The State of the Plate DC (www.StateofthePlateDC.net) daylong conference is set for Monday, October 17, 2011 at George Washington University’s Marvin Center and will feature a series of panels and notable speakers, focused on sharing best practices, information, and strategies. The event is designed for chefs, restaurateurs, distributors, farmers, ranchers, food leaders, students, faculty and those interested in the topic.

Ultimately, producers want to sell meat and restaurants want to buy it. This event will allow both producers and chefs/restaurant owners to discuss the terms of the trade via lively discussions, and then potentially engage in actual deal‐making that satisfies the needs of both groups. Designed to share information in a positive format, focus will be on sustainable farming, animal product preparation, the myths and realities of food labeling, and supply chain management.

This event is organized by Animal Welfare Approved, the industry leader in auditing and certifying family farms that raise their animals sustainably, outdoors on pasture or range according to the highest welfare standards. The co‐organizer is Educated Eats (the education foundation arm of RAMW), dedicated to creating the next generation of culinary professionals. The George Washington University’s Urban Food Task Force is the event’s key collaborator.

“DC chefs are increasingly renowned for their commitment to top‐quality, sustainable, healthy, and delicious foods. I’m delighted to see more of them entering the dialogue about sustainable and high‐welfare farming. State of the Plate DC fits well with the mission of George Washington’s Urban Food Task Force; it offers hands‐on opportunities for chefs and producers to work together in advancing the conversation about food policy and action,” says Diane Robinson Knapp, Chair, The George Washington University Urban Food Task Force.

Animal Welfare Approved program director Andrew Gunther added, “We believe that attendees will gain a better understanding of the challenges and rewards of developing sustainable food supply chains, but even more importantly, participants will have the opportunity to meet with and taste products from farmers already delivering solutions.”

“Educated Eats is thrilled to be working with our partners on this sustainable meat conference, continuing our series of seminars for our members,” says Gregory Casten, Chairman of the Board of RAMW. “We look forward to raising awareness for chefs and restaurateurs about the many benefits of sustainable farming practices‐‐including raising animals outdoors on pasture or range. Using sustainably raised animal proteins can help improve a restaurant’s image, efficiency and performance.”

Tickets: $55 includes continental breakfast and boxed lunch from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Advance registration is required. Seating is limited so be sure to register early. To register online visit www.StateofthePlateDC.net. From 5:00‐6:30 pm a sustainable meat tasting reception will bring together members of the RAMW with farmers, distributors and processors.

Location: The conference will be held at the George Washington University’s Marvin Center, 800 21st Street, Washington, DC 20052.

Questions: Contact Laura Colombi with questions at (202) 446‐2138.

Members of the press are encouraged to contact Beth Hauptle at (202) 446‐2155 to reserve complimentary press passes.

Published in the latest Environmental Health Perspectives journal, the results suggest that prenatal exposure to OPs can have a lasting and damaging effect on our children. Researchers from the University of California, Columbia University, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine all found that children exposed to higher levels of OP while in the womb were likely to have significantly lower intelligence scores by age seven than children who were not exposed.

The studies began more than ten years ago. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, for example, followed 329 children from before birth, testing urine samples of their mothers for OP residues twice during pregnancy and then after birth from the children at regular intervals between ages six months and five years, before testing the cognitive abilities of the 329 children at age seven. All three studies found evidence linking prenatal OP pesticide exposures with adverse effects on cognitive function that continued into early childhood. According to Brenda Eskenazi, who led the U.C. Berkeley team, the impact on intelligence levels found “could mean, on average, more kids being shifted into the lower end of the spectrum of learning, and more kids needing special services in school.” Stark findings indeed.

OPs are still one of the most widely used pesticides across the world. They are commonly used as insecticides on grains, fruit and vegetables, as well as to control parasites on farm livestock and pets, and for fly control in industrial and commercial premises. I’m sure the danger that OPs present will come as no surprise to some of you.  After all, they were originally developed during World War II for chemical warfare as nerve gases.

