The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved

So last night I went to hear Sandor Katz talk about his new book The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movement (that’s a mouthful) at Modern Times Book Store in San Francisco. Although I was familiar with his work (love his first book Wild Fermentation) I had not heard him speak before. I was impressed.

His talk was really informal. He just kinda went with the flow. And it worked. He’s pretty knowledgeable about everything food, waxing poetically about a range of topics—from fermentation to factory farms. In addition to presenting the hard facts he peppered his talk with personal stories of being on the road and visiting food co-ops, farmer’s markets, community spaces, and farms.

In the spirit of Grub, he includes recipes in the book. He even brought a mixture of kimchi and sauerkraut for us to sample. We were lucky to try it, as it almost got confiscated at the airport! Damn terrorist microorganisms.

--bryant

Bid on GREAT THINGS Now!

Hey everyone - I'm excited to announce our first ever (and very cool, if I may say so myself) live auction in support of the Small Planet Fund. Please go check it out and BID for great gifts for yourself and for your family. (If you have questions email Carter - who is the brilliant mind behind the auction and event this year - at event[at]smallplanetfund.org.

As you probably know, if you're reading this, my mom and I started the Fund as a volunteer-led effort to give back to the amazing groups we discovered in writing Hope's Edge. With the help of a dedicated group of supporters, we've thrown a big bash every year in New York City and received additional donations to help us raise (and give away) more than $300,000! Since its founding in 2002, two of the Fund’s grantees have been awarded the honor of the Nobel Peace Prize: Dr. Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement in Kenya and Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Not a bad record, eh?

If you're in NYC on December 12th, join us for the fete with our very special guest Vandana Shiva. --Anna

New York City Health Board Bans Trans Fats Today

Read the hot-off-the-press news about the Board of Health decision to, yup, ban transfats. You can read the AP's take here: City Health Board Bans Trans Fats. --Anna

This is what I wrote the day after I participated in the public testimony and public rally in support of the decision:

THE TROUBLE WITH TRANS FATS * October 30, 2006

BROOKLYN, NY -- If it passes, the resolution discussed by a broad swath of New Yorkers in testimony to the Board of Health today would be only the second in the nation to ban trans fats in city restaurants. Tiburon on San Francisco Bay – a slightly smaller metropolis – beat the Big Apple to it in 2004. (The other NYC Board of Health proposal on the table would require chain restaurants to post calorie content.)

While a snaking line of more than seventy-five passed through the Health Department’s security on their way to the hearing, I overhead a woman explaining: “You can find trans fats in Parkay, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, in most cookies...” Her list went on and on. Trans fats—as the woman, who later testified as a prominent public health advocate, was trying to convey—are everywhere.

It didn’t used to be this way. Trans fats were developed in the 1940s, in a process through which vegetable oil is hydrogenated, converting unsaturated fatty acids into saturated ones. (See “partially hydrogenated” on an ingredients list? That’s trans fats). In processed foods, trans fats replace naturally occurring solid fats like butter and liquid oils.

Trans fats became instantly popular with industry because with them products could sit on shelves longer. The other winning element? They can be less expensive than other fats traditionally used in baking. By the 1960s trans fats had become ubiquitous in baked products and fast foods. They’ve been with us ever since.

Today, most of our dietary trans fats intake comes in the form of cakes, cookies, crackers, and bread as well as French fries, potato chips and popcorn.
So what’s the problem? For several decades the evidence has been accumulating. The results are pretty damning.
Testifying at the public hearing, Dr. Walter Willett, whose team at the Harvard School of Public Health has been at the leading edge of this research, reminded the council members, the TV news crews, and the hundreds gathered that trans fats are known to increase coronary heart disease. As even the FDA acknowledges, consumption of trans fat raises low-density lipoprotein, or "bad cholesterol," levels, which increases the risk of the disease. Based on more than two decades in a study with more than 200,000 participants, Willett and his colleagues estimate that trans fat consumption is responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths annually from coronary heart disease.
In a recent report from The Netherlands, researchers suggest that eliminating trans fats in the U.S. could avert between 72,000 and 228,000 coronary heart “events” – as they call them – each year.

