Foods buys Wild Oats - and announces micro-loans for farmers, and $30m pa of investments in artisinal food startups.
Now here comes the March 12th cover story from Time magazine. This is an _outstanding_ piece; pretty much all you need to know, right now, on local vs organic - and why you should join a CSA…
:-)
And may your hamentashen be local… and your Slivovitz potent: a happy Purim to one and all…
Haaretz reported last week that their second-largest supermarket chain, Blue Square plans to buy a natural foods chain, as well as sell natural groceries in its own chains, Mega, Super Center, and Shefa Shuk.
This is encouraging for a number of great reasons. Last year’s conference was an abominably empty attempt at any environmental awareness, as covered by yours truly and Ilana Sichel in 
Here’s the second audio installment of my still unfinished CD, ‘Eat Like A Rainbow’.