But the fact that all three studies noted in the Environmental Health Perspectives reached this conclusion independently is highly significant – and will make the evidence even harder for Big Ag to ignore or dismiss: “As a group, these papers add substantial weight to the evidence linking OP pesticides with adverse effects on cognitive development by simultaneously reporting consistent findings for three different groups of children,” comments Hugh A. Tilson, editor-in-chief of Environmental Health Perspectives.

These disturbing results come hot on the heels of research published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics last year, which revealed that exposure to OPs could result in a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children, covered in an AWA blog.

As with the three studies noted in the Environmental Health Perspectives, the children involved in the Pediatrics research were not from rural areas or farming families (who might come into direct contact with excessive amounts of OP on farms). Once again, the science clearly shows that that exposure to OP is potentially harmful to our children in all walks of life. It’s worth noting that there is also a known link between OP toxicity and depression and suicide.

Remember that this research is looking at the impact of a single family of pesticides on our health. Yet there is mounting concern about the so-called cocktail effect of multiple pesticides on our health – and particularly the health of our children. Dr. Vyvyan Howard, a pathologist at the University of Ulster, Ireland, specializes in toxicology and the cocktail effect of pesticides and food additives on the human body. He is extremely concerned about the combined health effects of modern chemicals, such as pesticides, many of which have only been around for the last 50-60 years. He warns that official safety limits are only based on the potential impacts of single pesticides. “There are no toxicological tests of chemical combinations, despite the fact that studies have suggested that their combined impact, or cocktail effect, can make their impact much more powerful,” he explains. As a result of his studies, Howard is a strong supporter of organic food.

So what is the answer? Well, the most important thing is that we all continue to eat a balanced diet – and that includes fresh fruit and vegetables. Giving up all fresh fruit and vegetables will do us – and our children – far more short-term harm than good, that’s for sure! But this research is further evidence that we all really do need to think about where our food comes from and, above all, how it is produced. It’s no longer safe to just sit back and eat.

We all have the ability to educate ourselves to ensure that we can make the right choices when it comes to feeding our families. And we can all vote with our wallets and force Big Ag to change its farming practices by choosing safe, nutritious, wholesome foods.  If we all start doing it, they’ll soon listen.

At Animal Welfare Approved, we already prohibit the use of OPs on our farms for just these reasons. We are concerned about public health, but we are also concerned about the health of our farmers and their families, as well as farm animals. If you are unsure about whether or not your fruit and vegetables have been sprayed with OP insecticide, you should wash them thoroughly before eating them – using a soft brush, if possible. And if you can, always try to seek out meat, dairy and other products from programs like Animal Welfare Approved that prohibit the use of harmful OPs in farming. Together we can change agriculture for the better.

Organophosphates are one of the most widely used pesticides across the world. Among other things, they are used as insecticides on grains, fruit and vegetables, to control parasites on farm livestock and pets, and for fly control in industrial and commercial premises. You might think that a product that has been around for more than 60 years–and which is used so widely–is safe and has no side effects. But sadly this is not the case.

We shouldn’t be too surprised that OPs are potentially harmful. These pesticides were originally developed in World War II for chemical warfare as nerve gases. Indeed, if we look further afield, it is clear that the side effects of these chemicals are already well known. Up until the late 1980s, it was compulsory in many parts of Europe to immerse sheep in an OP bath or dip to control parasites. But many of the shepherds who used these chemicals suffered horrific neurological and psychological damage, leaving them unable to farm. There is also a known link between OP toxicity and depression and suicide.

A recent report in a UK farming journal tells the story of a farmer who has been suffering from “OP poisoning” for more than 30 years. Residues of the OP chemicals from sheep dip that he used when helping his parents dip their flocks was found in the fatty tissue of his body, proving how persistent these chemicals are. So while some OP manufacturers such as Dow Agrosciences are not mentioned in the recent pediatrics research, we already know that there is clear evidence of the potential harm that all OPs can cause.

Animal Welfare Approved prohibits the use of organophosphates because of our concerns for both the health of farmers using them, and for the animals to whom these chemicals are directly applied. The fact that the metabolites of OPs are now being found in children from day-to-day low-level exposure shows just how important it is to have stronger restrictions on the use of these chemicals.

