News
Why Start a Business in Turkey?
Turkey is still underestimated in the corporate world. Many see it as an emerging country with little to offer for smaller companies. Yet, more and more businesses are deciding to either outsource some of their processes or to open branches…
Read moreGrow $700 of Food in 100 Square Feet!
In 2007, I began to get lots of questions about growing food to help save money. Then, while working on my new book, Edible Landscaping, I had an aha! moment. As I was assembling statistics to show the wastefulness of…
Read moreCity urged to lift St. Francis meal limit
Gainesville planning board cites number of hungry residents in advising commissioners It is time for Gainesville to eliminate the restrictions on how many meals a day the St. Francis House homeless shelter and soup kitchen may serve, a city advisory…
Read moreWalmart turns over a new leaf as it embraces local produce
MANCHESTER — Inside the cavernous new Walmart on Highlands Boulevard Drive, grocery manager Russell Davis stands with a gleaming bounty behind him. Lettuce from California, blueberries from Michigan and grapes from South America. Then there’s the store’s hottest grocery commodity these…
Read moreMichelle Obama and Child Obesity
Her daughters were 6 and 9, and Michelle Obama was like any other working mom — struggling to juggle office hours, school pick-ups and mealtimes. By the end of the day, she was often too tired to make dinner, so…
Read moreUSDA Grant Panelist
This has been a busy week here in Washington DC. I was flown up here as a Grant Review Panelist for USDA and NIFA’s Community Food Project grant program. What a great learning experience to be involved in and responsible…
Read moreFlorida Food Safety and Food Defense Advisory Council Meeting
The date for our rescheduled Florida Food Safety & Food Defense Advisory Council meeting is Tuesday, June 29, 2010. This meeting will be held in the Eyster Auditorium, from 10:00am – 12:00 Noon. The Eyster is located in the Conner Building, at 3125 Conner…
Read moreSNAP cardholders can now buy fresh farm products
Local farmers’ markets will soon have another payment option: SNAP benefit cards. The program, paid for by a Florida Organic Growers grant, will allow low-income county residents to use their SNAP cards, formerly food stamps, to buy fresh and locally…
Read moreWal-Mart Goes Local: Good or Bad for Small Farmers?
The nation’s largest retailer announced last week that it’s going local through its Heritage Agriculture program. Wal-Mart plans to double its sale of “locally grown food” by 2015 in all of its U.S. stores and also support small and mid-sized farmers in…
Read moreWal-Mart to Buy More Local Produce
The local-and-sustainable food movement has spread to the nation’s largest retailer. Wal-Mart Stores announced a program on Thursday that focuses on sustainable agriculture among its suppliers as it tries to reduce its overall environmental impact. The program is intended to…
Read moreA Local Non-Profit Organization Says Popsicles Can Impact the Economy…
What do popsicles have to do with the local economy? According to a non-profit organization called Blue Oven Kitchens, quite a lot! The organization helps grow the economy by helping new food-based businesses get started. And they’ve already helped turn one…
Read moreFlorida Organic Growers
Florida Organic Growers (FOG) is pleased to distribute the publication Community Vision for Food System Development in Gainesville-Alachua County: A Local Food Action Plan, available for download as a PDF on the FOG website. FOG began this project in March 2009 with…
Read moreSenate stall to blame for slow egg recall?
The Senate’s yearlong failure to pass a food safety overhaul has hampered the ability of Obama administration to quickly recall the 600 million eggs connected to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly 2,000 people, experts and lawmakers say. The…
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