Bill Chameides article entitled Carbon Savings at Home recently published on the Huffington Post includes food in the list of ways we can all reduce our carbon footprints. Yea! It's heartening to see the food system entering into the climate change discussion.
He presents some interesting data about potential carbon savings from eating locally. Anyone know where that information came from? We'd love to see the research.
- Maisie Greenawalt, Vice President
"Would we accept it if the federal agency charged with highway safety allowed cars on the road without brakes - and then warned drivers to exercise extreme caution in order to avoid injury and death? Of course not. But that, in effect is the U.S. government's approach to something that affects all of us on the most basic level: the safety of the meat, poultry and produce that we eat" starts Dr. Ellen Silbergeld's recent op-ed in the Baltimore Sun.
The FDA seems to be running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off (although we know that no industrially-raised chicken has a chance to run around) casting blame quickly on everything from tomatoes to cilantro to, this just in, avocados (it's a tough time to make guacamole). What they aren't looking at, as Dr. Silbergeld points out, is the connection between the rise of pathogenic bacteria and the routine use of antibiotics as a feed additive. With more than 70% of antibiotics used as growth promoters or to treat animals before they get sick, it is no surprise that antibiotic resistant bacteria are making their way to our supermarket shelves. It's time for a hard look at our entire food system - not just the produce farms but the way in which all agriculture is linked. The answer cannot be, as many have suggested, to build impenetrable fortresses around farms (see Marc's October 2007 post on this blog entitled "The Magic of California Big Ag...How to Make Small Flavors Disappear!"). No farm is an island.
Side note: After having met Ellen through his work on Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, our CEO Fedele Bauccio asked her to speak at our Senior Staff Meeting in 2007. I consider myself relatively well-versed on the antibiotics crisis due to our work with Environmental Defense Fund but wow I learned a lot. According to Ellen's research, it's not even clear that the increase in growth rate in chickens is worth the cost of the drugs used to speed the process. I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist but I do wonder who funded the studies showing the these drugs are an effective way to promote growth. Maybe the companies selling the drugs? Just a guess...
- Maisie Greenawalt, Vice President
I was happy to see Whole Foods market announce new, more stringent guidelines for farmed seafood. I was even happier to see Dr. Becky Goldburg of Environmental Defense Fund quoted in the release. We've been working with Becky and the EDF team since 2003 when we joined a coalition working to reduce antibiotic use in animal husbandry. Since then they've supported us in looking at new standards for farmed salmon (since 2004 we've only bought wild salmon and we were hoping to use our purchasing power as an incentive to change the way salmon aquaculture is done - unfortunately no farms were able to meet our standards and we still only buy wild salmon), exploring the sustainability of different shrimp options and expanding our antibiotics policy.
I am continually impressed with EDF's work and their impressive partner list. They are helping businesses create real change that protects the environment and makes business sense. This recent announcement further confirms that.
- Maisie Greenawalt, Vice President
Normally
we’re enjoying wild California and Oregon salmon this time of year, but urban
development, dams, and water diversion for agriculture have contributed to the
depletion of Coho and Chinook salmon stocks and made some salmon runs extinct. Salmon
faithfully return to the rivers where they were born, making them both highly
dependent on specific freshwater areas and susceptible to population crashes due
to loss of their habitat. The remaining stocks are more vulnerable to fishing
pressure and ocean changes such as warmer sea temperatures. Most of these
alterations, I have to point out, are a result of human influences.
Researching
fine points about fresh versus frozen salmon, I talked to Paul Johnson from
Monterey Fish Market this week. Chef, cookbook author, and fishmonger to the
finest restaurants in the SF Bay Area, Paul sits on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s
Seafood Watch Advisory Board (as do I). In his view, the only advantage to the current
situation is that consumers may try previously less well-known sockeye and pink
salmon. The Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise program is even declaring “Pink is
the New Green.” Paul points out that these two species represent 95 percent of
the well-managed Alaska fishery and have the added advantage of very low contaminant levels.
The average American adult consumes about 16 pounds of seafood annually: approximately ¼ shrimp, ¼ tuna, and ¼ salmon. Losing otherwise sustainable species to man-made environmental threats is tragic, for fishing communities as well as our food supply, but hopefully we can use “opportunities” like this to question our routinized eating habits and diversify healthy alternatives.
-Helene York, Director of the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation
I am often asked by reporters if the sustainability movement is "just a west coast thing." When I point to the year round Farm to Fork station at our cafe at American University in Washington, DC, I hear "well, yeah, but that's the coast too." I then mention the incredible student-run farm at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and get "yeah, but that's a progressive school." Well, here's another example in an unexpected place. The Bon Appetit team at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA has found a network of interested students and faculty to support our initiatives.
In order for us to protect our planet, resources, and communities, "sustainability" must cross all lines - geographic, political, racial, and economic. I'm seeing evidence that that's happening and we at Bon Appetit Management Company couldn't be more thrilled.
