Choices 2012: Save the Date!

Save the Date for Choices 2012: The Conference that celebrates food, health & collaboration!

This year's conference will be held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids Michigan on March 13 & 14. Please note the location change as the conference was previously held in East Lansing Michigan.

For more information please contact Diane Drago at ddrago@dmsevents.com or at 517-663-5147. For more information, visit www.michigannutritionnetwork.org

Choices is sponsored by the Michigan Nutrition Network at the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

2011 Michigan Junior Chef Cookbook Available!

Congratulations to the 2011 Michigan Junior Chef competition winners!

First Place: Eight is Enough from St. Brigid Catholic School

Second Place: Brown City Good for you Girls from Brown City Schools

Third Place: Small Town Chefs from Hopkins Public Schools

The 2011 Michigan Junior Chef competition was sponsored by Michigan Team Nutrition, Michigan Department of Education, The C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and Michigan State University.

To download the 2011 Michigan Junior Chef Cookbook featuring photos, information and recipes submitted by all the participating school teams, please visit the Michigan Junior Chef website. A special edition for School Food Service Directors is also available.

Stop Junk Food Marketing to our Children!

The Oakland California based Prevention Institute just released a 2 minute video called "We're Not Buying It!" aimed at stopping current junk food marketing to our children. In 2 minutes they sum up the current abhorrent marketing practices aimed at selling our kids sugar and fat-filled foods.

If you have two minutes it's worth a watch: "We're Not Buying It!"

There's also a petition you can sign asking President Obama to support our children.

At Eat Local Food, we've long been opposed to marketing to children unless it's an educational endeavor aimed at teaching kids about fruits, vegetables and healthy eating. Big business has spent billions of dollars creating cartoon characters, licensing children's book characters and infiltrating schools and libraries with "charitable" programs that are intended to establish customer loyalty at an early age. We don't get up on our soapbox too often, but this is one practice that has to stop. Our kids' health is paying the price.

Low Interest Loan Opportunity for Michigan Farmers

Are you a farmer or non-profit organization interested in expanding your current operation? Through a partnership between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation; the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; and Michigan State University, low interest loans are now available to Michigan farmers and non-profit (501(c)) organizations.

Funds are targeted for passive solar systems (PSS) (e.g. high tunnel/hoophouse structures). PSS can be used to grow produce year-round in Michigan without additional heat or light and provide a revenue source for farmers during the winter months. Technical assistance is being provided by the Michigan State University Student Organic Farm.

Loan terms are set at 4% fixed interest for six years with interest-only payments for the first six months. There is no penalty for early repayment. Loan amounts for PSS for this program can range from $5,000 to $15,000. Loan funds are eligible to cover materials, supplies and equipment costs for PSS.

Applications are being reviewed on an ongoing basis and are available for download at: www.michiganadvantage.org/PSS. For more information please contact Terri Novak: novakt@michigan.gov or 517.930.3170.

New Michigan Hoop House Loan Program

Here's a fantastic opportunity for 2011 grower-vendors at the the Downtown Saginaw Farmers’ Market, the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers’ Market, the Lapeer Farmers’ Market, and the Northwest Detroit Farmers’ Market. The goal of this program is to help farmers extend their Michigan growing season and build up farmers markets that participate in food assistance programs. Supporting local agriculture while getting good food out to people who need it. What a great plan!

Farmers Can Pay Back New Hoop House Loan by Distributing Food

July 27, 2011, EAST LANSING, MICH – Is it really possible to have fresh salad greens all year round? Can you really get Michigan grown tomatoes in June or July? The answer is yes! Many Michigan farmers are meeting the growing demand for locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables by using season extension techniques such as hoop houses to help them lengthen their growing season.

A hoop house is a passive solar greenhouse that extends the production season for warm- and cool-season crops and permits winter harvesting of cold-tolerant vegetables. Hoop houses can also help a farmer increase their revenue. A recent study by Michigan State University found that, on average, an inexperienced hoop house grower selling at a farmers market can earn $1.60 per square foot per year.

The Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA), in partnership with the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University (MSU) and the MSU Student Organic Farm, is facilitating a program designed to help more farmers extend their growing season and strengthen the farmers markets where they sell their produce. The program is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and will make hoop house loans available to farmers selling at farmers markets that participate in food assistance programs. The program plans to distribute $500,000 over a three year period to farmers seeking to install hoop houses, including approximately $175,000 in 2011.

Through this loan program, farmers will “pay off” their zero-interest loan by distributing fresh produce equal to the value of their loan principal to individuals using food assistance benefits at farmers markets. For example, if a loan amount of $5,000 is requested, a seasonal vendor who participates in a market for six months each year will need to distribute food valued at $41.67 each week to food assistance clients in order to pay back the loan principal within the five year loan period.

Farmers must meet certain requirements to qualify and must be a seasonal vendor at one of the four farmers markets participating in 2011: the Downtown Saginaw Farmers’ Market, the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers’ Market, the Lapeer Farmers’ Market, and the Northwest Detroit Farmers’ Market.

In order to be considered for this loan program, farmers must complete an application and submit it with supporting documents by Friday, August 19, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. Applications will be reviewed and announcements will be made by September 15, 2011.

For more information contact Amanda Segar at 517-432-3381 or segarama@msu.edu.

Up for a Challenge? Enter the Michigan Junior Chef Competition!

The Michigan Junior Chef Competition is open to all 7th-12th grade students enrolled in Michigan schools. According to the rules, teams must consist of 3-4 students and at least one adult coach.

The competition has two parts. The first is a recipe contest with an entry deadline of March 14, 2011. Student teams are to submit their recipes for a healthy school lunch meal that features local, seasonal foods. Recipes will be judged on (1) nutritional quality, (2) use of local ingredients and (3) whether it can be replicated in a school food service setting given the time and labor required to create the meal.

The second part of the competition is the Michigan Junior Chef Cook-Off Competition where 8 teams that are finalists from the recipe contest will prepare their recipe on-site at Michigan State University on May 11, 2011. Meals will be judged by an expert panel on (1) nutritional quality, (2) use of local ingredients, (3) whether it can be replicated in a school food service setting given the time and labor required to create the meal, (4) taste, (5) presentation, and (6) creativity.

Michigan Junior Chef is sponsored by the USDA, Michigan Team Nutrition, Michigan Department of Education, the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU, and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

Visit the Michigan Junior Chef website for official rules and more information.

The Michigan Junior Chef Website and logo were designed by Eat Local Food LLC.

Lead in Reusable Bags?

A news story was published this week regarding tests finding high levels of lead in reusable bags. According to the story, "the non-woven-polypropylene bags, sold by chains including Safeway, Walgreen's and Bloom, all had lead content above 100 parts per million — the highest level that many states allow in consumer packaging. The tests were conducted by Frontier Global Sciences for the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), which plans to release the results Monday."

Here's a link to the article in USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-01-23-reusable-bags_N.htm

While we've never been a fan of the non-woven-polypropylene bag, it's been for the following reasons:

1) They are usually not made in the USA

2) Lots of fuel is used transporting them to the USA

3) They are recyclable but not biodegradable

4) The material typically lacks strength and the bags do not withstand heavy loads

And now there is a claim that these bags have a high lead content. We've also heard that the Center for Consumer Freedom - the organization that paid for the funding - is not an environmental or consumer protection group. The Center for Consumer Freedom website describes the group as "a nonprofit coalition of restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protecting consumer choices". But there's more! CCF's website goes on to say: "A growing cabal of activists has meddled in Americans’ lives in recent years. They include self-anointed "food police," health campaigners, trial lawyers, personal-finance do-gooders, animal-rights misanthropes, and meddling bureaucrats."

We all know we should always consider who is funding the study and for what purpose. We don't know the purpose behind The Center for Consumer Freedom's study. But if there are high levels of lead in these imported non-woven-polypropylene bags, let's get them out of our U.S. grocery stores.

