CHICAGO —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“With the new Congress, there will be more attempts to get more regulations through,” Ellen Fried, adjunct professor of food policy and law in New York University’s nutrition department, told an audience of IACP members. “Food is becoming more of a focus everywhere,” she said, starting in elementary school classrooms. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
While stating that she favors such regulation, Fried said governmental action is occurring in response to catastrophes—such as recent foodborne-illness outbreaks—health and nutrition issues, international trade policies, and new technologies. There is too little regulation to ensure food safety, she said, pointing to the large number of outbreaks of infections from E. coli bacteria and other foodborne pathogens. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Other panelists addressing the “Legislating the Table” theme said that governments sometimes go too far in regulating food, such as with Chicago’s ban on foie gras and New York City’s prohibition of the low-heat sous vide cooking technique. In introducing the panel, Bruce Kraig, the IACP’s scholar in residence, said Chicago was an appropriate city in which to discuss the regulation topic, considering its City Council’s unprecedented vote to override the mayor’s veto of the law banning foie gras. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Moderator Robin Jenkins, food writer for the Chicago Tribune, said that if legislators think foie gras production methods are inhumane, they also should ban many other meats and poultry items in order to be consistent. The real issue, she said, is with production methods rather than end products. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Jenkins also ridiculed an Arizona proposal of a few years ago that sought to ban sales of soft drinks and “junk” food within 100 feet of schools. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“Suddenly, sugar and stripping become similar,” she said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Panelist Elizabeth Williams of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans said: “What are the unintended consequences of banning things? It’s important that we use balance so we don’t have whole industries overturned.” —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Williams said some regulations are justified, such as when considering the public-health effects of genetically modified foods and manufactured foods. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“On the other side, it’s our right to make choices as consumers,” she said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Speakers at the conference’s general session on the “Business of Food: Organics Gone Mainstream,” pointed out that consumers are asking more questions about where their food comes from and how it is produced. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Journalist Samuel Fromartz, author of “Organic, Inc.,” told the nearly 1,400 attending IACP members from 19 countries that the increasing consumer awareness of organic food is part of a much larger conversation, whether it’s about the safety of pet foods or about chef-restaurateur Wolfgang Puck’s insistence that all the food products he serves be humanely and ecologically produced. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“Those kinds of questions are becoming a lot more prevalent, and people want answers,” he said. “They are making choices and influencing a change within our food system and culture.” —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Although organic food makes up barely 3 percent of retail food sales and 1 percent in restaurants, those percentages are growing, he said, especially with mainstream retailers like Wal-Mart now carrying organic products. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Panelist Jim Adams, marketing director of 600-unit Chipotle Mexican Grill, reminded conference attendees that the chain’s founder, Steve Ells, had decided in 2001 to start serving naturally raised pork after learning that about 98 percent of commercial pigs are raised in crates in which they either can’t turn around or lie on their sides. Chipotle, which later added naturally raised chicken and beef to its menu in many of its restaurants, intends to increase its use of naturally raised meats and poultry to 100 percent of all dishes served within a few years, Adams said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
To cover the increased cost of buying naturally raised pork, Chipotle raised the price of its carnitas menu items by $1, but it found that sales quadrupled after making the change and informing customers, Adams said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“People will pay for quality and to have food that’s raised in a humane way,” he said, explaining that Chipotle’s pork supplier had added small farmers to its supply chain each time the chain opened a new restaurant, increasing its group of farmers from 50 five years ago to 450 today. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Panelist Howard Brandeisky, vice president of strategic marketing initiatives for Kraft Foods North America, said its interest in natural and organic foods started with consumers. He called Kraft’s small percentage of organic- and natural-food products “an important part of our portfolio.” —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“It’s not a fad,” he said. “It’s an area of genuine consumer interest. Growth depends partly on supply. We will have to increase the supply.” —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Author and organic farmer Michael Ableman of British Columbia told the panel audience that most food travels an average of 1,300 miles from the field to the plate—a fact he lamented. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“We should label each product with the number of miles it has traveled,” he said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Ableman advocated increased local production and sale of food commodities. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“We have to renew our commitment to the values that inspired the organic movement,” he said. “I know there is not yet enough local food produced to feed an urban society, but we should look ahead.” —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
Ableman predicted that locally produced food would become even more important as problems associated with climate change increase. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
“Food and agriculture will be acutely impacted,” he said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
In a panel session that examined the practicality of local sourcing, Erika Lesser, New York-based executive director of Slow Food USA, said: “We can’t let our values be subverted by food that is fast and cheap. The consequences are unseen in health and environmental costs.” —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.
The 15,000-member Slow Food organization seeks through its 150 local chapters to foster a shift toward “an alternative to the fast and industrial life we lead,” she said. —The food and foodservice industries can expect to see more governmental regulation as consumers grow more knowledgeable about how food is produced and what’s in our food supply, said experts who addressed the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 29th annual conference here.