If you are unsure about whether or not your fruit and vegetables have been sprayed with OP insecticide, you should wash them thoroughly before eating them. And if you can, always try to seek out meat, dairy and other products from programs like AWA that prohibit the use of OPs in farming.

The Child Nutrition Act is only reauthorized every five years, so now is the time to act. Please join with the chefs and contact your senator to ask for an additional $4 billion per year to improve school nutrition programs. Senators need to hear from you now. To find out how to contact your senator, please visit the U.S. Senate’s directory.

All the heat wasn’t in the kitchen on March 17, when a group of chefs, led by AWA supporter Chef Bill Telepan, wore their traditional white jackets to Capitol Hill to push for increased funding for school lunches. Chef’s Day of Action, coordinated by the NYC Alliance for CNR (Child Nutrition Reauthorization), brought together celebrity chefs and school lunch reform advocates to urge Congress to provide an additional $4 billion in funding per year for school food programs.

The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act comes up every five years and this year President Obama has asked for an additional $1 billion per year. The Senate, however, is considering only authorizing $500 million per year—half of what the President has requested. Even $1 billion wouldn’t make much of a difference to the 30 million school children who depend on the National School Lunch Program for meals. And when you consider the size of the budget—$3.7 trillion—it’s pocket change. $1 billion only equals 17 ½ cents per day per child. The government reimburses schools $2.68 for fully subsidized lunches.

The chefs say much more is needed to really make a difference. An increase in funding to $4 billion will provide an additional $0.70 per child. “We need school lunches to be about the best food, not the cheapest food,” says Chef Bill Telepan, who is also a board member of NYC’s Wellness in the Schools.  “This is what we practice as chefs and we have a responsibility to bring the best food there is into schools.”

All the chefs work regularly to improve nutrition for children.  Chef Ken Oringer, who owns six restaurants in the Boston area, has worked with Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline Massachusetts to teach kids about cooking and nutrition. The birth of his daughter, Verveine, strengthened his commitment to ensuring every child’s meal is made with safe, fresh and nutritious food. “When I started cooking for my daughter it really hit home what an awesome responsibility feeding a child is. And that’s when I realized some kids will never get to eat a fresh organic vegetable or pasture-raised egg. It’s our responsibility to help all children learn about food and nutrition and eat the best possible food.”

Former Top Chef contestant Chef Spike Mendelsohn of D.C.’s Good Stuff Eatery came along to support his fellow chefs. As a D.C. resident he has no voting members of Congress, but he also owns a home in Florida and will be contacting Florida’s senators and his local Florida congressperson to urge them to support increased funding.  Chef Spike works with a D.C. KIPP Academy and with Horton’s Kids, an afterschool program that works one-on-one with children from D.C.’s Ward 8 neighborhood. Chef Spike teaches the kids about cooking and nutrition and a trip to Good Stuff Eatery is a popular reward for doing well in school. “School is about learning,” Chef Spike says. “We need to provide the money to schools not just to serve the best food, but to teach kids about great food—what it is, where it comes from, how you prepare it.”

Chef M. Mitchell of Brain Food, an innovative school lunch program providing meals for schools, moved his operation from wealthy northwest D.C. to the more challenging environment of nearby Prince George’s County, MD.  “I wanted to work where good food wasn’t really accessible. People feel that it doesn’t matter what the kids are eating as long as they are eating, so kids eat junk. Adults make decisions for kids and right now they’ve decided that what kids eat at school doesn’t matter. If we aren’t making the right food decisions for our kids, how can we expect them to do it for themselves?”

D.C. Chef Jose Andres’ restaurant Oyamel served as the D.C. headquarters for the chefs and advocates. While Chef Jose was unable to be present, he wanted to provide his support to his colleagues. Between Senate visits, Chef Spike hosted the group at Good Stuff Eatery, just blocks from the Capitol building.

