- Recently in Food Policy Category
How to give SNAP users more access
It's been a while since I blogged. Life got away from me for a bit, but I've managed to wrangle it back into beautiful submission (please don't misconstrue that as oppressive language). I've had cause in the last months to do some serious reflecting on just how tentative our food systems and social safety net really are. Any real safety net in our lives comes from the community we build around ourselves. And then, of course, what about those without the capacity to engage in that level of community building?
So much food for thought
Tonight I had the rare opportunity to read a magazine from cover to cover. My computer was nowhere near me. It was just me on the couch with a glass of vino tinto, and the latest Briarpatch in my hands. This particular issue is dedicated to the topic of Decolonizing Food.
Oxfam infographic on food price spikes
One in seven people in the world go to bed hungry every day. This statistic alone should catch your attention, but I find that compelling infographics really drive home what is happening with food prices, food availability, and the future of food. Check out this informative, compelling, and devastating infographic from Oxfam.
Glad I'm not having kids
According to an article in AlterNet, "The price of our loaf of bread is forecast to increase by up to 90% over the next 20 years." I love kids, but when I see statistics like this, I'm even happier that I'm choosing to not have any. How would I feed them? A 90% mark-up on bread within 20 years? What is going on? AlterNet explains.
Time to close Canada's food banks?
I read a thought-provoking piece in the Globe and Mail today about food banks. The author, Elaine Power, offers that food banks have become "a serious obstacle in the fight against poverty." Are food banks really the obstacle we should be worried about, or is it our own inability to face and address the root causes of poverty?
Meat Eater's Guide
Eat less meat and cheese, and when you have it, go green. This is the key message from a new report released by the Environmental Working Group.
Thinking about food security
I have a lot on my mind lately, especially around poverty. I work with families every day who struggle to put food on the table - and these are hard-working folks. I have family members and friends that have to make the hard decisions each month concerning what bills they can get by with NOT paying so they can shift that money instead to buying food. And folks, food is fairly cheap in the U.S. and Canada as compared with the rest of the world (as a % of average income, that is). So, when I see the on-going attacks on the Food Stamp Program (SNAP) in the U.S., and the proposed cuts to WIC, I feel absolutely sick.
City of Toronto: one step back?
I always loved dancing the Two-Step - mostly because it feels a lot like life, with two steps forward and one step back. Here's yet another example of Toronto taking a step back. I just came across a press release from the Toronto Environmental Alliance that makes me not only sad, but poised to start writing and calling City Hall. If you care about supporting local food, you should do the same.
Italians fight water privitization
It's that time of year again. The heat starts to creep in, and if you're like me, fantasies of early morning and late night swims in crystal clear lakes and rivers abound. It's also time for the now annual Canadian Water Summit here in Toronto at The International Centre on June 14th. As mentioned many times previously, I believe Canada has a real opportunity and obligation to lead the globe in guaranteeing water as a human right. If you're one of the 466,155 Italians living here in Toronto, you need to start thinking about water right now, as Italy will soon have a nation-wide referendum on issues relating to the management of water, and you'll want to have a voice in that.
Election 2.0 - What's at stake?
I was cooped up in a film studio this weekend helping out my brother on a project, but mostly sitting aimlessly for 15 hours. To bide my time, I did what any masochistic environmentalist would do: I followed the Ontario PC party convention on twitter. All day.