Go Georgia! And Texas (St. Edward's University) and Illinois (Wheaton College) and Ohio (AmTrust Bank) and Colorado (Colorado College)...
- Maisie Greenawalt, Vice President
Seems 30,000 ATLANTIC salmon have escaped from a farm into the PACIFIC ocean. The aquaculture company says it's not a problem for the wild fish. Hmmm, I wouldn't want 30,000 of anything moving into my habitat. Talk about an illegal immigration problem.
Through our work with Environmental Defense Fund to improve salmon farming, I got a chance to visit open ocean net pen operations run by this very same company. Actually, I have to say, the employees were conscientious and concerned about the environment. It's just that our views on "acceptable" levels of impact were very different.
At Bon Appetit Management Company, our chefs use only wild salmon. Until the aquaculture industry stops farming species not native to the waters they are being raised in (and solves a number of other problems), I think that's the safest policy for our planet.
- Maisie Greenawalt, vice president
In more than 400 cafés across the country, Bon Appétit Management Company will be launching our Low Carbon Diet program!
At lunchtime, the entire Bon Appétit café will be transformed to illustrate ways our customers can reduce climate change through their food choices. Each station in the café will highlight a principle of the Low Carbon Diet in addition to a low carbon food choice.
We also developed a Low Carbon Diet Calculator, a fun and interactive tool that helps illustrate the impact of your food choices--check it out!
So far, we're off to a good start: a front page spread of the Los Angeles Times!
Here's a short video we made for the Low Carbon Diet as well.
--Katherine Kwon, Communications Project Manager
In the Monterey Herald newspaper today, the Bon Appétit team at Monterey Bay Aquarium received well-deserved kudos for their "use of fresh, seasonal, organic and sustainable food items — along with heavy doses of creativity."
Several culinary delights that impressed food writer Mike Hale and his "foodie" 16-year old daugther:
That's enough to entice any food-lover to stop by for a visit! Add in a beautiful ocean view and great service, Portola Restaurant is a 'must-experience' when you're visiting northern California. As Mike puts it, Portola is "one of the Peninsula's most innovative, interesting and conscientious restaurants." Check out customer reviews on Yelp.
The dynamic Bon Appétit team (left to right): Pastry Chef Cheyenne Diaz, Chef de Cuisine Estevan Jimenez, Executive Chef Dory Ford, Executive Sous Chef Jeffrey Walker (photo credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Tunnell)
-Katherine Kwon, Communications Project Manager
Did you know that the PLU (price look-up) code of produce tells you whether it's organic or genetically-modified?
* The PLU codes on fruit and vegetables contain four numbers (i.e., 4859).
* If produce is organic, the PLU code is 5 numbers starting with a 9 (i.e., 94859).
* If you see 5 numbers starting with an 8, (i.e., 84859), that means the fruit or vegetable is a GMO (a genetically-modified organism).
Of course, you'll see signs loudly marketing fruits and vegetables as organic so you probably won't have to examine the PLU to figure that out. However, for those "quiet" GMOs that have found their way into the food system and consequently into our diets, here's a way to keep them out!
- Katherine Kwon, Communications Project Manager
"And for the category of Most Vegetarian- and Earth-Friendly Corporate Café, the winner is...Yahoo!"
While movie fans eagerly await the verdicts of the (possibly telecast) Oscars this year, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) gave a standing ovation to the winners of their 2008 Proggy Awards. For five years now, PETA has recognized companies, leaders, products and organizations demonstrating animal-friendly achievements in 21st century culture and commerce.
The Bon Appétit Management Company team at Yahoo! was highly praised for their great food and vegetarian-friendly options: "Yahoo's various environmental efforts can be seen on Yahoo! Green, but the real measure of the company's compassion can be tasted at its employee dining hall. The [café] serves more than 6,000 meals per day and features a variety of vegetarian options at each station, including an Asian bowl with Gardein or tofu, pasta and veggie marinara, Boca burgers, a vegan mezze plate, a salad bar, and more along with strategically placed posters pointing out the benefits of a vegetarian diet for the environment, resources, and health."
Visit Yahoo!'s blog, Yodel Anecdotal, to watch a video clip of Executive Chef Bob Hart (aka Chef Bob) expertly illustrating Bon Appétit's various sustainability initiatives. Look closely and you may even catch a cameo of Yahoo!'s CEO Jerry Yang!
Photo: Chef Bob proudly displays his team's Proggy Award
Keep up the great work, Yahoo! team.
-Katherine Kwon, Communications Project Manager
Barbara Kingsolver: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)
Mark Kurlansky: Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
Fields of Plenty: A Farmer's Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It
Daniel Imhoff: Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill
Marion Nestle: Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health
Brian Wansink: Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
Marion Nestle: Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism
Jesse Ziff Cool: Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients
Peter Singer: The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
