Demand for organic food in Canada has been growing steadily at 25 percent a year. With new federal regulations passed in December and a new Canada Organic logo backing organic claims, the Canadian organics sector can expect this growth to continue. Canadians are becoming more health conscious and concerned about the safety of our food system. Consumers need to be aware of new information about our food, especially as it relates to our and our children's health. That's why scientists, children's ...
Mar 24, 2007•58 min
In 2001, well-known food activist Vandana Shiva spoke to an audience in Vancouver at an event sponsored by the Basmati Action Group. It was during that time that the company RiceTec , had recently attempted to patent basmati rice, a staple of Indian and Pakistani livelihoods and diets. The Basmati Action Group was formed to launch a North American-wide boycott on all products produced by the company. Vandana's lecture addresses the patenting of life and the genetic modification of food. She spea...
Mar 16, 2007•59 min
Clean, white, wholesome milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt and ice cream - very common ingredients within the diet of Canadians. On part II of the Deceivable Dairy series, we look deeper into the dairy industry and explore the politics of production, trade and animal welfare. The welfare of dairy cattle was explored during part I of the series, but the framework for regulating and monitoring the welfare of animals in this country may shock you. Canada's dairy industry is one of three industries...
Mar 09, 2007•59 min
Food Sovereignty is the human right of all peoples and nations to grow food in ways that are culturally, ecologically and economically appropriate for them. The idea of food sovereignty as it applies to Western cultures, is one best illustrated through the many recurring topics covered here on Deconstructing Dinner: control of resources, control of agricultural practices, control of production/distribution/retail, and the inability for Canadian communities to viably reclaim and create food syste...
Mar 02, 2007•59 min
Michael Ableman is the founder and executive director of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens , a non profit organization based on one of the oldest and most diverse organic farms in southern California, where he farmed from 1981 to 2001. The farm has become an important community and education center and a national model for small scale and urban agriculture. Under Ableman's leadership the farm was saved from development and preserved under one of the earliest and most unique ac...
Feb 23, 2007•58 min
Following in the foodsteps of the Packaged Foods Exposed series, the Agri-Business Exposed series will explore the major agricultural companies whose names are rarely heard by the eating public. The ingredients entering into the staples of our diet rarely, if ever, originate from the company that produced the final product. Behind the Krafts , Nestles , Coca-Colas and Pizza Huts of the world, are the large corporations that deal with the most important person in the process; the farmer. The Carg...
Feb 15, 2007•59 min
Following in the foodsteps of the Packaged Foods Exposed series, the Agri-Business Exposed series will explore the major agricultural companies whose names are rarely heard by the eating public. The ingredients entering into the staples of our diet rarely, if ever, originate from the company that produced the final product. Behind the Krafts , Nestles , Coca-Colas and Pizza Huts of the world, are the large corporations that deal with the most important person in the process; the farmer. The Carg...
Feb 09, 2007•58 min
Recorded in Vancouver during the October 2006 Bridging Borders Toward Food Security Conference, the plenary titled, "A Vision for Food Sovereignty: Farmers Speak Out" provided a critical opportunity for those working on community food security work to hear from farmers themselves. Topics discussed: The effects of free trade agreements on farmers in Mexico, Canada and the US; Migrant workers' rights; The Canadian Wheat Board; The extraction of farmers' wealth by agricultural corporations. The con...
Feb 02, 2007•1 hr
Clean, white, wholesome milk, cream, cheeses, butter, yogurt and ice cream - very common ingredients within the diet of Canadians. Dairy was recently the centre of attention throughout the Canadian media, following a raid on a farm in Ontario where raw milk was being produced and sold. As the sale of raw milk is prohibited throughout Canada, this exposure reintroduces the controversy surrounding the standard pasteurization of milk products. Dairy products are a staple of the Canadian diet, but h...
Jan 26, 2007•59 min
In a recent issue of the highly-respected Alternatives Journal , the subject of food, filled the pages within. Titled "Thought for Food", the edition connected a new generation of food activists to a classic member of Canada's food heritage. It honours the People's Food Commission that, in the late 1970s, traveled across the country to hear the views of fellow citizens and then assembled the trend-setting report: The Land of Milk and Money. On this broadcast of Deconstructing Dinner, we hear fro...
