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Trade Show Buzz BY LUCAS WITMAN This April, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, First Nations Development Institute, the In- tertribal Agriculture Council and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College are coming to- gether to host the second annual Native Food Sovereignty Summit at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay, Wis. The event is part of a larger effort to en- sure the long term vitality of Native Ameri- can communities in the United States. For Native Americans, the issue of food sovereignty and access to good, nutritious food is one that is at the forefront of many community reformers' minds. "Most Na- tive American communities are food deserts. Access to fresh and healthy foods is scarce," said Raymond Foxworth, Deputy Director of Development and Sen- ior Program Officer for First Nations De- velopment Institute. "One of the questions we ask is how sovereign are Native com- munities if they can't feed themselves?" Foxworth cites a long list of problems impacting the food security of Native American communities in this country, in- cluding the lack of producer capacity, the inability of producers to manage the busi- ness side of agriculture, USDA and federal barriers to work that communities want to do and the lack of necessary technical as- sistance. In addition, there is an unmet de- mand for individuals who are doing agriculture to be able to sell their goods, with many producers in need of help mar- keting and branding their products. The Native Food Sovereignty Summit was originally founded in 2013 to bring to- gether Native Americans from different communities and nations throughout the country to address these concerns, to share their best practices and to work towards finding solutions. "It's about showcasing some of the great work that Native popula- tions are doing and how they can share that with others," said Foxworth. Although the Native Food Sovereignty Summit was originally planned as a one-time event, it is back by popular demand for a sec- ond installment this year. "Last year we thought we would just do it once, so we didn't plan on doing it again this year. But we were sort of 'guilted' into it. A lot of people kept asking 'when's the next one?' or com- mented on how valuable it had been for them or said they would surely attend the next one,'" said Fox- worth. This year, event planners have increased capacity for the event, as de- mand for participa- tion has also increased. The 2014 Native Food Sovereignty Summit will focus on a number of specific training tracks, in- cluding applied agriculture and outreach strategies. Participants will also have the unique opportunity to take field tours onto the Oneida reservation to see how one par- ticular nation approaches the issue of food sovereignty. In addition, tribes, people or organizations looking to showcase and share traditional foods from other tribes and regions can provide food for the "graz- ing event" or conference dinner to be held during the summit. "One of the things that makes this event unique is that there is a tribe organizing and producing this conference," said Foxworth. "It brings the ability to show- case what they're doing in terms of food systems con- trol." Because of the direct in- volvement of the Oneida Nation in planning the Na- tive Food Sovereignty Sum- mit, the event brings an interesting tribe-to-tribe per- spective to members of other Native American nations who will have the opportunity to see first- hand what their peers are accomplishing. For more information on the Native Food Sovereignty Summit or to register as an attendee, visit www.firstnations.org/ conferences/2014/food/summit.html. The website also includes information on be- coming a conference sponsor, exhibitor or vendor. The 2014 Native Food Sovereignty Summit will take place April 14-17 in Green Bay, Wis. GN Native Food Sovereignty Summit Brings Communities Together in Pursuit of a Common Goal GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 4 Great Britain Continued from PAGE 1 of antibiotics among livestock engaged in the production of organic milk, and this can be a challenge. In Great Britain, a farmer can use antibiotics to treat a sick animal, but that animal must then be quarantined for several months before it can be allowed back into the herd. In the United States, once treated with antibiotics, the animal must be perma- nently removed from the herd. Some British cheese companies have overcome this dis- parity in standards by raising two separate herds, one producing milk for cheeses to be consumed domestically and one producing milk for cheeses intended for export to the United States. Beyond the technical issues facing British cheese exports, however, there are a host of other adaptations companies in the United Kingdom must make in order to effectively reach out to Ameri- can consumers. The Irish Dairy Board found this out when it first began selling its Pilgrim's Choice line, one of the most popular cheese lines in Great Britain, in the United States. "A key headline for our business is that U.S. Consumers want to know where the product comes from," said Conor O'Dono- van, Category Sales Manager for U.K. Cheese at the Irish Dairy Board. "While Pil- grim's Choice as a brand name has strong resonance in the U.K., it was relatively meaningless in the U.S. so it was important to define