Are You Sure You Can Have It 'Your Way'?

When I stopped at the local convenience store early this morning to pick up a cup of coffee and the newspaper, I glanced down when paying and saw a flash of red on the front page. Instinctively, I figured it was blood...or tomatoes.

Unfortunately, it was the latter. Behind a mondo-point headline "Feeling The Squeeze", the Chicago Sun-Times had decided that the tomato shortage story deserved front page tabloid-style status in its major metropolitan newspaper. And given the erosion (I love that word) of the print media industry recently, I was frankly expecting another sensationalist pile-on.

But I was wrong. On page 7 (sorry, tomato story--multiple murders in a nice suburb trumped you on page 3), there was a short but fairly accurate portrayal--"Fresh Tomatoes Are In Short Supply"--of the situation. It included the obligatory terminal market man quote, a la Hotel California--"We haven't seen anything like this since 1989", and the basically factual but inherently faulty fast-food response:

"At Wendy's, which has about 6,200 restaurants in the United States, "We are offering tomatoes to customers by request only," said Denny Lynch, a company spokesman. That's based on limited supply and the "inconsistent" quality."

In my never-ending search for the truth, I visited one of those Wendy's drive-thru establishments the other night and discovered that the request-only sign was taped to the pay window instead of the ordering machine, meaning that unless the ordering party--me--had advance knowledge of the sign further down the lane, I would have to shout the word 'tomato' to the ordering speaker to get some.

So I've deduced that Wendy's, to their credit, are not removing tomatoes from their sandwiches, but are in reality gauging the 'want-to' of the tomato-eating public and managing risk at the same time. Interesting concept, and maybe a vehicle to tweak their buying practices as well. Does it bode well for tomato consumption as a whole? I guess it can't be any worse than grower prices being driven into the stratosphere without any regard for the other shoe dropping when supply returns.

Next mission, should I decide to accept it, will be to order 'everything' and hope I'm not taken literally. Until then.

Jay

Three keys to achieving sustainable agriculture Farm and Dairy

Three keys to achieving sustainable agriculture Farm and Dairy
by Susan Crowell

Have you ever tried to sit on a three-legged stool that had one leg shorter than the other two, or was missing a leg? It’s a balancing act that’s not very easy and you can’t do it for very long.

So it is with working toward sustainable agriculture. You can’t focus on the one leg of economic sustainability and ignore the other legs of environmental sustainability and social sustainability.

Likewise, you can’t build up only the social sustainability leg, or the environmental sustainability leg, because you’ll wobble on the economic sustainability leg — and you can’t do it for very long.

Last week’s column shared insight from Roger Beachy, newly appointed USDA chief scientist and director of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In his remarks to the USDA Outlook Forum Feb. 18, he emphasized that we have to “frame the discussion about sustainability around what science teaches us, but also around the part that recognizes the importance of society in how we provide food and sustain the environment.”

Labels hurt

The bad thing is that when many farmers hear the phrase, “sustainable agriculture,” they think only of Wendell Berry or farm marketers or back-to-the-landers. I’m not sure that they think of themselves.

And the same goes on the other end. I doubt organic farmers see “conventional farmers” or “traditional farmers” as part of “sustainable agriculture.”

Enough with the labels! Look yourself in the mirror and say, “I am a sustainable farmer,” and then go out and do your thing.

We need science

Beachy, who was raised in the Mennonite church in Ohio and Indiana, says he became a scientist because one of his goals was to develop disease-resistant crops that didn’t need a chemical treatment.

“When that solution came through biotechnology, I considered it a sustainable outcome. Others define ’sustainability’ as not involving biotechnology. We disagree.”

Sustainable agriculture is not just low tech. We need science and we need new tools to farm sustainably. I just read about a heat treatment for tomato seed that wards off bacterial canker disease. A certified organic grower in New Jersey loves it and wishes the treatment was available in other crops, like peppers.

Sustainability is about production as well as conservation and protecting natural resources.

New wind

In his February remarks, Beachy cited a report from the National Research Council, and funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy — not the USDA. The report, New Biology for the 21st Century, says a new biology approach is needed to find solutions to four key societal needs: “sustainable food production, ecosystem restoration, optimized biofuel production and improvement in human health.”

Hello? Sounds like agriculture fits into all of the above. Beachy, the scientist, interprets it this way: “The new biology foreshadows a time of momentous change in agriculture sciences.”

What excites Beachy — and me — is that this new wind blowing through the scientific community is emerging at the same time as agriculture — food and farming — is making its way into more dinner table conversations.

“It is clear that we stand at a teachable moment in America where agriculture is again recognized as woven into the fabric of American culture,” Beachy said last month.

Farmers have to stop repeating the phrase, “we feed the world,” and start thinking about what it really means. It’s a huge responsibility, and it can be done long-term, but only if we do it sustainably. One farmer at a time. On all legs.

Author cites food production as villain in climate change - WP

Author cites food production as villain in climate change - WP


The main culprit causing climate change isn't the Hummer; it's the hamburger.

That's the message Anna Lappé, the author of "Diet for a Hot Planet," presented last week to a crowd of more than 100 regional gardeners and foodies at the annual Green Matters Symposium at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, which zeroes in on pressing environmental issues.

The damaging impact of commercial food production has largely slipped under the radar of global environmental policy, although it is one of the biggest reasons the earth is warming, according to Lappé.

"We hear little about how food affects climate," she said.

The title of Lappé's book about food's connection to climate plays off the iconic 1971 vegetarian book, "Diet for a Small Planet," which was written by her mother, Francis Moore Lappé.

Meat production creates more carbon dioxide than all of the world's travel combined, through deforestation, waste and methane that livestock emit, and fossil fuel-based pesticides and synthetic fertilizers farmers use, Anna Lappé said.

Many Westerners live off a packaged, processed diet, blind to the wasteful and combative nature of their food system, Lappé said, adding that until they change their eating habits, it will be tough to make any meaningful change to the environment.

Many of her listeners at the symposium, however, said they have started to shift how they view food.

Last year, the Montgomery County Department of Parks proposed planting seven community gardens across the county, after a test garden thrived in Takoma Park. And Brookside will start growing food this spring for the first time in the 50-acre botanical garden's history.

Such changes reflect the county's push toward growing local food in small community gardens instead of relying on produce delivered from industrial farms, said Mark Richardson, the adult education programs manager for Brookside and coordinator of last week's symposium.
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"It's just a growing movement in our parks," Richardson said. Jessica Weiss was one of those at last week's symposium who is perpetuating the community garden movement. Weiss is the executive director of a new nonprofit group, Sustainable Opportunity for Universal Learning, which uses the earth's natural resources to grow food in urban and rural areas across the county.

