Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 1 0 ACS Winner Continued from PAGE 1 sonally from the farm, as well as five other awards – six first-place ribbons and two second-place ribbons. "When we started making cheese, we called Margaret," he said. "I'm so happy to see her win because she's been a part of lots of people's worlds for a long time." Harbison was a happy accident that oc- curred in 2008 when a batch of brie-style Moses Sleeper cheese was found to contain too much moisture, and Kehler rescued it by strapping a spruce band around it. It's named after Anne Harbison, an honorary granny for all of Greensboro, Vermont, where Jasper Hill Farm is located. She's 95 years old this year and has been a cheer- leader for the Kehler families from the be- ginning. "We wanted to honor a living legend among us," Mateo Kehler said. The cheese, formed in a 10-ounce round, is made from pasteurized milk. It peaks at about 70 days of aging, when it's soft enough to eat with a spoon. "It is possible to eat a whole one by your- self," Kehler said. Second place in the Best of Show category was taken by a pair of cheeses in a tie between Standard Market Cave Aged Chandoka from LaClare Farms Special- ties, LLC and Cheese- maker Katie Hedrich Fuhrmann and Roth's Private Reserve from Emmi Roth USA in Wis- consin. Chandoka is a mixed-milk cheese made with goat's milk from the cheesemaker's family farm and locally sourced cow milk. At three days of age, it's Cryovaced and shipped in refrigerated containers to Stan- dard Market for affinage. It's larded and bandaged there and aged for six months be- fore sale. It's a good gateway cheese for con- sumers who aren't familiar with goat milk cheeses and aren't sure they'll like them, but who are curious and willing to try something new, Fuhrmann said. The 2015 ACS Judging & Competition saw 1,779 entries of cheeses and cultured dairy products from 267 producers. En- tering companies represented 31 U.S. states, and three Canadian provinces. Three hundred fifty-five ribbons were awarded: 95 first place ribbons, 127 sec- ond place ribbons, and 133 third place ribbons. The cheeses were judged over a 15 hour period in which 20 teams of judges ranked 50 to 60 cheese per day. Each cheese re- ceives a score for both technical merit and aesthetic qualities, and the two scores are combined for an overall score. Ties are per- mitted only for second and third places in each category, so that for each category, the winning cheese stands alone. Along with their ribbons, the cheese- makers receive both technical notes and aesthetic comments from the judges. "The competition is the ribbons; the judging is the evaluation and the feedback," said Tom Kooiman, who chaired the judging com- mittee. GN GMO Controversy Continued from PAGE 1 mandatory in the state. A lawsuit brought by the Grocery Manufacturer's Association and others against the law was unsuccess- ful, and manufacturers have been given until January 1 of 2016 to comply with Vermont's new packaging requirements. "There's a real sense of urgency in Con- gress to establish a national standard be- cause the Vermont legislation will be starting next year," says Claire Parker, Spokeswoman for the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food. "Vermont is cer- tainly a factor, in that it is creating some of the urgency and points up the confu- sion and cost increases that will be shoul- dered up and down the supply chain, from farmers to store owners to consumers, if we have a state-by-state patchwork." Ver- mont is still working to implement the law as HR 1599 moves forward. According to the Northeast Organic Farming Associa- tion, retailers have had very little trouble stocking products affected by Act 120. "We haven't seen retailers concerned about mandatory GMO labeling in Ver- mont this year," says Maddie Monty, Pol- icy Advisor for NOFA. The constitutionality of HR 1599 has come into question, as detractors say that the labeling of food products is a decision for the state rather than the federal gov- ernment. "It's stepped all over states' con- stitutional rights; it's stepped on consumers' rights," says Paul. "This is a 10th Amendment issue; states have al- ways had the right to pass these laws. What rights from states will be taken away next?" Proponents have not seen the constitu- tional issue as a cause for alarm. "I don't think it's a very strong argument," says Justin Darisse, President of Communica- tions at the National Council of Farmer Co- operatives. "This is pretty clearly an example of a role under the Constitution, under the Commerce Clause." The Com- merce Clause puts regulation related to in- ternational and interstate commerce in the hands of the federal government. A major question in the debate has been the potential cost of mandatory GMO labeling in individual states. "There have been studies, including one by the state of Washington and one by a Cornell professor that says the cost of building separate supply chains could raise the cost of groceries by as much as 500 dol- lars per year," says Parker. The Cornell study, conducted by Professor William Lesser, was made to analyze the increase in price of food following the possible passing of a GMO labeling law in New York. It is a widely quoted study for sup- porters of HR 1599, who say that a patch- work