UEPI - CFJ - Food Justice Network Newsletter

A (usually) weekly update on a spectrum of food issues in the Los Angeles area, promoting access to food that are sufficient, affordable, healthy and locally grown---with a focus on campaigns you can become active in!

Wednesday April 21
10 am to Noon
Legal Aid Foundation
1102 S. Crenshaw, L.A.
Community Room

If you didn't make the last meeting you missed an excellent presentation by Steve Baldwin of the Hawthorne Nutrition Network diagramming the increase in obesity in the U.S. over the last twenty years and what they're doing about it in the Hawthorne school district. We also had some very eye-opening information comparing the advertising budgets for fresh food vs. convenience foods, candy, alcohol and other items and a discussion about possibilities for city wide policies in Los Angeles restricting the growth of "junk" or "fast" foods.

We also had some planning for the upcoming California Community Food Security Summit "Taking Back the Food System: Organizing for Food Justice in California" which will be held at USC on June 10 and 11. Check www.foodsecurity.org/california for updates and registration information. The LA Food Justice Network is a sponsor of this event and will be putting together a fun evening of dinner and local entertainment called "A Healthy Taste of L.A." as part of the event. For more information contact heather@foodsecurity.org

2. House Passes Child Nutrition Bill: Includes Farm to School Provisions
(Thanks to Ellen Teller with FRAC and Heather Fenney with Community Food Security Coalition)

Wednesday March 24, the House of Representatives passed its child nutrition bill (H.R. 3873, the "Child Nutrition Improvement and Integrity Act")--with FARM TO CAFETERIA PROVISIONS IN IT. These provisions are almost identical to H.R. 2626, the Farm to Cafeteria Projects Act, and create a grant program for schools, school districts, and non-profit organizations that will cover the initial costs of Farm to Cafeteria projects. The Senate will be moving forward within the next few months, and we still need your support to achieve similar success there.

1) Congress will soon go on recess and our Senators will be back CA April 10 -18. Call Dianne Feinstein's or Barbara Boxer's local offices today and invite them, or their staff, to come visit your project! Even if you do not have a Farm to Cafeteria project, you can discuss how farm to cafeteria legislation would improve the school food environment in your area. Contact Sarah at sarah@foodsecurity.org to get handouts and materials for such a meeting.

2) Please continue to call, write, and e-mail your Senators asking that they co-sponsor S. 1755, the Farm to Cafeteria Projects Act, and support the inclusion of its provisions in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

Dianne Feinstein
In DC: 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, 202-224-3841
In Los Angeles: 11111 San Monica Boulevard, Suite 915, Los Angles, CA 90025, 310-914-7300

Barbara Boxer
In DC: 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, 202-224-3553
In Los Angeles: 312 North Spring Street, Suite 1748, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-894-5000

Feel free to contact Heather Fenney at heather@foodsecurity.org or Sarah Borron at sarah@foodsecurity.org with your questions and concerns.

For a section-by-section analysis of HR 3873, click here: http://www.frac.org/pdf/HR3873analysis.pdf

Continue to check the FRAC Child Nutrition Reauthorization website for more information on this process: http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/cnreauthor/cnrc.htm.

On March 29th, the California Rice Commission gave their approval for the planting and milling of two genetically engineered drug-producing rice varieties spliced with synthetic human genes. This will be the first commercial pharmaceutical food crop in the world and could be planted anywhere in the state.

The Food and Drug Administration has established a zero tolerance for pharmaceutical crop products in food and animal feed. Contamination of the food supply with this rice is inevitable!

This "pharm" rice is produced by Ventria Biosciences, a Sacramento-based company. Ventria's rice has been genetically engineered by inserting human genes, and it produces drugs for infant formula and as antibiotic substitutes in poultry feed.

These rice varieties have not yet received federal approval for marketing as drugs, and have not been approved for human or animal consumption by the Food and Drug Administration. The federal government has not evaluated their safety for humans or the environment.

Final approval for this Pharmaceutical Rice must still be granted by The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). CDFA may be making a decision at any time.

Send an email to the CDFA Secretary, A.G. Kawamura encouraging him to delay approval of the Ventria's rice until this rice has been approved for human consumption and at the very least to allow for public input during the decision making process. You can send an email directly at http://www.thecampaign.org/california.php Or cut and paste the sample comments below and send to : secretary@cdfa.ca.gov You can also call the CDFA at 916-654-0433.

I am writing to express my concern about the recent recommendation of the California Rice Commission to approve a protocol for the Ventria Biosciences pharmaceutical rice varieties.

This pharmaceutical rice has not been approved for human consumption by the federal government. Until approval is obtained by Ventria, no certification for commercial production in California should be granted until there is approval for human consumption.

This and other potential sources of contamination present great danger to the purity and reputation of California rice. Even a small risk of contamination is too great, and will not be tolerated by consumers or foreign markets. The California rice industry cannot afford contamination, or the risk of contamination from this rice.

USDA has issued a wide-ranging request for comments on its approach to regulating genetically engineered crops and animals. This request may be preliminary to significant changes in federal biotech regulations. The comments currently being solicited will directly affect the range of issues to be considered in future regulatory proposals. A large response is urgently needed, telling USDA that genetic engineering in agriculture must be much more stringently regulated to prevent unintended spread into the environment and the food supply.