Here's what we know about our Eat Local Food reusable tote bags:

1) They are made in the USA

2) They are resuable

3) They are made of cotton

4) Cotton is biodegradable

5) They are sturdy and hold up to heavy loads

6) They are washable! (See our related post on washing your reusable bags)

7) They all have beautiful, original fine art designs!

Eat Local Food's reusable tote bags are available for purchase at www.eatlocalfoodstore.com.

Have a Website? Accept Payments On-line

To be a business with a credible internet presence, it is very important for your website to have the ability to accept orders online and to accept customer payments. You can either set up your own on-line merchant account or use an online payment processor.

A merchant account is a type of bank account that allows businesses to accept payments by debit or credit cards. Typically you apply for the merchant account with the same bank that has your business checking account. Fees for a merchant account can be fixed and variable and will vary by bank used. The fixed fees can include the application cost, the monthly cost of having the account, and the annual fee, if applicable. Variable fees include service transaction fees and possible monthly charges that will vary according to your use of the service. It’s important to understand all of the fees you will be responsible for prior to engaging in a contract. Also note that you will be responsible for the security of your system. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)details a set of rules merchants must adhere to in order to reduce fraud in the credit card industry. You must be able to prove your compliance with these rules.

The advantages of a merchant account include added professionalism and integrity for your business. When your customer receives their credit card statement your business name will appear next to the on-line purchase. Also after the initial set-up the overall cost of this option is typically lower than an online payment processor.

An online payment processor provides ways for you to accept credit cards and other payments online without the extra cost and responsibility of a merchant account. For the ease of using their service transaction fees for the third party processors are considerably higher than for merchant accounts. PayPal and Google checkout are two well known online payment processors.

The advantage of an online payment processor is that the system is easy to adopt and use. Also some customers feel more comfortable using their credit card with a system they are familiar with (such as PayPal).

Special Offer from Eat Local Food

Eat Local Food is celebrating 2011 with a special offer: make any on-line purchase at www.eatlocalfoodstore.com from now until March 1, 2011 and receive 11% off your total. Just enter HAPNY11 in the coupon box during checkout.

At Eat Local Food^®, we provide eye-catching, high quality marketing materials promoting locally produced, farm-friendly, natural, organic and healthy foods. Our products generate sales and increase customer awareness by helping support local farmers and shop owners, and strengthening local economies by keeping the money flowing among friends and neighbors.

Eat Local Food^® products are made in the USA and are proven marketing tools. All of our merchandise is decorative, functional and reusable. Our products can be ordered with or without customization for your business. Custom designed products and art design services are also available; please call us with any special requests or questions.

Choices 2011: Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives

Register now for this year's Choices Conference! To be held March 9 & 10 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan, this year's conference theme is "Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives".

Each year, this conference strives to present the latest ideas in food, health and fitness. If you are a farmer, nutritionist, educator, food activist or parent, Choices 2011 will have a topic of interest to you. Here are some of the themes in this year's conference:

• Learn how to engage audiences more effectively in learning about healthy eating
• Discover nutrition education trends impacting Michigan families
• Learn how to select and prepare heart-healthy, child-friendly and vegetarian meals and snacks that will become family favorites
• Become leaders in promoting healthy weight
• Discover innovative ways to promote physical activity
• Explore strategies for teaching nutrition education through school gardening

At Eat Local Food, we’re proud to be working with the Michigan Nutrition Network on the Choices Conference for the 5^th consecutive year. Eat Local Food’s “Shake the Hand that Feeds You” was selected by the organization as the image to represent this year’s conference. Attendees will receive, among other materials, an Eat Local Food conference tote featuring this striking image of a local farmer.

Registration is now open at http://www.minutritionnetwork.org/choices/

Participants can attend for one or both days. There are also special rates for those who participate in SNAP-Ed.

Choices is sponsored by the Michigan Nutrition Network at the Michigan Fitness Foundation with Michigan State University Extension and Michigan Department of Education.