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Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT)

About RAFT

Managed by Slow Food USA, Renewing America’s Food Traditions ("RAFT") is an alliance of food, farming, environmental and culinary advocates who have joined together to identify, restore and celebrate America’s biologically and culturally diverse food traditions through conservation, education, promotion and regional networking.

Founded in 2004, the RAFT Alliance brings food producers, chefs and consumers together to develop and promote conservation strategies, sustainable food production, and awareness of our country's unique and "at risk" foods and food traditions.

We aim to promote and ensure that the diverse foods and traditions unique to North America reaches our tables by means that make our families and communities healthier and our food system more diverse: ecologically, culturally and structurally.

We focus on clusters of foods at risk that we feel we have a capacity to recover, using models of discovery, recovery and sustainability that may inspire others to do similar work.

Learn more about our current initiatives and join us in restoring and celebrating America’s diverse foods and food traditions!

Learn More

Why RAFT?

There is an urgent need to maintain the incredible food diversity of North America because of the important ecological, culinary, cultural, and health benefits of biodiversity.

Have you ever eaten a meal rich with juices, flavors, and fragrances that have taken centuries to develop? A delicate, dark red strawberry that was the backbone of the U.S. berry industry, an oily fish that built trade routes in the Northwest, a hot pepper that tells the story of Minorcan immigration to Florida—these are the stories of North American traditions that lie hidden within our foods. Yet many of these foods have been rapidly disappearing from our tables.

With these losses come a decline in traditional ecological and culinary knowledge, and declines in the food rituals that link communities to place and cultural heritage. If these culinary delights persist only in our history books, we will have lost an important cultural legacy and future generations will be deprived of the nutrition and exquisite flavors found in these heritage foods.

Ecological Benefits

Plant and animal diversity sustains healthy ecological relationships and sustainable agricultural practices. This diversity also encourages resistance to pests and diseases, ensuring our food security.

Culinary Benefits

Inherent in a diversity of foods is a variety of aromas, textures, and flavors that increase pleasure and help us along in our pursuit of happiness.

Cultural Benefits

Our daily meals come from the strong hands and creative minds of individuals in food-producing communities. Traditional agricultural and culinary knowledge is passed from one practitioner to the next. This knowledge about how to harvest and cook the plants and animals around us is key to our survival as a species and worth documenting and celebrating.

Health Benefits

Getting nutrients from whole foods that are adapted to the regions in which we live and work helps our resistance to disease, particularly diabetes and heart disease.

Initiatives

The RAFT Alliance has developed a set of integrated initiatives that support national and regional efforts to make our food system more diverse, democratic and delicious.

Creating Regional Food Communities

Identifying Foods At Risk

The RAFT Alliance brings local farmers, chefs, fishers, agricultural historians, ranchers, nurserymen and conservation activists together to exchange information, tell the stories of regional foods and food producers, and create publications. Through RAFT, these communities of food producers publish lists of traditional regional foods, telling readers the stories and threats to these foods, and where seeds, nursery stock, or seafood and livestock hatchlings can be purchased to aid in their recovery. The result is the growth of food-concerned communities that are reestablishing healthy local economies. This year, RAFT is focusing its documentation work on the unique and endangered foods of New England and the Great Lakes. To download and help expand RAFT's regional publications listing foods at risk, visit the Resources page.

In 2008, the RAFT Alliance published the first book that addresses the current state of the culinary treasures unique to the North American continent. Renewing America's Food Traditions: Savoring and Saving the Continent's Most Endangered Foods was edited by Gary Paul Nabhan and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. To learn more about this book (and buy it), visit the RAFT Resources page.

Restoring At-Risk Plants and Animals

Heirloom Vegetable Recovery

Building on the successes of seed banks such as Seed Savers Exchange and Native Seeds / SEARCH, who have prevented the extinction of thousands of heirloom fruit and vegetable varieties, RAFT coordinates heirloom food “grow outs” with sustainable market farms. These grow outs help restore regional foodsheds and local economies. To date, over 500 specialty growers around the U.S. have participated, sharing data on growing habits as well as providing ingredients for meals at restaurants, diners, and university cafeterias in communities throughout the U.S. This year, Chefs Collaborative is coordinating a grow out of sixteen New England heirloom varieties with farmers and chefs in Boston, MA, Providence, RI and Portsmouth, NH. Farmers will grow these varieties and chefs will feature these foods on their menus in and around Boston, Providence and Portsmouth this coming fall. Local Slow Food chapters will organize local events to promote these foods and encourage more local growers, chefs and retailers to grow, serve and sell these unique New England vegetables. To learn about the recent kick-off meetings with farmers, chefs and local partners, visit the Slow Food USA blog and RAFT in the News. For more information about the project, contact the Chefs Collaborative.

Heirloom Fruit Tree Recovery

Just as dozens of vegetables, corn and bean seed companies were consolidated and bought out by multi-nationals in the 1970s reducing the diversity available to the public, the same trend has been affecting the fruit and nut tree business since 1995. While there remain a few specialty houses that feature “antique apples” or “heirloom peaches,” they largely cater to a national audience of hobbyists and not to a place-based culture of fruit growers. At the same time, global climate change has induced severe droughts, floods and other catastrophic events, whittling down the number of fruit and nut trees still on the landscape. Native Seeds/SEARCH is leading RAFT trainings of heirloom fruit enthusiasts in the basic skills of cutting, grafting, documenting tree histories, and distributing scion wood of the most flavorful historic fruit varieties. Last year's workshops took place in Sturbridge, MA and Traverse City, MI. This March, Native Seeds/SEARCH hosted a workshop in Madison, WI. Another workshop is planned for later this year. For more information, view the Events page or contact Native Seeds/SEARCH.

This year, RAFT is focusing its heirloom fruit recovery work on apples. To start, we brought together twenty heirloom apple experts from around the country for a day-long summit in Madison, WI to discuss the status of current grassroots efforts to conserve and promote heirloom apple varieties in North America and how to bring them back to our farms and tables. Learn more about this summit on the Slow Food USA blog, the RAFT Events page, and the RAFT in the News page. To see great photos and videos of the summit and accompanying events, click here. We are now compiling the first-ever national strategy for saving and restoring heirloom apples. This document --part manifesto and part manual-- includes a status report on apple conservation and loss, an assessment of causes of loss, and options for conserving remaining apples to bring back to the table as food and cider. To read the draft document, go to the RAFT Resources page.

Heritage Breed Recovery

Modern food production favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds selected for maximum output in a controlled environment. As a result, many delicious, regionally adapted livestock breeds have lost popularity and are threatened with extinction. These traditional breeds are an essential part of the USA's agricultural inheritance. The need for livestock conservation is urgent. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) leads the RAFT Alliance in documenting endangered breeds with the most commercial potential and working with their producers to restore historical levels of productivity and increase their numbers for sustainable distribution. Using a model developed with the Buckeye breed, ALBC is expanding its poultry breed recovery work to Delaware and Java chickens. ALBC is also focusing on Pineywoods cattle and rare swine breed recovery work. Chefs Collaborative and Slow Food USA are partnering with ALBC to ensure breeds are selected with thought to taste quality and chef and consumer preferences. To learn more about 2009 projects, contact ALBC. To learn about upcoming breeder and producer workshops, visit the Events page.

Celebrating America's Food Traditions

The best assurance for continued diversity in our food supply lies in connecting the stories, flavors, fragrances and textures of these foods to larger audiences, so their eating, purchasing, and recreation habits once again support the food's producers. RAFT celebrations take many forms, from wild foraging expeditions to cooking demonstrations and picnics; from oral history kiosks to radio shows and classroom lessons. What anchors all our celebratory activities is a shared meal, which is the most pleasurable (i.e. effective) way to connect people to the who, what, where and why of their food. To this end, the highest profile projects to date have been “American Traditions Picnics.” These community events feature endangered American fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry identified by the RAFT Alliance, boarded onto the Slow Food Ark of Taste and grown by local farmers. For ideas on how you can get involved, click here.

Slow Food USA's grassroots network of 18,000 members and over 200 chapters are a driving force around the country for organizing local projects and events that recover and promote endangered foods. Slow Food USA encourages its chapters to champion a place-based, endangered food that has an important connection to their community, and work to increase its production, distribution and consumption. That means encouraging farmers to grow/raise it, chefs to serve it, retailers to sell it, and consumers to eat it. Through these projects and events, they are not only recovering biologically and culturally important foods, but also increasing public understanding about the connection between food and place and the importance of biodiversity in a healthy, sustainable and secure food supply. Some of these projects are featured on the Slow Food USA blog (category: biodiversity).

Become a Food Detective

Join us in restoring and celebrating America's diverse foods and food traditions!

RAFT partners invite you and your friends—rural or urban, food enthusiast, farmer, fisher, historian, scientist or educator—to help us more thoroughly document the history and current status of America's endangered foods, and propose other foods for listing.

What place-based foods have unique traditions in your landscape, seascape and culture?
Which of these foods offer flavors, textures and pleasures cherished in the your foodshed that can't be found anywhere else on the continent?
How many of these foods—traditionally foraged, fished, hunted or grown—might now be at risk in their home place?
What can we do to collectively ensure their survival, and to support their original stewards in their struggles toward food sovereignty?

We encourage you to:

Add, amend or adopt "at risk" foods listed in RAFT publications and become allies with those individuals, communities or cultures who remain their stewards.
Grow RAFT-listed foods in your garden or on your farm.
Organize a field trip to see out the rare foods in your area.
Plan a meal with endangered foods.
Become a seed saver or fruit explorer and organize seasonal events to exchange varieties with others in your community.
Nominate a RAFT-listed food with outstanding flavor and commercial potential to the Ark of Taste, Slow Food's catalogue of delicious endangered foods with market potential.
Encourage a local chef or restaurant in your area to use heirloom or heritage foods.
Adopt a food --Start a recovery project for an endangered food or food production method. Encourage farmers to grow/raise the food, chefs to serve it and retailers to sell it in your community and beyond.
Celebrate the unique foods of your region by hosting an endangered foods meal or American Traditions Picnic.

RAFT Resources

Savoring and Saving the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods

Edited by Gary Paul Nabhan, Chelsea Green Publishing

The book profiles more than ninety heritage foods most at risk, detailing their folk histories, their causes of endangerment, the efforts to recover them, and offering historic recipes with which to savor them once they’ve been recovered. The book’s appendix lists over 1,000 unique livestock, vegetables, fruits, fish and game at risk in North America. To order the book, visit Chelsea Green Publishing.

Forgotten Fruits Manual & Manifesto - Apples

As part of RAFT's 2010 "Forgotten Fruits" initiative, this brochure details the history, decline, nursery practices and local restoration efforts designed to bring back the most endangered heirloom apples to orchards, backyards, farmer's markets, restaurants, and home kitchens across the country. Compiled and edited by Gary Paul Nabhan; introduction by Ben Watson

Download Forgotten Fruits Manual & Manifesto - Apples (PDF - 32 pages, 2.5MB - Published March 2010)

Place-based Foods at Risk in the Great Lakes

This booklet includes a working list of rare place-based foods with unique traditions in Great Lakes landscapes, waterways and cultures, as well as essays from Great Lakes residents who are working to protect and revive these foods. We invite you to add, amend or "adopt" (champion) foods on this list---support those communities that remain their stewards and work to bring these foods back to our tables. Send all list additions and edits to raftalliance@slowfoodusa.org .

View and download Place-based Foods at Risk in the Great Lakes

Place-based Foods at Risk in New England

This list highlights the rare place-based foods that have unique traditions in Greater New England landscapes, seascapes and cultures. The publication notes which foods are threatened, endangered or functionally extinct, and invites New Englanders to help expand and revise the list, and work to bring these foods back to our tables. This is a working list. We invite you to send all list additions and edits to raftalliance@slowfoodusa.org .

Download Place-based Foods at Risk in New England and the Maritime Provinces (PDF 4 pages, 480K)

Place-based Foods at Risk in California

This booklet includes a working list of the the rare place-based foods of California and essays from Californians who are working to protect and revive these foods and supporte their food communities. What foods now grown or gathered in California's soils and waters are among those most important to West Coast food history, most vital to California's sustainability, and currently be at risk of disappearing from our tables? We encourage you to add, amend or adopt foods on this list and support those communities that remain their stewards. Send all list additions and edits to raftalliance@slowfoodusa.org .

Download Placed-based Foods at Risk in California. (PDF 16 pages, 3MB)

Renewing Salmon Nation’s Food Traditions

“Salmon Nation’s (Pacific Northwest's) coastal rainforests, muskegs, mudflat clam beds, Palouse prairies, and river canyons look and feel unlike any other in the world. You can sense the distinctiveness of this eco-region wherever you travel within it—from Alaska, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, western Montana, Oregon, and northern California. But Salmon Nation also tastes unlike any other place—from its huckleberries and Oregon grapes to its Dungeness crab and alder-smoked salmon…."

To learn about the endangered heritage foods of Salmon Nation and about how to participate in their recovery, purchase this book from our online bookstore or Ecotrust.

Renewing the Native Food Traditions of Bison Nation

This annotated list highlights certain food traditions of Bison Nation (the Great Plains) that could be restored concomitant with the restoration of free-ranging bison to large tracts of the short-grass plains and tall-grass prairies. The RAFT consortium offers this preliminary list to encourage more collaboration among conservation biologists, restoration ecologists, the Intertribal Bison Cooperative, wild foragers, hunters, chefs, nutrition educators and local food system activists. RAFT hopes that discussion of this inventory among diverse parties will eventually lead to more sustainable harvests of the unique, traditional foods of Bison Nation.

Download Renewing the Native Food Traditions of Bison Nation (PDF 8 pages, 770K)

Seafood Traditions at Risk in North America

A RAFT List for Biological Recovery and Cultural Revitalization

From potlatches and clambakes, to sea shanties and tales told in ice fishing huts, America’s cultural heritage has been built not merely on its fertile soils and mineral-rich mountains, but on its waters as well. That is where some of America’s finest artisans have practiced their traditions of weaving nets and basket traps, carving totem-style halibut hooks, harpoons, floats and lures, constructing stone traps, decoys and crab pots, or shaping canoes, kayaks, dories and pangas….

Download Seafood Traditions at Risk in North America (PDF, 4 pages, 681k)
Download Guide to Seafood of the Seri Indians (PDF, 2 pages, 400k)

Heritage Breed Resources

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy offers a number of educational resources for download. Use these materials to learn more about rare breeds of livestock and poultry and to support the conservation of these animals.

Ark of Taste catalog

The Slow Food USA Ark of Taste catalog profiles over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction---foods that are threatened by industrial standardization, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage. Like the foods on the RAFT Alliance regional food lists, Ark of Taste foods are at-risk and place-based. Additionally, they have (1) deep historical and/or cultural roots and a tradition of use in the locale/region, (2) unique/superior flavor, appearance or texture, and (3) market potential. Nominations to the Ark of Taste are vetted by a committee of Slow Food USA members. Read Ark of Taste food profiles, find producers through the LocalHarvest.org directory and download the Ark of Taste nomination form.

Audio recordings of Native American Food Producers and Stewards

RAFT partner The Cultural Conservancy (TCC) has documented stories of Native American food producers and food stewards from around the U.S. –individuals who are actively working to maintain, protect, renew and revitalize indigenous foods and food traditions. TCC produced a CD of audio recordings to be used for education and inspiration within Native American communities, to raise awareness about native foods with other food and environmental communities, and to build strategic alliances and initiatives to improve the health and accessibility of native foods to Native American communities. For more information about this CD, contact The Cultural Conservancy.

RAFT Founding Partners

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

The ALBC was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Pittsboro, North Carolina. ALBC is dedicated to conservation and promotion of endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. ALBC monitors breed populations of ten traditional agricultural species in the US, identify endangered breeds, documents breed performance, and promotes their use. ALBC is the preeminent source for information on genetic conservation in the US and has long recognized that sustainable agriculture is the ideal habitat for many of breeds that are regionally adapted and selected for self-sufficiency.
RAFT Contact: Jennifer Kendall | 919-542-5704

Center for Sustainable Environments

The Center for Sustainable Environments (CSE) was established at Northern Arizona University (NAU) to serve as an umbrella organization for interdisciplinary environmental collaborations and community outreach in the culturally diverse Intermountain West. NAU has a long history of working with communities to integrate scientific knowledge with local expertise, fostering community capacity-building, then engaging varied cultures and constituencies in creative environmental problem solving. In particular, CSE promotes the linkages between biodiversity and agricultural conservation, especially when it retains traditional ecological knowledge associated with cultural diversity.
RAFT Contact: Gary Nabhan (now based at the Southwest Center, University of Arizona)

Dr. Gary Nabhan, the Center's out-going Director, is the founder and facilitator of the RAFT Alliance. Dr. Nabhan is now based at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona. Visit Gary's website to learn more about his current work.