In his testimony, Willett’s colleague Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian added that trans fats increase inflammation--a risk factor for diabetes, among other ailments--and are linked to weight gain. Even more troubling are findings that even very low levels of consumption can lead to higher risk: consuming just 5 grams of trans fat – that’s roughly 2 percent of your daily calories – can increase your risk of heart disease by 25 percent.[1] (It is precisely these health concerns that led Denmark in 2004 to ban trans fats use in the country).

As these studies show, the trouble with trans fats is now well-documented. There is no longer cause for debate, but this isn’t to say there’s no debate. Industry is still working overtime to confuse the public. Consider this claim on one industry-backed website, Trans Fat Facts: “Trans fats have been a staple in the American diet for decades. And during that time, American life expectancy has seen dramatic increases. In fact, it recently reached a record high.” It seems the authors missed the statistics lesson on causal relationships.

With all the sound science, maybe we should be asking why not ban trans fats? Today’s presenters and the hundreds who turned out for the hearing and the public rally organized by the volunteer-run Trans Fat Free NYC are asking just that.

At the hearing, seventy people were officially registered to speak, from a steely-voiced octogenarian, Florence Rice, president of the Harlem Consumer Education Council to a six year-old who asked the Board to please help her “stay healthy,” and “out of the hospital.” Of the 43 people I heard, the only ones opposed to the resolution were two representatives from restaurant associations and one woman, a founder of the anti-smoking ban organization C.L.A.S.H.

Their chorus? In part, the ban will be bad for business. They said that it would be impossible for businesses to comply; there’s simply not enough supply. They also warned that mom and pops would be hurt worst.

Brooklyn-born Ina “Breakfast Queen of Chicago” Pinkney and the “mom” of her Chicago-based restaurant, Ina’s, begs to differ. She voluntarily pulled trans fats with enthusiastic response from her customers, she explained in her testimony. Pinkney added that as a small business owner this kind of policy is exactly what she wants.

“We welcome these regulations,” she said. “It levels the playing field.”

The other complaint? It’s “Big Brother” all over again, just one more inch down the “slippery slope” toward a “food nanny” police state, at least that’s how Audrey Silk from C.L.A.S.H. put it. A FoxNews opinion piece about the ban posed the question this way: “Should the government regulate what we eat?”

But that’s actually not the question that the resolution really raises. Sure, the government shouldn’t dictate whether or not we can devour a Krispy Kreme donut. But the government most certainly should protect its citizens from unnecessary artificial added ingredients in our food--which are invisible to us, which are undetectable to our tongues, and which harm us. The government also must certainly protect children who are even less equipped to make informed choices about the food they eat.

Indeed, that is precisely what we expect our government to do. When we find out about contaminants in food that cause harm – take e. coli O157:H7 for instance – we expect the government to step in, and step in fast on the side of public health.

In a similar way, the proposed ban on trans fats isn’t regulating what we can or can’t eat; it is simply rids our food system of an ingredient that has been shown to cause thousands of premature deaths each year.

The proposed resolution is not a draconian Big Brother move. It’s government taking leadership to protect the public health. The question isn’t “Should the government regulate what we eat?” But, “Shouldn’t the government protect us from harm?” And the answer is, yes.

A corollary to the Big Brother grumble is that these bans limit “choice;” they are an affront on “freedom.” Wrote one commentator about these bans: they’re a “push to legally prevent individuals from having a French fry ‘their way.’”

But how many New Yorkers, or anyone else in the country for that matter, asked for trans fats? Or, even knows when they’re eating them? We, the consumer, didn’t demand trans fats. They were invented to increase shelf life of food products in order to increase profitability for the food industry.

Real choice and real food freedom means being able to eat out without worrying that the choice will be harmful to our health. This policy will help all New Yorkers do just that. And, if passed, the rest of the country might just take New York City’s lead.

* * *
During and after the public hearing, a crowd gathered in Thomas Paine Park across the street from the Health Department. Organized by the ad hoc, volunteer-led group, Trans Fat Free NYC, the rally featured speakers, including council member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., Dr. Walter Willett from the Harvard School of Public Health, Michael Jacobson from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and yours truly. Restaurateurs also spoke about their decision to go trans fat free and Whole Harvest oils presented about their affordable, healthy non-trans fat products.