The group, based in Sandy Spring, produces healthy soil with leftover food scraps, coffee grounds, beer mash, horse manure and wood chips. Community farmers grow their own fruits and vegetables in the fresh soil, which they sell in farmers markets or use to cook their own meals.

Last week, the Montgomery County Planning Board agreed to let Weiss's nonprofit group grow food on the small patch of land outside the board's Silver Spring headquarters.

Many environmentalists tout the benefits of locally grown food because it travels fewer miles, creating fewer carbon emissions. But a bigger impact of growing food locally is the relationship communities build with the earth, Lappé said. Growing your own food means you are less likely to cut down forests, use harmful pesticides or raise methane-producing cows, she said.

Some communities have struggled in their effort to promote community gardens, however, with some residents objecting to the time and space the gardens demand. Some neighbors even fear that fellow gardeners will use unauthorized pesticides on their plants.

The motivation to grow locally has to come from a desire for sustainable, healthy food, said Gordon Clark, project director of a Montgomery County nonprofit food shed called Victory Gardens. By making the benefits of growing local food personal -- lower cost, more vibrant taste, potential health benefits -- communities will embrace the idea, he suggested.

Eventually, policymakers will take note and a less-wasteful way of eating will become the norm, said Clark, who in 2008 ran as the Green Party candidate for Maryland's 8th Congressional District on an environmental platform.

"The more ways we can think to grow our own food, the better," he said. "Growing our own food is the start of a renovation of people taking back their own lives, their own food."

F.D.A. Cracks Down on Nestlé and Others Over Health Claims on Labels - NYT

F.D.A. Cracks Down on Nestlé and Others Over Health Claims on Labels - NYT

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday released 17 warning letters to food manufacturers, making good on a vow to crack down on misleading labels on food packages.
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The agency accused the companies of pumping up the nutritional claims of their products or masking contents like unhealthy fats. The letters went out to the makers of a broad array of products, including Gerber baby food, Juicy Juice, Dreyer’s ice cream, POM pomegranate juice and Gorton’s fish fillets.

“The F.D.A. is not merely firing a shot across the bow; it is declaring war on misleading food labeling,” said Bruce A. Silverglade, director of legal affairs of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group that had pushed for stricter rules.

The warning letters followed commitments last fall by the F.D.A. commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg, who has made a priority of improving information for consumers on food packages.

Asked about the warning letters, Scott Faber, vice president for federal affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, pointed to an open letter from Dr. Hamburg to the industry that was also released on Wednesday. In that letter, she pledged cooperation with food manufacturers in improving labeling.

“What’s significant today is that Commissioner Hamburg took the extra step of reinforcing her commitment to work with industry to develop a clear, science-based labeling system that is effective with consumers,” Mr. Faber said. The letters, sent last month but just made public, addressed a range of violations.

Several products were singled out for labels that boasted prominently that they contained no trans fat, even though they had high levels of saturated fat. The products included Gorton’s Fish Fillets, Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening and two products from Dreyer’s, the Dibs bite-size ice cream snacks and the vanilla-fudge Drumsticks.

According to Dreyer’s, the Dibs contain 17 grams of saturated fat per serving. Federal guidelines recommend that a person not consume more than 20 grams in a day.

In the case of POM pomegranate juice, the agency said that the company’s Web site, which is listed on its bottles, carried misleading claims that the juice could prevent or cure diseases like hypertension, diabetes and cancer.

Such claims are not allowed on food products and would require that the juice be treated, in regulatory terms, as a drug, according to the letter sent to the company.

POM said that “all statements made in connection with POM products are true” and supported by scientific research.

It added, “We are currently reviewing the F.D.A.’s concerns and, as strong advocates of honest labeling and fair advertising, we are looking forward to working with the agency to resolve this matter.”

The letters also singled out some baby foods made by Gerber and Beech-Nut. The letters say that those foods make numerous health claims that are not allowed because appropriate dietary levels for the nutrients cited have not been established for children under 2 years old.

The F.D.A. said that the labels of some Nestlé Juicy Juice products implied they were primarily made of a single juice, like orange or tangerine, rather than a flavored blend of juices.

Nestlé, which owns Juicy Juice, said that it believed its labels complied with regulations but that it was working with the F.D.A. Dreyer’s and Gerber, which are also owned by Nestlé, said they were cooperating with the F.D.A. and would not comment beyond that.

Efforts to reach several companies were not successful.

BIZWATCH: When Walmart and Meijer act, people watch - IndyStar

BIZWATCH: When Walmart and Meijer act, people watch - IndyStar

There's lots of retail store news lately, so it's probably only appropriate that two of the biggest players in the game are heard from: Walmart and Meijer.

Everybody watches what Walmart does, since it's the biggest retailer in the world, so people in this part of the state paid attention when Walmart announced it was remodeling some Central Indiana stores.

A Walmart on the east side of Indianapolis is getting a makeover that includes "all new shelving, signing, flooring and product assortment," the company announced. A new layout with wider aisles and low-profile shelving is part of the overhaul.

Muncie's Walmart stores are already pretty well updated. The newest, built in 2006, includes "green" features like skylights to help cut down on the necessity for electric lights. The older, northside store was remodeled a few years ago to include groceries.

Of course, Target and Meijer have been remodeled in recent years, with Target adding groceries last year and Meijer getting an extensive face-lift. But Meijer is also pursuing green goals at a Michigan store.

Meijer announced Tuesday that it will renovate its Muskegon, Mich. store to become "the nation's first LEED-certified supercenter remodel."

Meijer's plans include six windmills on the store's roof to produce electricity for the store. The store will capture and treat on site 90 percent of its rainwater. The roof will have high solar reflectivity to reduce "heat island" effects and water use will be reduced.

Workers put Stop & Shop on notice for strike - Greenwichtime

Workers put Stop & Shop on notice for strike - Greenwichtime



Stop & Shop's five unions can go out on strike any time after 3 p.m. Thursday.

That's because the bargaining units, which represent the supermarket chain's 40,000 hourly employees, served formal notice across the negotiating table Wednesday afternoon in Providence, R.I., where talks between labor and management have been underway for days.

The unions' three-year contract with Stop & Shop expired Feb. 21, and their next agreement would carry them through February 2013.

"We got a proposal from the company, and it's not acceptable," said Brian Petronella, president of Local 371, which represents 5,000 workers employed in Stop & Shop's meat, deli and fish departments. "I hand delivered our notice to Mark McGowan, the division presipresident."

According to the notice, the collective bargaining units reserve their right to strike anytime after 3 p.m. Thursday.

Nevertheless, Petronella said, negotiations will continue. Petronella said no strike has been called yet. "I'm going to keep negotiating," he said, adding there could be a possible job action after "that time and date."

Reaction from Stop & Shop was swift.

