LOCAVORE MOVEMENT-THE "BRANDING" INITIATIVE IN SOME CITIES

Locavore movement that is catching up in the US is a product of intense citizen awareness about the damage brought about by the modern industrial agriculture, the fast food industry culture and mindless tinkering with the food processing operations by the intensely profit driven food industry. The damage is caused to the environment as well as the health of the citizens who are forced to accept the situation as a fait accompli with a sense of helplessness. The present initiatives taken by some people with a missionary zeal, aims to persuade people to shun foods from far away markets and in stead patronize those which are produced or made locally. The urban gardening phenomenon presently seen is an outcome of such efforts and with increasing demand for locally sourced foods, more and more cities are looking for policies that will help expanding the local production base. Here is a case with the famed city of Chicago in United States which is trying to introduce an exclusive brand with appropriate iconic symbol that will distinctly show, when labeled, as the product raised within the city limit. Here is a take on this new initiative.

"Chicago Grown envisions a just, sustainable, and prosperous Chicago food system, cultivated by Chicago's diversity of cultural traditions and its residents' passion for growing, producing, cooking, and eating local foods. Chicago Grown promotes foods grown and processed in the city of Chicago by: Raising awareness of fruits, vegetables & other products grown in the city. Supporting established local growers and providing support and encouragement to new farmers and food entrepreneurs. Increasing demand for prepared and processed foods that use Chicago Grown ingredients. Highlighting the economic and community benefits of a local food system, including jobs and youth development. Celebrating and connecting diverse food cultures throughout the city. Partnering with all others who share our vision and support our mission"

It is a proof that the city-grown food movements in the US are gnawing at the mainstream food production system with a potential to outpace them in the coming years. Chicago is the latest example. This city wants to launch immediately a new program that will see that all food products raised within the city limits are labeled with the phrase "Chicago Grown". According to the definition, all fresh foods and processed foods containing at least 50% local ingredients will be deemed to be eligible for such labeling. For this new idea the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council, has to be applauded and when launched this label will be the first one from a local city intended to boost local agriculture. According to some reports others are also are jumping into this band wagon such as Marin County, California where local producers now have the option of using a "Grown Local Marin County" on their goods for a fee of about $65. Similarly  in Asheville, North Carolina, residents can look for the "Appalachian Grown" label, which denotes items that have been produced within 100 miles of the city. This new initiative is almost similar to the geographical identity protection under the IPO regime to famed products like Scotch Whiskey which needs to be produced in Scotland while Darjeeling Tea provides another example of such locally produced materials gaining international recognition. The above initiatives are really forward looking which if pursued efficiently can change the face of America eventually. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE FAT TAX-A NEW INITIATIVE IN AUSTRALIA

Why do the governments world over impose taxes on products and services? Obviously because they want to generate resources which can be spend for their economic and social development. By far taxes in the form of sales tax, value added tax, octroi, entry tax etc spread the net far and wide among the citizens and generate huge revenue for the governments. The concept of using taxation as a tool to regulate consumption is relatively a new phenomenon and most common examples are Cigarettes and alcohol products. It is true that both smoking and alcohol consumption are not considered safe and therefore taxes on them are frequently increased to make them costlier while reducing the overall consumption. While such a strategy seemed to have worked in the case of tobacco products, the result in the case of alcoholic drinks cannot be considered a success. In a recent report it was revealed that the high end Scotch Whiskey demand world over is rising rapidly though it is one of the costliest among spirit products! This approach was tried on foods also in Denmark where taxes were hiked on products considered highly unhealthy containing high amounts of fat and sugar. The result was not very encouraging because in the EU with a no restriction on inter country travel within the Community, Danish citizens had always access to cheaper products across the borders! Same strategy is now being thought of in Australia where plans are afoot to impose a "fat tax" on foods containing above a certain level of saturated fat. Here is a commentary on this new initiative to control obesity in that country where almost two thirds of the population is considered overweight. 

"The fat tax will apply to products containing more than 2.3 percent saturated fat. This will include but not be limited to oils, meats, cheeses, processed products, and fast foods. With 63 percent of Australians are overweight and nearly 22 percent of adults have high blood pressure, it is no wonder that such stringent actions are being put into action. The chief executive of the Heart Foundation, Lyn Roberts, said that more Australians were at risk of eating themselves to death. In order to boost the success of this new fat tax, eatforhealth.gov.au has published new dietary guidelines for Australians to follow, along with advice on choosing the right foods. In view of efforts like this, the fat tax is hardly as wicked as it first sounds. Sure, prices will increase, but the Australian population will learn how to manage their eating habits in a healthier way. Obesity Policy Coalition spokeswoman Jane Martin said policies encouraging physical activity and healthy eating appeared to stabilize, instead of increase, the numbers of overweight and obese children, but other efforts, such as this tax, were needed to reduce the numbers in the obese population. However, drawbacks to such a measure have been seen in Denmark as well as New York. When Danish officials attempted their fat tax, residents simply visited other countries to buy sugary beverages and fatty foods at an affordable price. When Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempted to restrict the sale of sugary beverages greater than 16 fl oz., residents protested and the law was never passed. These results may not necessarily be duplicated in Australia, as the country has established that more than half of its population is overweight and needs to urgently cut back on fat consumption".

Will Australia succeed where Denmark has failed? Probably yes because the nearest market to Australians is New Zealand which is about 2000 miles away. Government can also hike the import duty on such foods it considers as unhealthy. Desperate situation demands desperate efforts to address the problem and Australia really needs to tackle the "body bloating" syndrome now and here! One positive aspect of this policy orchestration is that the additional revenue generated is slated to be spent on subsidizing healthy foods which invariably cost much higher world over including Australia. It is an unprecedented tragedy that the consumer prices of unhealthy foods are declining significantly while that of healthy foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain products etc are showing an opposite trend putting them beyond the reach of more and more people who really need them to maintain decent health. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com