As people mingled among trans fat free fried treats and a gaggle of news video cameras, a man was giving away bumper stickers that started appearing stuck on arms, backs, strollers, and bags and which stated in simple black lettering: “Don’t Partially Hydrogenate Me.” Well said.

Dirty Sugar Cookie Swap

Had a lovely time at Bluestockings tonight with the hysterically funny Ayun Halliday. She read from her book Dirty Sugar Cookies and shared tales of woe attempting to craft gingerbread cookies for her kid's school's holiday party.

We asked friends to bring baked treats for a cookie swap--and were delightfully deluged with sugar cookies (of course), lemon bars, brownies and more. My currant scones were slightly prematurely extracted from oven and smooshed in the bag on the F line into the city, but apparently they tasted just fine. --Anna

Met amazingly dynamic and go-getter students at Miami University (in Ohio, that is) who brought me out to speak and shared a delectable dinner after. It was really inspiring to meet undergraduates and graduate students working on important sustainable development initiatives, the importance of which seemed to be brought home by the abnormally balmy weather in December in Ohio. --Anna

The Grub Food Quiz

This is what I realized mid-way through the readings tonight at the gritty Bowery Poetry Club: Grub is both rant and rhapsody. This revelation came to me as I waited my turn to take the stage for a friend's monthly Rant/Rhapsody reading series. After reading a few of my favorite passages from Grub, I brought up a willing volunteer from the audience who tried his hand at this quiz. The prize if he got 7 of 10 correct? A copy of Grub, of course. Here's the quiz. How would you do? Answers will be posted shortly. --Anna

1. What’s the new job of Rob Horsch, former Monsanto VP?
a) Deputy Administrator, EPA
b) Senior Program Officer, Gates Foundation
c) Deputy Administrator, USDA
d) Member, National Organic Standards Board

2. Who said: “There is not one grain of anything in the world that is sold in the free market. Not one. The only place you see a free market is in the speeches of politicians”?
a) President Richard Nixon
b) Dwayne Andreas, Archer Daniel Midlands Chairman
c) Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa
d) Richard Crowder, US Trade Rep and Chief Agricultural Negotiator, former Monsanto VP

3. Philip Morris spent millions rebranding itself in the wake of Big Tobacco lawsuits with which brilliant new corporate name?
a) Humana
b) Virtua
c) Respira
d) Altria
e) Beneficia

4. What’s Hawaii’s most popular food?
a) Spam sushi
b) “Spamburger”
c) Chicken-fried Spam
d) Spam poo poo platter

5. Match the Tagline: “Nature Talks, We Listen”
a) Dow
b) Syngenta
c) Dupont
d) Monsanto
e) Biotechnology Industry Organization

6. Match the Tagline: “Biotechnology—A Big Word That Means Hope”
a) Dow
b) Novartis
c) Dupont
d) Monsanto
e) Biotechnology Industry Organization

7. What percentage of non-GMO cucumbers seed does Monsanto now control?
a) 18%
b) 28%
c) 38%
d) 58%

8. From this list, name the countries that don’t require GMO labeling?
1) United States
2) China
3) Canada
4) Australia
5) France
6) All of the above

9. What’s the likelihood that an African-American or Latino child born in the U.S. will develop Type II diabetes?
a) 1 in 3
b) 1 in 5
c) 1 in 8
d) 1 in 10

10. How many toys does McDonalds sell or give away every year?
a) 250 million
b) 500 million
c) 1 billion
d) 1.5 billion

Bonus Question: Which do we have more of… prisoners or farmers?

Check Out Appetite for Profit in Bookstores Now

Think that announcement from Coke and the Big Drink companies that they’re pulling sugary drinks out of the nation’s was a sign of corporate responsibility or a move of brilliant corporate PR spin? This and many other questions will be answered for you in Michele Simon's insightful new book, Appetite for Profit. Thanks to the New York City Nutrition Education Network Michele and I had a chance to do a reading together. I highly recommend the book and Michele's insightful blog you can find here. --Anna

Back in the Blogosphere

It’s been a long time
I shouldn’t have left you
Without a recipe for bean stew

That’s right yall. I’m back in the blogosphere. Been going through hella transitions over the past two months. But I’m settled into my new place. Ethernet is up. Back on the grind.