Chefs Collaborative

Chefs Collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal, and artisanal cooking. The Collaborative has held successful tastings and briefings on a variety of issues, including sustainable seafood solutions, grass-fed, free-range meat production, GMO's and animal welfare and safety. The Collaborative provides its members with the tools to run both economically and environmentally sustainable food service businesses.
RAFT Contact: Leigh Belanger | 617/236-5200

Cultural Conservancy

A Native American non-profit dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of indigenous cultures and their ancestral lands, storytelling, and harvesting traditions. The Cultural Conservancy's Storyscape media project focuses on the protection of storehouses of traditional knowledge surrounding nutrition, resources use, farming, foraging, and time-tested sustainable land management practices. The Conservancy strives to preserve and renew this endangered knowledge through ethnographic recordings and by providing technical assistance for tribes to protect their own cultural legacies.
RAFT Contact: Melissa Nelson | 415/561-6594

Native Seed/SEARCH

Native Seeds/SEARCH is a nonprofit conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona. NS/S works to conserve, distribute and document the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seed, their wild relatives and the role these seeds play in cultures of the American Southwestern and northwest Mexico. Started in 1983, NS/S now safeguards 2000 varieties of arid-land adapted agricultural crops. NS/S promotes the use of these ancient crops and their wild relatives by distributing seeds to traditional communities and to gardeners worldwide. 350 varieties grown at the NS/S Conservation Farm in Patagonia, Arizona are currently available.
RAFT Contact: Suzanne Nelson | 520/881-4804

Seed Savers Exchange

SSE, founded in 1975 by Kent and Diane Whealy is the single most effective food crop conservation non-profit in history. SSE’s Heritage Farm permanently maintains and displays 24,000 heirloom vegetable varieties, 700 pre-1900 apples, 200 hardy grapes, and herds of extremely rare Ancient White Park cattle. Since 1981, SSE’s Garden Seed Inventory (Sixth Edition) and similar publications have tracked the availability of all non-hybrid vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries in the U.S. Using Seed Savers Yearbook, SSE’s annually offers members 12,000 varieties of heirloom vegetables, almost twice as many non-hybrid varieties as are offered by the entire U.S. mail-order garden seed industry. Seed Savers Exchange and Heritage Farm have provided the models for organizations and projects in more than 30 countries.
RAFT Contact: Steph Hughes | 563/382-5990

Slow Food USA

Seeking to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system, Slow Food USA reconnects Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. Slow Food USA works to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat. Founded in 1986 in Italy to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and fast life, Slow Food has grown to encompass a worldwide membership of 100,000 members in 132 countries. With 18,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States, Slow Food USA organizes projects that identify and revitalize foods, farmers and traditions that are at risk of extinction, and promotes an ecological approach to food. Slow Food chapters carry out the Slow Food mission in their communities through local projects, events and partnerships.
RAFT Contact: Jenny Trotter | 718/260-8000

Learn More in Detail

The RAFT Alliance is generously supported by the Cedar Tree Foundation, Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, and the Ceres Foundation, with start up resources from the CS Fund.

Alice Waters on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher

Alice Waters was Bill's guest for One-on-One on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.
Episode 179, broadcast on HBO April 9, 2010.

Part One

In this segment Alice discusses why McDonald's should *never* be an option, even if you're poor.

Part Two

For more information on this episode, please visit HBO.

Slow Food USA & International Programs

What We Do
We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.

Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

We consider ourselves co-producers, not consumers, because by being informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it, we become a part of and a partner in the production process.

Domestic Programs

International Programs

Slow Food Domestic Programs

US Ark of Taste

The Slow Food USA Ark of Taste is a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. By promoting and eating Ark products we help ensure that they remain in production and on our plates. Learn More.

Renewing America’s Food Traditions
Managed by Slow Food USA, RAFT is an alliance of food, farming, environmental and culinary advocates who work to identify, restore and celebrate America’s biologically and culturally diverse food traditions through conservation, education, promotion and regional networking. Learn More.

Slow Food In Schools
Slow Food in Schools teaches youth about the values of eating locally, seasonally and sustainably through hands-on projects. Programs range from collaborating on curricula and after school activities to improving school lunches and school garden programs. Learn More.

Slow Food On Campus
Slow Food on Campus is a network of Slow Food campus chapters that engages college students around food system and food justice issues. Programs are run by college and university students across the country. Learn More.

US Terra Madre Network
Terra Madre is a network of over 7,000 food producers, cooks and university educators from 150 countries, including over 1,000 delegates from the U.S. united by a common goal of global sustainability in food. Learn More.

US Youth Food Movement
Around the world, youth are mobilizing to bring good, clean, and fair food to their communities. The Youth Food Movement is a network of these local projects connected through international communication and exchange. Learn More.

US Presidia
If unique, traditional and endangered food products can have an economic impact, they can be saved from extinction. This is the simple reasoning behind the Presidia—small, targeted projects to assist groups of artisan producers. Learn More.

International Programs

Terra Madre: Terra Madre is an international network of over 7,000 food producers, cooks, and university educators. Every for years, network delegates come together to discus global food sustainability issues. The next Terra Madre takes place in the fall of 2010. Visit Site.

Salone del Gusto: In October of every even-numbered year small-scale food producers from all over the world come to Turin, Italy to showcase their products to more than 150,000 people. Visitors taste presidia products and cuisines from nearly every continent and participate in taste workshops. Visit Site.

Slow Fish: First held in the Italian port city of Genoa in 2004, this biennial sustainable seafood exhibition brings together fishers, processors, researchers, government agencies and consumers to explore ways to combat the depletion of our fish stocks and enjoy seafood responsibly. Visit Site.

Cheese: Held in Bra, Italy, this biennial event is the leading international festival for artisan cheese producers. The world’s most renowned artisans, affineurs, cheesemongers and shepherds come to present their cheeses to tens of thousands of visitors and host taste workshops. Visit Site.

Ark of Taste & Presidia: Overseen by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, the Ark of Taste is a catalog of hundreds of extraordinary products from around the world. Presidia are small projects to assist groups of artisanal producers worldwide. Visit Site.

University of Gastronomic Sciences: UNISG was founded in 2004 to bring academic strength to the field of food studies and create a new definition of gastronomy. Four programs combine humanities, science, and sensory training for a multi-experiential understanding of food production. Visit Site.

US ARK of Taste

Slow Food ARK of Taste & Presidia

Ark of Taste

Slow Food (International) Ark of Taste

The Ark of Taste aims to rediscover, catalog, describe and publicize forgotten flavors. It is a metaphorical recipient of excellent gastronomic products that are threatened by industrial standardization, hygiene laws, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage.

The Ark is an international catalog of foods that are threatened by industrial standardization, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage. In an effort to cultivate consumer demand—key to agricultural conservation—only the best tasting endangered foods make it onto the Ark. Since 1996, more than 800 products from over 50 countries have been added to the international Ark of Taste.

Ark products range from the Italian Valchiavenna goat to the American Navajo-Churro sheep, from the last indigenous Irish cattle breed, the Kerry, to a unique variety of Greek fava beans grown only on the island of Santorini. All are endangered products that have real economic viability and commercial potential.

US Ark of Taste

The US Ark of Taste profiles over 200 rare regional foods, and is a tool that helps farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, retail grocers, educators and consumers celebrate our country's diverse biological, cultural and culinary heritage. By promoting and eating Ark products we help ensure they remain in production and on our plates.

Latest News from SFUSA Blog

Presidia

The Presidia

sustain quality production at risk of extinction,
protect unique regions and ecosystems,
recover traditional processing methods,
safeguard native breeds and local plant varieties.

The Presidia directly involve producers, offer technical assistance to improve production quality, organize exchanges among different countries, provide new market outlets (both locally and internationally).

With more than 120 International Presidia, Slow Food protects biodiversity in the whole world: from Rimbas Black Pepper in Malaysia, to Mananara Vanilla in Madagascar.

Slow Food on Campus (USA)

Slow Food on Campus
20 Jay Street, Suite M04
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Phone: (718) 260-8000 or 877 SlowFoo(d)
Email

BASICS

Slow Food INTERNATIONAL

International office is in Bra, Italy.
The global network reaches
132 countries and more than
100,000 members worldwide.

Slow Food USA

National office is in Brooklyn, New York.
More than 200 local chapters in the
United States with 50,000 members and
supporters in the United States.
Our chapters raise public awareness,
improve access and encourage the
enjoyment of foods that are
local, seasonal and sustainably grown.
They also perform educational outreach
and work with children in schools and
through public programs.

Slow Food On CAMPUS

SFOC chapters are in 2 and 4 year,
public and private, colleges & universities
around the country.
There are more than 30 chapters around
the country with over 300 members
and supporters.
These student-run chapters coordinated
over 100 events during the last academic
calendar and collaborated with more than
50 different groups both on and off campus.

Slow Food on Campus - New Home
Slow Food on Campus - Blog RSS Feed
WordPress Blog (Deprecated as of August, 2009)

Slow Food On CAMPUS
Slow Food on Campus is a network of Slow Food chapters at colleges and universities across the country. Run by student members, Slow Food on Campus chapters engage their community and the next generation of Slow Food leaders in creating a good, clean, and fair food system. Slow Food on Campus members represent a passionate cross-section of youth addressing food system and food justice issues, spanning environmental and social causes.

Slow Food on Campus chapter’s help students come together, share a meal, exchange ideas, and help make good, clean, and fair food accessible to everyone. Chapters support Slow Food USA partner organizations 350, Real Food Challenge and Student/Farmworker Alliance by hosting events that help educate their communities on how food interacts with climate change, labor and community.

Slow Food on Campus Convivia
are the living, breathing, working arm of
Slow Food USA in the college community.

By promoting food and food justice issues and by engaging their
fellow students in the pleasures of the table and the garden,
Campus Convivia aim to promote a slower, more just, and more harmonious
rhythm of life on our nation's college campuses.

Campus Chapters (Int'l)

Campus Chapters (U.S.)

Resources

Good, Clean and Fair On-Campus – Fall 2009

Slow Food on Campus has teamed up with 350, Student/Farmworker Alliance, and Real Food Challenge to host three different events geared to draw attention to Good, Clean, and Fair.

December, 2009: Focus = GOOD

This month, Slow Food on Campus chapters will be focusing on the pleasures of good food and the importance of community. Our chapters aim to unify their communities by hosting events where they will enjoy delicious foods, learn to explore local tastes, as well as support Slow Food USA’s Time for Lunch campaign.
To download the December Resources, click the links below:

November, 2009: Focus = FAIR

Slow Food on Campus partnered with Student/Farmworker Alliance to focus on creating a fair food system. We encouraged students to engage the focus on FAIR by taking on dining service providers to ensure better wages for farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida, or working in a soup kitchen, or finding another other way to bring fair food to their campus community.

Check out the 'Stories from November's Focus = FAIR' tab to the left to read stories and see the photos from our Slow Food on Campus chapter actions.

October, 2009: Focus = CLEAN

We collaborated with Real Food Challenge to create resources for students to use when educating their community about the connections between climate change and food.
We also worked with Small Planet Institute to produce "table tents" outlining the deep connections between climate change and the food system.

Check out the 'Stories from October's Focus = CLEAN' tab to the left to read stories and see the photos from our Slow Food on Campus chapter actions.

Run by student members, Slow Food on Campus chapters
engage their community and the next generation of
Slow Food leaders in creating a good, clean, and fair food system.

Slow Food on Campus members represent a passionate
cross-section of youth addressing food system and food justice issues,
spanning environmental and social causes.

— Slow Food on Campus - RSS Feed —

From Plate to Planet - Good, Clean & Fair - 7 Pillars

From Plate to Planet

In the United States, members of Slow Food USA's 200 chapters celebrate the amazing bounty of food that is available and work to strengthen the connection between the food on our plates and the health of our planet. Our members are involved in activities such as:

Raising public awareness, improving access and encouraging the enjoyment of foods
that are local, seasonal and sustainably grown.
Caring for the land and protecting biodiversity for today's communities and future generations.
Performing educational outreach within their communities and working with
children in schools and through public programs.
Identifying, promoting and protecting fruits, vegetables, grains, animal breeds,
wild foods and cooking traditions at risk of disappearance.
Advocating for farmers and artisans who
grow, produce, market, prepare and serve wholesome food.
Promoting the celebration of food as a cornerstone of pleasure, culture and community.

Good, Clean and Fair

Good: The word good can mean a lot of things to a lot of people.
For Slow Food, the idea of good means enjoying delicious food created with care
from healthy plants and animals.
The pleasures of good food can also help to build community and
celebrate culture & regional diversity.

Clean: When we talk about clean food,
we are talking about nutritious food that is as good for the planet as it is for our bodies.
It is grown and harvested with methods that have a positive impact on our
local ecosystems and promotes biodiversity.

Fair: We believe that food is a universal right.
Food that is fair should be accessible to all,
regardless of income, and produced by people
who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.

Seven Pillars of Slow Food

Access to good, clean and fair food;
Agricultural and food biodiversity;
Small-scale food production;
Food sovereignty;
Language, cultural and traditional knowledge;
Environmentally responsible food production; and,
Fair and sustainable trade.

SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town

SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town
A groundbreaking photographic journey into the heart of an Italian town steeped in culinary tradition that is a tribute to the slow food movement and the everyday pleasures of food.

Photographs and text by Douglas Gayeton.
Introduction by Alice Waters.
Preface by Slow Food Founder, Carlo Petrini.
Published October, 2009 by Welcome Books.
ISBN 9787-1-59962-072-5
176 pages, 11”x13”
75 sepia toned 4-color images 8 gatefolds, Acetate jacket & 4 acetate tip-ins printed with Text from underlying images. Includes a sampling of authentic Tuscan recipes.

SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town is an unprecedented photographic personal journey into the heart of hidden Tuscany that celebrates the principles that define the Slow Food movement and pays tribute to the region’s kaleidoscope of vibrant characters, whose shared culture revolves around the everyday pleasure of growing, preparing, and eating food.

With an anecdotal charm reminiscent of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, Douglas Gayeton’s interplay of pictures and words conveys a thrilling narrative that transports you halfway around the globe to the charming town of Pistoia, nestled in the outskirts of Florence. There we meet the mushroom hunters and sheep farmers, the winemakers and fishermen, the bakers, butchers and chocolate makers whose lives are profoundly bound to the rhythms of nature.

It is a riveting story told in a riveting way: each image comprised of multiple photographs taken over a period of time that can range anywhere from ten minutes to several hours, and layered with Gayeton’s handwritten notes, recipes, facts, and sayings. With this process, Gayeton has managed to introduce the concept of story and time, both compressed and exploded, into his portraits. The result is a photographic approach critics have dubbed flat film; the effect is exhilarating.

As Gayeton observes,
“What my eyes saw was always grander than any lens could capture…How could I introduce the presence of time, of an emerging and evolving story comprised of not one, but many moments, into a single photograph?”

In the accompanying text, Gayeton offers an absorbing first person account of his immersion into rural Italian culture, offering an intimacy that draws us deeper into this romantic and rustic world. A photographer, a pioneering new media creator, a wonderful writer and an award winning documentarian, Gayeton is passionately interested in food, culture, art, and people.

DOUGLAS GAYETON is a filmmaker, photographer, and writer.
His images are held in a number of influential museum and private collections around the world, and have been featured in numerous print and online media, such as Time Magazine. Since the early 90s he has created award-winning work at the boundaries of traditional and converging media for MTV, Sony, National Geographic, and PBS. Recent projects include LOST IN ITALY, a 26 episode interstitial TV series Gayeton created, directed, and shot for Fine Living, and MOLOTOV ALVA AND HIS SEARCH FOR THE CREATOR: A SECOND LIFE ODYSSEY for HBO, the first documentary shot inside a virtual world. Gayeton lectures frequently on art, technology, and sustainability. He is also coowner, with his wife, Laura Howard, of Laloos Goat Milk Ice Cream in Petaluma, CA.

ALICE WATERS is an internationally renowned chef and the co-owner of Chez Panisse, the restaurant where she helped define California cuisine. A passionate advocate of cooking with locally grown and seasonal ingredients, Waters has written several books on the subject. She is the founder of Slow Food Nation, founder of the Chez Panisse Foundation, and an International Governor of Slow Food International.

CARLO PETRINI is the founder of the Slow Food movement and author of several books on the subject, including Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, and Fair. He is the founder of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, President of Slow Food International and now working extensively with Terra Madre to support farmers and food education projects in poor countries.