"This is not unusual in labor negotiations, but nonetheless they are free to initiate a job action as of 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon," Faith Weiner, senior director of public relations for Stop & Shop, said Wednesday afternoon. "And should they choose to do so, we are free to use our temporary replacement workers to operate our stores."

FUW group backs local MP over supermarket ombudsman bid in parliament - Farming UK

FUW group backs local MP over supermarket ombudsman bid in parliament - Farming UK

A delegation of Farmers’ Union of Wales officers and members will attend a parliamentary reception at Westminster tomorrow (4 March) to underline the union’s support for a Supermarket Ombudsman.

Led by FUW vice president, Anglesey dairy farmer Eifion Huws, the delegation was invited by the island’s MP Albert Owen to the reception, co-hosted by Grocery Market Action Group (GMAG) chairman Andrew George MP, on the eve of the second reading of Mr Owen’s Private Members’ Bill calling for an Ombudsman.

"The principle of having an Ombudsman now has the backing of all the main political parties who, like the FUW, recognise it is vital in order to enforce the Grocery Supply Code of Practice introduced by the Competition Commission last month," said Mr Huws.

"The union believes the code goes part of the way towards breaking the arm-lock supermarkets have over their suppliers by providing retailers with clear guidelines for dealing fairly with suppliers. It also strengthens the union’s demands for the Government to take further prompt action and appoint an independent ombudsman with real teeth to ensure supermarkets adhere to the guidelines.

"It is only then that we can be confident that the supermarkets’ arm-lock has been broken once and for all - almost nine years since Tony Blair told farmers the supermarkets had an arm-lock on us and promised it was something ’we have got to sit down with them and work out’.

"Mr Owen’s Bill will enable the Government to implement the Competition Commission’s recommendation for the creation of a new independent arbiter with the power to settle disputes between major retailers and their suppliers.

"It has received wide cross-party support and was sponsored by MPs from Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SDLP. It has also been warmly welcomed by the FUW and a number of significant charities, consumer organisations and business groups."

Nearly six years ago the FUW joined 16 other farming, consumer, development and environmental organisations to form the Breaking the Armlock Alliance and demand stricter controls over the major supermarkets’ trading practices, particularly to stop them passing on unreasonable costs and demands to farmers and growers in the UK and overseas.

The alliance - which also includes ActionAid, Banana Link, British Independent Fruit Growers Association, farm, Farmers for Action, Farmers’ Link, Friends of the Earth, Grassroots Action on Food and Farming, International Institute for Environment and Development, National Federation of Women’s Institutes, National Sheep Association, New Economics Foundation, Pesticide Action Network UK, Soil Association, Small and Family Farms Alliance and WyeCycle - launched its campaign at a parliamentary briefing hosted by Andrew George on 16 March 2004.

But as far back as back as 2000, a Competition Commission report acknowledged the biggest supermarkets were bullying their suppliers and since then mergers and buy-outs have tipped the power balance even further in favour of the retail giants.

In May 2006, following public pressure, the Office of Fair Trading referred the UK grocery retail market for a fresh market investigation by the Competition Commission which completed its inquiry and published its final report in April 2008.

It found supermarkets guilty of transferring unnecessary risks and excessive costs onto their suppliers. In its proposed remedies the commission recommended a new Grocery Supply Code of Practice - to replace the previously discredited Supermarket Code of Practice - and the establishment of an ombudsman to police the new code.

Mr Huws said: "We believe suppliers are forced to bear much of the costs when supermarkets decide to launch price wars. Consumers are happy to see prices fall, and I’m sure that most believe that it is the supermarkets that take a cut in their own profits on individual items to try and win a greater market share.

"But I don’t think they would be so happy if they realised that it is the farmers and suppliers further down the chain that have their profit margins squeezed to allow the supermarkets to make even bigger profits, threatening future food security issues."

NOTE TO EDITORS: Mr Huws, a Welsh speaker, and the other members of the group will be travelling to London by train. He can be contacted for interview on 07711 686757.

Wholesale clubs grow as supermarkets slide - AP

Wholesale clubs grow as supermarkets slide - AP

By SARAH SKIDMORE (AP) – 13 hours ago

PORTLAND, Ore. — A steady stream of shoppers looking for deals on necessities has helped wholesale club operators Costco Wholesale Corp. and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. deliver profit gains while many of their grocery competitors struggle.

Costco and its smaller competitor, BJ's, both reported Wednesday that traffic, profit and sales trends improved at their stores during the quarter.

It's a marked difference from many of its grocery competitors like Kroger Co., Walmart Stores Inc. and others, where food sales that once buoyed business are starting to sink profits thanks to the continued drag of the weak economy and increased price competition.

Costco reported that its second-quarter profit rose 25 percent as strong overseas sales growth and higher gasoline prices lifted its revenue. BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit climbed 5 percent, also due in part to higher gasoline prices effect.

Wholesale clubs have been one of the stronger performers during the economic downturn as they used their size and low-cost format to deliver deals that appealed to cost-concious consumers. And with their promise of all-around savings for members, they have been insulated from the advertising costs and day-to-day price battles of traditional grocers that can cut into profit.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., for example, is the world's largest grocer but it also operates Sam's Club — the other competitor in the wholesale club industry. When the company reported its earnings in February it said its sales at stores open at least a year fell 1.6 percent overall, due in part to weak grocery sales, but rose 0.7 percent at Sam's Club.

Profits at many large national supermarket chains are slipping as stores battle for every purchase, such as Safeway — which said on Wednesday that its 2010 results could miss expectations after a tough year.

Costco and BJ's both said they saw an increase in traffic and their membership figures grew for the quarter. And sales at stores open at least a year, considered a key indicator of a retailer's performance as it strips away the impact of new stores, improved.

Costco said its sales at established stores grew 9 percent, with a significant benefit from the impact of a weaker dollar and higher gasoline prices. At BJ's, sales at stores open at least a year grew 4.6 percent, with a 2.3 percent benefit from gasoline sales.

But shoppers are still shying away from nonessentials as they grapple with high unemployment, a weak housing market and uncertain futures.

"In terms of discretionary (items), it is creeping along, but I don't see any major turnaround," Laura Sen, president and CEO of BJ's, told investors Wednseday.

Looking forward, analysts are expecting Costco — the largest of the wholesale club operators — to deliver the long-term growth given both its stability and international reach.

Standard & Poor's Equity Research analyst Joseph Agnese said he expects Costco traffic trends to remain strong and see sales benefiting from food prices, which had fallen for some time, rising in the second half of the year.

And while he reiterated a "buy" rating on BJ's shares, saying new club growth and technology investments will help drive long-term market share growth, he cautioned the short-term impacts of those investments could cut into its earnings.

Shares of Costco fell 58 cents to $60.80 in late afternoon trading Wednesday and BJ's fell $1.86, more than 5 percent, to $34.61.