We have a lot of catching up to do. . .

--bryant

Videoing the Vote

Down in Philly today with my brother and some friends as part of a Video the Vote team. Inspired by the making of American Blackout and the universal audience reaction to the voter disenfranchisement seen in the film -- what can we do? -- Anthony's GNN partner Ian Inaba and colleagues decided to create a way for all of us, across the country, to do something about it: Document voter suppression to stop it. In a few short weeks, they created this platform and trained citizen journalists across the country. By Election Day, they had hundreds of volunteers. My day will be spent at the Election Protection offices helping connect videographers with problem polling places. --Anna

The TH Interview: Anna Lappé

Treehugger's Dave Chiu had some great questions--and I tried to do them justice. Head straight to the interview here.

Calorie Counting

Think you can estimate how many calories in that Starbucks Frapuccino? Big Mac? Denny's French Toast? Try your hand at it with this online quiz. Then, ask yourself, wouldn't it be nice not to have eating out be a guessing game? A proposed New York City Board of Health policy would make calorie labeling mandatory on restaurant menu boards. Seems like a wise idea to me. --Anna

A Great Weekend in the Great White North

Had an amazing weekend running a two-day workshop at The Marguerite Center, north of Ottawa. The Center (or Centre, as they'd say in Canada) runs educational programs for folks in the community. This was their first on food. After lots of talking about food politics, the impact of our food system on our health, and how we can get involved with making a difference, we all headed into the kitchen where we got lessons in making samosas, curries, and other delicious Indian delicacies. (This is a shot of a few of us mid-samosa folding) --Anna

...and now for something completely different

Most of what you see and read here is about our adventures (and mis-adventures) on the trail of food, farming, and sustainability. But, now for something completely different: Read my musings on love in the land of Memoirville. --Anna

The Trouble with Trans Fats - ON GNN

Read my article on the proposed trans fat ban at the Guerrilla News Network and join the fray in the debate.

Your User Guide Is Here

More than 60 experts and innovators (including a few pages by yours truly) -- and a tireless team of editors -- contributed to this 600 page tome. Here's a breakdown on the seven sections of what's inside. --Anna

Stuff (which covers topics like green design, reducing one's ecological footprint, biomimicry, sustainable agriculture, clothing, cars and emerging technologies);

Shelter (covering topics like green building and landscaping, bright green home decor, clean energy, sustainable water systems, disaster relief and humanitarian design);

Cities (topics like smart growth, sustainable communities, transportation, greening infrastructure, product-service systems, leapfrogging and megacity challenges);

Communities (topics like education, women's rights, public health, holistic approaches to community development, copyleft, South-South science, social entrepreneurship and micro-lending, and philanthropy);

Business (topics like socially responsible investment, worldchanging start-ups, ecological economics, corporate social responsibility and green business);

Politics (topics like networked politics, new media, transparency, human rights, non-violent revolution and peacemaking);

Planet (the big picture -- everything from placing oneself in a bioregion to climate foresight to environmental history to green space exploration).

Check it out anywhere books are sold.

The Trouble with Trans Fats

NY1 covered the public testimony yesterday about the New York City Board of Health proposals to ban trans fats and to require that chain restaurants carry calorie counts along with prices on their menu boards. Read the transcript and watch the video here. Hundreds of people turned out for the hearing and for the rally outside the Health Department. The rally was organized by volunteers who also posted this website for more information.

Bioneers

I just got in on the red eye from the last 14-day marathon leg of the book tour -- Center for a Livable Future, Natural Expo East, Community Food Security Coalition Conference, Pacific Lutheran University, Evergreen College, Fair Trade friend-raiser, UC Berkeley talk, and... Bioneers. These past three days at the 17th annual Bioneers conference, joined by 4,000 people in San Rafael, California and connected to 16 other satellite sites beaming programming to another 8,000 or more people, have been incredible. I'll post highlights soon. For now 'incredible' will have to do; I'm going back to sleep! --Anna

Oct 30 - Join Us for Important Trans Fat Free NYC Public Hearing

Join Trans Fat Free NYC. Say no to the hidden dangers in our food! Many of our city’s restaurants and vendors serve foods loaded with artificial trans fat, the cause of over 30,000 premature coronary heart disease deaths per year in the US. The NYC Department of Health is holding public hearings to consider banning trans fat from restaurants. Come out and join us and add your voice to help make a historic difference. (If you don't live in NYC, visit the website to let our public officials know you support the policy.) Read more here.