“Many have tried to explain Slow Food in written words, but few have managed to communicate the essence of this movement as successfully.”
      —Alice Waters, internationally renowned chef and the co-owner of Chez Panisse, and the founder of Slow Food Nation

“These photographs are rich and undeniably authentic…that goes beyond the boundaries of nations and languages and represents the principles at the heart of the Slow Food movement.”
      —Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement

SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town gives us a visual and written window on a rapidly disappearing world, ruled by the land, the seasons and simple interactions. Industrialized food is breaking the web that connects us intimately to what we eat at a cost to our health and our environment.”
      —Robert Kenner, director, producer, Food, Inc.

A little background

PBS started this project and a Webby grew out of it:
Photographed over the course of Douglas’ years in Tuscany, SLOW grew out of a request from PBS to document Italy’s burgeoning Slow Food movement. Gayeton told them that while most Italians didn’t know what Slow Food was, their lives exemplified the principles that define the movement. Evidence of it was all around him, so why not document the people of Pistoia?

When Gayeton makes films he always brings along a still camera. But this time when he looked at his prints he added handwritten notes, which he scribbled directly on the photographs. At first these were meant to remind him of things he’d seen or heard, but he quickly realized that the act of telling his subjects’ stories with words and phrases (and even Tuscan sayings) was more compelling than the film itself.

Exhibitions: Gayeton’s photographs were featured at Slow Food Nation, the Slow Food movement’s first ever event in the US which took place in San Francisco in September 2008. Over the three days of the event more than 85,000 people passed through the exhibit. Arte Italia just opened a SLOW exhibition in Reno (April 30-July 11) and, after travelling, it will return to San Francisco in January 2010.

For more information, visit the publishers website:

Welcome Books - www.welcomebooks.com/slow
Press Release: http://welcomebooks.com/slow/Slow_pressrelease.pdf

About Welcome as Publisher – Welcome Books® is a publisher of distinctive, exquisitely crafted visual books on a variety of subjects including art, photography, fashion, nature, travel, history, design, religion, sports, parenting, and food. Distributed by Random House, Welcome Books is among the premier publishers of illustrated books in the United States and offers formats ranging from anthologies and journals to elegant photographic volumes and lavish limited editions.

For more information, please visit SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town.

Please support your local independant bookseller, e.g. The King's English Bookseller in Salt Lake City,
or find your favorite local seller through IndieBound.

Additional Related Links:

KCPW/PRI-Sirius XM-Radio: Bob Edwards Weekend, December 5-6, 2009, Hour 2: sociologist Patrick Carr; author and photographer Douglas Gayeton; author and music critic Anthony DeCurtis. (DOUGLAS GAYETON, a multimedia artist and champion of the Slow Food movement, combined his two passions in his new book "Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town."
[This segment begins at 12:00.])
Sirius XM Radio, 51:20, Society & Culture, Publish Date Thu, 03 Dec 2009
(Bob Edwards Hour Home Page.)

Seven Pillars of Food Wisdom

7 Pillars of Food Wisdom

Access to good, clean and fair food
Agricultural and food biodiversity
Small-scale food production
Food sovereignty
Language, cultural and traditional knowledge
Environmentally responsible food production
Fair and sustainble trade

Terra Madre Day celebrations (December 10, 2009) will celebrate 20 years of Slow Food and raise awareness of the importance of "eating locally" and the right of all communities to maintain and build:

Access to good, clean and fair food

Slow Food's approach to agriculture, food production and gastronomy is based on a concept of food quality defined by three interconnected principles: good, clean and fair. Good: a fresh and flavorsome daily diet which satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture; clean: produced using methods that don't harm the environment or human health; and fair: providing fair conditions and compensation for producers and accessible prices for consumers. Slow Food works to defend the right to good, clean and fair food for all people and emphasizes that pleasure and responsibility must go hand-in-hand.

Agricultural and food biodiversity

Over the past century we have lost 80% of our food biodiversity: one third of native cattle, sheep and pig breeds are now extinct or endangered, three hundred thousand vegetable varieties have become extinct, and we continue to lose one more every six hours. Slow Food is committed to defending the biodiversity of cultivated and wild species and native breeds. We commit to protecting quality foods that are traditional and sustainable as well as their methods of cultivation and processing. Without this there can be no food security.

Small-scale food production

The hyper-productive system shaped by industrial agriculture and globalization has failed. It has not fed the planet, with today one billion people facing starvation, has polluted the land and water, destroyed the cultural identities of entire peoples and drastically reduced biodiversity. Small-scale food production, based in local communities, has the knowledge to show us the way to a sounder future. The best approach to agriculture and fishing, especially for the poorest regions of the world, is one that respects local cultures and is based on the wisdom of local communities.

Food sovereignty

All peoples must retain the knowledge and freedom to decide what they grow, how it is transformed and the make up of their daily diet. Especially in developing countries, maintaining agricultural traditions and knowledge are vital for the health of communities and cultures. Small farmers are rapidly losing farmland dedicated to local food production as it is diverted to export or biofuel production, as well as losing their most precious asset: seeds. As farmers start to buy seeds from companies who patent the most productive varieties, they abandon traditional crops in favor of those that require massive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, and are intended for export or animal feed. Education is crucial to support food sovereignty.

Language, culture and traditional knowledge

All peoples must have the possibility to preserve their language, culture and traditional knowledge. The term ‘food community' was coined to describe a new idea of a local economy based on food, agriculture, tradition and culture. Through raising the profile of food communities and the essential work they do, we return cultural dignity to small producers, valuing their knowledge and skills. By doing so, we also assist indigenous communities to uphold their culture and way of life, and help to ensure that their knowledge is passed on to new generations. Education is vital to ensure cultural diversity.

Environmentally responsible food production

Agriculture and fishing must be considered to be strongly interdependent with the environment. They cannot be considered simply as economic sectors, subject to the laws of supply and demand. We must ensure that food production eliminates or reduces the use of chemicals, protects the fertility of our land and water ecosystems, eliminates or reduces waste, and promotes sustainable energy sources.

Fair and sustainable trade

Social justice and fair trade can be reached through labor that is respectful of producers and provides them with fair pay, as well as accessible prices for consumers and solidarity and respect for cultural diversity and traditions. Short food supply chains are one of the key elements of sustainable agriculture. Local food networks reduce environmental impact by decreasing transport, and contribute to preserving a region's food culture by giving it value. Furthermore, by reducing the number of intermediary steps involved, we are better able to reach a fair financial outcome for producers and consumers alike.

Webmeisters Note: This article was originally published by Slow Food (International) as "Our 7 Pillars" in connection with Terra Madre Day celebrations.

Slow Food Turns 20

Slow Food was founded in 1989 to promote the pleasures of the table and regional food cultures and to protect them from the homogenization of industrial food production. With gastronomy bound inextricably to agriculture, the environment and the health of communities, Slow Food has naturally broadened its focus over the years to actively support producers who demonstrate a small-scale, sustainable and local food production model.

In 1999, Slow Food launched the Presidia project which has since involved thousands of small producers across the world, strengthening local economies and saving cheeses, breads, vegetable varieties and breeds from extinction. The worldwide Terra Madre network was launched in 2004 to give a voice and visibility to these farmers, breeders, fishers and artisan producers, and to bring them together with cooks, academics, youth and consumers to discuss how to improve the food system and strengthen local economies. Today the Terra Made network is made up of more than 2,000 food communities.

Slow Food has chosen to celebrate its first 20 years with Terra Madre Day in recognition of these communities' remarkable achievements and their crucial role. Terra Madre Day will be celebrated by food communities and Slow Food's network of more than 100,000 members across 150 countries, grouped in 1,300 convivia - local chapters - who are working to defend their local culinary culture. The convivia have always formed the backbone of Slow Food, spreading the philosophy far and wide by organizing events and activities.

Slow Food develops countless activities, projects and events all around the world, at the local, national and international levels. Most of these actions revolve around four key themes: food biodiversity, food and taste education, connecting producers and co-producers (shortening the food supply chain)and developing networks.

More About Slow Food and Terra Madre...

www.terramadre.org
www.slowfood.com

Slow Food USA

Slow Food USA
20 Jay Street, Suite 313
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Phone: (718) 260-8000
Email

What is Slow Food? – Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Since its establishment in 2000, Slow Food USA has grown to over 14,000 members and 200 convivia or chapters nationwide.

Our Mission – Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We seek to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.

Learn more about our work from Plate to Planet and Good, Clean & Fair.

From Plate to Planet
In the United States, members of Slow Food USA's 200 chapters celebrate the amazing bounty of food that is available and work to strengthen the connection between the food on our plates and the health of our planet.

Good
The word good can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. For Slow Food, the idea of good means enjoying delicious food created with care from healthy plants and animals. The pleasures of good food can also help to build community and celebrate culture and regional diversity.

Clean
When we talk about clean food, we are talking about nutritious food that is as good for the planet as it is for our bodies. It is grown and harvested with methods that have a positive impact on our local ecosystems and promotes biodiversity.

Fair
We believe that food is a universal right. Food that is fair should be accessible to all, regardless of income, and produced by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.

Slow Food USA Publications:

Slow Food USA publishes "The Snail," a quarterly newsletter for members, and"The Food Chain," a monthly online newsletter for members.

Slow Food USA Programs:

US Ark of Taste

Slow Food Nation
More than 60,000 people attended Slow Food Nation over Labor Day weekend 2008 in San Francisco, to show their support for a good, clean and fair food system! The event offered an extraordinary range of activities highlighting the connection between plate and planet.

Locals and visitors alike savored tastes from all over America at the Taste Pavilions, met farmers and food producers at a marketplace of local produce and goods, explored the 10,000 square foot newly-planted urban garden in front of City Hall, and heard from visionary speakers including who shared their vision for a new food system in this country.

Participants also endorsed the
Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture,
which was unveiled at San Francisco City Hall on the eve of Slow Food Nation and will provide a clear and commonly held framework
for future citizens and policy makers.

Learn More »

— Slow Food USA RSS Blog Feed —

Slow Food (International)

Slow Food (International)
Piazza XX Settembre, 5
12042 Bra (Cuneo), Italy
Tel. +39 0172 419611
Email

This is the "headquarters" for all of Slow Food. Located in Italy. International site is in English. Also available in Italian, with links to various other languages.

Our philosophy

We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.

Our mission

Slow Food works to defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread taste education and connect producers of excellent foods with co-producers through events and initiatives.

Defence of Biodiversity

Slow Food believes the enjoyment of excellent food and drink should be combined with efforts to save the countless traditional grains, vegetables, fruits, animal breeds and food products that are disappearing due to the prevalence of convenience food and industrial agribusiness. Through the Ark of Taste and Presidia project (supported by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity) and Terra Madre, Slow Food seeks to protect our invaluable food heritage.

Taste Education

By reawakening and training their senses, Slow Food helps people rediscover the joys of eating and understand the importance of caring where their food comes from, who makes it and how it’s made. Convivium activities introduce local foods and producers to both members and non-members, while Taste Workshops offer guided tastings with food experts. School initiatives like convivium school gardens offer our youngest eaters hands-on learning experiences about the food they eat and grow themselves.

Slow Food created the University of Gastronomic Science to offer a multidisciplinary academic program in the science and culture of food. UNISG is another way in which Slow Food brings together the innovations and research of the academic and scientific world and the traditional knowledge of farmers and food producers.

Linking Producers and Co-producers

Slow Food organizes fairs, markets and events locally and internationally to showcase products of excellent gastronomic quality and to offer discerning consumers the opportunity to meet producers. For more information about events like Salone del Gusto, Cheese, Slow Fish, Aux Origine du Goût and A Taste of Slow, visit the Events listings.

Who we are

Slow Food is an international member-supported organization that has developed many structural entities to help realize its projects. Our 100,000 members are involved in over 1,000 convivia - our local chapters - worldwide.

The organization is led by the International Executive Committee, which is elected every four years at the Slow Food International Congress and consists of the President's Committee and the International Council. The council is made up of representatives from countries with at least 500 Slow Food members.

Some countries have national branches governed by national executive committees. National branches coordinate Slow Food events and projects with deeper knowledge of the needs of their members and their own countries.

The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity was founded in 2003 to support Slow Food's projects that defend agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions, with a particular focus on developing countries.

Terra Madre is a meeting of food communities from all over the world, as well as a network among food producers, distributors, cooks, academics and all those who work for responsible and sustainable food production.

Slow Food created the University of Gastronomic Sciences to offer a multidisciplinary academic program in the science and culture of food. UNISG is another way in which Slow Food brings together the innovations and research of the academic and scientific world and the traditional knowledge of farmers and food producers.

Some national associations have created for-profit companies to manage commercial events and ventures whose earnings go to support the associations' activities (eg., Slow Food Italy's publishing house, Slow Food Editore).

Where we are

Each of our 100,000 members around the world are a part of a convivium. Our convivia are the local expression of the Slow Food philosophy. They build relationships with producers, campaign to protect traditional foods, organize tasting and seminars, encourage chefs to source locally, nominate producers to participate in international events and work to bring taste education into schools. Most importantly, they cultivate the appreciation of pleasure and quality in daily life. Every Slow Food member can participate in convivium activities anywhere in the world.

Find Slow Food near you

Slow Food Events & Projects

Terra Madre – The Food Communities Network

Terra Madre brings together those players in the food chain who together support sustainable agriculture, fishing, and breeding with the goal of preserving taste and biodiversity. Held concurrently with Salone del Gusto in Torino from October 23 to 27 (2008), the third edition of the biennial international meeting of the Terra Madre Network brings together food communities, cooks, academics and youth delegates for four days to work towards increasing small-scale, traditional, and sustainable food production. Find out more about the Terra Madre 2008 event.

Salone del Gusto – Journey to the Roots of Food

It has taken twelve years—22, if we go back to the year in which Slow Food was founded—to undertake this fascinating journey to the roots of food: from fork to field, from eno-gastronomy to neo-gastronomy, from the fruits of the Salone del Gusto to the womb of Terra Madre, which join together for the first time in 2008 as a single event (incidentally the first of its size to pursue zero environmental impact).

Cheese – The European exhibition of quality cheese

With each successive edition (2007 will be the sixth), Cheese has built up a high profile reputation on the international calendar of cheese events. It has become an important benchmark for producers, breeders, affineurs, journalists and enthusiasts. In 2005 it was granted international exhibition status, a recognition fully justified in view of what it has achieved over the years and the worldwide interest it has elicited.

Cheese 2007 will maintain the event’s established approach, while further extending and consolidating its international coverage. It will aim to present the greatest number of international cheeses yet, with inclusion of many little known products from Eastern Europe and other rare specialties from around the world.

Cheese expresses slow philosophy in the way it meanders through the streets and squares of the laid-back baroque town of Bra and the ease with which it combines its functions as market and fair. Every corner reveals new discoveries; colors, aromas and voices are experiences that will fascinate and leave a lasting impression.

Features such as the Great Cheese Market, the island of Presidia, the Enoteca and the Great Hall of Cheese, the House of Blue Cheeses, the Tasting Booths, the Taste Workshops and the Master of Cheese, the Slow Food Café and activities for young people, such as the Circus and Cheese for Kids. Not forgetting a new initiative, the Wine Auction, which will be conducted simultaneously at various venues around the world.

Cheese 2007 will help to develop the approach that all of us co-producers—who are no longer mere consumers—must follow. We must educate ourselves, seeking out information about products, producers, ways of eating better and polluting less. We will then, as a group and individually, become a force for real change.

Slow Fish

It might seem provocative, but the main theme of Slow Fish is the right to pleasure.

In the midst of so many dire warnings about the state of our seas, among all the prohibitions we have to remember to stop species like bluefin tuna and swordfish from becoming extinct, now more than ever Slow Food feels the need to give priority to its legendary trademark principle, the right to pleasure.

This is exactly where we must start. If we want to guarantee gastronomic pleasure for ourselves and for future generations, we have to take care of the sea and its resources. And we have to do it now, right now, with no delay and no exception. Time may already have run out, but Slow Fish 2009 doesn’t want to celebrate a lost world. Instead we want to strongly and clearly emphasize the seriousness of the situation so that no one can claim ignorance. From this starting point, we can construct better alternative practices, practices that are sustainable, good, clean and fair.

Slow Fish 2009 wants to convey the emotions and passions, to involve the public more completely and to raise awareness more effectively. Based on Slow Food’s three pillars of Educate, Promote and Protect, the events, meetings and discussions providing information and news will be joined by many opportunities for learning and pleasure, with gastronomical tastings and cooking demonstrations.

We invite you to start to navigate your way around Slow Fish 2009, exploring the rich and varied program detailed in the following pages, in order to prepare for Genoa. We hope to see you there from April 17-20, in the beautiful new Pavilion B at the Genoa Fiera exhibition grounds. Designed by Jean Nouvel and directly facing the sea, it is the perfect home for Slow Fish.