Jan 19, 2007•1 hr
When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically travelled at least 1,500 miles. On the first day of spring, 2005, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon chose to confront this unsettling statistic with a simple experiment. For one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, James and Alisa have gotten up-close-and-personal with issues ranging from the family-farm crisis to the en...
Jan 11, 2007•58 min
Launching the second season of Deconstructing Dinner, this broadcast explores the highlights from all shows aired between June and November of 2006. Show segments have been orchestrated alongside a soundtrack courtesy of Six Degrees Records .
Jan 04, 2007•1 hr
In the last 50 years, Canada's food system has come to be all about efficiency, quantity, and economy - not health, employment, environment, and self-reliance. The response of our communities to this threat, while admirable, is wholly unequal to its magnitude. As a special food system issue of the Centre for Community Enterprise's (CCE's) quarterly Making Waves , Canada's community economic development publication invites readers to identify the real issues, the real opportunities, the real diff...
Nov 09, 2006•58 min
An ongoing series on Deconstructing Dinner that looks at the chemicals in food. From pesticides to food additives, chemicals are both intentionally and unintentionally entering into food, and into our bodies. In this second part of the Chemical Food Series, we attempt to better understand the chemical pesticides that are sprayed on the vast majority of the foods available to us. How are they regulated? Are safety standards adequate? What are the health risks of the pesticide residues found in ou...
Nov 02, 2006•59 min
On the date of this broadcast, the community of Nelson, British Columbia celebrates Fossil-Fuel-Free week. While efforts are made to eliminate motorized transportation and turn down the thermostat, to be truly fossil-fuel-free, there would need to be a cessation of eating! Food relies predominantly on oil as raw material and energy in the manufacturing of fertilizers and pesticides. It is used as cheap and readily available energy for planting, irrigation, feeding and harvesting, processing, dis...
Oct 26, 2006•59 min
Between October 7-11, 2006, participants from across North America gathered together in Vancouver for the Bridging Borders Toward Food Security Conference . Hosted by the Vancouver Food Policy Council , the conference was organized by the California-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada , a new Canadian organization. Participants at the conference met to discuss strategies for improving access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food, and explored opport...
Oct 19, 2006•1 hr
A new ongoing series on Deconstructing Dinner that will look at the chemicals in food. From pesticides to food additives, chemicals are both intentionally and unintentionally entering into food, and into our bodies. Recent studies have demonstrated how Canadians are chock full of toxic chemicals. The most startling findings have been that children, are more toxic than their parents. But while many of these chemicals found in our bodies come from environmental pollutants, both industrial and comm...
Oct 12, 2006•1 hr
Launched in April 2006, a new DVD and CD set produced by bestselling author Jeffrey Smith ( Seeds of Deception ) shows that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) put our health and environment at risk. The release of The GMO Trilogy was in conjunction with Earth Day (April 22) and International GMOpposition Day (April 8)- a coordinated 30-nation campaign to raise awareness about genetically modified (GM) food. Organizations will be asking hundreds of thousands of their members to buy the Trilogy...
Sep 28, 2006•58 min
The BC Food Systems Network was formed to work with groups around the province to eliminate hunger and create sustainable food systems for all residents. The Network encourages initiatives to reclaim local ownership of community food systems and develop food self-reliance by sharing information, skills, and resources. Between September 14-17, the Network gathered in Sorrento as has now been done for seven years. The theme of the conference was "Reclaiming Our Local Food Systems" . Deconstructing...
Sep 21, 2006•57 min
A periodic series that will explore the foodservice industry and those who are making unique efforts to create more sustainable interactions between the field and the table. On part two of this series, we visit with two chefs who approach food preparation in very different ways, yet both retain a common bond that sees a respect for food that is often void in many restaurant environments. Guests Chantale Roy - Raw Food Chef, Instructor and Consultant , raw - Cuisine Plenitude (Nelson) - Raw food ...