Monday, October 30, 2006, 10AM- 1PM at 125 Worth Street

Do You Want Lies With That?

Coming to a theater near you, check out the new film based on Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation. (I haven't had a chance to see it yet, and won't be able to for a little while, but I would love to hear what you think.) But first, if you haven't seen it already, you must check out Eric Schlosser on the British Newsnight program debating for the first time in public a Mickey D exec. The first time that is because up until now they've said no. If you've never seen Eric speak, you'll be in for a treat: He is brilliant, centered, and has his facts straight. (I was actually surprised that the McDonald's executive was so defensive: His basic argument is that "we have made changes to our food," which sort of hands over the debate, in effect not denying that the food that they have had, and still have, is quite bad for us.) Watch the interview here: Part 1 and here Part 2 and here Part 3. Also, after you watch Part 1, note this disclosure. --Anna

Congratulations to Muhammad Yunus-2006 Nobel Peace Laureate & Small Planet Fund Grantee

I had just told Muhammad Yunus' story to undergrads at The Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, the night before I found out that Yunus and the bank for the poor he founded--Grameen Bank--was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. I was reminded of the day I found out another friend and Small Planet Fund grantee, Dr. Wangari Maathai, had been awarded the same honor in 2004 for her work with women and the environment in Kenya. In both cases, the Nobel Committee has made a
clear statement that it is impossible to create peace on earth in the presence of poverty, inequality, and injustice. As we celebrate the 5th year of the Small Planet Fund, we are delighted that another one of our nine grantees has been given such international recognition for their important work. --Anna

Photo: Grameen Bank borrowers near Dhaka, Bangladesh. We had just learned about their experience with the loan and these women and their children were showing us their village.

Evergreen is Ever-Greener

I had heard about The Evergreen State College for years. Growing up in Berkeley and Oakland, many friends headed up that way for school, but I had never been until last night. The campus -- burrowed into evergreens -- is certainly true to the school's name and the enthusiasm and community engagement of the students I met was true to the school's rep of being a haven for activists. My talk was co-sponsored by the Environmental Resource Center and Evergreen Political Info Center whose motto (at least on the bottom of one of my event announcements) reads: "If you carrot all, beet the system and squash the state." --Anna

Zero Hunger!

The last time I saw Adriana Aranha was in her packed municipal offices in Belo Horizonte, Brazil after another long and completely jaw-dropping day visiting programs the city had created to meet their commitment to make good, healthy food a basic right of citizenship for everyone.

Now, just five years later, Adriana is working on the national level in the Fome Zero/Zero Hunger campaign to ensure all Brazilians have the right to food and food sovereignty.

We helped bring her up to Vancouver and join more than 900 other folks from North America (and South Korea, Australia, South Africa, and more) to share solutions to ending hunger.

We had dinner with other colleagues from the conference, including South Koreans who had read the Korean translation of Hope's Edge! --Anna

Photo: Adriana Aranha from Brazil and Cecilia Rocha from Ryerson University at the Community Food Security Coalition Conference in Vancouver.

Welcome Eric Holt Gimenez to Food First

The Institute for Food and Development Policy (aka Food First) was born just after I was and I like to tease my mother (who co-founded it with Joe Collins) that I learned to link stamps and stuff envelopes for membership drives for the non-profit before I learned to walk. Food First analyzes the root causes of global hunger, poverty, and ecological degradation and develops solutions in partnerships with movements working for social change. The Institute has published dozens of books, backgrounders, and reports. Still going strong thirty years later, Food First recently announced its new Executive Director, Eric Holt Gimenez who I was honored to meet at the Community Food Security Coalition conference. --Anna
Photo: Eric, Adriana Aranha from Brazil, and me.