Euro Gusto '09 – The Biennial European Taste and Food Event

Organized by the Association Euro Gusto in close partnership with Slow Food, Slow Food France, the City of Tours, the Indre-et-Loire department and the Centre Region, this event is organized around:

A fair « made in Slow Food »
European Gastronomic Treasures Market
European Flavors of Origin Market
Educational spaces -Taste Workshops, « Slow Eating »
A Forum « Terra Madre for Young Europeans »

The goal of Euro Gusto is to promote the recognition of the enormously rich European food culture and heritage, based on a formidable legacy of plant varieties, animal breeds, techniques and know-how, and to ensure the transmission of this European food culture and heritage to future generations.

The first edition of Euro Gusto will take place the 27th to 30th of November 2009, in the Tours’ Exhibition Centre.

Slow Food Dossier – Everything there is to know about Slow Food and its activities:

About Us - Download
Chronology - Download
Good Cleand and Fair - Download
Taste Education - Download
Daily Food - Download
Slow Food Foundation - Download
Ark of Taste - Download
Salone del Gusto - Download
Terra Madre - Download
University of Gastronomic Sciences - Download

Alice Waters Featured on CBS' "60 Minutes"

The Mother Of Slow Food

Alice Waters has been preaching the virtues of cultivating fresh food for decades.

As Lesley Stahl reports, this world-renowned chef and restaurateur hopes a slower approach to the food we eat will keep us healthier and greener.

Broadcast Date: Sunday, March 15, 2009

Read the print version of this interview...

Alice Waters' Crusade For Better Food
Lesley Stahl Profiles The Outspoken, And Sometimes Controversial California Food Activist

(CBS) When it comes to food, Alice Waters is a legend. At age 64, she has done more to change how we Americans eat, cook and think about food than anyone since Julia Child.

Waters was only 27 years old in 1971 when she opened her French bistro Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., today considered one of the finest restaurants not just in the United States but in the world.

Waters has produced eight cookbooks, but she's more famous as the mother of a movement that preaches about fresh food grown in a way that's good for the environment. The movement, now called "slow food," is a healthy alternative to "fast food."

You might think this appeals only to the Prius-driving, latte-sipping upper crust, but Waters' ideas have gone mainstream...

Read the full article... »

What is Slow Food? (Video)

Are you curious what all this talk about “Slow Food” is about?
The slow food movement addresses our growing disconnect with the roots of food. It was started as a response and an alternative to fast food and
focuses on good, clean and fair food.

You can find out more about the origins of the Slow Food Movement and
some of its basic tenants in this three-part video from TBS Storyline.

What is Slow Food - Part I

What is Slow Food - Part II

What is Slow Food - Part III

[Wemaster's Note:
I found this listed on the Mother Nature Network.
The videos were produced by TBS Online, Produced by: Pamela Berger & Edited by: John Oselette.]

A Collection of General Interest Articles (Dec., 2001 - Apr., 2007)

Collection of General Interest Articles
(Dec., 2001 - Apr., 2007)

April 24, 2007

"Ingredient Contamination: Human Food Could be at Risk, too, Experts Fear"

By Justin Pritchard, The Associated Press. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune

"LOS ANGELES - The same food safety net that couldn’t catch poisoned pet food ingredients from China has a much bigger hole. Billions of dollars’ worth of foreign ingredients that Americans eat in everything from salad dressing to ice cream get a pass from overwhelmed inspectors, despite a rising tide of imports from countries with spotty records, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal trade and food data." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

April 24, 2007

"Snack Smackdown: High Time to Rethink the Tradition of Spiking Kids’ Events With Junk Food"

By Jennifer Barrett. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"...If the pros don’t eat sugar–loaded junk food after a game, why do we feed it to our kids? "It completely defeats the purpose," says Salt Lake pediatrician Mark Templeman. The average child doesn’t burn enough calories in a soccer game to work off a Twinkie or a doughnut, he said...

Despite the obvious disconnect of unhealthy food at a healthy event, the snack-food madness is spreading. Junk food is showing up not only at sporting events, but also at choir practice, ballet recitals and field trips...

Nutritionist Julie Metos, head of the master's program in nutrition at the University of Utah, fears that parents in the Beehive State are late to pick up on what may be a national trend. When she's brought up the sport-snack topic at conferences, many of her peers tell her that their communities have given up the practice...

Even Salt Lake County is trying to clean up its snack act. After a request from Mayor Peter Corroon, the county Parks and Recreation Department in the past two months removed candy and chips from vending machines at rec centers where kids play basketball, take classes and swim...

If parents hate bringing the snack and the nation is trying to be healthier, why do we still give our kids doughnuts at soccer games - and baseball, basketball, swimming, and choir?...

For those who want to end the treat tradition, here are a few suggestions:

Healthy snack choices: Strawberries dipped in yogurt, Bananas, Orange slices, Whole apples, Grapes, Kiwis scooped with a spoon, Pretzels, Whole grain bagels with low fat cream cheese, String cheese, Low–fat yogurt, Popcorn, & Nuts.

Less healthy, but better than candy: Pudding packs, Popsicles, Granola bars, Trail mix, & Ice cream."

(See the link above for the rest of the article and suggestions for those who do want to end the unhealthy treat tradition.)

April 22, 2007

"You Are What You Grow"

By Michael Pollan. Published by The New York Times, April 22, 2007 (Earth Day).

"...As a rule, processed foods are more "energy dense" than fresh foods: they contain less water and fiber but more added fat and sugar, which makes them both less filling and more fattening. These particular calories also happen to be the least healthful ones in the marketplace, which is why we call the foods that contain them "junk." Drewnowski concluded that the rules of the food game in America are organized in such a way that if you are eating on a budget, the most rational economic strategy is to eat badly—and get fat.

This perverse state of affairs is not, as you might think, the inevitable result of the free market. Compared with a bunch of carrots, a package of Twinkies, to take one iconic processed foodlike substance as an example, is a highly complicated, high–tech piece of manufacture, involving no fewer than 39 ingredients, many themselves elaborately manufactured, as well as the packaging and a hefty marketing budget. So how can the supermarket possibly sell a pair of these synthetic cream-filled pseudocakes for less than a bunch of roots?

For the answer, you need look no farther than the farm bill. This resolutely unglamorous and head–hurtingly complicated piece of legislation, which comes around roughly every five years and is about to do so again, sets the rules for the American food system—indeed, to a considerable extent, for the world’s food system. Among other things, it determines which crops will be subsidized and which will not, and in the case of the carrot and the Twinkie, the farm bill as currently written offers a lot more support to the cake than to the root. Like most processed foods, the Twinkie is basically a clever arrangement of carbohydrates and fats teased out of corn, soybeans and wheat—three of the five commodity crops that the farm bill supports, to the tune of some $25 billion a year. (Rice and cotton are the others.) For the last several decades—indeed, for about as long as the American waistline has been ballooning—U.S. agricultural policy has been designed in such a way as to promote the overproduction of these five commodities, especially corn and soy..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

March 28, 2007

"Proponents Say Fair–Trade Co–ops Improve Coffee Farmers’ Lives"

By Kathy Stephenson. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"Father James Flynn used to be like most bleary–eyed Americans, stumbling to the kitchen every morning to put on a pot of coffee. The priest at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Park City would pour the water into the reservoir, scoop the coffee into the filter and never think about what it takes to get those brown grounds into his pot. Flynn paid more attention after visiting Nicaragua and Guatemala. There, he saw firsthand how small families of farmers picked every coffee bean painstakingly by hand, using just their index finger and thumb. Yet, the farmers did not make enough money to properly feed, house or clothe their families. There were no schools for their children or medical clinics. It was the wake–up call Flynn needed to start preaching about Fair Trade Certified coffee, an international movement that guarantees farmers a fair price for their harvest. "It’s a matter of justice," said Flynn said, who makes presentations to schools and community groups about his trips. " (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

March 24, 2007

"Little Time Left to Dig: Urban Gardeners’ Plot Changes Hands"

By Dawn House. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"Urban gardeners will have a single additional year to grow tomatoes, squash, kale and other vegetables as well as harvesting golden raspberries that bloom throughout the growing season in a plot situated between two four–story apartment buildings in Salt Lake City. But the colorful flowers and bounty that have graced the downtown plot at 555 South 400 East for the past 25 years is coming to an end: the property has been sold for a commercial development. Attorney Thomas Duffin on Friday confirmed he had sold the property but declined to comment further.

Wasatch Community Gardens, a nonprofit group that manages the plot, had been working to purchase the property to continue using it as an urban garden. Duffin sold it two weeks ago for $250,000 to the Community Development Corp., said the group's executive director, Darin Brush. The group, a nonprofit originally created by the Salt Lake City Council in 1990 to relieve blighted downtown neighborhoods, plans to build five townhouses there, said Brush. The gardeners will be allowed to continue meeting and growing their food and flowers there in the meantime, he said. "It's sad to see it go," said Brush. "We certainly will do everything we can to help them find another location."

For more than two decades, neighbors had gotten together to turn the vacant lot into a space for perennial flowers and vegetables. Through the years, gardeners adopted certain sections, a raspberry patch or, say, a composting bin. Rose bushes, fencing, lighting, trees and a vine–covered archway were added to the project. "The memories and meals of the many different gardeners over a quarter century are the garden's strongest legacy," said Emily Aagaard, director of Wasatch Community Gardens, a nonprofit group that manages the plot.

Meanwhile, Wasatch Community Gardens is continuing its mission with several workshops planned for gardeners throughout the season. For information, call 801–359–2658." (See the link above for photos in the article.)

March 22, 2007 — Slow Food Utah News:

"FamilyFarmed.org EXPO is Chicago’s Premier Local and Organic Food Event"

By way of The Bioneers Website.

"The FamilyFarmed.org EXPO is Chicago’s premier local and organic food event. The two–day event brings Midwest family–farmers to town to meet with local food buyers and Chicagoland consumers. The EXPO features exhibits including growers, food processors and organizations dealing with food, farming, organics, artisanal food, gardening, public health, food policy, urban agriculture, GMO issues, fair trade, sustainability and more."

(See the link above for more on "Family Farmed EXPO 2007.")

[Webmaster’s Comment: Emulate here in Utah / Intermountain West?]

March 21, 2007

"Purchasing a Share in a Farm’s Produce Offers Many Benefits"

By Valerie Phillips. Published by The Deseret Morning News.

"‘Community supported agriculture’ (also known as CSA) is a long term for a simple concept. In the spring, members pay a fee to a local farm, which entitles them to a weekly share of what the farm grows during the season. It’s like buying a season pass for produce, as you would for a ski resort or Lagoon. There are four farms operating CSAs in Utah. The advantage is it gives the farmers a guaranteed market for what they grow, and the farmers have the money to pay for up–front costs, such as seed..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

March 19, 2007

"$100K in Grants to Help Community Gardens Grow"

By Kathy Stephenson. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"The Utah Department of Health recently awarded 10 minigrants – worth a total of $100,000 – to create or enhance community gardens in Salt Lake and Weber counties. Utah received the funds from the National Governors Association’s Healthy States program. All funds will go directly to the programs, and Wasatch Community Gardens will provide technical assistance.

Here’s where the gardens will be sprouting. They are in Salt Lake City except as indicated:

Forest EcoGarden, 1575 W. 1000 North.
Full Circle Garden (City Academy) at 555 E. 200 South.
Heritage Commons Community Garden, 2140 E. Red Butte Road in Fort Douglas.
Riley Pride Garden at Riley Elementary, 1410 S. 800 West.
South Valley Gardens Project, Boys and Girls Clubs of Murray and Midvale.
Urban Growth Garden Project, 300 N. 900 West.
Historic Sandy Community Garden, 300 E. 9000 South, Sandy.
Seven Canyons School, 2150 S. Foothill Drive; Watchwood Community Garden, 2200 W. 4130 South, Taylorsville.
Pioneer Garden Project, 2046 Adams Ave., Ogden."

[Webmaster’s Note: While I applaud the granting of these funds, you should be aware that while it may appear that each garden project received $10,000, that is not the case. A significant amount is apparently going to Wasatch Community Gardens to help administer the garden projects, which is also applaudable. Just so you know...]

March 5, 2007

"Mmmm, Tasty Chemicals:

A new book ’deconstructs’ a Twinkie and analyzes all 39 ingredients. Industrial–strength junk food, anyone?"

By Anne Underwood. Published by Newsweek.

"As Steve Ettlinger dropped down a Wyoming mine shaft, plummeting 1,600 feet in an open–mesh cage, he wondered how many other food writers had ever donned hard hats and emergency breathing equipment in pursuit of a story. But it was too late to turn back. He’d promised his editor a book tracing the ingredients in a Hostess Twinkie to their origins–and one of them was down this shaft....

...If you’ve ever puzzled over why packaged foods contain "polysorbate 60" or "mono and diglycerides," Ettlinger’s new book, "Twinkie, Deconstructed," is a treat you’ll want to try. Chapter by chapter, Ettlinger–the author of previous food books like "Beer for Dummies"–decodes all 39 ingredients in the little crème–filled cakes. He explains their uses and the processes by which raw materials are "crushed, baked, fermented, refined and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name," which then appears on a label full of other incomprehensible and barely pronounceable ingredients. Unraveling it all was a major undertaking–and Ettlinger received no help from Hostess and its parent company, Interstate Brands Corp., despite appealing directly to the Vice President of Cake." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

(Article highlighted in Slow Food USA’s March 2007 "The Food Chain" e–Newsletter.)

See Slow Food Utah Books for more on Steve Ettlinger’s "Twinkie, Deconstructed."

February 17, 2007

"The Future of Farming"

Published by The New York Times, Editorial Desk.

"Six months ago, it was an even bet whether there would be a new farm bill in 2007. The big commodity farmers, and the interest groups that represent them, were hoping that Congress would simply extend the 2002 Farm Bill, a regressive grab bag for big agriculture. These hopes have now been disappointed. Mike Johanns, the secretary of agriculture, has unveiled his proposals for a new farm bill, which on the whole seems remarkably promising... There is much to applaud in this bill. Then again, there was much to like about the last farm bill, and we know what happened to that. Congress left many of the old subsidies intact, and failed to nourish the conservation programs. We are hoping the new Congress will have the good sense to reverse the policies that have done so much damage to rural America, and in doing so offer hope to its small farmers." (See the link above for the rest of the article, fee–account required. Please Note: Archive articles do not include photos, charts or graphics.)

(Article highlighted in Slow Food USA’s March 2007 "The Food Chain" e–Newsletter.)

February 11, 2007

"Shape This Farm Bill for the Future – The Register’s Editorial"

Published by The Des Moines Register.

"As Congress begins writing a new farm bill, agriculture in America stands at the precipice of unprecedented change. Farmers have the potential to gain income from a third major source, raising crops for energy, as well as producing food and fiber. But the pressure to plant more acres to reap higher prices for energy crops also has the potential to damage soil and water.

The basic concept behind current farm programs has changed little since the 1930s: Provide subsidies for growing certain crops as an income safety net for farmers. The 2007 bill, instead of relying on the past, should be about shaping a sensible future for a new era of agriculture. Last month, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns unveiled the administration’s proposals for the bill, which included, not surprisingly, more dollars for biofuels research. But that’s a minor aspect of what a forward–thinking farm bill should look like.

It needs to pass three basic tests: It should encourage protection of the nation’s soil and water, as the top priority; offer a fair, reliable income safety net; and spend taxpayers’ dollars wisely..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

(Article highlighted in Slow Food USA’s March 2007 "The Food Chain" e–Newsletter.)

February 4, 2007

Opinion: "Living Food: Healthy Reform"

"One in an occasional series on food and health." [RE: 2007 Farm Bill]

Published by Seattle Post–Intelligencer Editorial Board.

"President Bush wants modest cuts in direct subsidies paid to farmers and an end to payments to some of the wealthiest farmers. That would be a start toward the sweeping changes Congress ought to make in a system for overfeeding Americans unhealthy foods, overusing oil and degrading soils, water and wildlife.

The federal Farm Bill, due for congressional reauthorization this year, cries out for dramatic departures. Given the political power of the Midwestern farm states, a turn toward sustainability, fairness to the vanishing small farmer and health for the public may be difficult.

One challenge is getting the attention of more U.S. senators and representatives to policies traditionally left to Corn Belt congressional blocs. In this state, the strength of the agriculture sector, always first or second in total economic output in Washington, brings at least some attention.