By the end of the day, chefs in their signature white jackets had visited senators and congresspersons from around the nation, including the offices of Senators Kerry, Schumer and Gillibrand. There is still a long fight ahead, but the chefs all agreed—the Hill hasn’t seen the last of them.

Evidently, at least two more years because in that time there’s been no movement to address the fundamental cause of contamination in the U.S. meat supply: feedlot production.

And I’m worried for our children’s health and lives.

It was two years ago today that the U.S. saw its largest meat recall in history, prompting Harkin’s outrage.  The USDA recalled 143 million pounds of beef distributed by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company and said that the meat had been used in school lunches and food assistance programs.

On January 18 of this year, Huntington Meat Packing Inc. of Montebello, CA recalled 864,000 lbs of beef because it may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. This past weekend the recall was expanded to more than 5 million lbs of meat. Some of the products made from this meat appear to have been distributed through the USDA National School Lunch Program.

Happy anniversary of the Hallmark recall, America! You were expecting flowers?

E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterium that can cause severe illness, especially in the very young, seniors, or persons with weakened or compromised immune systems. The shattering effects of E. coli O157:H7 were detailed in an October 3, 2009 New York Times article, E. coli Path Show Flaws in Beef Inspection.

The recent recall of 5 million pounds may seem like a drop in the bucket compared with the 143 million pounds recalled two years ago, but when it comes to the health and lives of our children, I must implore, “When is enough, enough? Why are we poisoning our children?”

I applaud any efforts the USDA and other government agencies are making to strengthen the safety of our food system, but to quote an old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Food safety regulations seem to be focused on throwing pounds of cure at the problem; cures that time and time again don’t work, sometimes make things worse, and leave our families vulnerable to contamination and illness. We feed our farm animals antibiotics, we irradiate meat, we require more testing and increased regulations at processing plants and still meat is recalled.

Therein lies the problem—the government is stubbornly dedicated to, as former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler put it, “chasing the horse after it’s out of the barn,” while study after study piles up providing evidence that the most effective way to stop the spread of dangerous E. coli contamination starts—and ends— with keeping cattle on pasture and out of feedlots. It’s an issue we’ve regularly covered in the AWA blog, where a click on the food safety link brings up 35 entries. But it bears repeating and I’ll keep at it until government can see its way clear from corporate interests to effect real change in the name of food safety.

Unfortunately, until the country is truly ready to address food safety issues, the primary defense you have against E. coli is your own common sense.

In the meantime, what can you do to keep your children and loved ones as safe as possible? AWA has a few suggestions:

• Every time there’s a recall contact your school district and make sure they are not using those products.
• Ask your school district’s food director to only source from suppliers operating a test-and-hold procedure.

• If you have a parent or other loved one in a hospital or nursing facility that uses a food service company, call them as well, and make sure recalled items aren’t on their menus.

• Follow safe food handling guidelines.

• Check in with your doctor even if you think it’s just the stomach flu. Stomach flu and food poisoning often mimic each other but the only way to discover and trace food poisoning is to know who’s sick to begin with.

• Most importantly, when possible, purchase only pastured meat, dairy and eggs from AWA farmers. Redirecting your food budget to safer, more humane meat, dairy and eggs is the surest way to keep your food and your family safe.

To investigate some of these issues, Animal Welfare Approved sponsored a one-week, three-city tour for the UK Dinner Lady, Jeanette Orrey.  Jeanette is credited with changing school food in the UK, and AWA sponsored this visit to promote cross cultural dialogue and share her experiences with people working to make change in several US school districts. Following two days in New York City, the tour continued south (via Amtrak), as Jeanette was guided along by AWA staffers Andrew Gunther, Brigid Sweeney and Beth Hauptle, joined Chef Bill Telepan and Nancy Easton, both of NYC nonprofit Wellness in the Schools. (Pictured above:  Nancy Easton and Chef Bill Telepan from Wellness in the Schools in NYC talk with Greg Strella, Farm Manager of Great Kids Farm, a part of the Baltimore Public School system.  The farm currently grows crops and raises chickens and goats.)

