Deconstructing Dinner

Pork is literally being produced behind closed doors. For those of us living in cities, all that can be witnessed is that final product of vacuum-packed bacon or tightly-sealed marshmallows. For those living in the rural areas, the story is much different. Communities are faced with the odour that emanates from massive hog factories; they are subject to the tonnes of liquid manure that ends up in nearby lagoons and is sprayed on neighbouring fields; and many are concerned about the cleanliness of their water sources and air. A large percentage of antibiotics produced in this country end up in the bellies of farm animals; where do the antibiotics go, and what implications does this incredible use of drugs have on human and animal health? Much concern has also been raised as to the well-being of sows (breeder pigs) that spend almost their entire lives in stalls almost no larger than themselves.

Join Deconstructing Dinner as we take a closer look into industrial hog production and discover whether viable alternatives exist.

Guests

Shiv Chopra - was the Senior Veterinary Drug Evaluator in Health Canada's Therapeutic Products and Food Division. Chopra was fired in 2004 along with 2 other colleagues after serving 28 years with the department. Chopra had raised issues such as the safety of a bovine growth hormone proposed for use in dairy herds to boost milk production, the influence of corporations in government drug approvals, and the need to keep animal parts out of the feed supply to keep animals safe.

Vicki Burns - Executive Director, Winnipeg Humane Society - The WHS coordinates the Quit Stalling Campaign - designed to end the use of sow stalls in Canada by 2013. Sows are breeder pigs, which, in hog factories, are kept in metal stalls barely larger than themselves.

Elaine Hughes - Stop the Hogs Coalition - is a group of concerned ratepayers of the Regional Municipalities of Barrier Valley and Ponass Lake, Saskatchewan, that are concerned about the environmental and social implications of the 'factory' production of hogs. Elaine is on the Steering Committee of the Beyond Factory Farming Coalition.

Barbara Schellenberg - Rafter 25 Ranch - Located on the ranch in Alexis Creek, BC is Pasture-to-Plate - raising pork, beef and lamb using biodynamic principles of farming. These principles ensure a mutual respect with the land, and the farm undertakes a number of conservation projects. Animals are allowed to practice instinctive practices with little restriction.

Our food system has been built on a foundation of oil (gasoline, pesticides, fertilizers). As we reach the highest use of oil-dependent practices ever, we are also reaching a critical point in the availability of this finite resource. Peak Oil has been the term used to describe the point in time when extraction of oil from the earth reaches its highest point and then begins to decline. We won't be able to say with certainty when we have reached peak oil until after the fact. Many experts say we have already reached the peak.

How can the world's population be fed without the extensive use of fossil fuels in the production, processing and distribution of food? What changes can we make to implement food security at the local level, while promoting popular education, public health and community control?

Guests/Pre-Recorded Presentation

Wayne Roberts - Project Coordinator for the Toronto Food Policy Council, and regular contributor to Toronto's NOW Magazine. In a recent presentation hosted by the Vancouver Public Library and the Necessary Voices Society, Dr. Wayne Roberts helped tackle the question, "What will we eat when the oil runs out?" We hear clips from this presentation

Charles Levkoe - Urban Agriculture Coordinator The Stop Community Food Centre. The Stop Community Food Centre in Toronto, strives to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds community and challenges inequality. A fixture in Toronto for over 30 years, The Stop believes that food access and security are basic human rights. Charles received a Masters degree in Food Security and Popular Education from the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. Charles is also on the board of the American Community Gardening Association.

The first of a multi-part series that focuses on small-scale growers and food processors. The series will travel to communities throughout British Columbia and explore the intricacies of operating a small food-based business within a food system dominated by giants.

This first broadcast starts its journey in Nelson and interviews 4 local businesses that rely on local support to remain viable. While localized in content, the issues discussed are those encountered by ALL small-scale growers/producers throughout North America

Guests

Jeff Mock - Silverking Soya Foods (Nelson) - Nelson is fortunate to have its very own tofu shop! Owned by Jeff Mock since 1994, Silverking is located in the Old Brewery building, next to Oso Negro Coffee roastery. Jeff "provides wholesome tofu and soymilk at a reasonable price with the least environmental impact." He uses certified organic soybeans, pure, un-chlorinated water, and locally grown organic herbs. Jeff makes fresh, delicious tofu every week in a variety of flavours and textures.

George and Maurgo Wilson - Meadowbrook Farm and Kootenay Sprouts (Salmo) - Eight years of year-round growing in their 3000 square foot greenhouse. You can expect a fresh variety of greens throughout the year, including arugula, spicy greens, mesclun lettuce mix, spinach and spring basil. Kootenay Sprouts is housed in a separate building, and has recently been certified organic. The crop of alfalfa, clover, onion, broccoli, salad crunch and savory deli sprouts are grown fresh on a weekly basis, and are sold in bulk trays and in individual packs.

