Boston Local Food Festival Continued

by Katya Simkhovich

So now that I’ve gotten bragging about all the delicious, free, cheap, great-quality local food I got to eat, let’s get down to business. But this business involves food, so it’s good business. Not like the corporate business that abuses the American food industry.

These college kids (on of which I will soon be -gasp!) know what’s up. Power to to the people. Challenge those corporations.

Until the corporations start caring about the consumer and not profits, challenge. This December, federal dietary guidelines are due for their five-update. The USDA and CDC are currently debating this issue. Quoting the Washington Post,

“In public comments, the meat lobby has opposed strict warnings on sodium that could cast a negative light on lunch meat. The milk lobby has expressed concerns about warning to cut back on added sugars, lest chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milk fall from favor. Several members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation also weighed in a against added-sugar restrictions in defense of the cranberry.”

So the meat industries would rather have you eat unhealthily high amounts of sodium for lunch and the milk industry would love you to wash down that sodium with an equal amount of sugar. Yum, I can’t wait for my USDA approved lunch.

BUT WAIT. I don’t want to eat sodium and sugar for lunch, and I’m guessing you probably don’t either. But don’t fear, local, organic food is here! If you look for it, you’ll find it. It might take a little more effort and take a little longer of a drive than to your closest grocery store, but if you take a moment to look, you’ll probably find that local, organic food is cheaper and more readily available than you had thought. And there is an ever-expanding army of people that is willing to fight for local, organic, sustainable food so hopefully it will become more and more readily available. Take this truck for example.

Correction: Mobile Market. This truckload full (literally) of organic, local produce is in it’s first year of business. The kind of business corporations would have nightmares about. This “mobile market” delivers local, organic produce to the inner city – where local, organic food has rarely dared to go before. I have to admit, this little “mobile market” made my day.

But this marvelous mobile market isn’t the only thing that made my day.