of state laws would raise costs all over the country. Opponents of HR 1599 have questioned the study, due to the source of its funding. "It should be pointed out that this study was funded by, and is the intellectual property of, the Council for Biotechnology Information," says Paul. The Council for Biotechnology Information is a non-profit group that "… communicates science-based information about the benefits and safety of agricul- tural biotechnology and its contributions to sustainable development," according to its website. Advocates for a federal GMO labeling law are predicting a financial advantage for manufacturers if the law is passed. "There's a great deal of economic poten- tial here," says Darisse. The theory is that consumers will be attracted to products labeled as "GMO-free" in the same way that they're attracted by an "Organic" label. In fact, the USDA Organic program developed in 1990 is the model that's being followed today by proponents of the GMO labeling law. Darisse adds, "Back then you had lots of people getting interested in organic, but you had a lot of private labels. Customers and retailers were unsure if there was a market there. The standard helped create a new market there. From manufacturers to retailers to farmers, there are people who can de- velop new business lines." Others are less optimistic about the im- pact of the bill. "I don't see the impact of this bill changing much from what the sta- tus quo has been," says Monty. Support for HR 1599 in the House was clear, and the vote in the bill's favor was an- ticipated by members of both sides of the argument. The Senate vote is less pre- dictable. "At this point it's a lot harder to say how the Senate will vote," says Monty. "There is no companion bill. That indicates there's less support in the Senate." Both sides are waiting for Senators to form opinions on the issue that will guide debate. "It's early to make those sorts of assessments," says Darisse. "There's good support in the Senate, we'll be looking to build on that support." Op- ponents of the bill are staging grass roots campaigns and trying to raise public awareness of the bill's progress. With the passing of the bill in the house, Paul and the Organic Consumers Association have promised that "Congress will see the largest ever food movement that they've ever seen." GN Empowering Americans to make better food choices is the goal of a breakthrough initiative between the American Heart As- sociation, the nation's largest voluntary or- ganization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, and Aramark, the largest U.S.-based food service provider. To- gether, they will work to improve Ameri- cans' diets and health by 20 percent by 2020. Healthy for Life ® 20 by 20, a five-year initiative, introduces industry-leading menu commitments by reducing calories, saturated fat and sodium levels 20 percent, and increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains 20 percent. Changes will impact more than 2 billion meals that Aramark serves annually at thousands of schools and universities, businesses, hospitals, sports and entertainment venues, parks and other destinations, with an expected impact of 10 billion meals by 2020. Seventy-two percent of American adults have a poor diet, and nearly 70 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Associa- tion. The relationship builds on existing work by both organizations and under- scores the American Heart Association's focus on its healthy living and prevention goals for 2020. "We are making progress in public health as a nation, but we still have a long way to go," said American Heart Associa- tion CEO Nancy Brown. "Experts have es- timated that if the American public increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables to meet current public health recommendations, 127,000 lives could be saved each year. It's essential that we make healthier options more easily avail- able to consumers and empower them to choose these options for themselves and their families. We believe that our work with Aramark will help to build a culture of health at the individual, community and national levels." "Our mission at Aramark is to 'Enrich and Nourish Lives' and we can use our scale and culinary expertise to help people lead healthier lives," said Eric J. Foss, Ara- mark Chairman, President and CEO. "Healthy for Life 20 by 20 is a unique op- portunity to pursue a shared vision with the American Heart Association and work in a meaningful way with our clients and through the communities we serve to im- prove the well-being of Americans." In addition to the healthy menu commit- ment across Aramark's businesses, the ini- tiative includes community health engagement programs, consumer health awareness and education, as well as thought leadership research and health im- pact reporting. Community programs will focus on key underserved communities across the U.S., beginning in Chicago, Dal- las and Philadelphia. Consumer education and awareness programs will include heart- healthy, simple cooking demonstrations and sampling, wellness workshops, and ac- cess to digital health and nutrition informa- tion. The initiative is supported by a multi- million dollar grant from the Aramark Charitable Fund. GN American Heart Association and Aramark Partner for Health

• Cover