Political leaders here would be wise to consider urban residents’ increasing interest in food issues. At least 17 state organizations joined groups from around the country last month in calling for a more balanced Farm Bill. Among the groups are the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network, the Cascade Harvest Coalition and PCC Natural Markets. They support promising proposals that encompass encouragement for new farmers, creation of more farmers markets and more emphasis on healthy, locally grown foods...

Pouring good money into bad food isn’t working. Limiting and redirecting farm subsidies is only a start toward a bill that can bring out the best in farmers, the land and the food we eat."

"On the Net: www.farmandfoodproject.org"

(Article highlighted in Slow Food USA’s March 2007 "The Food Chain" e–Newsletter.)

March 14, 2007

"Agriculture: Number of Farms in Utah, Nation Suffers Decline"

By Dawn House. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune in the "Business Digest" section.

"The number of farms in Utah and across the nation has declined, reflecting a continuing consolidation of farming operations and the development of agricultural land. In Utah in 2006, 100 farms were lost, dropping the number of operations to 15,100. The average farm size, at 768 acres, was up by 5 acres from the previous year, according to the Utah Agricultural Statistics Service’s March report. Nationwide, the number of farms is estimated at 2.09 million for 2006, about 0.4 percent fewer than the year before. Total land in farms, at 932 million acres, decreased by 780,000 acres from the previous year. The size of the average U.S. farm was 446 acres, an increase of one acre from the pervious year."

March 11, 2007

"Gardening – Kernels of Truth: Stalking the Most Flavorful Corn.

It pays to buy local – and here’s why."

By Maggie Wolf. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune, in the Monday Insider Section.

"It was an abrupt and disappointing change when commercial sweet–corn farmers adopted a new type of sweet corn about 15 years ago. Shrewd marketing labeled the new variety of canned and frozen corn "Crisp!", as if that were a desirable characteristic. With about 75 percent more sugars and tougher kernels, "shrunken" or sh2–type sweet corn tolerates more abuse during and after harvest. Farmers appreciate sh2 corn’s long harvest window, with sweetness lasting up to 10 days or more past maturity. Plus, sh2’s tougher kernels resist bruising during mechanical harvest or rough handling. But true corn aficionados yearn for old–fashioned corn flavor and tender sweet kernels, qualities now found only in home– or locally grown corn..."

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

(Maggie Wolf is an assistant professor for Utah State University Extension in Salt Lake County.)

For more facts about sweet corn:

USU Extension fact sheet: "Sweet corn in the garden." (PDF)
National Garden Bureau’s Sweet Corn Fact Sheet.
National and Utah Slow Food movement
CSAs, Community Supported Agriculture in Utah: Utah’s Own CSA Information.

March 8, 2007

"Dishing It Out: My Address to the Southern Appalachian Youth on Food Conference"

By Tom Philpott. Published by Grist, in "Victual Reality – The eco–politics behind your food."

"...For someone who spends a lot of his time in isolated circumstances — staring at a computer screen, working in the field — the conference was a great reminder for me that people all over the country are mobilizing around food issues. I’m no fiery orator; I read directly from my prepared text. Yet the students bombarded me with smart questions afterward, demonstrating passion, critical thought, and the zeal to do something. As I prepared the notes for my talk, it became clear that I was essentially distilling my 25 or so Victual Reality columns into a broad look at food and the environment. After seven months of writing this weekly column, now seems like a good time to present a summary of my work so far. (Plus, with all that time spent preparing for the conference, I didn’t have time to write a fresh column. In writing as in farming — especially when writing while farming — nothing must go to waste.)

What follows is an edited version of my talk. Much of it may be familiar to regular readers, but in synthesizing my work, I’ve come up with new insights, connections, and ways of seeing things.

An earlier speaker made the point that if we seriously want to rebuild local food systems, we need more farmers. Warren Wilson College gives me hope for that vision. The idea that students should essentially run a campus with their own labor — should learn how to do things while in college — strikes me as a brilliant model for the whole education system...." (See the link above for the full article.)

March 2, 2007

"Eating Better Than Organic" [a.k.a. "My Search for the Perfect Apple."]

By John Cloud. Published by Time in partnership with CNN.

"...Nearly a quarter of American shoppers now buy organic products once a week, up from 17% in 2000. But for food purists, "local" is the new "organic," the new ideal that promises healthier bodies and a healthier planet. Many chefs, food writers and politically minded eaters are outraged that "Big Organic" firms now use the same industrial–size farming and long–distance–shipping methods as conventional agribusiness. "Should I assume that I have a God–given right to access the entire earth’s bounty, however far away some of its produce is grown?" asks ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan in his 2002 memoir, Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods. Nabhan predicted my apple problem when he vacillated over some organic pumpkin canned hundreds of miles from his Arizona home. "If you send it halfway around the world before it is eaten," he mused, "an organic food still may be ’good’ for the consumer, but is it ’good’ for the food system?..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

(Article highlighted in Slow Food USA’s March 2007 "The Food Chain" e–Newsletter.)

March 1, 2007

"Keep Farming Local"

Public Forum Letter by Liz Eyre, Salt Lake City.

Published by The Salt Lake Tribune, March 1, 2007.

"The American Dream: great job, beautiful house, white picket fence and as much land as we can afford. Does this come at a price? Imagine walking into your local grocery store only to find that the fresh and canned fruits and vegetables are all gone. You notice a note from the management stating that the next shipment should arrive in the next couple of weeks.

As you pass by the news rack, you glance at the headlines declaring that trade between the United States and Latin American countries has deteriorated to the point that we may not continue to receive our regular shipments of fruits and vegetables. How is this possible?

With farmers eager to sell prime farming land to developers for residential communities and industrial parks, we are placing our ability to feed ourselves at risk. Farming has been the pride of Utah for over a century but it is continually becoming a thing of the past. We need to pass laws establishing farming districts that won’t be rezoned or redistricted, keeping farming local."

February/March 2007

"Cultivating New Farmers"

By Jean English. Published by Mother Earth News.

"New organic programs are teaching young people the skills they need to make a living on the farm.

Farming is one of the most useful and satisfying occupations people can pursue. It meets our need to feel useful, exercises body and brain, builds communities, and connects us with nature. The more food we produce for ourselves and our neighbors, the healthier our communities will be. But with the average U.S. farmer now 55 years old, we need a new generation of farmers to replace those who are retiring.

Fortunately, there are many young people who dream of becoming farmers, and with the rapidly growing demand for organic and local food, there also are growing business opportunities to meet local needs for fresh, healthy food. If you or someone you know is an aspiring farmer, there are numerous career options. Here’s where to start learning the skills to earn a fulfilling living on the farm." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

February 26, 2007

"Risks of Tainted Food Rise as Inspections Drop Amid High–profile Scares, FDA Safety Testing has Fallen by Half Since 2003"

By Associated Press. Published by MSNBC.

"The federal agency that’s been front and center in warning the public about tainted spinach and contaminated peanut butter is conducting just half the food safety inspections it did three years ago. The cuts by the Food and Drug Administration come despite a barrage of high–profile food recalls. "We have a food safety crisis on the horizon," said Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. Between 2003 and 2006, FDA food safety inspections dropped 47 percent, according to a database analysis of federal records by The Associated Press..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

(Article highlighted in Slow Food USA’s March 2007 "The Food Chain" e–Newsletter.)

February 26, 2007

"For Love & Lamb — Morgan Valley Lamb Bridges the Gap Between Old and New"

By Vanessa Chang. Published by Salt Lake Magazine, Vol. 18, No. 2.

"Jamie Gillmor’s family has raised sheep in Utah for generations. But by the time he and his wife Linda took over the business as Morgan Valley Lamb, ranching families were disappearing under the pressure of plummeting prices, the encroachment of agribusiness, and a public reluctant to savor the other red meat. Despite all this, they’ve adapted—preserving a way of life and becoming unlikely and soft–spoken champions of sustainable agriculture..."

(See the article for the rest of the story. The April, 2007 edition of Salt Lake Magazine is available by subscription and on news–stands now, on–line edition available soon.)

(News) February 22, 2007

"Fast Food Nation" the movie

will be released on DVD March 6, 2007, along with the Flash animation series "The Meatrix" films.

Fast Food Nation, a dramatic feature based on material from Eric Schlosser’s New York Times bestseller of the same name, explores the fast food industry and ultimately reveals the dark side of the "All American Meal." Directed by Richard Linklater, the all–star cast includes Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hawke, Wilmer Valderrama, Kris Kristofferson, and Patricia Arquette.

The Meatrix, the first viral advocacy film of its kind, made its online debut in November 2003 and promptly crashed the server upon which it was hosted due to its tremendous popularity. Since then, it has been seen by over 15 million unique viewers and translated into 30 languages, including Tibetan. The Meatrix II: Revolting, which exposes the dark side of the dairy industry, was launched in March 2006. The Meatrix II½, produced in partnership with Participant Productions, was released in November 2006 to help promote the Fast Food Nation movie and its nationwide action campaign. This latest in the Meatrix series illustrates the dirty secrets of meat packing plants and criticizes the reckless speeds at which they operate.

The Meatrix (www.themeatrix.com) is a project of Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org) and Free Range Studios (www.freerangestudios.com). Sustainable Table celebrates the sustainable food movement, educates consumers on food–related issues, and works to build community through food. Projects include The Meatrix and the Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org).

Participant Productions focuses on compelling entertainment that highlights important social issues in order to awaken, inspire and empower audiences to make a difference in the world around them. Participate.net creates action campaigns for each of Participant Productions’ films, supporting a growing community of film lovers and activists dedicated to engaging their minds, sharing their passions and improving the world around them.

Press Release: "MEATRIX Films to Include Fast Food Nation Movie on DVD." (PDF)

For more information, visit The Meatrix – News or Sustainable Table.

February 20, 2007

"Seminar on CSA Food Set"

By Dawn House. Published in the February 20, 2007 edition of "The Salt Lake Tribune."

"On Wednesday, February 21, information about Community Supported Agriculture programs will be presented at 6:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, on the Lower Urban Level. The session will offer information about locally grown farm products and the benefits of forming a CSA along the Wasatch Front. The programs are part of a growing social movement that encourages urban and rural citizens to share responsibility for the land where their food is grown and how their food is produced... For more information, contact Jeff Williams at 801–263–3204, ext. 14, or visit www.greatsaltlakercd.org." This event is hosted by Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation & Development.

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

February 14, 2007

"Main Street will get silly this summer: Sunday Market formed to give Parkites more local activities and social events"

By Dan Bischoff. Published by The Park Record, February 14, 2007.

"Three friends shared a bottle of wine and decided there was something missing in Park City. "We just were all on board with the idea that there was a gap in Park City," said Jewels Harrison, program director for the Park Silly Sunday Market. "The main thing is, there’s not enough for the locals anymore...."

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

(News) February 14, 2007

"Vegetable Lovers: Wasatch Community Gardens Wants Your Stories and Recipes!"

Wasatch Community Gardens is "compiling a cookbook of favorite heirloom and other unique vegetable recipes. Any tales or tips from your garden or special experiences growing a unique veggie can also be included. (Recipe key ingredients must be a locally grown vegetable.) Wasatch Community Gardens will be selling the books at the annual WCG May Plant sale, May 12, to support the Gardens — and encourage more vegetable variety in our community."

To submit a recipe, please send this Cookbook Submission Form (MS Word Document).

For more information read the Cookbook Call for Recipes PDF document.

(News) February 14, 2007

"The Endless Feast"

A Film Garden Entertainment Production. Directed by Stephanie Jenz. Distributed by American Public Television.

The Endless Feast is a new 13–part television series that "brings together local farmers and artisans, food lovers and culinary experts to explore the connection between the land and the food on our plates — one bountiful feast at a time.

Premieres on public television stations nationwide beginning April, 2007 (check local listings).

In picturesque locations throughout North America, guests dine al fresco, coming face–to–face with the origins of their food. Locations include: Arizona, California, Oregon, Virginia, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and British Columbia.

In each episode, a star chef — including John Gorham, Ben Dyer, Scott Dolich, Remi Lauvand, Ronald St. Pierre, Gail Hobbs, Grant Cousar, Jason Tostrup, Laurent Saillard , Andrew Gruel, Michael Leviton and Kelsie Kerr — creates tantalizing menus featuring regional organic specialties.

The producers of the feast first visit the host location — whether a lush farm field, a fragrant vineyard or an urban community garden — to select the perfect site to stage their meal. They then set out to meet the local artisans, wine–makers, produce farmers, cheese–makers, organic cider farmers, fishermen, ranchers and olive–growers who will contribute the food and drink for the meal. They describe their production methods and evoke an inspiring passion for their work.

Once the food providers and ingredients are introduced, the staff races to get everything in place for the feast. The chef cooks nearby in an impromptu kitchen, as guests watch the last–minute preparations unfold. Finally, as diners take their seats at long, linen–covered tables, a local vintner pours wine and the much anticipated family–style meal begins. During the feast, guests share the meal with those who have grown, raised, caught or prepared it. From heirloom tomatoes grown by father–and–son farmers, to cheese made from the milk of a small herd of grass–fed goats, The Endless Feast celebrates local and sustainable agriculture at its very source."

(Q) "Why do you think The Endless Feast will resonate with public television audiences?" (Anna Lappé) "I think public television audiences care about the world around them and want to know how they can be part of making the world a better place. Specifically, many of your viewers are probably fans of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. The Endless Feast helps take the national conversation Schlosser and Pollan have helped to spark further, showing the real life people who are bringing to life a viable alternative to the ‘dark side of the all–American meal.’" (Part of an interview with Anna Lappé, social activist and food expert, who is featured in episodes of The Endless Feast. Anna Lappé is author of "Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen," "Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet, " and co–founder of the Small Planet Institute. The full interview and more information on the series is available on the APT Fact Sheet (MS Word Document).

(Please note that at the date of this posting, the Website www.EndlessFeast.tv is not yet active, but it is listed by the producers, and should be active soon...)

February 5, 2007

"The Farm Bill: What You Should Know"

Published by Slow Food USA in the February, 2007 edition of "The Food Chain."

"If you eat food, and we’re pretty sure you do, then the Farm Bill is relevant to your life. This June, the Farm Bill will be up for re–authorization. Last authorized in 2002, this piece of legislation is actually much broader and more far–reaching than it sounds. Contained within are ten ‘titles’ that cover everything from commodities programs (six crops that require federal price support) to wetlands conservation, from food stamps legislation to country of origin labeling. This means that the issues covered in the Farm Bill affect each and every one of us, whether we are urban or rural dwellers.

We urge you to educate yourselves about the issues covered within the bill, and then to support the issues that are important to you; write to your legislators and tell them how you feel. Over the next few months, in The Food Chain, we will continue to provide you with information on this extremely important legislation. To continue to learn about what the Farm bill is and how to take action [visit the Slow Food Forum – The Farm Bill] for more of this story."

Information on basics of the "Farm Bill" is available in a PDF document from the Congressional Research Service, the public policy research arm of the United States Congress.

Slow Food Members receive "The Food Chain" monthly directly from Slow Food USA. For more information on becoming a Member, please visit the Slow Food Utah Membership page.

January 28, 2007

"Unhappy Meals"

By Michael Pollan. Published by The New York Times, January 28, 2007.

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

"That, more or less, is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy. I hate to give away the game right here at the beginning of a long essay, and I confess that I’m tempted to complicate matters in the interest of keeping things going for a few thousand more words. I’ll try to resist but will go ahead and add a couple more details to flesh out the advice. Like: A little meat won’t kill you, though it’s better approached as a side dish than as a main. And you’re much better off eating whole fresh foods than processed food products. That’s what I mean by the recommendation to eat ‘food.’ Once, food was all you could eat, but today there are lots of other edible foodlike substances in the supermarket. These novel products of food science often come in packages festooned with health claims, which brings me to a related rule of thumb: if you’re concerned about your health, you should probably avoid food products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a good indication that it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat.

Uh–oh. Things are suddenly sounding a little more complicated, aren’t they? Sorry. But that’s how it goes as soon as you try to get to the bottom of the whole vexing question of food and health. Before long, a dense cloud bank of confusion moves in. Sooner or later, everything solid you thought you knew about the links between diet and health gets blown away in the gust of the latest study." ...

"It might be argued that, at this point in history, we should simply accept that fast food is our food culture. Over time, people will get used to eating this way and our health will improve. But for natural selection to help populations adapt to the Western diet, we’d have to be prepared to let those whom it sickens die. That’s not what we’re doing. Rather, we’re turning to the health–care industry to help us ‘adapt.’ Medicine is learning how to keep alive the people whom the Western diet is making sick. It’s gotten good at extending the lives of people with heart disease, and now it’s working on obesity and diabetes. Capitalism is itself marvelously adaptive, able to turn the problems it creates into lucrative business opportunities: diet pills, heart–bypass operations, insulin pumps, bariatric surgery. But while fast food may be good business for the health–care industry, surely the cost to society — estimated at more than $200 billion a year in diet–related health–care costs — is unsustainable." ...

