Coastside Livability Project looks at the link between food quality and health

The connections between food quality & health, local food production and the "Edible Schoolyard Project" are the subject of the fourth event in the Coastside Livability Series from NeighborShare and The Livability Project. The speaker is Jeffrey Bruno Ph.D.

The event is Thursday April 21st at 7:30 PM at the historic Johnston House Depot Building, 1/4 mile east of Highway 1 on Higgins Purisima Road. Admission is $10 with a 20% discount for Livability Project members.

Click "read more" to see the press release.

America’s food production systems have gone through massive changes over the last five decades.  In the 1950s much of the nation’s food supply was regionally grown by large numbers of independent small and medium scale farmers.  A wide variety of crop species were in production, many uniquely adapted to the soils and climate of that particular region, and most chosen for their qualities of flavor and nutrition.

Today farming has been transformed almost unrecognizably.  Giant agribusiness firms have come to control access to markets and therefore determine the fate small farms.  Crop species are increasingly limited to a few varieties grown on a massive scale, which requires an ever-increasing application of toxic and dangerous chemicals to combat predators.  Species are chosen for their durability and ability to tolerate herbicides and pesticides rather than their innate food quality.

In addition, the food system has become dangerously dependent on the lavish use of nonrenewable fossil fuel energy, from the natural gas needed to make fertilizer to the oil to make pesticides and fuel the immense infrastructure for transporting food worldwide.  On average it takes 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce each 1 calorie of food, and the foods in your local grocery store travel an average of 1300 miles to get there.

Further, food quality is down, with specific nutrient content of some common foods down by as much as 25%, and behavioral and health effects being identified in many children.  Added to all this is the wildcard of GM (genetically modified) foods, which have unpredictable effects on the health of consumers, natural biological systems, and the economic relationships within the food system worldwide.

Clearly this is something we as all need to educate ourselves on so that we can make appropriate choices as consumers and citizens.

To that end, the Coastside Livability Project has invited Jeffrey Bruno Ph.D to address these topics, with a special emphasis on food quality and children’s nutrition.  Dr. Bruno is Clinical Director of the Peninsula Child & Youth Assessment Clinics, has a master’s degree in experimental psychology and a doctorate in clinical psychology.  He is a published author and lectures nationwide on child brain development and diet-behavior relationships.

Dr. Bruno will also introduce the Edible Schoolyard concept (http://edibleschoolyard.org) developed by Alice Waters, food activist and owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café in Berkeley.  This exciting program brings the cycle of food planting, harvesting, cooking and eating into the everyday curriculum of schools, providing a rich palette of learning activities and bringing to our children the incredible experience of growing and eating their own high quality food.

In addition, some local food growers and representatives from Half Moon Bay’s new Edible Gardener’s Club will be on hand to answer questions and get your feedback on how we can increase access to a healthier locally grown supply of foods.

The event is Thursday April 21st at 7:30 PM at the historic Johnston House Depot Building, 1/4 mile east of Highway 1 on Higgins Purisima Road. Admission is $10 with a 20% discount for Livability Project members.  For more information, go to http://livabilityproject.org or http://www.neighborshare.org

About the sponsors: NeighborShare is a Half Moon Bay based group that seeks to enhance the quality of life in our community by working for local control and participation in the natural, physical, social and economic systems that sustain us.  They can be reached at http://www.neighborshare.org or by email at [email protected]

The Livability Project works to educate people on the impact of their choices.  Their goal to bring environmentally & socially responsible practices into the mainstream by incubating ideas, programs and businesses that create sustainable solutions for human and planetary evolution.  It is based in Pacifica, CA and can be reached at http://livabilityproject.org or by email at [email protected]