Eat Local Niagara was an OPIRG Brock Working Group for the 2007-08 year. We focused on encouraging Niagara residence to primarily eat food which is produced and processed in Niagara. Simply by eating locally we support our farmers and subsequently support our local economy. Local food is picked fresh, and ripe, and does not have high transportation costs associated with it. By eating locally we can help build stronger healthy communities.
While we're no longer a working group we feel this information is important and will try to update this page with relevant information on food issues.
If you are looking for space to grow, or have space to offer to someone to grow, advertise at Sharing Back Yards!
Geneticaly Modified Foods Are Not Labeled
Currently in Canada Geneticaly Modified Foods are not labeled. The only way to know for sure which products do not contain GMO's is to purchase certified organic foods when ever possible. Greenpeace Canada has published the first ever GMO Guide which consumers can use to see which popular products on Canadian suppermarket shelves contain GMO ingrediants.
Search there guide here: GMO Guide
The Dangers of Genetically Modified Food - Jeffery Smith Lecture
Do you want to learn how to farm organically? The CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance of Farmer Training) Programing facilitates theoretical knowledge about organic farming through various season long organic farming internships offered by over a dozen organic farms in Southern Ontario.
WWOOF?
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is a great way to learn about organic agriculture, while traveling all over the world! WWOOFers work about 6 hours a day on the farm, and receive free food and accommodation!
There are currently over 786 million hungry people on planet Earth. And while few would deny that world hunger is one of the most important issues facing mankind today, if the solution is left to companies like Monsanto, Aventis, Dow, and DuPont, we may face even greater challenges to the security of our global ecosystem.
RITE TO YOUR SUPERMARKET
The GM-Free foods campaign is asking everyone to write to the major supermarkets to urge them to continue to keep own-brand products GM-Free (pressure from the Government and the biotech industry is making the supermarkets think seriously about banding together to introduce a united pro-GM front). Click here for details. http://www.bangmfood.org/take-action
Suggest that he or she writes to environment secretary Hilary Benn to request that government legislation and Defra’s regulations be more stringent surrounding GM produce. Follow the links on Friends of the Earth’s ‘Say no to GM contamination’ web page for a simple way to send a letter to your local MP. See: www.stopgmcontamination.org
WATCH THE FILM
The World According to Monsanto
On 11 March, a documentary made by French journalist and film-maker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto, was aired on French television channel ARTE. Unsurprisingly, it has never aired in the US, but you can view it on various sites on the internet. A good place to start is YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMleWZXhi6s
ATTEND THE CONFERENCE
Feeding the World… Are GM crops fit for purpose? If not, what then?
12 November 2008, London
The gauntlet has been thrown down by government for GM critics either to ‘put up or shut up’ within the year. This conference will examine, searchingly and honestly, the claims and counter-claims of one of the most critical environmental issues of our time. It will tackle the GM lobby and discuss how best to feed a hungry world. www.feedingtheworldconference.org