Silvio Lettrari - Kaslo Sourdough Bakery (Kaslo) - Baking thirteen different kinds of bread using ancient recipes and traditional and modern techniques. Silvio began selling his breads in 1994. He believes that the bread that swamps the modern market lacks the vital essence that is so necessary for our successful survival in the future. He believes this vital essence to be the bacterial culture (microorganisms), which can only be had in a truly traditional sourdough bread.

Amy Robillard - Little Miss Gelato (Nelson) - New producer of Italian-style gelatos, available in local retail outlets, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Bioneers was conceived to conduct educational and economic development programs in the conservation of biological and cultural diversity, traditional farming practices, and environmental restoration. Their radio programs are heard in over 200 cities.

Series IV, PART 4: ORGANIC AND BEYOND – TOWARD THE DE-INDUSTRIALIZATION OF AGRICULTURE. The biology of farming is complex and requires attentiveness to nature's own ways of doing things, characterized by interdependence of relationships. Author and attorney Andrew Kimbrell is leading the Organic and Beyond Movement—a food revolution that offers health and food security for future generations and rejects the destructive industrial food production model. Andrew is the Executive Director of the Washington, DC-based Centre for Food Safety.

Series III, PART 6: SOIL AND SOUL – THE FUTURE OF FARMING. What are the hidden costs of agribusiness, with its chemical dependent mega farms? Poor nutrition and physical and mental illness, connected to poor nutrition, are on the rise in North America. Farmers Michael Ableman and Joel Salatin express the soul that is returning to farming the land. Michael Ableman is the founder and executive director of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens. Michael farms in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. Joel Salatin is a fulltime farmer in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Take a closer look at the Olympic rings. Located in the yellow ring are the McDonald's arches, and in the red ring, a bottle of Coca-Cola. These companies represent two of the 11 Worldwide Olympic Partners who have forked out incredible sums of money to fund the games and market their products alongside.

After the announcement of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Premier Gordon Campbell announced that British Columbia will be the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host the Olympic Games. Numerous initiatives have now been launched that encourage healthier living for all British Columbians. How does the influence of these two major Olympic sponsors affect the progress of these intiatives: initiatives that many argue have been designed to combat the unhealthy influence of these very companies.

Join us as we discuss how the products of McDonald's and Coca-Cola represent sport, nutrition and the active lifestlyes that the Olympics promote.

We will look into the effects of advertising on children, and how parents and teachers can help young Canadians better interpret the powerful messages that the Olympics emit.

Guests

Jennifer Gibson - Sport Dietitian - SportMedBC - a not-for-profit society, whose focal point is sport medicine and science within the provincial sport system. SportMedBC is committed to identifying, developing and promoting Best Practices in Sport Health, Sport Safety and Sport Training. We aim to coordinate access to a network of practitioners and to be the ultimate resources for all active British Columbians interested in sport activities.

Warren Nightingale - Education Content Developer - Media Awareness Network - is a Canadian non-profit organization that has been pioneering the development of media literacy programs since its incorporation in 1996. Members of our team have backgrounds in education, journalism, mass communications, and cultural policy. Working out of offices in Ottawa and Montreal, they promote media and Internet education by producing online programs and resources, working in partnership with Canadian and international organizations, and speaking to audiences across Canada and around the world.

We take a rare glimpse into some of the issues facing British Columbia's small-scale farmers and producers. With the rapid pace at which agricultural and production methods have evolved, two distinct food-producing frameworks now exist: the small scale farmer/producer, and the commodity-based ones hooked into industrial methods of production.

How does the small operation survive in this world of giants? British Columbia's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries' - Brent Warner, speaks to members of the Kootenay Organic Growers Society on how change affects them, and how they should best adapt to this change.

This is an opportunity to look behind the scenes into the very issues that face the people growing and producing our food.

Brent Warner - Industry Specialist - Agritourism/Direct Marketing - BRITISH COLUMBIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND FISHERIES. Brent is a horticulturalist who has worked with the Ministry since 1980. Brent is the Secretary of the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association. He authored "Marketing on the Edge" - a guide for farmers/producers to assist in diversification and marketing of their products directly to the public.

Brent spoke on 02/11/06 at a Nelson-based meeting of the Kootenay Organic Growers Society. This broadcast contains audio recordings from his presentation.

(originally broadcast February 9, 2006)

Seeds are the foundation of our food supply and the building blocks of culture, community and well-being. Seeds also represent an industry of which 50% of global sales are controlled by 10 companies. The patenting and control of seeds is already a reality, but the push is now on to introduce Terminator technology - plants that have been genetically modified to render sterile seeds at harvest. This technology will prevent farmers from saving their seeds for the following season and help protect the global seed industry. We will discuss the importance of seeds, Terminator technology, and the Canadian-based worldwide campaign "Ban Terminator".

