Bon Appétit

Time for a New Approach to the Farm Bill

With 400 cafes and restaurants across the country, Bon Appétit chefs must source a significant volume of local foods from sustainable farms to feed our guests every day. As joyfully as we approach this task, the current American agricultural system is unfortunately designed to make our jobs much harder. Despite the recent boom in sustainable and organic foods, it is no secret that small local farms and artisans who rely on them often struggle to keep their farms alive and make a decent living from the land; therefore, for a company such as ours, and for millions of Americans, access to an abundant supply of local foods remains a challenge.

Why is this so? Farm subsidies are almost entirely dedicated to industrial farming, even as more and more chefs and consumers shift their purchasing preferences to foods grown in their own communities, obesity and diabetes make national headlines, and school nutrition is in the crosshairs of parents and health professionals alike.

As the Farm Bill debate faces votes on the House floor, we at Bon Appetit feel that issues at stake are at the heart of our national desire to reform the food system: we believe that the time has come for the Farm Bill to adjust accordingly to the new reality of Americans who are deeply concerned about how their food is grown, who grows it and what affect is has on local economies and the environment. It’s time for a Food Bill that provides sufficient funding for sustainable agriculture, local farms and local food systems, fresh, healthy and nutritious foods for schools and communities with limited access, and environmental conservation measures for farmland.

It is only with a new funding structure for the farm bill that local farmers and artisans can begin to match the demand for the new American food of choice: healthy, local, and sustainable.

If you’d like to get in touch with Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the farm bill up for debate this week, you can post a comment on this website:

http://www.house.gov/pelosi/contact/contact.html

Or you can call or write her district office:

District Office - 450 Golden Gate Ave. - 14th Floor - San Francisco, CA 94102 - (415) 556-4862

- Maisie Greenawalt, Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives

Does it really come down to this?

Two articles I read yesterday morning were both interesting yet concerning:

1. According to a British study released this morning, an estimated 3,200 deaths from cardiovascular disease could be prevented with a "carefully targeted fat tax" on certain foods. On average, this would increase weekly household food expenditure by 3-4%. The researchers from Oxford University gave the examples of tobacco and alcohol arguing that taxing these items effectively reduced consumption and led to improved public health. 

The science is there: too much salt and too much fat in your diet can contribute to heart disease. The obstacle is trying to get people to change their behavior and eating habits, which is much easier said than done. Tobacco and alcohol are not essential to life; food is. Will taxing "bad" food encourage people to eat less of it? This isn't the first time a "fat tax" on foods has been proposed but, should people really be "punished" for wanting a brownie?

2. Alli, the new FDA-approved weight loss pill, has been readily available over-the-counter for the past month without a prescription. Alli prevents your intestines from absorbing the fat you eat in your diet (about 25% of it). The idea is that the unpleasant side effects (such as diarrhea or bloating) will discourage you from eating a high-fat meal.

Talk about negative reinforcement. One extra slice of pizza and you're heading straight to the restroom. People who were interviewed in this USA Today article didn't seem to be too concerned about it; they like the 'constant reminder' that they shouldn't eat fatty foods. I understand that some people need these strict boundaries but what are the chances this will last long-term?

Given that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and that obesity rates continue to skyrocket, some action is necessary and I acknowledge that these are two attempts to move forward (toward a solution). Whether or not the answer is strict government regulation and/or self-imposed physical discomfort, I suppose time will tell. I don't know the answer and I don't believe there is one single answer. How do we address and change our complex (cultural, economic, social, emotional and nutritional) relationship with food? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

--Katherine Kwon, MS, RD, Communications Project Manager

Chefs are building the Low Carbon Diet Program

Last winter, I spent months researching the Low Carbon Diet program. I read scientific journals, participated in listservs, and interviewed scientists. While I enjoyed my work then, I'm finding greater satisfaction now. Over the past month, I've gone to regional meetings of Bon Appetit chefs and managers to explain how food choices contribute to global warming and what we're planning to do about it. I've got two more meetings to go. With an hour-long presentation, I've probably numbed many people, but the comments I've gotten afterwards are fascinating. Here are three: I never realized that fresh seafood would be more energy-intensive than frozen seafood (Portland, OR). I'll never look at a banana the same way again (Los Angeles). I'm planning to grow all my unit's romaine and onions on campus next year (Minneapolis).

Our primary goal in announcing a Low Carbon Diet program was to raise awareness about the connection between food choices and climate change. But we also very much wanted to create change -- especially in the mix of what we buy. In the past month, I've learned again that there's nothing better than giving goals and ideas to a team of very creative people and letting them "go for it."

Even though the program calls for most goals to be reached by April 2008, and some later, most have already eliminated bottled waters from abroad. One unit now gets a tropical fruit delivery once a week instead of five times. Another has changed brewing methods to reduce coffee waste by at least 10%. Most are now asking questions of suppliers that have their suppliers scrambling to find answers. Change is coming. Amazingly, it may be coming even sooner than we anticipated, because chefs are demanding it that way.

- Helene S. York, Director, Bon Appetit Management Company Foundation