On Wednesday as the tour continued, we visited with the Baltimore City Public Schools’ Great Kids Farm and a Culinary Center where students in the program prepared lunch for us.  Tony Geraci has been lauded for the efforts he is making in changing food in the schools in Baltimore and his plans are impressive.  The visit was covered by the Baltimore Sun.

On Thursday we hosted a luncheon at the Arlington location of Jaleo (ThinkFoodGroup), and shared meaningful dialogue about school lunches with representatives from the Arlington, VA school district, Alex Ashbrook, Director of DC Hunger Solutions, Maria Enie and Brandi Horton from Vanguard Communications and others committed to childhood nutrition and school food. (Right:  Andrew Gunther, Jeanette Orrey, Nancy Easton and Bill Telepan on Amtrak to Baltimore.)

On Thursday, we visited Washington-Lee High School, a high school in the Arlington Public School system. Arlington is a county (and city) adjacent to Washington, DC, across the Potomac River. We were hosted by Amy Maclosky, Director of Food Service and Mary Beth Chambers, Assistant Superintendent, Management and Finance Services. We were impressed with the efforts being made by this school district and the openness to share information and desire to effect positive change. AWA is looking forward to working with Arlington to identify local farms and help raise awareness among the staff and students about “where our food comes from.”

The trip concluded yesterday as Jeanette traveled back to the UK. We are all looking forward to the next steps and for the opportunity to draw upon her many years of experience in making change happen. More in depth coverage of the trip will be featured in our next newsletter. (Right:  Jeanette meets cafeteria workers at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA.)

During her stay, Orrey met with the following:

New York City Department of Education
Eric Goldstein, Chief Executive Officer for Nutrition and Transportation
Dianne Frankel, Director of Operations
Chef Jorge Collazo, SchoolFood Executive Chef
Stephen O’Brien, Director of Food and Food Support

Queens County Farm Museum, NYC
Amy Fischetti-Boncardo, Executive Director
Michael Grady Robertson, Director of Agriculture

Baltimore City Public Schools, MD
Tony Geraci, Director of Food and Nutrition Services
Greg Strella, Farm Manager, Great Kids Farm

ThinkFoodGroup, Washington, DC
Richard Brandenburg, Kitchen Director

Arlington County Public Schools, VA
Amy Maclosky, Food Service Director
Mary Beth Chambers, Assistant Superintendent, Management and Finance Services

(Above: Students in one of Baltimore City Public Schools’ culinary centers proudly prepared a delicious gourmet lunch for Jeanette and the other visitors!)

We are headed to Baltimore this morning on an early train.  Yesterday while meeting with Queens Farm we got a call from Tony Geraci (soon to be dubbed the US Dinner Man?!), Director of Food and Nutrition Services for Baltimore City Public Schools.  He prepared us for our reception at the train station in Baltimore, where we will be greeted by a camera crew from a Baltimore City High School.  The students are excited to meet us and we are looking forward to a productive day!  We’re going to have lunch prepared by high school students in the culinary program as well as visit with Greg Strella, the Farm Manager of the Great Kids Farm, actually owned by the school system.

More to come tomorrow.

We were joined by our friend Bill Telepan, of Telepan restaurant of course, and Nancy Easton, both with Wellness in the Schools, a non-profit working to support healthy school food in NYC.

Hosts:

New York City Department of Education
Eric Goldstein, Chief Executive Officer for Nutrition and Transportation
Dianne Frankel, Director of Operations
Chef Jorge Collazo, SchoolFood Executive Chef
Stephen O’Brien, Director of Food and Food Support

Queens County Farm Museum, NYC
Amy Fischetti-Boncardo, Executive Director
Michael Grady Robertson, Director of Agriculture

Baltimore City Public Schools, MD
Tony Geraci, Director of Food and Nutrition Services
Greg Strella, Farm Manager, Great Kids Farm

ThinkFoodGroup, Washington, DC
Richard Brandenburg, Kitchen Director

Arlington County Public Schools, VA
Amy Maclosky, Food Service Director

Jeanette Orrey is the School Meals Policy Advisor to the Soil Association. Jeanette’s achievements and guidance were central to the success of the Food For Life campaign and an inspiration for Jamie Oliver’s fight to improve school meals. Her life has been a whirlwind of training, lecturing, meetings with ministers and, of course, awards ceremonies. She has received recognition of her work from, amongst others, Radio 4’s ‘The Food Programme’ (2003); The Observer (2004); Good Housekeeping (2005) and the Guild of Food Writers (2006) for her book ‘The Dinner Lady’.