Federal Food Aid Diabetes’ Best Friend? - Miller McCune

Federal Food Aid Diabetes’ Best Friend? - Miller McCune

Sen. Tom Coburn says it is. Even if that’s not absolutely true, the U.S. government can do a much better job of encouraging better meals on its dime.

During the health care summit last week, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) suggested
that America needs to restructure some of the systemic culture that leads to poor health in the first place, and not just invest in costly treatment of people once they’re sick. In particular, he mentioned a pair of intriguing culprits.

“We actually create more diabetes through the food stamp program and the school lunch program than probably any other thing,” he said, precisely because we’re not incentivizing people to eat well.
Coburn’s literal claim is hard to fact-check; there are no statistics (nor would it be possible to obtain them) comparing the complex contributing factors of diabetes in America. But the senator – a doctor by background – makes a solid point, if not an oversimplified one.

Low-income shoppers on a constrained budget, the very group these programs target, often make the rational decision in the supermarket to buy the most energy-dense foods limited dollars can afford . And, in the American supermarket, it just so happens that you get more calories per dollar from soft drinks than fruit juice, from refined grains than whole grains, from frozen french fries than fresh broccoli.

“In other words, the foods, beverages, snacks or diets said to promote obesity were, in every case, inexpensive,” Adam Drewnowski , director of the Center for Obesity Research (http://depts.washington.edu/uwcphn/about_us/aboutus.html#cor) at the University of Washington, wrote in a 2007 article in Epidemiologic Reviews
. “What epidemiologic research seems to have shown, fairly consistently, is that obesity is most closely associated with habitual consumption of low-cost foods.”

The food stamp and school lunch programs aren’t exactly instructing people to eat unhealthy foods. But the reality is that unhealthy food is what limited funds can buy in America.

“To my mind, saying to a low-income person, ‘Why don’t you choose to eat a healthy, nutritious diet?’ is not much different from saying ‘Why don’t you choose to live on Park Avenue?’” Drewnowski wrote in an e-mail. “Choice has little to do with it.”

The fundamental dynamic that makes this true has nothing to do with how federal food aid programs are structured. The problem is more deeply rooted in U.S. farm policy in which subsidies to vast monocultures of corn and soybean commodity crops have created an array of processed ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup
that are cheaper than raw vegetables. (It also turns out that processed foods typically have higher profit margins than fresh foods do, feeding a web of interests vested in the status quo.)

This much – that a box of sugared cereal costs less than a pound of apples – is unlikely to change anytime soon. But as Coburn suggested, perhaps we could do more to enable people in the food stamp and school lunch programs to buy healthier foods. The programs don’t currently encourage people to pick potato chips, but they also don’t encourage them to take home raw potatoes.

Both programs were born in the 1930s. The problem then was that some people simply weren’t getting enough to eat, not that they weren’t eating nutritiously enough. Food stamps were more an anti-poverty program than a healthy-eating one. Shifting to a greater consciousness around nutrition is difficult, in part because food stamp advocates are wary of any policy that smells of paternalism
— telling poor people what they can and cannot eat.

So if the federal government doesn’t want to tell people their food stamps or free lunch won’t cover junk food, could it at least create something like the frequent-shopper incentives that get you two bananas for the price of one? Or is that also a step down the road to condescension? Food stamps are now electronically administered with the equivalent of a debit card. It doesn’t seem like such a stretch that that card could now be used to communicate to the cash register that the recipient gets certain discounts (subsidized by the government) on healthy foods, just as other shoppers get regular deals.

Another suggestion, at the state level where all food stamp programs are administered, is to open recipients to more options, such as farmers markets
, where fresh produce can be cheaper than it is at the supermarket. Several states are also now allowing food stamps to be used at restaurants
, although an ambiguous cast of commercial alternatives
has stepped forward to participate. They include Subway, but also Dominos and Popeye’s.

These are precisely the places where you can get a full, hot meal for well under five bucks, and it’s hard to fault a hungry person who takes that deal. But this is probably not what Tom Coburn had in mind, underscoring another dilemma: If health care reform is tied up in the American diet, and the American diet is tied up in industrial-scale food policy, how are we supposed to change all of it?

Chilean Food Exports May Suffer From Quake - Discovery News

Chilean Food Exports May Suffer From Quake - Discovery News

By Lauren Effron | Tue Mar 2, 2010 07:22 PM ET

The horrible earthquake disaster in Chile may be half a world away, but the effects could reach all the way to your kitchen table.

Even though we're still in the middle of winter here in the United States, we've come to expect our grocery stores to be fully stocked with our favorite fruits, vegetables and other spring and summer produce year-round. And stocked they are. Trudge through snow and ice to your local grocery and you can still pick up bananas, oranges, blueberries -- even fresh cut flowers for your mother's birthday.


Trade agreements with foreign countries make it possible for you to have peaches in your yogurt and wine on your dinner table any day of the year. The free trade agreement the U.S. signed with Chile in 2004 is no exception, opening the doors for a flood of fresh produce from the southern hemisphere.

But what happens when a natural disaster strikes? Following this weekend's quake, those peaches -- and many other Chilean goods -- may become harder to find.

In the wake of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Chile on Feb. 27, 2010, the country's ability to export goods has been severely impacted. Key infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, harbors, processing/packaging plants and basic communication lines have been partially or fully destroyed.

According to the Californian and the American Chambers of Commerce, Chile is the United States' 25th largest export partner. For California alone, Chile is its 22th largest export partner, bringing in fresh fruits, forestry products, wines, and seafood to the Golden State.

Chile exported $1.3 billion (in U.S. dollars) worth of fresh fruits in 2003, with packaged food exports tallying at $1.5 billion in 2008, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. Out of all the fruit coming from Chile to the U.S., 65 percent of Chilean fruit crops come through Philadelphia to serve stores east of the Mississippi River, according to a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The remainder enters through Los Angeles. About 50 percent of all fruit in the U.S. is Chilean.

The entire southern hemisphere is in the peak of its harvest season for these crops, so this quake's aftermath will truly be felt on produce stands from coast to coast. Going by the numbers, let's break down five of some of these top food exports from Chile to the U.S.:
Chile-grapes Chile-wine Grapes

Chile is the primary worldwide exporter of grapes, with control over 24 percent of the global grape market, according to the Produce Marketing Association's 2003 records.

The USDA reports that raisins are the most popular dried fruit in America. They accounting for about two-thirds of total dried fruit consumption. Generally raisins are produced domestically, but the U.S. also imported 42.5 million pounds of raisins in 2008, primarily from Chile. Chile has been the leading supplier of raisins to the U.S. since 2000.

Wine is also another major commodity in Chile, and early reports are not looking good. According to WineSpectator.com, many wineries are reporting "broken tanks and millions of liters of wine lost." According to a Nov. 2009 USDA report, Chile is fourth in the world for wine exports.