Guests

Lucy Sharratt - coordinator of the Ottawa-based Ban Terminator international campaign, an initiative of the ETC Group. Lucy has been involved with the Polaris Institute and the Sierra Club of Canada.

Terry Boehm - Vice-President, National Farmers Union (NFU) - Saskatchewan. Terry is a canola farmer in Allan, Saskatchewan.

Devlin Kuyek - Montreal-based staff member of GRAIN - an international non-governmental organisation which promotes the sustainable management and use of agricultural biodiversity based on people's control over genetic resources and local knowledge. Coordinator of the Forum on the Patenting of Life (Canada), member of the Groupe de recherche: technosciences du vivant et soci�©t�© at the University of Quebec at Montreal.

Harry Collins - Vice-President of Technology Transfer, Delta & Pine Land Company - headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, has offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries. Holds three patents jointly with the United States Department of Agriculture. These were the first patents on Terminator. Delta & Pine Land is conducting greenhouse tests of Terminator; is the 11th largest seed company in the world; is the largest cotton seed company in the world and produces and sells conventional and GM soy and cotton seed.

This broadcasts looks to address how the attention we pay to the specific moment of eating, affects the attention we pay to what food we purchase and why? By reconnecting ourselves to the act of eating, can we reconnect ourselves to food itself?

Guests

Victoria Stanton - Artist, ESSEN, (Montreal, QC) - Montreal-based performance artist producing solo and collaborative creative work since 1992. Her project entitled ESSEN, takes a look at our relationship with eating by hosting meals where participants feed each other instead of themselves. These events help expose our relationship with food by disrupting the daily routine of feeding.

Carl Honoré, Author, In Praise of Slow (London, UK) - Author of "IN PRAISE OF SLOW - How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed" (Vintage Canada). Carl is a Canadian journalist based in London, England. He has written for The Economist, The Globe and Mail, Houston Chronicle, Miami Herald, and the National Post.

Paul Rozin - Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, (Philadelphia, PA). Earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and masters and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. He has been a member of the department of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania since 1963. Former editor of the journal Appetite. Research - Cultural Psychology. Acquisition of likes and dislikes for foods, nature and development of the magical belief in contagion, cultural evolution of disgust, ambivalence to animal foods, lay conception of risk of infection and toxic effects of foods, interaction of moral and health factors in concerns about risks, relation between people's desires to have desires and their actual desires (including the problem of internalization), acquisition of culture, nature of cuisine, cultural evolution. Research carried out in USA, France, Japan and India.

How does food and agriculture make its way into party platforms? What are the main concerns of BC farmers and producers? How do politicians shop for food?

We discuss how our country's major political parties attempt to tackle the issues of Factory Farming, Declining Farmer Incomes, Regulations and more.

Guests

Alex Atamanenko – NDP candidate, British Columbia Southern Interior. Alex ran in the 2004 election and lost to Conservative incumbent Jim Gouk by 680 votes.

Andrew Lewis – Deputy Leader of the Green Party, and candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands. Andrew received the highest percentage of votes for a green party candidate in the 2004 federal election, and 2001 provincial election.

Stewart Wells – National President, National Farmer's Union (NFU). Farmer in Swift Current, SK.

Cathy Holtslander – Project Organizer, Beyond Factory Farming Coaltion (Council of Canadians).

Andrea Gunner – Agricultural consultant, Manager – BC Organic Milling Co-op (Armstrong)

How are 98% of eggs in British Columbia produced, and what other methods compose the remaining 2%. We discuss the state of the egg industry in this province and investigate into the methods of education the industry utilizes to inform the consumer.

Guests

Bruce Passmore - Farm Animal Welfare Coordinator for the Vancouver Humane Society, Coordinator of the Chicken Out Campaign, a joint effort between the Humane Society and the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals.

Fred Reid - Olera Farm in Abbotsford. Member of the Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia, and you may recognize the name as a key opponent in the heated debates that took place in this province only a few years ago between organic egg producers and the BC Egg Marketing Board

Karl Hann - Biota Farm in Abbotsford, biodynamic farmer and egg producer. Green Party candidate in the Abbotsford riding during the 2004 federal election. Karl was born and raised in Romania and has been living and farming in Canada for 20 years.

Maria Castro - Quennell Lake Poultry, a small family farm in the community of Cedar on Vancouver Island. Steering Committee of the Beyond Factory Farming Coalition (a campaign of the Council of Canadians). A director of Rare Breeds Canada. Steering Committee of the Agriculture Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network. Food Link Nanaimo.

Peter Whitlock - Operations Manager BC Egg Producers (BC Egg Marketing Board).