We’ve got to run off now to visit the Queens County Farm Museum and our friends Amy Fischetti-Boncardo and Michael Grady Robertson, but we wanted to post a few photos of our first day.

More to come!

Jeanette Orrey, UK Pioneer in Reforming School Lunches, Visits US

Animal Welfare Approved, the nation’s leading certification label for family farmers raising their animals with high welfare standards, is hosting Jeanette Orrey, the United Kingdom’s famous “Dinner Lady” (that would be a lunch lady on this side of the pond) the week of January 11th. Orrey is a leader in the U.K.’s efforts to provide school lunches made of fresh, local organic food. She will be visiting with school officials, farmers and proponents of healthy school lunches in New York City, Baltimore, Maryland and Arlington, Virginia.

According to Andrew Gunther, Program Director for Animal Welfare Approved, Orrey’s work in the U.K. dovetails nicely with the U.S. movement to educate children about food and improve school lunches. “Right now, U.S. work focuses very strongly on fresh fruits and vegetables,” he says. “Jeanette began by sourcing beef from local farmers for her school, so we felt her work would be of interest to her U.S. counterparts. Farmers in the Animal Welfare Approved program provide healthy, safe, nutritionally superior products which should be part of any child’s school-provided lunch. To this end, being a part of the dialogue regarding healthy eating by our nation’s youth and in our nation’s schools helps us to achieve our mission of promoting our family farmers while ensuring children receive the best food possible.”

Accompanying Orrey on her journey will be Animal Welfare Approved staff, Bill Telepan, chef/owner of Manhattan’s Telepan Restaurant, and Nancy Easton, a New York City teacher for 20 years. Telepan is a long-time Animal Welfare Approved supporter and a board member of Wellness in the Schools. Wellness in the Schools is a grassroots organization that promotes children’s environmental health, nutrition and fitness within the New York City public schools. Easton co-founded Wellness in the Schools and serves on its board. The New York City school system serves approximately 1.1 million students.

“We’re excited to join the conversation about the best way to serve safe, nutritious and delicious food in schools,” Gunther commented. “Each country faces different challenges in achieving the same goal and everyone is looking forward to talking shop and exchanging ideas and stories. It’s a coming together of those dedicated to serving great food in schools.”

During her stay, Orrey will meet with the following proponents of healthy school lunches in addition to visiting a number of schools in each of the three school districts:

New York City Department of Education
Eric Goldstein, Chief Executive Officer for Nutrition and Transportation
Dianne Frankel, Director of Operations
Chef Jorge Collazo, SchoolFood Executive Chef
Stephen O’Brien, Director of Food and Food Support

Queens County Farm Museum, NYC
Amy Fischetti-Boncardo, Executive Director
Michael Grady Robertson, Director of Agriculture

Baltimore City Public Schools, MD
Tony Geraci, Director of Food and Nutrition Services
Greg Strella, Farm Manager, Great Kids Farm

ThinkFoodGroup, Washington, DC
Richard Brandenburg, Kitchen Director

Arlington County Public Schools, VA
Amy Maclosky, Food Service Director

Jeanette Orrey is the School Meals Policy Advisor to the Soil Association. Jeanette’s achievements and guidance were central to the success of the Food For Life campaign and an inspiration for Jamie Oliver’s fight to improve school meals. Her life has been a whirlwind of training, lecturing, meetings with ministers and, of course, awards ceremonies. She has received recognition of her work from, amongst others, Radio 4’s ‘The Food Programme’ (2003); The Observer (2004); Good Housekeeping (2005) and the Guild of Food Writers (2006) for her book ‘The Dinner Lady’.