CONSUMER CAMPAIGN HELPS FAMILIES EAT HEALTHIER
New York, NY - GRACE today
launched a new campaign – Sustainable Table – to help educate consumers on how
to shop smarter, eat healthier and enjoy the abundance of fresh, nutritious meat and
produce grown by local family farmers. From the benefits of pasture-raised meat to
the overuse of antibiotics in factory farms, www.SustainableTable.org presents all
the issues in a clear, easy-to-understand format that makes it easier for consumers
to make healthier choices about what their families eat.
"You are what you eat. And more families than ever before want to eat sustainably,"
said GRACE President Alice Slater. "We launched Sustainable Table to give families
more choices about what goes into their bodies and more ways to exercise their
purchasing power to support their local communities."
Sustainable agriculture is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers, does
not harm the environment, is humane for workers and animals, provides a fair wage
to traditional family farmers, and supports rural communities.
"The food you eat significantly impacts your health and wellbeing," said Slater. "It is
important to understand what is happening with our food supply so you can make
educated decisions for you and your family. More and more families are concerned
about nutrition and food safety. Not only are sustainable foods more nutritious than
heavily-processed industrial foods, they are also produced without creating the
health hazards associated with factory farming. But until now it has been difficult for
many consumers to navigate the maze of confusing labels defining organic,
antibiotic-free, and free-range products to find truly sustainable foods."
At www.SustainableTable.org, consumers can find the popular Eat Well Guide
, a free online directory of meat, poultry, dairy and eggs produced using sustainable
agriculture. Simply enter a zip code and the Guide will direct you to farms, stores
and restaurants close to home that sell sustainable foods. The up-dated Eat Well
Guide features a fresh new look with increased functionality and hundreds of new
entries. Look for the Guide’s official re-launch in early November.
"Most families think they are locked into buying only the mass-produced foods
available at supermarkets," noted Slater. "Sustainable Table shows you how to find
farmers markets, food cooperatives, community-supported agriculture programs,
and stores that carry sustainable foods made by traditional family farmers in your
area."
The website features The Meatrix, the most successful online advocacy film in
history. Over 6 million online viewers have watched this critically acclaimed, awardwinning
flash-animation film that humorously spoofs The Matrix movies while
educating viewers about the issues surrounding factory farming. Offline, the movie
has been screened at conferences, film festivals and special events around the world
including the Woodstock Film Festival, the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival, the 8th
Seoul International Labor Film Festival, and the 2004 Farm Aid concert.
Sustainable Kitchen is a section of the website devoted to scrumptious
recipes, cookbook reviews, cooking tips, and feature articles on sustainable food and
cooking. It was created so consumers can take their new-found knowledge off the
internet and onto their dinner plates.
Sustainable Table includes a Teacher Resource section for educators
interested in developing curricula around healthy eating and sustainable agriculture.
The website takes students to working farms that double as educational centers,
shows which schools are serving sustainable foods, and profiles successful school
garden projects.
Consumers who want to make a difference in their communities can use "I Care"
cards that let their local grocers and restaurant owners know that they care
about where their food comes from. These cards can be downloaded from the
Sustainable Table website, printed out, and left at any store or restaurant to urge
local retailers to supply and serve sustainable food.
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GRACE works with research, policy and grassroots communities to raise public awareness and promote
solutions to preserve the planet for future generations.
GRACE partners with of the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Henry Spira/GRACE Project on Industrial
Animal Production fosters interdisciplinary research on industrial animal production and
addresses its impact on diet, the environment, and on human and animal health. For more
information on all of GRACE’s projects, please visit www.gracelinks.org.
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