When news of the passage of Public Act 10-103, An Act Concerning Farms, Food, and Jobs, began to spread last year, I put in a call to the CT Dept. of Agriculture’s legal expert to get an interpretation. Was it true that farms certified by a CT State Poultry Inspection Program created under the law would now be able to process their own birds and sell them to restaurants? That would mean poultry farmers would be spared the inconvenience and expense of taking their chickens, turkeys and ducks to the only USDA slaughterhouse in the state for processing. Processing their birds themselves, in the farm’s facilities, would indeed be legal I was told, but only after jumping through the necessary hoops to become certified. I wasn’t holding my breath.

I’m thrilled to report that this law is working to strengthen the local food movement in Connecticut. Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky announced today that two farms have been approved by the state Department of Agriculture through this new Poultry Slaughter Inspection Program, making more Connecticut Grown poultry more available to consumers, restaurants, and hotels. MarWin Farm in New Hartford and Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Sterling are the first two Connecticut poultry farms to be inspected and approved through the new state program. MarWin Farm is raising approximately 2,500 chickens, 125 turkeys, and 200 specialty birds such as guinea hens and ducks. Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, the state’s largest grower of pastured turkeys, has 3,000 turkeys and 1,200 chickens in production this year.

Commissioner Reviczky said the new program “opens a new door for restaurants looking to serve Connecticut Grown turkey, chicken, and duck on their menus because they are no longer limited to using USDA inspected poultry in order to comply with the public health code.” This is music to the ears of chefs who have been frustrated by limited availability of local poultry. “I just served my first Connecticut Grown turkey from Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm last week,” said Wayne Kregling, executive chef at Brownson Country Club in Shelton. “The quality and flavor were superb, and I am excited to now be able to offer this delicious poultry to my customers.”

Shortly after the law passed, Jonathan Hermonot of Ekonk Hill was asked what it would mean to their farm.

Anyone who’s purchased a chicken from a farm in Connecticut knows that the only way to legally obtain one that’s not USDA certified is to order the bird directly from the farmer and ask them to do you the favor of processing it. This custom slaughter exemption does not apply to restaurants, however, significantly impairing the growth of poultry farms. This new state program allows poultry producers who successfully comply with requirements, pass inspection, and become approved to sell their poultry to an expanded customer base. To comply with the state program’s strict sanitation requirements, which are comparable to those of the USDA program, both Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm and MarWin Farm made improvements to their existing facilities and developed written Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and recall plans. Ekonk Hill applied and was approved for $10,000 in matching funds through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Farm Reinvestment Grant to help pay for the facility upgrades.

Note: Ekonk Hill turkeys are available through two sources in Fairfield County. Visit our 2011 Guide to Local & Heritage Turkeys for more information.

Whole Foods Market and Avon Theater have teamed up for a special Earth Month celebration and screening of two films. Proceeds will benefit Wholesome Wave.

Who: Avon Theaters and Whole Foods Market to benefit Wholesome Wave

What: “Retake Our Plates” film series: http://www.letsretakeourplates.com/

When:

Food Inc.:  Saturday April 17^th

Tapped:    Saturday April 24^th

^{Showtime @ 12:00pm}

^{Local and Natural Food Sampling @ 1:30pm}

Where: Avon Theater Film Center 272 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT 06901

Tickets: Members – $6 / Students & Seniors – $7 / Nonmembers – $10

These GREAT events will benefit Wholesome Wave Foundation. (http://wholesomewave.org/)

Food, Inc., if you haven’t seen it yet, is a must see documentary food film. I admit that parts of it are hard to watch, but that’s the point. It’s meant to leave you thinking very differently about what you eat and where it comes from. The film just received an Oscar Nomination! Don’t be left out of the conversation, head to Fairfield Woods Branch Library on February 10 at 7 pm to enjoy a free screening with refreshments provided by Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe, Fairfield’s newest organic cafe. Click here to register online for the film event.

Read about Food, Inc. from a previous post on this site.

Our nation’s awareness of the need for healthy, sustainable food is growing and the documentary food films Food, Inc. and FRESH are helping to fuel the momentum. I recommend viewing Food, Inc. first to gain a better understanding of the problems associated with our industrial food system and then joining me for a special night on August 12 to view FRESH, hear from the experts on our local-sustainable food panel and visit with them at their exhibit tables. This is your invitation to join the movement.

Further proof of the growing sustainable food movement is the groundbreaking passage last week of Chicago’s Green Food Resolution encouraging widespread community support for the expansion of farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, community gardens and other ways to provide healthful plant-based foods. Here is an excerpt:

“BE lT RESOLVED, that the Chicago City Council encourages individuals, civic associations, and community based organizations to grow local, organic gardens, and institutions and businesses to offer more plant based foods; and

BE lT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chicago City Council promotes the expansion of the number of Farmers’ Markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, community gardens, and other venues which provide healthful plant based foods.”