Sep 14, 2006•59 min
Bioneers was conceived to conduct educational and economic development programs in the conservation of biological and cultural diversity, traditional farming practices, and environmental restoration. Their radio programs are heard in over 200 cities. Series III, PART 10: PLANTS AND PEOPLE – WHO'S CULTIVATING WHOM? Award-winning journalist for the New York Times Magazine , Michael Pollan, author of The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World, and The Omnivore's Dilemma , takes a fresh p...
Sep 07, 2006•59 min
Many forms of urban agriculture have existed for thousands of years. As a matter of fact, for city dwellers growing food in their own backyards or even on their window sill, they are essentially, farming in the city . As practical and environmentally friendly as growing food within a city can be, the art of gardening has seemingly disappeared in many urban settings. As current farming practices are proving to be unsustainable in the long-term, urban agriculture is looked upon by many as being a ...
Aug 31, 2006•58 min
Launched in April 2006, a new DVD and CD set produced by bestselling author Jeffrey Smith ( Seeds of Deception ) shows that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) put our health and environment at risk. The release of The GMO Trilogy was in conjunction with Earth Day (April 22) and International GMOpposition Day (April 8)- a coordinated 30-nation campaign to raise awareness about genetically modified (GM) food. Organizations will be asking hundreds of thousands of their members to buy the Trilogy...
Aug 24, 2006•59 min
What is Food Security and how is it defined globally? Food Security is often perceived as the ability of a community to respond to poverty by feeding the hungry. But Food Security is far more than just the number of food banks operating within a community. This perception has additionally fostered the belief that the remainder of the population is "food-secure". This broadcast will look to define Food Security and Food Sovereignty. To do so, the causes of hunger will be discussed and how nations...
Aug 10, 2006•59 min
Launched in April 2006, a new DVD and CD set produced by bestselling author Jeffrey Smith ( Seeds of Deception ) shows that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) put our health and environment at risk. The release of The GMO Trilogy was in conjunction with Earth Day (April 22) and International GMOpposition Day (April 8)- a coordinated 30-nation campaign to raise awareness about genetically modified (GM) food. Organizations will be asking hundreds of thousands of their members to buy the Trilogy...
Aug 03, 2006•59 min
The second of an ongoing series that will take a look behind the world's largest packaged food and beverage producers. In the first episode , we took a look at global giant PepsiCo . The Packaged Foods Exposed series places corporations in a critical light, hoping to provide a more balanced image to the advertising and PR campaigns launched by some of the most influential food corporations on the planet. In this second episode of the Packaged Foods Exposed series, we take a look at the largest f...
Jul 27, 2006•59 min
Sugar is close to becoming a cultural institution here in North America and is found in a countless number of foods that we consume daily. The media looks to sugar on a rather frequent basis to satisfy the "declining population health" segments of the nightly news. While these segments could arguably not be frequent enough, there is a whole side to sugar rarely touched on. Like with many crops, fruits and vegetables, sugar production comes with hidden costs. Sugarcane represents the primary crop...
Jul 20, 2006•59 min
Howard Lyman (aka The Mad Cowboy ) is a figure to pay attention to. If converting from a Montana cattle rancher to a strict vegan is not enough of a reason to raise an eyebrow, Lyman has since devoted his life to educating the public on the dangers of animal-based diets. Lyman has been a fourth-generation family farmer in Montana for almost 40 years. Using personal experience, he denounces chemically based agricultural production methods, calling them unsustainable and ecologically disastrous. H...
Jul 06, 2006•58 min
What alternatives exist to the standard grocery store excursion? Farmers' Markets are certainly one option, but how about food delivered right to your door! While many home grocery delivery services have failed miserably, the most successful operations seem to be those fostering more sustainable food systems. Let's explore some of these options. Also to explore is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); yet another form of sourcing fruits and vegetables from a location other than the inanimate gr...
Jun 29, 2006•58 min
Some of British Columbia's most productive agricultural land could turn into highways and parking lots in the coming years unless changes are made to the Province's Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), says a new report by the David Suzuki Foundation. "B.C.'s farmland is facing death by a thousand cuts," says Ann Rowan, director of the sustainability program at the David Suzuki Foundation. "We need decisive leadership from the province to ensure our best farmland doesn't get paved over." The report ...
Jun 15, 2006•59 min