By 2008, Chile had fought its way to become the world's largest plum supplier. Over 36 plum varieties are planted in Chile, and the U.S. is the main export market for fresh plums followed by EU member countries and China (Hong Kong).
Kiwis

Also crowned the second-biggest kiwifruit exporter in 2008, Chile was able to gain this title after kiwi exports to the U.S. increased after the 2004 free trade deal, according to a 2008 Congressional Research Service report.
Chile-peaches Peaches

In 2003, 9 percent of the world's peaches were produced in Chile, with a heavy hand in exporting canned peaches. By 2008, over 60 percent of Chile’s total peach and nectarine exports were bound for the United States, USDA reports show.


Chile has a successful seafood industry with farmed salmon ranking second in the world for salmon exports, according to a 2009 USDA report. Chilean salmon exports to the U.S. skyrocketed from 1.2 million pounds in 1989 to 50 million pounds in 1996 -- enough for salmon farming industries in Maine and Washington State to feel the pinch and call for legislation to curb the glut of the tasty fish.

While it's still too early to tell how badly the earthquake and tsunami aftermath will affect these crops, Chilean officials are hopeful. The chairman of ASOEX, the Santiago-based Chilean Exporters Association, Ronald Brown said "initial reports [of fruit crop and packing facility damage] are encouraging" in a press release on Mar. 1, 2010.

"Because Chile has moved to the peak of the harvest season, a substantial volume of fruit is on the water headed for international ports," Brown said in the release, "We do not anticipate major disruption in fruit supplies."

So for the next few days, grocery stores across the U.S. should see normal produce supplies. After that, only time will tell. It's possible for prices to rise, and even for some of these items to disappear from our fruit bowls and dinner plates for a while. Bottom line -- it depends on how fast the people of Chile can get back on their feet.

Feeling the sqeeze: Fresh tomatoes are in short supply - Chicago Sun Times

Feeling the sqeeze: Fresh tomatoes are in short supply - Chicago Sun Times
PRICES SOAR | Florida freeze wiped out winter crop



March 4, 2010
BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter/sesposito@suntimes.com

If you've been to a Wendy's restaurant lately, you may have wondered, "Where's the beefsteak?"

Big and juicy all-American tomatoes are in such short supply that customers have to make a special request to have one slapped on top of their hamburger.
» Click to enlarge image
Magaly Patricia Guachichulca hands a customer a salad at Lloyd's Express, 1 S. Wacker Dr., where signs explain why roma tomatoes are substituting for the usual variety. At right is manager Juan Galvan.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)


» Click to enlarge image
Workers carry buckets of tomatoes last month at a tomato farm in Homestead, Fla.
(Getty Images)



Bob-O-Rino's sub shop in Portage Park is taking drastic measures to combat soaring tomato prices.

"Instead of whole slices, we are giving half slices, so I don't have to raise prices," said the sub shop's owner, Bob Jacobson.

People in the tomato industry -- growers and wholesalers -- are calling the tomato shortage a "crisis."

Blame freezing temperatures in mid-January that just about wiped out the tomato crop in Florida, by far the largest domestic grower of fresh tomatoes at this time of year.

The typical winter yield is about 25 million pounds of tomatoes per week, said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, a trade group.

"We are harvesting probably 20 percent of that," Brown said, adding that Florida tomato growers, all told, are out "tens of millions of dollars."

Chicago wholesaler Wayne Passoff, who refers to himself as the "Tomato Man" and has a tattoo of the red fruit on each arm, said: "I haven't seen anything like this since 1989."

Wholesalers are importing tomatoes from Mexico, but demand is exceeding supply, said Gino Alimondi, vice president of Get Fresh Produce Inc., a wholesale vegetable, fruit and dairy distributor based in Bartlett.

That supply shortage is driving up prices -- about three times higher, both for wholesale and retail, than normal for this time of year.

Alimondi said he's suggesting clients supplement their "round" tomatoes with the cheaper and more plentiful Roma, grape and cherry varieties.

"Obviously, if you need a sliced tomato for a hamburger, you can't be using a cherry tomato," he said.

At Lloyd's Express, a busy lunch spot at 1 S. Wacker Dr., they've put up a sign telling customers the restaurant has substituted cheaper Roma tomatoes for the round ones.

In stores, tomatoes that typically average 79 to 99 cents a pound are selling for close to $3, although some big-store chains such as Jewel-Osco say they've imported enough from Mexico and Canada to keep prices low.

Subway says it isn't raising sandwich prices either -- it's expanding the tomato varieties stores use to meet demand.

At Wendy's, which has about 6,200 restaurants in the United States, "We are offering tomatoes to customers by request only," said Denny Lynch, a company spokesman. That's based on limited supply and the "inconsistent" quality.

But there is some good news in all of this -- the next Florida tomato crop isn't far off.

"By Easter, everything should be straightened out," Passoff

Fresh Del Monte results for 4th quarter - BusinessWire

Fresh Del Monte results for 4th quarter - BusinessWire

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Mar 02, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!fdp/quotes/nls/fdp (FDP 19.58, -1.57, -7.42%) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended January 1, 2010. Excluding asset impairment and other charges, net, the Company reported earnings per diluted share of $0.36 for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with earnings per diluted share of $0.41 in the fourth quarter of 2008. Excluding asset impairment and other charges, net, earnings per diluted share for the full year were $2.63, compared with earnings per diluted share of $2.82 for the full year of 2008.

"We delivered a solid fourth quarter, particularly in the face of a prolonged economic slowdown which affected profitability in our Europe and Asia banana businesses," said Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fresh Del Monte Produce. "Our performance was driven by strong sales in our gold pineapple and fresh-cut product lines. Moving forward, our primary objectives for 2010 are to continue expanding our core product lines, controlling costs, and maintaining our commitment to increase shareholder value over the long-term."

Net sales for the quarter were $872.1 million, compared with $831.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. The increase in net sales was primarily driven by improved performance in the Company's gold pineapple and fresh-cut product lines, along with higher net sales for the Company's banana business segment. Net sales were negatively impacted by lower sales of the Company's other products and services and prepared food business segments. The Company also benefited from a 14-week fourth quarter in 2009, compared with a 13-week fourth quarter in 2008.

Gross profit for the quarter was $65.1 million, compared with gross profit of $69.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2008, excluding other charges, net, for both periods. The decrease in gross profit was due to significantly lower profitability in the Company's banana business segment in Europe and Asia.

Operating income for the quarter was $28.9 million, compared with $30.2 million in the prior year, excluding asset impairment and other charges, net, for both periods. The decline was principally due to the decrease in gross profit.