October is Fair Trade Month

Sip up and chomp down on fair-trade products this month and get involved with efforts in your community to bring fair-trade options everywhere you shop. In less than a decade, the black-and-white fair trade logo is nearly ubiquitous in cafes and supermarkets across the country. Visit the US fair-trade certifier's website for more information about what fair trade means for small farmers throughout the world and learn about events this month... or come enjoy some tea and delicious, Bryant-inspired food at http://www.samovartea.com/ on October 18th. --Anna

Is Wal-Mart the New Jolly Green Giant?

One of the most common questions I've been getting on the road has been whether Wal-Mart's move into the organic market will ultimately help the environment and the health of us eaters, or not. I've been asking the same question to farmers and food policy experts who I've been meeting on the road and there is surprising--or not so surprising--consensus: Everyone has raised serious concerns about the Wal-Mart decision. A new white paper from Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst with the Corncuopia Institute, does a great job of summarizing many of these concerns. Check it out here: Wal-Mart Rolls Out Organic Products—Market Expansion or Market Delusion? --Anna

Thanks McNally!

Thanks to everyone who came out last night to the reading at McNally Robinson. Not to play favorites, but I think this bookstore might be mine in NYC. A couple resources I promised I'd post here. --Anna

• justfood.org: find out about how to join a community supported agriculture farm in nyc
• recyclethisnyc.org: don't throw your stuff away, recycle it! join this volunteer-led organization's free-for-all swap-o-rama.
• 4th street food coop: food for people, not for profit.
• the nation's special issue on food

Grub on GNN

Check out Lynn Peemoeller's article about us, and "grub", on my brother's Guerrilla News Network website. Lynn is s a frequent writer about sustainability and works on regional projects in the Chicago area that support sustainable agriculture and strengthen the local food system. She asked great questions and got to the heart of the issues. --Anna

The Elections Are Coming! The Elections Are Coming!

I know there's no need for alarm; we all know they're around the bend. I just wanted to alert you to two importance races for our food system: Mark Ritchie, running for Sect'y of State in Minnesota and Denise O'Brien, running for Sect'y of Ag in Iowa. I've been familiar with their work for years and they are two of the most passionate champions of sustainability I've ever met. Check out these links to visit their campaign headquarters and find out how you can support them -- even if you've never stepped foot in Minnesota or Iowa. --Anna

Feeding the Future in paperback

Cruising around New York City yesterday, I saw this book in its paperback form on the new non-fiction table at a Barnes & Noble. (Just browsing! Just browsing! I've been (almost) true to my commitment this year to only support our independent bookstore chains. My demise always seems to happen in airports.)

This anthology of essays about what's wrong with our food system and ideas for righting those wrongs was published in hard copy a couple of years ago. My mother and I contributed a chapter based on our experiences meeting the amazing folks on the trail of Hope's Edge. I definitely don't agree with every chapter in here -- it is a collected anthology of differing views after all -- but it's a great read and an interesting take from our Northern neighbors. (It's published by a Canadian press). Here's the description from the publisher. --Anna

Feeding The Future: From Fat to Famine: How to Solve the World's Food Crises
From global famine to fast-food fat, from mad cows to missing cod, can ingenuity solve the world's food crises? How can we all manage to eat well and stay healthy? The contributors, who include William Illsey Atkinson, Kelly D. Brownell, Gene Kahn, Stuart Laidlaw, Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, Ian MacLachlan, Carl Safina, and David Wheeler, offer practical solutions to issues ranging from industrial farming and sustainability to food-related diseases and nutrition. Their examples of ingenuity encompass emerging technologies, business models for sustainable food production, and solutions to the world's obesity epidemic, and they debate the merits of controversial techniques such as the use of genetically modified organisms. By offering useful, workable solutions to the problems of food, Feeding the Future is satisfying one of our most pressing needs.

SoHo Grub Event

For those of you in New York City on October 3rd, come out and join me for a Grub talk. I'll also be sharing some impressions from the more than 35-city book tour we've been on and highlight some great homegrown groups. I'll be at McNally Robinson (a cool bookstore in SoHo) at:
52 Prince St. (between Lafayette and Mulberry) (212)274-1160
Also, check out our updated calendar (thanks Kate!) with all of our fall events. We hope to see you on the road.