Please circulate this alert to your networks, your friends and family. A formatted, downloadable version of this alert can be found at http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=78158:2562739.

Send comments to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA: regulations@aphis.usda.gov, and include "Docket No. 03-031-2" in the subject line of your e-mail. The comment deadline is APRIL 13, 2004. This is actually an extension granted last week by the USDA from the original due date of March 23, 2004.

Comments should not be identical form letters, but instead individually drafted comments that touch on the same points. Below are the main highlights you should include in your own words. Include the reasons why these outcomes are important (e.g., your concerns about food contamination, superweeds, loss of markets, etc.), and why it matters to you (e.g., as a consumer, as a farmer, etc.).

*USDA-APHIS should revise its regulations for genetically engineered organisms, and should stringently regulate all such organisms as "plant pests" under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S. Code 7701-7772). USDA-APHIS should exercise the fullest extent of its authority to ensure rigid containment of all genetically engineered organisms, and to prevent any unintended release of such organisms.

*All genetically engineered plants or plant products should be regulated as "noxious weeds." All such plants and plant products can and do cause economic and agronomic damage to other crops and livestock.

*Unintended spread of any genetically engineered organism into the environment or food supply-chain, at any level, is unacceptable. There should not be any tolerance or exemptions for "low-level" presence in food, feed or seed, of genetically engineered organisms or traits.

*Genetically engineered production of pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals, in crops used for food or animal feed, should be prohibited. Open-air testing of any genetically engineered pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals should be prohibited.

*Permit conditions for approval of any genetically engineered organism under APHIS' authority must include proof that no transgenic material will migrate into other living organisms. Conditional approvals should not be granted; all safety and environmental issues should be resolved prior to commercialization.

Taking Back the Food System: Organizing for Food Justice in California
University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, June 10-11, 2004
Co-hosted by the California Food and Justice Coalition & Community Food Security Coalition

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to the 2nd California Community Food Security Summit. The first summit in Oakland in 2002 was highlighted by the formation of the California Food and Justice Coalition, and in the two years since, the CFJC has begun organizing to bring attention to the community food security crisis in the Golden State. While Californians have seen many victories in protecting our rights to healthy, safe and affordable food, millions continue to suffer from hunger, obesity and diabetes. Meanwhile, the number of small farms, which often grow the healthiest foods, continue to decline.

This second Summit will bring together individuals and organizations that are working to promote sustainable agriculture and environmental justice, improve public health, end hunger, and advance social justice. Together we will share our experiences from the field and organize to bring justice to California's food system.

There are connections between the hunger and obesity epidemics and the small farm crisis, and there are connections to be made in finding solutions. Come join activists, farmers, organizers and community leaders from across the state as we gather to find common ground and take back California's food system.

Travel, housing, exhibit space and scholarship information?.... It's all on-line! http://www.foodsecurity.org/california/cfjc_summit2004.html

Habrá interpretación al español. Llame a Rebecca para reservarlo: (831) 786-8760

All are invited to Food Forestry International's First Annual Healthy Parks Free the Earth Day Celebration. The celebration will take place Saturday, April 17th, at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be food, music and entertainment, raffle prizes, produce market, arts and crafts, children's activities, hiking, native plant restoration, trail cleanup, ecological and camping demonstrations, and more! Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area is located at 4100 S. La Cienega Blvd, L.A., 90046 and the park entrance is on La Cienega, south of Rodeo, north of Stocker. For more information, contact the African American Food Association at (323) 296-3663 or e-mail aafood@sbcglobal.net

Hunger Action Day is Wednesday May 12 2004 at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Join California Hunger Action Coalition for a day of legislative visits, briefings on current state hunger issues, testimony from grassroots groups and the presentation of Hunger Fighter Awards!

Yes, every year hundreds of activists from all over the state converge on the Capitol to fight for food justice. We visit our legislators to educate them on various bills that will help fight hunger in our state. This year with the state budget deficit it's more critical than ever .If you're in Southern California, you can come up with us on the bus Tuesday May 11 for an overnight stay, or arrange your own flight or other transportation. We're usually able to cover the costs for low income participants. For more information contact Frank Tamborello at 213 439 1070 ext. 115 or Rose McGuire at ext. 113.Visit www.hungeraction.net for some more details and current legislation being supported.

To read this article in its entirety, go to http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/03/26/farming.saltwater.ap/

Pompano and tilapia are two fish that would never meet in the wild. But the saltwater and freshwater cousins are chasing after each other in landlocked tanks as scientists try to find new ways of meeting the worlds' growing appetite for seafood by raising fish outside the ocean.

"All reports indicate that our wild resources have hit a plateau. There's just not enough fish in the ocean," said industry analyst Howard M. Johnson. "So aquaculture provides a big opportunity."

The average American ate nearly 16 pounds of seafood in 2002, up 7 percent from the year before, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Johnson predicts that by the year 2020, an additional 1.1 billion pounds of seafood will be needed annually to meet the growing demand. Researchers at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute believe new technology in the aquaculture industry promises to help create that needed supply.

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