Net income for the quarter was $22.8 million, compared with $26.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2008, excluding asset impairment and other charges, net. The decrease in net income was primarily attributable to lower gross profit, higher selling, general and administrative expenses, partially offset by lower interest expense.



Fourth Quarter 2009 Business Segment Performance

(As reported in business segment data)

Bananas

Net sales increased 5% to $385.5 million during the quarter, compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily driven by higher sales in the Company's Europe, Middle East and North America regions. Volume was up 7%. Worldwide pricing decreased $0.15 or 1% to $12.98 per unit. The slight decrease in worldwide banana selling prices was principally due to considerably lower banana selling prices in Asia. Gross profit decreased by $18.6 million to $3.7 million. Banana gross profit included a $2.1 million insurance reimbursement for flood damage at the Company's farms in Brazil. Unit costs increased 4%.

Other Fresh Produce

Net sales for the quarter increased 10% to $375.4 million, primarily attributable to higher volume and selling prices in the Company's gold pineapple and fresh-cut product lines. Gross profit increased $18.2 million to $49.9 million, primarily due to lower unit costs and higher selling prices.

-- Gold pineapple -- Net sales increased 19% to $137.6 million. Volume increased 18%. Pricing increased 1%. Unit cost decreased 7%, primarily due to higher volume.

-- Melon -- Net sales increased 15% to $69.5 million, principally the result of a 23% increase in volume. Pricing decreased 7%, due to higher industry supply in the marketplace. Unit cost was in line with the prior year period.

-- Fresh-cut -- Net sales increased 15% to $76.5 million. The growth in net sales in the quarter was primarily due to further expansion of our fresh-cut fruit product line in retail grocery stores, club stores and convenience stores. Volume was 8% higher. Pricing increased 7%. Unit cost decreased 6%, mainly due to lower fruit cost and ongoing operational efficiencies and improvements.

-- Non-tropical -- Net sales decreased 6% to $35.4 million. Volume decreased 2%. Pricing was 5% lower. Unit cost decreased 10%.

-- Tomato -- Net sales decreased 2% to $29.4 million. Volume was 1% lower. Pricing decreased 2%. Unit cost increased 2%.

Prepared Food

Net sales decreased 5% to $89.3 million for the fourth quarter, primarily the result of lower sales of the Company's canned pineapple and beverage product lines, partially offset by higher sales in the Company's Middle East poultry and processed meat businesses and favorable exchange rates. Gross profit for the quarter was $10.3 million, compared with $13.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Other Products and Services

Net sales decreased 26% to $21.9 million for the quarter, due to lower net sales in the Company's third-party freight and Argentine grain businesses. Gross profit was $3.1 million, compared with $1.3 million in the prior year period.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense recorded in the fourth quarter was $1.0 million. Tax expense included a tax benefit of $5.3 million related to the reduction of valuation allowances.

Cash Flows for the Full-Year

Net cash provided by operating activities for the full-year of 2009 was $256.1 million, compared with $205.0 million for 2008. The increase was primarily due to lower accounts receivable and inventory balances, offset by lower net income, and higher payments for accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Total Debt

Total debt decreased from $512.8 million at the end of 2008 to $325.2 million at the end of 2009, a $187.6 million decrease.

Conference Call and Web Cast Data

Fresh Del Monte will host a conference call and simultaneous web cast at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time today to discuss the fourth quarter and Full-Year 2009 financial results and to review the Company's progress and outlook. The Web cast can be accessed on the Company's Investor Relations home page at www.freshdelmonte.com. The call will be available for re-broadcast on the Company's Web site approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call.

About Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is one of the world's leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, as well as a leading producer and distributor of prepared food in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Fresh Del Monte markets its products worldwide under the Del Monte(R) brand, a symbol of product innovation, quality, freshness and reliability for more than 100 years.

Forward-looking Information

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements regarding the intent, beliefs or current expectations of the Company or its officers with respect to the Company's plans and future performance. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company assumes no obligation to update these statements. It is important to note that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. In this press release, these statements appear in a number of places and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company or its officers (including statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates" or similar expressions). The Company's plans and performance may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including (i) the uncertain global economic environment and the timing and strength of a recovery in the markets we serve, and the extent to which adverse economic conditions continue to affect the Company's sales, volume and results, including its ability to command premium prices for certain of the Company's principal products, or increase competitive pressures within the industry, (ii) the impact of governmental initiatives in the United States and abroad to spur economic activity, including the effects of significant government monetary or other market interventions on inflation, price controls and foreign exchange rates, (iii) the Company's anticipated cash needs in light of its liquidity, (iv) the continued ability of the Company's distributors and suppliers to have access to sufficient liquidity to fund their operations, (v) trends and other factors affecting the Company's financial condition or results of operations from period to period, including changes in product mix or consumer demand for branded products such as the Company's, particularly as consumers remain price-conscious in the current economic environment, as well as anticipated price and expense levels, the impact of weather on crop quality and yields, the impact of prices for petroleum based products and packaging materials and the availability of sufficient labor during peak growing and harvesting seasons, (vi) the impact of pricing and other actions by our competitors, particularly during periods of low consumer confidence and spending levels, (vii) the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, (viii) the Company's plans for expansion of its business (including through acquisitions) and cost savings, (ix) the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions into its operations, (x) the timing and cost of resolution of pending legal and environmental proceedings, (xi) the impact of changes in tax accounting or tax laws (or interpretations thereof), and the impact of settlements of adjustments proposed by the Internal Revenue Service or other taxing authorities in connection with the Company's tax audits, and (xii) the cost and other implications of changes in regulations applicable to our business, including potential legislative or regulatory initiatives in the Unites States or elsewhere directed at mitigating the effects of climate change. The Company's plans and performance may also be affected by the factors described in Item 1A. -- "Risk Factors" in Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 26, 2008 along with other reports that the Company has on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.

Havana food production fails to meet expectations

Havana food production fails to meet expectations

(AP) – 12 hours ago

HAVANA — Production of fruits and vegetables in Cuba's capital and surrounding farmlands is 40 percent lower than expected so far this year, as the island's agricultural sector continues to founder despite a series of reforms.

The Communist Party newspaper Granma said Havana province, which includes the city of the same name, fell short of its targets through the end of February largely because of government ineptitude.

It reported that authorities failed to provide farmers with seeds in a timely manner and said fertilizer and other nutrients to bolster crops were also slow in coming.

The result was less food for sale at heavily subsidized state farmer's markets.

"The frequently semi-empty stalls at the markets are signs of these failures and the difference between what is produced in the countryside and what is sold," the newspaper said.

Shortages of all kinds of basics, from lettuce to potatoes to peanuts, are common in Cuba, though some items have lately been even more difficult to find than usual.

President Raul Castro has made improving food production and slashing expensive imports a top priority since taking power from his brother Fidel — first temporarily, then permanently — in 2006.