According to currentgreen.com. “A similar resolution was introduced for New York City calling for a citywide FoodprintNYC initiative to reduce the city’s climate foodprint, which is a more significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation systems combined, and create greater access to local, fresh, healthy plant-based food, especially in low-income communities, as well as city-run institutions. So far, 11 City Council members have signed on as co-sponsors.”

Looking to introduce a Green Food Resolution in your city? Farm Sanctuary has launched a campaign to introduce Green Food Resolutions similar to Chicago’s in cities throughout the U.S.  Visit their site to find some helpful tips on how to introduce a Green Food Resolution and obtain a Sample Draft Resolution.

Official movie poster, courtesy Food, Inc.

After six long years of work, award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner has released his film Food, Inc., an expose of the ugly underbelly of our nation’s food system.  The film opens in Connecticut in Greenwich, Norwalk and New Haven this Friday, June 26. Meet me at the movies in Norwalk at 7 pm this Friday, June 26, at Garden Cinemas Norwalk, 26 Isaac Street. Come early to purchase a ticket since this theater does not sell tickets online. The film has been extremely popular in other cities, so it could sell out. Email me at marketing@fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com if you’d like to join the meetup group. Let’s have a drink afterward to discuss. I’ll be in the Fairfield Green Food Guide tee shirt.

Food policy advocate and co-producer Eric Schlosser (remember Fast Food Nation?) and Michael Pollan, best known for his books including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, are the movie’s stars along with the entrepreneurs and farmers that constitute our food system. I’ve heard it said that Food, Inc. will be to food what An Inconvenient Truth was to global warming. Well, yes and no. As Kim Severson of The New York Times astutely points out in her movie review today, “After watching Al Gore explain the horrors of climate change, moviegoers can turn off a few lights, think about a Prius and call it a day. People who leave “Food, Inc.” still have to eat.”

And that leaves us with the daily dilemma of what to eat, where to buy it and how to prepare it so it’s convenient, healthy, delicious and within budget. I built this site for that very reason; I want to be part of the solution! Please visit a farmers’ market, get on a CSA waiting list or visit a farm stand this week. Please use The Buying Guide to search for resources in your town.

The movie is also showing in New Haven at Criterion Cinemas 7, 86 Temple Street, at 7:10 and 9:30 pm; Criterion Cinemas at Greenwich Plaza, 2 Railroad Avenue, at 7 and 9:15 and Garden Cinemas Norwalk, 26 Isaac Street,  at 7 and 9 pm.

See you at the movies! Please come back to post your comments.

After six long years of work, award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner exposes the ugly underbelly of our nation’s food industry with his film Food, Inc. I’ve heard it said that Food, Inc. will be to food what An Inconvenient Truth was to global warming. Well, yes and no. As Kim Severson of The New York Times astutely points out in her movie review today, “After watching Al Gore explain the horrors of climate change, moviegoers can turn off a few lights, think about a Prius and call it a day. People who leave “Food, Inc.” still have to eat.”

And that leaves us with the daily dilemma of what to eat, where to buy it and how to prepare it so it’s convenient, healthy, delicious and within budget. I built this site for that very reason; I want to be part of the solution! Please visit a farmers’ market, get on a CSA waiting list or visit a farm stand this week. Please use The Buying Guide to search for resources in your town.

One thing you can do right now to make a difference is sign the Food, Inc. petition to get healthy food into school cafeterias that participate in the National School Lunch Program. I promise this is the fastest and most painless petition ever. Please vote yes to making healthy food a priority for our kids.

The number of books and movies in this genre is just exploding. Has anyone read The Unhealthy Truth, Food Fray or Stuffed? Has anyone seen The Future of Food or Fresh, the movie? Does anyone want to see Fairfield host a  Fresh, the movie community screening? I’m trying to arrange it so let me know if you support it. Please email me at marketing@fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com or post a comment.

Food, Inc.‘s exclusive opens in Connecticut engagement is in Greenwich, Norwalk and in New Haven on June 26. The movie is showing in New Haven at Criterion Cinemas 7, 86 Temple Street, time TBA at 7:10 and 9:30 pm. Criterion Cinemas at Greenwich Plaza, 2 Railroad Avenue, is showing Food, Inc. at 7 and 9:15 and Garden Cinemas Norwalk, 26 Isaac Street,  is showing the film at 7 and 9 pm.  Meet me at the movies in Norwalk at 7 this Friday, June 26? Come early to purchase a ticket since this theater does not sell tickets online. The film has been extremely popular in other cities, so it could sell out. Email me at marketing@fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com if you’d like to join the meetup group. See you at the movies!  I’ll post as soon as show times are scheduled by the theater.

A post dated June 24, entitled Feed Me, supersedes this post. However, this post was updated to avoid confusion.