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

"Michael Pollan, a [New York Times] contributing writer, is the Knight Professor of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent book, ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma,’ was chosen by the editors of The New York Times Book Review as one of the 10 best books of 2006."

January 26, 2007

"‘Fruit’ in That Juice? It Could be Red Dye: Many Foods Marketed Toward Children are Misleading in Their Packaging, Report Says."

By Mary Engel, Times Staff Writer. Published by Los Angeles Times, January 26, 2007.

"About half of the most aggressively marketed children’s food with pictures or names of fruit on the packaging contains no fruit at all, according to a report to be released today at the 2007 California Childhood Obesity Conference in Anaheim. Some of the least fruity products were cereal and yogurt, said lead author Leslie Mikkelsen, a dietitian for Prevention Institute, an Oakland–based nonprofit that promotes community–based health and safety programs.

She pointed to a box of Berry Berry Kix that showed a big spoonful of cereal with what at least looked like raspberries and blueberries. ‘Parents do think cereals are a good way to start the day,’ Mikkelsen said, and they look at this one and think ‘it has the goodness of fruit.’ But in fact, said Mikkelsen, pointing to the ingredients listed on the box, ‘all that’s in there is red dye and blue dye.’

... ‘I really don’t think a lay person knows that fruit drink doesn’t mean fruit juice, especially if it has these beautiful pictures of fruit on it,’ she said. Rosa Soto of Whittier, the mother of an 8–year–old son, agreed. ‘A lot of parents think they can trust the labels,’ she said, meaning the colorful picture of an apple or orange, not the small–print ingredients that manufacturers are required to list.

Soto volunteers as a ‘team mom’ for her son’s football, basketball and baseball teams, and encourages other parents to bring water to their children’s practice sessions and games. Many show up with fruit drinks that contain more sugar than nutrients. ‘They’re trying their very best to provide healthy snacks,’ she said.

Even drinks that contain 100% juice don’t match the fiber and nutrients of whole fruit, said Mikkelsen, and are highly concentrated sources of fructose, a sugar. The American Academy of Pediatrics and federal dietary guidelines recommend that children eat whole fruits and limit fruit juice to 4 to 12 ounces per day.

The three–day California Childhood Obesity Conference drew more than 1,700 health advocates and officials to Anaheim.

Rising obesity levels in California and the nation are attributed to increased consumption of sweetened beverages; reliance on meals that are high in fat and low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains; reduced physical activity; and unsafe neighborhood play areas." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

[Most of this article is also available in the January 26, 2007 Salt Lake Tribune print edition, page A12, but not the online edition.]

January 19, 2007

"Seed Saving: Preserving Our Irreplaceable Genetic Heritage"

By Kent Whealy. Published by The Bioneers, in the January 19, 2007 edition of "Bioneers Buzz: Ecological Design." (e–Newsletter)

"There is great reason for alarm and concern about the loss of native food crop strains, our irreplaceable genetic wealth. The only place genes can be stored is in living systems, either in the living branches, such as in bud-wooded apple trees, or in the living embryos of grains and vegetable seeds. Native varieties rapidly become extinct once they’re dropped in favor of introduced hybrid seed. That extinction can take place in a single year if the seeds are cooked and eaten instead of saved as seed stock. Quite literally, the genetic heritage of a millennium in a particular valley can disappear in a single bowl of porridge.

During these last 24 years, we’ve discovered that there’s a tremendous heritage of these heirloom varieties in North America, a heritage that’s been accumulating for four centuries. Because the United States and Canada are nations of immigrants, today’s gardeners are blessed with an immense cornucopia of food crops. Gardeners and farmers from literally every corner of the world invariably brought their best seeds when their families immigrated.

Millions of immigrants came through Ellis Island with seeds hidden under the bands of their hats, in the linings of their suitcases, and sewn into the hems of dresses. We are maintaining varieties within Seed Savers right now that supposedly came over on the Mayflower. You can bet there are seeds carried in today by refugees and immigrants from Haiti, Cuba, and Mexico. During the decade right after the Vietnam War, there was a tremendous amount of plant material brought in by the boat people from Laos and Cambodia. Seeds will continue to come in this way. We are truly blessed with the best seeds from every corner of the world. Much of this tremendous heritage is still being maintained in this country, especially in very isolated areas. But it has never been systematically collected. When we go into areas that are rural poverty pockets, such as the Appalachians, the Smokies, and the Ozarks, places where people have never had the money to buy seeds and where they’ve always just continued to trade heirloom seeds over the backyard garden fence, those areas are real treasure troves of heirloom varieties..." (See the link above for the rest of the article, which is "Excerpted from a Bioneers Conference presentation".)

January 19, 2007

"USDA Assistance is Available for Specialty Crops"

By Dawn House. Published by The Salt Lake Tribune, January 19, 2007, Money Section, Page C1.

"Utah farmers and other stakeholders may apply for grants to assist them in becoming competitive in specialty crop production, available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, and floriculture for landscaping. Eligible projects could be research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, trade enhancement, food safety, plant health, buy–local programs, conservation or developing cooperatives. The deadline for submitting an application is Feb. 28, [2007.] Get an application packet and program overview at www.ag.utah.gov or by calling 801–538–7108." (Bold emphasis added by SFU Webmaster.)

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Specialty Crops Block Grant Program information and application form. (PDF Document)

January 14, 2007

"Amber Fields of Bland"

By Op–Ed Contributor Dan Barber. Published by The New York Times, January 14, 2007.

"THERE’S invariably something risky, if not risible, about allowing Congress to decide what’s for dinner. Bad decisions about agriculture have defined government policy for the last century; 70 percent of our nation’s farms have been lost to bankruptcy or consolidation, creating an agricultural economy that looks more Wall Street than Main Street. Now, after the uprooting of a thousand years of agrarian wisdom, we chefs have discovered something really terrible — no, not that the agricultural system we help support hurts farmers and devastates farming communities, or that it harms the environment and our health. What we’ve discovered is that the food it produces just doesn’t taste very good..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

January 13, 2007

"One for the Books: Locally Owned Shops Benefit from Boom"

By Lesley Mitchell, Published by The Salt Lake Tribune, January 13, 2007.

"There have been plenty of times over the past decade that Ken Sanders and his daughter Melissa have thought about closing their small bookstore. The past struggles to turn a profit made this holiday season especially gratifying for the owners of Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City. ‘Both November and December set new monthly records for us,’ said Ken Sanders of his 4,000–square–foot shop at 268 South 200 East. While many big–box and national chain stores reported mediocre or even poor sales over the holiday season, many of Utah’s locally owned businesses reported brisk, even record–shattering results.

Gavin Noyes, executive director of Buy Local First, a group that encourages Utahns to buy from small enterprises based in the state, said he was surprised at the record–setting results he found during his informal survey of holiday sales levels in recent weeks. While his organization works to increase the visibility of locally owned businesses, it is limited by the cost of advertising. Noyes thinks the strong showing by small Utah companies over the holiday season stems from the fact that more people are consciously patronizing small Utah–based retailers in search of better customer service. He said others may simply want to show their support for small community–based businesses...." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

January 10, 2007

"Risky Business: Thoughts from a Small Farm During the Midwinter Lull

By Tom Philpott, Published by Grist in the "Victal Reality" section, January 10, 2007.

January 9, 2007

"Animal Cloning: FDA Safety Call Not Enough"

By Gregory Jaffe, Published by BusinessWeek ViewPoint section, January 9, 2007.

"Gregory Jaffe of the Center for Science in the Public Interest seeks proof that animal cloning’s benefits outweigh risks and ethical concerns."

January 3, 2007

"Poor Taste: Why The Economist’s Recent Assault on ‘Ethical Food’ Missed the Mark

By Tom Philpott, Published by Grist in the "Victal Reality" section, January 3, 2007.

January 3, 2007

"Be It Ever So Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin"

By Kim Severson, Published by The New York Times January 3, 2007.

"SOMETHING made me uneasy when I dropped a box of gluten-free EnviroKidz organic Koala Crisp cereal in my shopping cart. But it’s hard to suspect a cartoon koala, so I moved on.

The unsettling sensation came back when I bought a bag of my favorite organic frozen French fries. Why did the verdant fields in the Cascadian Farm logo make me feel so smug?

Then I got really suspicious. A bag of natural Cheetos seemed so much more appealing than the classic cheese puff. Why? Was it the image of a subdued Chester Cheetah rising gently from a farm field bathed in golden sunlight?

Like clues to a murder that suddenly point to a single culprit, the mystery in my shopping cart revealed itself. Wheat sheaf by wheat sheaf, sunrise by sunrise, the grocery store shelves had been greenwashed.

And I was falling for it..."

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

By Kim Severson, Published by The New York Times January 3, 2007.

"EACH year grocery manufacturers roll out tens of thousands of products, ever hopeful that a new box of crackers or a frozen entree will be a hit with consumers. In 2006, 17,779 food products were introduced, according to Mintel International, a market research company. That’s a jump of almost 2,000 items over the previous year. Of those products, 3,761 either were organic or had an all-natural claim on the label..."

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

December 26, 2006

"Eating in the Past: Food Laws Should Reflect Modern Facts"

Tribune Editorial, published by The Salt Lake Tribune in the Opinion section, page A20.

"Imagine a world in which nearly everyone was driving cars but all the laws were written for people riding horses. It’s easier if you further imagine that those laws are being written to please the people who make cars.

And that’s about the situation the United States is in regarding its inspection and regulation of food.

In a competitive environment where food is grown, processed and sold locally, by relatively small operations that live or die on their reputation for quality and cleanliness, a minimum of government regulation would be necessary. Gaps in the law would matter far less than the knowledge that a farm, butcher shop or greengrocer that served up tainted meat or produce would face the swift punishment of the marketplace.

But that’s not where most food comes from in modern America..."

(See the link above for the rest of the article.)

December 10, 2006

"Our Perverse Farm Policy"

Opinion Piece by George Pyle, published by The Salt Lake Tribune in the Opinion section, page O1.

"...The wish list of American agribusiness giants and their vassals at the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the same as always: many billions of federal dollars propping up an unnatural, anti-competitive, security-undermining, environment-destroying system that gluts the world with cheap grain and pig manure. And any warm feeling taxpayers might get for thinking their money goes to support the traditional family farm springs from about as much reality as flying reindeer..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

George Pyle is an Editorial Writer for The Salt Lake Tribune, a contributing writer for The Prairie Writer’s Circle and author of "Raising Less Corn, More Hell: The Case for the Independent Farm and Against Industrial Food" which is listed in the Slow Food Utah Books section. He wrote this column for the Land Institute’s Prairie Writers Circle, Salina, Kansas.

This opinion piece also resulted in an interview on KPFK Radio’s "Uprising Radio" titled "Will Congress Continue Large Farm Subsidies?" Follow the link to read or listen to that interview.

"Where Christmas Comes Every Five Years — Our Perverse Farm Plan," which is the same article, can also be found at CounterPunch.

"Our Perverse Farm Policy" can also be found at The Prairie Writer’s Circle. Here, you will find many pieces written by George Pyle along with other members of the Prairie Writer’s Circle.

December 5, 2006

"Bullish on a Grass Diet: The Taste for ’Value–Added’ Beef.

From the source; Fed–up with mass–produced meat, more health–conscious consumers getting a taste of ‘value–added’ beef." By Kathy Stephenson, The Salt Lake Tribune in the "Living" section, page E1.

The article discusses local beef producers who are focusing on grass–fed beef without the use of synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics. The article discusses buying local, from small family–operated ranchers who offer an alternative to mass–produced beef. It provides information on labeling terms including grain–finished, grass–fed, grass–finished, natural and organic beef. There are recipes and tips on cooking beef, and information on some of the local beef ranchers here in Utah. [Webmaster comments.]

November 19, 2006

"From Farm to Feast: How Healthful is Your Meal? How Local? How Safe? (Food: Does Efficiency Sacrifice Health?)."

By Kathy Stephenson and Ronnie Lynn, The Salt Lake Tribune, page A1.

"Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the bounty of fall. Thanks to a large industrialized system, food in America is not only plentiful, but also affordable 365 days a year. We can eat what we want, when we want, whether we have a hankering for fresh strawberries in the winter or grilled steaks in the summer. But America’s efficiency in getting food from farm to table has its drawbacks – a point driven home late this summer when spinach contaminated with a deadly strain of E. coli killed three people and sickened more than 200 in 26 states..." (See the link above for the rest of the article.)

"A growing number of people are relying on different values to shape their meals, buying organic or locally grown produce whenever possible. They support local farmers and small, artisan producers of milk, cheese and bread, and share the bounty with family and friends. This ‘Slow Food’ movement began in Italy 20 years ago in response to the opening of a McDonald’s in a historic section of Rome. Today, Slow Food has 80,000 members across the globe, including a group in Utah."

The article also gives local alternatives to Thanksgiving food items:

A plate full of America Where in this country did all the fixings come from? Or maybe they just came from Utah.

Canned pumpkin – Libby’s, Ohio

Utah option: Pecan pie, from Thompson Family Pecan Farm, Hurricane

Brussels sprouts – Various farms, California

Utah option: Mushrooms from Mountainview Mushrooms, Fillmore

Cranberries – Ocean Spray, Massachusetts

Utah option: Apples from orchards in Santaquin, Payson and Orem

Mashed potatoes – Eagle Eye, Idaho

Utah option: Spuds from the neighbor

Turkey Jenny-O, Minn.

Utah options: Norbest turkey, Moroni; or hormone-free bird from Wight Family Farms, Weber County

Related articles published the same day (Salt Lake Tribune):

November 17 and article updated December 28, 2006

"Community Harvest: Grants Available to Help Groups Tend Neighborhood Gardens."

Published by The Salt Lake Tribune in the Sugarhouse "Close–up" section, page G1.

Excerpt from the article: "...Consider applying for a mini–grant from the Utah Department of Health, which has won $30,000 in national funding to start or improve community gardens in Salt Lake County. While the gardens provide fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs and exercise, the state is hoping they also nurture friendships and community pride in neighborhoods. Any public or private groups serving residents in Salt Lake or Weber counties are invited to apply by Jan. 15 for amounts ranging from $500 to $4,000."

"...To help groups get started, Wasatch Community Gardens and the department will offer a seminar Dec. 5. The training will include information about planning and developing a community garden. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Utah Department of Health, 288 N. 1460 West, Salt Lake City. Wasatch Community Gardens, a nonprofit organization, is a leader in community gardening in the Salt Lake Valley, with gardens in four neighborhoods. It will provide support and consulting to grant winners, such as regular site visits and workshops. "

Read the article for more information. More information is also available from the Utah Department of Health.

The information in the article above has been published again in The Salt Lake Tribune, "The Insider" Section, on November 28, 2006, see: "A mini-grant can get your community garden growing".

November, 2006

Sierra Magazine devotes issue to America’s food supply.

The November/December, 2006 issue of Sierra Magazine, the national magazine of the Sierra Club, celebrates efforts to carve out a new, greener cuisine: local, organic, and delicious. The magazine features RAFT partner Gary Paul Nabhan’s article on home cooking, which dives into our nation’s tastiest yet most endangered regional food traditions. Nabhan’s piece also includes the RAFT food nations map, depicting the twelve food nations in the U.S. Sierra also profiles the activists who are making delicious, healthy produce available in inner cities and rural areas.

Headlines include:

–Cheap Food Nation: The high price of burgers and fries.
–Produce to the People: Four cities spread the health.
–From Cotton to Collards: How Alabama is fighting obesity.
–Ten Ways to Eat Well: Mr. Green tells you how.
–Secrets of the Supermarket: You’ll never shop the same again.
–Truth in Labeling: A consumers guide to food claims.
–Home Cooking: What’s your food nation?

October, 2006

Colors Magazine,

the magazine of the United Colors of Benetton, has published Issue #69, an amazing portrayal of Terra Madre delegates from around the world. This issue profiles people who embrace the culture of Slowness and tell their stories about the food they dedicate their lives to producing. The magazine captures vibrant images of these fascinating individuals and shares the positive message of living the slow life. You can view the magazine online or purchase it on the Colors website.

October 6, 2006 — Farmer–Chef Co–operative:

"Four Salt Lake City chefs have formed a unique cooperative with Utah farmers and food producers to use locally grown organic foods on a regular basis. Jeffrey Russell from the Grand America Hotel, Carl Fiessinger of Zola, Robert Barker of Bambara and Eric Bell from Squatters Pub will work with Utah farmers to grow diverse crops including such items as micro greens, French breakfast radishes, purple potatoes and heirloom tomatoes. Producers and farmers involved in the cooperative include Morgan Valley Lamb, Week’s Berries, Bell Organic Gardens, Sunbridge Growers and Drake Family Farms."