The government shifted much of the control of government-run farms from Agricultural Ministry officials in Havana to local farming boards in hopes of boosting productivity. It also put far more idle state land into the hands of private farmers.

Still, the government continues to provide seeds, fertilizer, gasoline and other supplies to farms and buys up nearly all of what they produce. Problems at any point in the supply chain can cause lengthy delays and hurt production.

Looking Back Before Moving On - Calgary Herald

Looking Back Before Moving On - Calgary Herald

Some of the most important lessons I've learned

By Michelle Magnan, Calgary HeraldMarch 4, 2010 3:03 AM



For three years, I've been writing about health and fitness. And I've adored every second of it. But I'm about to leave the Calgary Herald to tackle another great opportunity. Seeing as this will be my second-last health story -my article about springtime skin care will run next Thursday -I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what I've learned over the last three years. So, without further ado, here are six of the most memorable lessons that will always stick with me:

---

1. After interviewing countless dietitians, nutritionists and health experts, I've come to realize there are certain things we should all consume more of: water, fibre, omega-3 essential fatty acids, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Something we should consume less of? Alcohol. Which is why, in the fall of 2007, I gave up booze for eight weeks and wrote about the experience in the Real Life section. The trigger was a series of studies that reported on alcohol's negative effects, in particular a World Cancer Research Fund study that said alcohol is a cause of many cancers and, in an ideal world, we'd all avoid the stuff. I was happy with the results. I felt good, spent less money and was forced to explore other ways to be social with friends, because, the truth is, Calgarians like to drink. And readers had a lot to say about my experiment -- I have never received so much feedback on a story. People wrote me e-mails to agree that, when it comes to socializing, we rely too much on drinking and too little on healthier activities. I'm pleased to report that ever since that eight-week stint, I've scaled back on drinking outings with friends. I do enjoy wine and don't see that changing, but my overall consumption is down -- and that's a good thing.

2. One of the easiest ways to be healthier when you eat out at a sit-down restaurant is to ask for no added salt. I learned this trick from Sam Graci, creator of the Greens+ products, when we had lunch at River Cafe. Asking for no salt, something the majority of North Americans get far too much of in their daily diets, was a simple request -and one that I felt could become a habit, no problem. And if you're wondering, our salmon entrees and veggies still tasted great without it.

3. To run up a hill, shorten your stride and avoid landing on your heel. Instead, land mid-foot or toward the toes. That piece of advice came from Scott Gilbert, a Calgary-area manager for The Running Room. And it has changed my running life. No longer do I dread tackling hills; now, I power up them better than ever before. Thanks, Scott.

4. To keep a relationship healthy, strive to maintain two things: mutual respect and shared daily routines. When I interviewed four happy couples for a Valentine's Day story a couple of years ago, those were the two insights that emerged as the common theme -- no matter my interviewees' ages or how long they'd been together. They all said that having a deep respect for your partner is critical, as is doing something together, day in and day out, whether it be eating breakfast and reading the paper or having a bath at the end of the day.

5. Vegetables can -and should -be consumed at any hour of the day. John Berardi, a man with a PhD in exercise and nutritional biochemistry, once told me he eats 15 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which is over and above Health Canada's recommendation that we all eat seven to 10 servings a day. To squeeze them all in, he often kicks his day off with eggs and a big green salad. For a while, I did that too. Though my morning salads have since dwindled, I do make an effort to eat a fruit or veggie at every meal and snack. Also, based on the advice of a few dietitians I've interviewed over the years, I try to eat more veggies than fruits, as they contain fewer calories but are still packed with nutrition.

6. The magic health bullet? It exists. And it's called nutrition and exercise. Eat well and move lots and you'll lower your risk of disease, and improve your overall health, your mood and, ultimately, your life. Forget detoxes, dieting and all of the other fast fixes we've heard about over the years. Experts agree that there is no magical way to shed pounds or improve your overall health -- other than eating healthily and exercising regularly. The bottom line is those are the two most important habits I will aim to keep alive, long after my last health story has gone to print.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Looking+Back+Before+Moving/2639980/story.html#ixzz0hCeB3YBh

Study: Snacks Make Up 27% of Kids CaloriesKids Snack on Junk Food 3 Times a Day, Adding 168 Calories to Daily Intake, New Research Shows - CBS

Study: Snacks Make Up 27% of Kids CaloriesKids Snack on Junk Food 3 Times a Day, Adding 168 Calories to Daily Intake, New Research Shows - CBS

(CBS) American kids snack three times a day and chips, candy and other junk foods now account for more than 27 percent of children's daily caloric intake, according to a new study released Tuesday.

The new research comes as childhood obesity is soaring in the U.S. with more than 12 million American children - roughly 17 percent - considered overweight.

The spike in snacking added 168 calories per day to kids' diets between 1977 and 2006, according to Carmen Piernas and Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina reported.

"To put 168 extra calories per day in perspective: at 3,500 calories per pound, that translates to 17.5 extra pounds a year," says CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.

The research appears in Health Affairs Journal, which also cites a study showing the national prevalence of obesity among U.S. children ages 10-17 has grown from 14.8 percent in 2003 to 16.4 percent in 2007.

First Lady Michele Obama has taken up the issue of childhood obesity. Earlier this month, Mrs. Obama invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Cabinet members to the White House Tuesday to help firm up plans for her national campaign against the growing problem.

The odds of obesity appear stacked against black and Hispanic children starting even before birth, another new study suggests.

Diet may play a part in ovarian cancer survival rates - LA Times

Diet may play a part in ovarian cancer survival rates - LA Times
March 2, 2010 | 1:18 pm

Mom's admonishments to eat your fruits and vegetables should still be heeded, since a new study found that a diet high in fruits, vegetables and healthful grains may be associated with higher ovarian cancer survival rates.

Ky9gcvnc Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago examined data from a longitudinal study looking at the self-reported, pre-diagnosis diets of women who had epithelial ovarian cancer. With epithelian ovarian cancer, malignant cells are found in the tissue that covers the ovary. The 351 study participants filled out a questionnaire that covered what they ate for three to five years before receiving their diagnosis. They were given a list of foods and food subgroups; grains and meats, for example were divided into more healthful and less healthful categories. Less healthful meats included red meat and cured meats.

Eating more fruits and vegetables and healthful grains was associated with a longer survival time, as was eating just vegetables. The amounts eaten were about the amounts recommended in the National Institutes of Health 5-A-Day program, which suggests eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables every day. When the researchers looked at vegetable subgroups, only cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, and yellow vegetables were linked with a lengthier survival.

Those less healthful meats were associated with a shorter survival time. No correlation with survival time was noted for white meats, such as chicken, and fish. There was also more risk associated with consumption of milk and milk-based foods.

