Log on to Life Want to know the latest happenings in the Napa Valley? CHECK OUT NVLMAG.COM Find out about future shows and last-minute additions to your favorite entertainment venues on THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ONLINE CALENDAR IN THE NAPA VALLEY! We update the website daily with stories about living the Napa Valley Life. Get the latest hospitality industry scoop. Learn about people you should know. Read our exclusive on-line-only stories. Log on to Life and watch for your chance to win a $100 gift certicate to the restaurant of your choice! ...as we know it J U LY / AUGU S T 2 0 1 3 55 • Upper Valley Disposal Services’ growing compost program collects food waste from restaurants, composts it, and sells it back to consumers, including many of those very restaurants. Napa Recycling and Waste Services’ similar program also accepts compostable materials. • The Napa Farmers’ Market’s food stamp grant lets users double the value of their stamps at that market. The local WIC office, winner of a California state best practices award, is applying to allow residents to use their WIC checks at farmers’ markets (currently WIC recipients are allotted only $10 that can be spent at the market). • Napa County’s successful green business program, spearheaded by Steve Lederer, who has been involved with the food council from the beginning, provides incentives for green business practices. • The County Nutrition Action Plan/Partnership (CNAP), led by Health & Human Services, has met quarterly over the last year with the goal of increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and has made great inroads in creating a consistent message, and in collaborating with Family Resource Centers and businesses like Whole Foods. • Increasing organic and sustainable agriculture, which Whitmer points out is a result of market demand—largely due to increased awareness of health and environmental issues. However, there are still areas that need more attention. • According to WIC Coordinator Vimlan VanDien, CNAP has made great inroads with nutrition education. However, it has not focused on helping families actually access healthier foods – a challenge made all the more difficult by federal cuts in nutrition assistance at a time when the number of people needing food assistance from government and food banks has been steadily increasing. VanDien also suggests that nutrition education and healthy food need to expand into schools and school lunch programs. Participation from schools and from the community at large (residents as well as parents) would benefit the partnership. • Similarly, the food council’s annual Food Day celebrations and the county’s various farmers’ markets are providing great community education and outlets for healthy local food, but are not yet reaching the least-served, low-income population, who are at high risk of dietrelated illness. The food council has expressed great interest in making sure that Napa’s most vulnerable residents have access to healthy, fresh produce, but has struggled to devise systemic solutions to food insecurity, which is directly tied to poverty. • Some of Napa County’s agricultural land is at risk of conversion due to development, largely housing. San Francisco Planning and Research (SPUR), a regional planning think tank, devoted the entire recent issue of its magazine to the Bay Area’s food system, focusing on preserving agricultural land, growing the food economy, and reducing negative environmental impacts. Thanks to Napa County’s Agricultural Preserve and thriving grape growing industry, the amount of land at risk is significantly lower than in most other counties in the Bay Area. However, according to SPUR’s figures, Napa still has about 4,000 acres of farmland and 1,000 acres of grazing land at risk. • Zoning ordinances designed to preserve agricultural land also reduce the ability of entrepreneurial local farmers to build some more creative and collaborative farmstand businesses. Whitmer points out that this is a challenging issue, as opening up farmland to more complex uses could open a can of worms that would put agricultural preservation, one of Napa’s strongest and most innovative environmental strategies, at risk. Fortunately the food council and the stakeholders it represents are working to build on their successes. After thirty-three years at the Ag Commissioner’s office, Dave Whitmer will leave a legacy of a stronger, more connected community of food system advocates.
NVLife_JulyAug_2013
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