(Published by The Salt Lake Tribune, Friday, October 6, 2006. In the "Dining Notes" section.)

September, 2006 —

"Sustainable Living: Waste Not Want Not" Chef Eric Bell explains wise use in the kitchen.

By Pax Rasmussen, Catalyst Magazine, September, 2006.

(Current issue of Catalyst Magazine, Resources for Creative Living.)

August 7, 2006 —

"Supporting Local Businesses Re–circulates Money, Preserves Local Character"

Business Insight, The Salt Lake Tribune, Monday, August 7, 2006. Featuring Betsy Burton, Buy Local First Utah chairwoman, and owner of The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City.

After 30 days from publication, see The Salt Lake Tribune Archives link to archived article, requires user account.

January 31, 2006 —

"Loyal Following: Consumer’s Seed Money Pays Off at Harvest Time" by Rosemary Winters,

The Salt Lake Tribune, January 31, 2006. "Program lets small investors take share of farmer’s crops." An article about Community Supported Agriculture along the Wasatch Front.

June, 2005 — "Bohemian Farms: The Lyman Family Farm Goes Organic"

By Amber Billingsley, Catalyst Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 6, June, 2005.

"We stand on the edge of a bucolic field that just until recently was a shallow wetland. The years of recent drought have uncovered a goldmine of dark, nutrient-rich soil that springs softly beneath our feet. We survey the long, raised beds and map out a plan for the day. French soup celery and Italian parsley are already showing their frilly fronds on the first two rows. We decide to plant English peas, rainbow chard, and bok choy on the next three rows."

Article archive no longer maintained.

(Current issue of Catalyst Magazine, Resources for Creative Living.)

June 10, 2005 —

"Rediscovering Food: Fishing & Farmers’ Markets"

By Amy Seigel, New West Network, June 10, 2005.

"...The Farmers’ Market represents another multi–purpose event reuniting us with the key elements of our daily meals. Along with providing what Market Director Brad Baird calls an "economic catalyst" for what was once a very run–down part of downtown Salt Lake City, the event concentrates plenty of positive attention on local farmers and small business owners. According to Baird, one of the main purposes of the market is bringing the focus back to the local farmer. "This is where your food comes from," says Baird, "this stuff was picked yesterday or this morning and is right from the farm...farm direct." And judging from the market’s skyrocketing popularity, the appeal of buying direct from local growers, artisans, and small business owners will only continue to develop..." (See the article for the rest of the story.)

(Current issue of New West Network, New West is a network of online communities devoted to the culture, economy, politics, environment and overall atmosphere of the Rocky Mountain West.)

June 3, 2005 —

"‘Buy Local First’ Helps Community Identity"

By Janine S. Creager, The Salt Lake Tribune, Close–up: Sugarhouse Section, June 3, 2005. Article on Liberty Heights Fresh and The Blue Cockatoo, small businesses in the Sugarhouse area.

"For Steven Rosenberg, owner of the locally owned and operated Liberty Heights Fresh fruit and vegetable market, it’s all about community. As owner of one of many small businesses in the area, Rosenberg knows without the support and encouragement of the community, he could never survive the ups and downs of the economy. But he also knows that working with neighboring residents and businesses is much more than just turning a profit. It’s all about building a sense of unity..."

(Link to archived article. Archived articles require a user account.)

December/January 2001 —

"Beyond Organic"

By Eliot Coleman. Published by Mother Earth News.

"New ideas, especially those that directly challenge an established orthodoxy, follow a familiar path. First, the orthodoxy says the new idea is rubbish. Then the orthodoxy attempts to minimize the new idea’s increasing appeal. Finally, when the new idea proves unstoppable, the orthodoxy tries to claim the idea as its own. This is precisely the path organic food production has followed.

First, organic pioneers were ridiculed. Then, as evidence of the benefits of organic farming became more obvious to more people, mainstream chemical agriculture actively condemned organic ideas as not feasible. Now that the food-buying public has become enthusiastic about organically grown foods, the food industry wants to take over. Toward that end the U.S. Department of Agriculture-controlled national definition of "organic" is tailored to meet the marketing needs of organizations that have no connection to the agricultural integrity organic once represented. We now need to ask whether we want to be content with an "organic" food option that places the marketing concerns of corporate America ahead of nutrition, flavor and social benefits to consumers."

(See the link above for the rest of the article. There is also a variety of information relating to organic gardening at the bottom of the article.)

Printed and Online Articles — Grouped by Publisher
— Bioneers: Writings Germane to Slow Food | The Nation: The Food Issue —

Bioneers Writings Germane to Slow Food:

2006–09–09 Renewing America’s Food Traditions
Gary Nabhan is "an award winning essayist and ecologist, and director of the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern AZ. University, Gary is a champion of biodiversity who has complied and edited the book "Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Bringing Cultural and Culinary Mainstays From the Past into the New Millennium". Bioneers’ Arty Mangan recently spoke with Gary Nabhan." (visionaries – jcancilla)
2006–08–21 Whose Food Is It Anyway?
"Bob Cannard, the innovative Sonoma soil fertility expert and eco–farmer, criticizes modern industrial agriculture as war–like. It’s about killing: killing pests, killing microorganisms, killing weeds. He describes pests as agents of mercy who eliminate weak plants. I wanted to understand how that applied to my apple situation, but all I could think of was Alan Chadwick’s gopher remedy..." (blog entry – amangan)
2006–08–03 Field of Plenty—A Farmer’s Journey to the Frontiers of American Agriculture by Michael Ableman.
"The only thing small scale about Fairview Gardens is the acreage it occupies. On just twelve and a half acres, this organic farm produces over one hundred different fruits and vegetables, feeds over 500 families, employs more than 20 people, and hosts as many as 5,000 people per year for tours, classes, festivals, and apprenticeships. Michael Ableman farmed at Fairview Gardens from 1981 to 2001. Under his leadership the farm was saved from development and was preserved under one of the earliest and most unique active agricultural conservation easements of its type in the country." (feature – jcancilla)
2006–07–21 Marion Nestle on How to Buy Green Milk
"Check out this video of Marion Nestle on TreeHuggerTV. She walks you through the process of how to pick out some healthy organic milk." (nutrition and organic food – jcancilla)
2006–06–25 Tears, Rice and a Free California by Arty Mangan.
"...Biotech companies are in the business of owning life forms by manipulating genes using a virus as a vector, slapping a patent on it, making it theirs and theirs alone. Maybe this is what is meant by "the ownership society"...It would all be quite absurd if it wasn’t so serious..." (feature – jcancilla)
2006–06–25 Slow Food Founder
"Bioneers food and farming director Arty Mangan had an opportunity to speak with Carlo Petrini at a W.K.Kellogg Foundation conference in Washington D.C." Carlo Petrini, founded Slow Food in 1986. (visionaries – jcancilla)
2006–06–21 Food Democracy and Healthy Choices
"Interviewee Marion Nestle, Professor and former Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University." [She is the author of several books listed here in the Sloow Foood Utah Website.] (visionaries – jcancilla)

September 11, 2006 — The Nation: The Food Issue – "Wake Up, America! Pay Attention to What You Eat!"
Webmasters’ Note: "The Food Issue" includes eleven articles of great interest to those in the Slow Food Movement. This edition of The Nation provides a good over–view of what is at stake, of what all the fuss is about, and provides a valuable primer. I strongly suggest that you read this issue of The Nation.

"A special food issue under the guidance of Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters." [The Nation] "discovered that the “slow food values” she espouses are in harmony with our own. As she explains, “the pleasures of the table are a social as well as a private good,“ and as such they beget responsibilities—responsibilities that our fast–food system, as currently configured, simply cannot meet. Waters assembled a forum of leading figures in the world of food to consider how this system should be changed."

"In keeping with the spirit of the forum, this issue, The Nation’s first (though we hope not last) on food, seeks not only to expose but to inspire. Thus, while there are articles investigating the grueling labor conditions on organic farms and in meatpacking plants, others explore how food justice activists are working to shift Harlem’s food consciousness and change the nature of school lunch. Linking many of the pieces—on subjects ranging from Wal–Mart to world hunger—is the theme of access to good, healthy food: How can it be democratized? As several of [the] articles attest, a veritable movement is arising to address this issue, which has all the more currency with the recent mainstreaming of the organic food industry..."

The Nation Home > Subject Directory > Health, Science & Environment > Food & Nutrition

Contains all eleven articles from "The Food Issue." (Additionally, there are a few other articles previously published by The Nation on related topics.) Look for the following articles:

"Slow Food Nation" by Alice Waters.
"One Thing to Do About Food" A Forum edited by Alice Waters. Each writer was "asked to name just one thing that could be done to fix the food system," [one with which people have a "dysfunctional relationship."] Forum participants include: Eric Schlosser, Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Troy Duster and Elizabeth Ransom, Winona LaDuke, Peter Singer, Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini, Eliot Coleman, and Jim Hightower "who suggest, for starters, that we stop buying factory farm products, get involved in farm policy and outlaw the marketing of junk food to kids."
"Hard Labor: For Farm Workers, It’s Not Easy Being Organic" by Felicia Mello.
"Hog Hell: Smithfield’s Workers Face a Modern–Day Jungle" by Eric Schlosser.
"Mean or Green? Wal–Mart’s Organic Turn Divides the Movement" by Liza Featherstone.
"Monsantopoly: GMO Giant" by Anna Lappé and Matthew Willse.
"Doing Lunch: Ann Cooper Serves Up a New Vision of School Food" by Anna Lappé.
"Edible Nola" by Randy Ferte.
"How Harlem Eats: Urban Activits Seek ‘Food Justice’" by Mark Winston Griffith.
"Black Farms, Black Markets" by Habiba Alcindor.
"A Right to Food? How to Frame the Fight Against Hunger" by Frances Moore Lappé.

An Overview of the Slow Food Movement

"An Overview of the Slow Food Movement"

An overview of the Slow Food Movement beginning with the founding by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986. A Slow Food Utah reproduction of the original Slow Food (International) page, including all of the original text.

"Founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986, Slow Food is an international association that promotes food and wine culture, but also defends food and agricultural biodiversity worldwide. (see our History Section)

Slow Food opposes the standardization of taste, defends the need for consumer information, protects cultural identities tied to food and gastronomic traditions, safeguards foods and cultivation and processing techniques inherited from tradition and defend domestic and wild animal and vegetable species. (see our Mission Section)

Slow Food boasts [over] 83,000 members worldwide and offices (in order of creation) in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the USA, France, Japan, and Great Britain.

The network of Slow Food members is organized into local groups—Condotte in Italy and Convivia or Chapters elsewhere in the world—which, coordinated by leaders, periodically organize courses, tastings, dinners and food and wine tourism, as well as promoting campaigns launched by the international association at a local level. More than 800 Convivia are active in over 50 countries (including 400 Condotte in Italy).

Slow Food’s publishing company, Slow Food Editore, specializes in tourism, food and wine. Its catalogue now contains about 60 titles and it also publishes the award–winning quarterly Slow: herald of taste and culture in six languages (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese) and the attractive, large–format color magazine Slowfood, which comes out in Italian eight times a year.

Slow Food organizes national and international events to further its cause. They include: the Salone del Gusto, the world’s largest quality food and wine fair, held very two years at the Lingotto Exhibition Center in Turin, Cheese, a biennial cheese fair held in Bra, in the province of Cuneo, and Slowfish, an annual exhibition in Genoa devoted to sustainable fishing.

In 2003 Slow Food created the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity,
an independent non–profit entity with the mission to organize and fund projects that defend our world’s heritage of agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions.

The Foundation supports Slow Food’s projects that pursue this mission, such as the Ark of Taste and the Presidia. The Foundation exists thanks to the Slow Food movement but also through generous support from public and private donors.

The Ark of Taste, designed and launched by the International Slow Food Movement, was founded to discover, catalogue and safeguard small quality food products and defend biodiversity. The Presidia are organizational units used to promote the products, guarantee their economic and commercial future and, at the same time, protect the land from degradation and create new job opportunities. Visit the Ark of Taste at Slow Food USA and Slow Food International.

The Slow Food Award for the Defense of Biodiversity was instituted in 2000 with the goals of publicizing and rewarding activities of research, production, marketing, popularization and documentation that benefit biodiversity in the agricultural and gastronomic field.

An innovative Slow Food initiative is Terra Madre, World Meeting of Food Communities, held in Torino, Italy in October 2004 and again in 2006 and 2008, a forum for all those who seek to grow, raise, catch, create, distribute and promote food in ways that respect the environment, defend human dignity and protect the health of consumers. Terra Madre brings together those players in the food chain who together support sustainable agriculture, fishing, and breeding with the goal of preserving taste and biodiversity.

Alongside activities for the very young, Slow Food also organizes two major adult education projects: the Master of Food, a study syllabus in the wine and food sector split into 20 theme courses, and the University of Gastromic Sciences in Pollenzo, the world’s first academy of ‘eno–gastronomy’, with campuses in Pollenzo, near Bra, and Colorno, near Parma."

(This information originally posted at Slow Food International, but the link is problematic, it suffers an endless re–direct loop, and so is reproduced here for your convenience. Original Location, click it, and you'll likely see what I mean...)

Slow Food Revolution: A New Culture of Eating and Living

"Slow Food Revolution:
A New Culture of Eating and Living"

Written by Carlo Petrini with Gigi Padovani.
Published by Rizzoli New York (Slow Food USA), October 2006

From the inside cover: "The setting is Rome, 1986. In the historic Piazza di Spagna, McDonald’s opens a franchise. A small group, led by Carlo Petrini, decides to issue a manifesto in protest. It’s the start of a revolution, the Slow Food revolution. Today, the Slow Food organization counts more than eighty thousand members around the world, dedicated to reviving the pleasures of the table. To slow down, to know where one’s food comes from, to preserve the taste of real food—this is the mission. To that end the movement promotes agricultural biodiversity, sustainable farming, local producers, and heritage foodways."

"Slow Food Revolution tells the fascinating story of how the international Slow Food movement sprang from such a small seed. Equal parts gastronome and conservationist, Carlo Petrini started with a diversified grassroots approach that included a pirate radio station, a cooperative food store, and a line of gourmet guidebooks. Eventually Slow Food struck out into the rest of Europe and established the University of Gastronomic Sciences and the Terra Madre events. Included here are testimonies from such notable figures as the chef Alice Waters and His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. The rise of Slow Food is an inspiration, not just for gourmets, but for anyone who seeks to make the world a better place."

"Also featured in the book, for the first time in print, is a complete catalogue of the special foods that Slow Food protects though its Presidia projects. From the Cape May Salt Oyster to Moraccan Argan Oil, these are heirloom varieties and heritage breeds endangered by the onslaught of fast food homogeneity. In tantalizing descriptions of the more than three hundred delicacies from all over the world, you get a taste of what Slow Food is all about —rediscovered the flavors of regional cooking."

About the Authors:

Carlo Petrini, the founder and driving force of Slow Food, was recently included in Time magazine’s list of "European Heroes" as a great innovator.
Gigi Padovani is a regular contributor to La Stampa, one of Italy’s leading newspapers. He is also the author of Nutella: An Italian Myth.

Photo-op for all the founders of Slow Food – Following the signing, the classic souvenir photo of the Slow Food founders in Paris, in front of the Opera Comique in December 1989. Amidst them, Petrini with a beard and a smile. (Photo credit: Gigi Padovani.)

Slow Food Nation: A Blueprint for Changing the Way We Eat

"Slow Food Nation:
A Blueprint for Changing the Way We Eat"

Written by Carlo Petrini. Foreword by Alice Waters.
Published by: Rizzoli Ex Libris, New York (Slow Food USA) May, 2007.

About this Book: "Slow Food Nation will change the way you think about food! Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini describes how we can take back control of our food by outlining three central principles: food must be good (healthful and delicious); it must be clean (produced sustainably in ways that respect the environment), and it must be fair (produced with respect for social justice)."

"A worthy successor to Brillat–Savarin, Carlo Petrini has reinvented the idea of gastronomy for the twenty–first century. An important book." –Michael Pollan, author of The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

"Carlo Petrini is one of the most important thinkers of our time, not only about what to eat, but also about how to live. This book is essential reading for anyone who cares about social justice, the environment, and the fundamentals of a good meal." –Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation.

"This is the argument I have been waiting for—an irrefutable demonstration that making the right decision about food can change the world." –Alice Waters, from the foreword.

About the Author: Carlo Petrini is the founder and driving force of Slow Food and was recently acclaimed as a great innovator in Time magazine’s list of ‘European Heroes’." (From the publisher.)