In the paper, the authors wrote, "Although the study does not directly address how diet might mechanistically influence survival time, it does create an awareness of a potential area for future research toward understanding disparities in the cancer survivorship experience."

The study appears in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn.

-- Jeannine Stein

90 Percent of High School Kids Lack Sufficient Intake of Fruits, Veggies - Natural News

90 Percent of High School Kids Lack Sufficient Intake of Fruits, Veggies - Natural News

NaturalNews) Less than 10 percent of high school students in the United States meet the federally recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"A diet high in fruits and vegetables is important for optimal child growth, maintaining a healthy weight, and prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, " said William H. Dietz, director of the Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Division of the CDC. "This report will help states determine what is taking place in their communities and schools and come up with ways to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables."

In 2007, the CDC surveyed both adults and high school students on their daily consumption of fruits or vegetables. Even though they are considered less healthy than whole fruits, fruit juices were counted toward daily fruit intake goals.

Even so, only 32 percent of the 100,000 students surveyed said they ate at least two servings of fruit per day, while only 13 percent consumed at least three daily servings of vegetables. Less than 10 percent ate enough of both.

The numbers among adults were similar for fruit consumption, and only slightly better for vegetables. Thirty-three percent of adults consumed at least two servings of fruits per day, while 27 percent consumed at least three servings of vegetables.

Details of the results varied by state, with Arkansas and North Carolina scoring significantly below the average and Vermont and other New England states scoring significantly above it. The researchers found that states with more farmers markets per capita than the national average tended to have higher rates of fruit and vegetable consumption. Schools in states scoring above average were also more likely to make fresh fruit available on campus.

The study calls attention to how far the government is from achieving its goal of getting 75 percent of people to consume two daily fruit servings and 50 percent to consume three daily vegetable servings by 2010.

"This is a call for states, communities, schools, and families to support increased fruit and vegetable consumption,'' researcher Heidi Blanck said.

Sources for this story include: www.boston.com; www.cdc.gov.

Co-op aims to provide low-cost fruits, veggies - Salt Lake Tribune

Co-op aims to provide low-cost fruits, veggies - Salt Lake Tribune

Holly Chapman hopes enrolling in a food cooperative will help her have a healthier diet.

"It actually seemed like a good way to make myself eat more fruits and vegetables," the Salt Lake City resident said on a crisp Saturday morning while waiting to receive her first "bountiful basket." And the pitch of getting $45 to $50 worth of fresh produce for $15 is also a plus, said two women nearby, who stood with about 140 other people carrying laundry hampers and boxes to cart away their allotted food from the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op pick-up site at the West Bountiful City Hall.

It's that goal of eating good food coupled with saving money that has led Bountiful Baskets -- a Phoenix-area initiative -- to grow from two sites in Utah last March to roughly 36 this year, from as far north as Richmond down to St. George, supporters say.

Though she's surprised by the program's popularity, SariAnn Stone, who started the Brigham City and Clearfield sites last year, says it makes sense.

"With the economy the way it is ... when you're struggling to put food on the table, you're not going to go to the produce, you're going to go for something cheap and something that will last in your pantry," said Stone, who wanted to start the co-op in Utah after moving away from Arizona, where she first became involved in Bountiful Baskets.

The co-op was formed about seven years ago by Tanya Jolly,
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who lives in Mesa. Two years later, Sally Stevens brought the program to her nearby community, but they say Bountiful Baskets has grown most in the past 31/2 years. Back then, there were about 120 families participating; now it's thousands, they say. Locations have sprouted in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Washington state.

Jolly and Stevens try to help others form and lead their own sites; Bountiful Baskets is a nonprofit that relies on volunteers.

The two say they were inspired after longing for the farmers' markets they knew when living in California's Bay area. They were used to fresh, locally grown foods, but in Arizona, trying to find deals meant they had to rely on coupons and cheap prices for mostly processed and pre-packaged goods.

"It was hard to balance," Jolly said. "Do we go with the inexpensive, or eat what we want: the fresh produce?"

As their families got bigger and older, they needed more food, but fruits and vegetables were hard to buy in bulk.

"This is a nice way to feed a family on a budget with healthy food, instead of food you kind of feel bad giving your kids," Stevens said. She added that the produce may not be local, but Bountiful Baskets does aim to supply regional items.

And Jolly said the push for healthier food is starting to get more attention, especially as people hear about medical costs and realize a large part of being healthy means eating healthy. "You don't get to be a couch potato all the time and take a multivitamin and be healthy."

One way to look at the cost of food goes beyond comparing the price tags between an apple and potato chips. Instead, it's a comparison between nutritional values, said University of Utah's Julie Metos, director of the nutrition master's degree program.

"Produce is a great nutrition bargain, even at grocery store prices, for the kinds of nutrients that you get and the kind of disease-prevention qualities you get," Metos said, who encourages people to buy as much fresh fruits and vegetables as they can afford. The minimal recommendation is to eat five to nine servings of fruits and veggies a day.

Metos has seen other food co-ops recently started by food banks and low-income resource centers. She said there's a resurgence in movements that were popular in the 1970s to cut out grocery store "middle men" in favor of other collectives, such as farmer's markets, co-ops and community-supported agriculture, where people buy "shares" of a farmer's yield and receive weekly shipments.

For Salt Lake City resident Elizabeth Garcia-Leavitt, the swiss chard, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, lemons and eight other types of fruits and vegetables she packed into her canvas bags seemed to make Bountiful Baskets more than a one-time endeavor.

The $15 price tag "considering these two bunches," Garcia-Leavitt said picking up asparagus, "is incredible."


How Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op works

Participants log in to the food co-op's Web site on Tuesdays to sign up to receive a shipment of produce -- the food delivered is a grab bag of fruits and vegetables that depends largely on what the wholesaler has available. A regular basket, which features about 12 different kinds of produce, such as bunches of asparagus and bags of russet potatoes, costs $15. Bountiful Baskets organizers say that, depending on seasonal availability and sales, the amount of food delivered would cost between $45 and $50 at a grocery store.

The money from participants is pooled to buy a shipment of produce from Phoenix-based Kodiak Fresh Produce. The food is delivered on Saturday mornings to various locations, where volunteers evenly separate the food in baskets to be collected by each participant. Some sites only have bi-weekly shipments, others do weekly pickups.

More information and site locations are available on Facebook or at bountifulbaskets.org.
Locations

West Bountiful, West Haven, Washington City, Uintah, Tuacahn, Syracuse, St. George, Springville, South Ogden, South Jordan, Smithfield, Roy, Richman, Provo, Harrisville, Plain City, Parowan, Ogden, Newton, Mendon, LaVerkin, Kaysville, Hyrum, Hyde Park, Hurricane, Hooper, Herriman, Garland, Enoch, Clearfield, Cedar City, Brigham City, Beaver
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