the origin of the cheese and find a name that resonates for the consumer." By changing the name of the cheese line to Londoner and placing a Union Jack promi- nently on the label, the company found that it was finally able to effectively market its cheeses to U.S. consumers. Another part of successfully marketing British specialty foods in the United States is learning about and responding to uniquely American trends. According to Nicola Turner, Export Director for King- dom British Organic Heritage Cheeses, per- haps the biggest American trend to which her company has been forced to adapt is the U.S. local products movement. "In the U.S., there is very much a drive for local and supporting local," said Turner. "In the U.K., this exists too but imported specialty cheeses offer something different. It's about discovery—allowing you to expe- rience a new place, a new culture from your own four walls." Turner also noted that cheese consump- tion in the United States is tied to wine con- sumption in a way that does not necessarily translate to the British marketplace. "There seems to be far more focus on wine pairings in the U.S. It does happen in the U.K., but in the U.S. you guys take it to another level," she said. "In the U.K. … there isn't this whole cul- ture of matching wines. That's some- thing that I've had to get up to speed with quickly here." Still, despite a vari- ety of cultural differ- ences separating U.S. and U.K. consumers, British cheese companies have found that when it comes to the consumer flavor palate, there is relatively little difference between the two countries. "What we've found is that fla- vor profiles that develop in the U.K. are a good benchmark of what's coming to the U.S.," said O'Donovan. "We find that what- ever flavor profile is becoming big in the U.K., generally America will follow. That's been our experience." Richard Newton-Jones, Commercial Director for Welsh cheesemaker Snow- donia Cheese Company echoes O'Dono- van's observations, arguing that as Amer- icans taste his company's cheeses, the varieties and flavors that they most re- spond to are the same varieties and flavors that are the company's biggest sellers in Great Britain. Although not yet commercially available in the United States, Snow- donia is planning to introduce its cheeses to this market in the near future, and Newton-Jones says that it will make no changes to the product in order to appeal to American palates. When it comes to cheeses native to the British Isles, there are several products that are historically synonymous with this na- tion. Stilton, for example, is a popular bleu cheese linked to the British counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Notting- hamshire. Caerphilly is one of the most popular Welsh cheeses, a mild, crumbly cow's milk cheese with a pleasant tang. And Wensleydale is one of the most popular cheeses throughout Britain, often found blended with cranberries or apples. However, the undisputed king of British cheeses is Cheddar. "The cheese market and the specialty cheese market is very competitive. There are hundreds of cheeses here," said Turner. "Cheddar is our first offering, because everyone likes a good cheddar." Cheddar cheese represents British culi- nary heritage perhaps more than any other food. The cheese was originally made in and is named for the village of Cheddar in the southwestern corner of the country. Histor- ically, the cheese was aged in the area's many caves. Cheddar cheese benefited from the region's unique climate, and the abun- dant grassy landscape that provides almost all of the diet for the area's cows. There are a number of things that make authentic British Cheddars a much sought after cheese treat throughout the world. "British Cheddar offers a discovery of an area that is very much well known for the taste of its cheese. You'll have a different Cheddar experience," said Turner. "It is a different flavor profile, and the whole make process is different," said Newton-Jones. "Basically the starter cultures which are used in these products are different from American Cheddars. Also it's different be- cause the climate is different. For Snowdonia, we have a very high rainfall. The dairy herds in North Wales are grassfed herds. So we don't have very high yielding herds … The result of that is that you get a higher level of butterfat and protein in the milk. So that allows us to produce a very high quality cheese as well." In explaining what makes British Ched- dar so special, O'Donovan offered a British saying, popular among the country's cheesemakers: "You have the grass in the cow's tail," he said. "What it means is that literally the cow's tail is in the grass. There- fore you have the real grassy flavor." For Turner, bringing her company's cheese to American consumers is about giving them an opportunity to figura- tively travel to a new place. Regardless of the popularity of local foods in this coun- try, when it comes to cheese, she believes there will always be a place in the U.S. consumer landscape for imported prod- ucts that offer a taste of a particular place in the world. "It's unique, and it's a discovery, and I think that's what consumers are saying," said Turner. "When it comes to specialty cheese, it gives them a way of discovering new things. You can support local, but it adds a little more spice by trying different things. It's a bit like traveling the world without going anywhere." GN