Slow Food Companion

The Slow Food Companion has been revised and updated as of 2008 and
provides details about Slow Food's mission, network and projects.

The new Companion includes a new layout and new graphics, eye-catching images and a rundown of the Slow Food philosophy and projects.

The new companion, in printed and bound edition, is for anyone signing up to the movement for the first time. New members receive a copy after their initial sign-up with Slow Food.

Anyone can download the revised and updated
English version of the Slow Food Companion in PDF format.

The (Original) Slow Food Companion
Written by Sarah Weiner, Coordinating Editor Renato Sardo.
Published by Slow Food, February, 2005.

"Provides a consice overview of Slow Food, the philosophy, members and structure, taste education, Foundation for Biodiversity, a section on linking producers and consumers, FAWs, history, who’s who, contact information and a listing of membership benefits."

From The Slow Food Companion: "It is useless to force the rhythms of life. The art of living is about learning how to give time to each and every thing." Carlo Petrini, Founder of Slow Food USA.

"The Slow Food Companion is the 46–page, full–color booklet provided to all our members when they first join. It offers a straightfoward, in–depth explanation of our organization, philosophy and activities in a handy format." Slow Food International

The original "Slow Food Companion" may also be downloaded as a PDF file in English, along with several other languages: Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. (Some versions are no longer available.)

Slow Food Collected Thoughts on Taste, Tradition, and the Honest Pleasures of Food

"Slow Food Collected Thoughts
on Taste, Tradition, and the Honest Pleasures of Food"

Edited by Carlo Petrini, with Ben Watson and Slow Food Editore.

From the forward by Deborah Madison: "Slow Food is a very big creature, large enough to accommodate more than one point of view as to what it is exactly. Like the blind men patting the elephant to determine its nature, anyone who’s drawn to Slow Food can probably find what they’re looking for based on their own interests. To the gastronome, Slow Food might have to do with artisanal foods and wines. To the person seeking a tempo of life that is more in step with life’s natural rhythms, unlike America’s present fast–paced model, Slow Food offers a sympathetic response. For those whose concerns run to the historical aspects of food, traditional methods of cheese making might be of particular interest, or the examination of traditional foods and food methods found in different regions of the country. Those whose historical quests are more aligned with animals and plants will find that Slow Food, through its Ark of Taste initiative, provides a place to actively debate the merits of old breeds, from turkeys to sheep, or oysters to apples, and to become actively involved with their preservation. If your concerns are with the politics of social change, you may find yourself in harmony with Slow’s commitment to land stewardship and food that’s grown by sound and sustainable methods. And all seekers join hands at the table, for Slow Food sees ’the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture, and community.’ The lens through which Slow Food views the world of food is a wide one indeed."

In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed

"(In) Praise of Slow(ness):
How a Worldwide Movement is
Challenging the Cult of Speed"

Written by Carl Honoré.
Published by Harper Collins (HarperOne), April 13, 2004.

"In this engaging and entertaining exploration, award–winning journalist and rehabilitated speedaholic Carl Honoré details our perennial love affair with efficiency and speed in a perfect blend of anecdotal reportage, history, and intellectual inquiry. In Praise of Slowness is the first comprehensive look at the worldwide Slow movements making their way into the mainstream — in offices, factories, neighborhoods, kitchens, hospitals, concert halls, bedrooms, gyms, and schools. Defining a movement that is here to stay, this spirited manifesto will make you completely rethink your relationship with time." (From the publisher.)

FAQs about In Praise of Slowness:

What is In Praise of Slow about?

"It’s about how the world got stuck in fast-forward and how more and more people everywhere are slowing down. In other words, it’s about the rise of the Slow Movement. In Praise of Slow is published in 30 languages and has been a bestseller in many countries." (From the Author.)

What is the Slow Movement?

"It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting."

What inspired you to write In Praise of Slow?

"My life had become an endless race against the clock. I was always in a hurry, scrambling to save a minute here, a few seconds there. My wake-up call came when I found myself toying with the idea of buying a collection of “One-Minute Bedtime Stories” – Snow White in 60 seconds. Suddenly it hit me: my rushaholism has got so out of hand that I’m even willing to speed up those precious moments with my children at the end of the day. There has to be a better way, I thought, because living in fast forward is not really living at all. That’s why I began investigating the possibility of slowing down."

What do you hope readers will take away from In Praise of Slow?

"I hope that they will pause and reflect on how they lead their lives and how their lives affect the people and the world around them. I guess what I really want is for readers to grasp the very counter-cultural idea that the best way to survive and thrive in the fast-paced modern world is not to speed up but to slow down. And it seems to be working. Every day I open up my inbox and find a few emails from readers around the world who say the book has changed their lives. It’s exciting, and humbling." (From the Author.)

Cover Samples
(In Praise of Slowness has been published in 30 languages.)

How to Go Slow

Plant a garden and grow your own food.

Get cooking.

Eat seasonally.

Buy local.

Avoid genetically modified food.

Buy organic.

Pack a bag lunch.

Conserve, compost and recycle.

Eat together.

Talk food politics.

Drink from the tap.

Try making things from scratch.

- From Slow Food Nation's "Come to the Table."

Slow Food Utah Introduction

Welcome.
Thank you for visiting
Slow Food Utah's Website.

Join us as we explore and discover our food, where it comes from, what it is, why it matters to think about it, and why it is important to work toward a "good, clean, and fair" food supply!!

"Slow Food is a non–profit, international, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world."

In the words of Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, "This is precisely the mission that Slow Food has set for itself: to remind a generation of industrial eaters of their connections to farmers and farms, and to the plants and animals we depend on." Wendell Berry memorably stated that "eating is an agricultural act." As Pollan suggests, we might add "that it's a political act as well."

Each of our 100,000+ Slow Food members around the world are a part of a chapter (convivium). Our chapters (convivia), including Slow Food Utah, are the local expression of the Slow Food philosophy.

"Slow Food USA envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice -- in essence, a food system that is good, clean and fair.

Slow Food seeks to catalyze a broad cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system and fast life; toward the regenerative cultural, social, ecological and economic benefits of a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table, and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life."

Slow Food Utah is part of Slow Food USA and works to build relationships with producers, campaign to protect traditional foods, organize tastings and seminars, encourage and assist chefs to source locally, nominate producers to participate in international events and work to bring taste education into schools.

Slow Food people are connoisseurs of taste, protectors of food heritage, and champions of local producers.

Slow Food Utah is committed to building the connections between all the facets of the state’s food culture. Farmers, producers, chefs, restaurateurs, and consumers equally share a place at the Slow Food Utah table.

Slow Food Utah recognizes the importance of these local efforts and the existing culinary traditions from various communities and cultures that make up the state’s food tapestry. It is through food and conviviality that these stories are best shared and understood.

Slow Food Utah At-A-Glance:

Good Food, Clean Food, Fair Food
Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Farming, Sustainable Economies
Slow Food in Schools
Community Gardening
Home Gardening
Schoolyard Gardens
Community Supported Agriculture, CSA
Farmers’ Markets
Local Food, Local Foods
Local Food Producers, Local Producers, Local Produce Local Retailers, Local Retail, Local Food Retailers
Local Restaurants
(Food Types) Beef, Beer, Bread, Cheese, Chocolate, Cider, Distilled Spirits, Eggs, Fish, Flowers, Fruits, Goats Milk, Herbs, Honey, Lamb, Pastries, Deserts, Salt, Sausage, Vegetables, Wine
(Issues) Buy and Support Locally, Farmland, Food Policy, Farming Policy, Food Safety, Food Security, Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, Organic, School Lunch, Social Justice, Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Sustainable Local Economies, Food Traditions, Food Heritage.

Thank you for Visiting Slow Food Utah! Please Tell a Friend about Slow Food.

TASTE, TRADITION AND THE HONEST PLEASURES OF FOOD
Connecting Plate to Planet - Linking Producers & Consumers
Community - Eat Local Foods - Support Local Farmers

All original content Copyright © 2005-2010 Slow Food Utah
Contact Slow Food Utah: Leader -- Webmaster
Web design by MHW Uninc.

Slow Food global hierarchy:
Slow Food International - Slow Food USA - Slow Food Utah
These sites are all part of Trunity Community Networks.

About Slow Food

What is Slow Food, Anyway?

"Slow Food is a non–profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Each of our 100,000+ Slow Food members around the world are a part of a chapter (convivium). Our chapters (convivia), including Slow Food Utah, are the local expression of the Slow Food philosophy. We build relationships with producers, campaign to protect traditional foods, organize tastings and seminars, encourage chefs to source locally and provide assistance, nominate producers to participate in international events and work to bring taste education into schools. Most importantly, we cultivate the appreciation of pleasure and quality in daily life. Every Slow Food member can participate in convivium activities anywhere in the world."

"The mission of Slow Food is good, clean, and fair food at fair prices. Slow Food people are connoisseurs of taste, protectors of food heritage, and champions of local producers."

"Through its understanding of gastronomy with relation to politics, agriculture and the environment, Slow Food has become an active player in agriculture and ecology. Slow Food links pleasure and food with awareness and responsibility. The association’s activities seek to defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread the education of taste, and link producers of excellent foods to consumers through events and initiatives."
      (From the Slow Food Mission Statement.)

"Slow Food is a very big creature, large enough to accommodate more than one point of view as to what it is exactly. Like the blind man patting the elephant to determine its nature, anyone who’s drawn to Slow Food can probably find what they’re looking for based on their own interests. To the gastronome, Slow Food might have to do with artisanal foods and wines. To the person seeking a tempo of life that is more in step with life’s natural rhythms, unlike America’s present fast-paced model, Slow Food offers a sympathetic response. For those whose concerns run to the historical aspects of food, traditional methods of cheese making might be of particular interest, or the examination of traditional foods and food methods found in different regions of the country. Those whose historical quests are more aligned with animals and plants will find that Slow Food, through its Ark of Taste initiative, provides a place to actively debate the merits of old breeds, from turkeys to sheep, or oysters to apples, and to become actively involved with their preservation. If your concerns are with the politics of social change, you may find yourself in harmony with Slow’s commitment to land stewardship and food that’s grown by sound and sustainable methods. And all seekers join hands at the table, for Slow Food sees ’the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture, and community.’ The lens through which Slow Food views the world of food is a wide one indeed."
      (From "Slow Food Collected Thoughts on Taste, Tradition, and the Honest Pleasures of Food," Edited by Carlo Petrini, with Ben Watson and Slow Food Editore. From the forward by Deborah Madison.)

"Slow Food is the intersection of ethics and pleasure, of ecology and gastronomy. A stand against the homogenization of taste, the unrestrained power of the multinationals, industrial agriculture and the folly of fast life. Slow Food returns cultural dignity to food and the slow rhythms of conviviality to the table. Slow Food welcomes with equal ease Japanese chefs and the fishermen of the Chilean Islands, sommeliers from the greatest French maison and Siberian dairymaids. It is a universe of people who exchange knowledge and experience. It is a humanity that has raised the basic enjoyment of food to a political act. It recognizes that behind every dish are the choices made in fields, on ships, in vineyards, at schools and in parliaments."
      (From the "Slow Food Companion.")

Slow Food obviously connotes a contrast to "Fast Food." Slow Food is about considering Social, Economic and Political aspects of Food. It is about Making Connections. Connecting Plate to Planet. Linking Producers and Consumers. Linking and Supporting Farmers and Chefs. Building Community through Food. It is about Discovery and Traditions. Discovering and Preserving Traditions of food production and preparation. Traditions of Celebrating with food and food itself. Expanding individual vocabularies of food types and varieties. Discovery of foods that are new and different to what individuals have come to know. Slow Food is about Local Foods, and examining the efficacy of transporting foods great distances.
    Slow Food is about the difference between foods picked before they are ripe, shipped, stored and shipped again, versus finding foods closer to home, shipping them shorter distances and having higher quality foods.
    Slow Food is about Healthy Food and Healthy Eating. Considering the health implications of highly processed foods and their true costs both economically and physiologically.
    Slow Food is about considering the implications of the use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical treatments of food, and the related impacts on soils, the bio-sphere and human health.
    Slow Food is about putting human health above corporate profits.
    Slow Food is about preserving ancient genetic food lines both vegetable and animal, defense and preservation of biodiversity.
    Slow Food is about making Choices. Discovering that we can choose not to live a fast life. Choosing to eat as if life depended upon it.

Slow Food is simply about taking the time to slow down and to enjoy life with family and friends. Everyday can be enriched by doing something slow – making pasta from scratch one night, seductively squeezing your own orange juice from the fresh fruit, lingering over a glass of wine and a slice of cheese – even deciding to eat lunch sitting down rather than standing up.
    * Join a local Slow Food Chapter. * Trace your food sources. * Visit a local farmers’ market. * Join a CSA. * Invite a friend over to share a meal. * Visit a farm in your area. * Create a new food memory for a child! Let them plant seeds or harvest greens for a meal. * Start a kitchen garden. * Learn your local food history! * Find a food that is celebrated as being originally from or best grown/produced in your part of the world. *

"The Slow Food Companion" offers a well-done and concise overview of what Slow Food is all about. The "Slow Food Companion" is available in hard-copy to new members upon joining, and may also be downloaded as a PDF file in English, along with several other languages: Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Another excellent publication is "An Overview of the Slow Food Movement," which begins with the founding of Slow Food by Carlo Petrini in Italy, in 1986.

For an excellent over–view of many of the issues addressed by Slow Food, please read the September 11, 2006 issue of The Nation, "The Food Issue." More information is available in the Slow Food Utah article "The Nation: The Food Issue," under the "Listen - Read - View - Discuss" Topic.]

About - What is Slow Food?

Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT)

About RAFT

Learn More

Why RAFT?

Ecological Benefits

Culinary Benefits

Cultural Benefits

Health Benefits

Initiatives

Creating Regional Food Communities

Identifying Foods At Risk

Restoring At-Risk Plants and Animals

Heirloom Vegetable Recovery

Heirloom Fruit Tree Recovery

Heritage Breed Recovery

Celebrating America's Food Traditions

Become a Food Detective

We encourage you to:

RAFT Resources

Savoring and Saving the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods

Forgotten Fruits Manual & Manifesto - Apples

Place-based Foods at Risk in the Great Lakes

Place-based Foods at Risk in New England

Place-based Foods at Risk in California

Renewing Salmon Nation’s Food Traditions

Renewing the Native Food Traditions of Bison Nation

Seafood Traditions at Risk in North America

Heritage Breed Resources

Ark of Taste catalog

Audio recordings of Native American Food Producers and Stewards

RAFT Founding Partners

Learn More in Detail

Alice Waters on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher

Slow Food USA & International Programs

Domestic Programs

International Programs

Slow Food Domestic Programs

International Programs

US ARK of Taste

Ark of Taste

Slow Food (International) Ark of Taste

US Ark of Taste

Presidia

Slow Food on Campus (USA)

Slow Food on Campus Convivia are the living, breathing, working arm of Slow Food USA in the college community.

Campus Chapters (Int'l)

Campus Chapters (U.S.)

Resources

Good, Clean and Fair On-Campus – Fall 2009

— Slow Food on Campus - RSS Feed —

From Plate to Planet - Good, Clean & Fair - 7 Pillars

From Plate to Planet

Good, Clean and Fair

Seven Pillars of Slow Food

SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town

A little background

Additional Related Links:

Seven Pillars of Food Wisdom

7 Pillars of Food Wisdom

Access to good, clean and fair food

Agricultural and food biodiversity

Small-scale food production

Food sovereignty

Language, culture and traditional knowledge

Environmentally responsible food production

Fair and sustainable trade

Slow Food Turns 20

Slow Food USA

— Slow Food USA RSS Blog Feed —

Slow Food (International)

Alice Waters Featured on CBS' "60 Minutes"

What is Slow Food? (Video)

A Collection of General Interest Articles (Dec., 2001 - Apr., 2007)

Collection of General Interest Articles (Dec., 2001 - Apr., 2007)

"Ingredient Contamination: Human Food Could be at Risk, too, Experts Fear"

"Snack Smackdown: High Time to Rethink the Tradition of Spiking Kids’ Events With Junk Food"

"You Are What You Grow"

"Proponents Say Fair–Trade Co–ops Improve Coffee Farmers’ Lives"

"Little Time Left to Dig: Urban Gardeners’ Plot Changes Hands"

Slow Food on Campus Convivia
are the living, breathing, working arm of
Slow Food USA in the college community.

Collection of General Interest Articles
(Dec., 2001 - Apr., 2007)

Printed and Online Articles — Grouped by Publisher
— Bioneers: Writings Germane to Slow Food | The Nation: The Food Issue —