In the previous Slow Money post, I posed some questions about the velocity of our money. Below are some results of our money moving so fast vs. some solutions that result from slowing money down.

This is all great, but how do we do this? Well let’s revisit the riddle I asked.  A raging bull is in front of you. You can’t go around, over, or underneath it. You can’t outrun the bull. How do you escape?   Answer – Throw sand in the bull’s eye.  I realize the answer is anticlimactic, but sometimes the solution is elusive even though it is obviously right in front of you.

So here is the sand.  Slow money is a movement that takes local investors and funds local companies, specifically in food. Woody Tasch has written a book that enlightens the topic in much more detail.  Here is why this is gaining popularity.

First of all, just as sunlight is the catalyst for photosynthesis, cash is essential for business growth.  Imagine a group of 100 investors defer $1000 from their 401(k) and invest into a local slow money fund. This fund invests in a small organic farm, or a local bakery, or an artisan food entrepreneur.  Now $100,000 is available one or all of these prospects.

Why Food?

• Food is essential part of all consumers’ budgets.
• Smaller tastes better.
• Local is fresher and more nutritious.
• Food start-ups require less capital. (imagine the investment to start building commercial jet airliners)
• Small food entrepreneur’s passion for their products is seen in the quality.

So now you are one of the those 100 investors. You found out you are loaning a local bakery $10,000 for a new oven. Would you stop by and try the bread?

Skinny Batches

If it tasted good, would you purchase it? Would you tell your friends to buy it? Or would you buy the mega grocery store’s bread instead?

Here is another question. You are the baker. Some of your customers are also the people who helped fund your new oven. Would you make sure you take care of your customers? They could also be your neighbors or friends.  You may even coach their kids in soccer. Wouldn’t your work hard to make sure you pay them back?

Think of the best loaf of bread you have ever eaten. Where did come from? I doubt it came from a mega grocery store, and I would bet you would like to buy it again.

By doing this (slowing our money down), and then doing it again, and then again, slowly our financial problems ebb away.  And slowly we restore our local economies all while providing something we all want – good food.

Slow money is a big topic, but I will attempt to explain it in two short blog posts.

Velocity: Can faster be unfavorable?

Ironically, the faster we go, the less we truly see. Speed insulates us from organic detail, and space becomes not homes, neighborhoods, and individual lives, but a disembodied medium through which we move. Though more is seen, less is observed, for the depth of our understanding is inversely proportionate to our velocity. ¹

Perhaps money has been moving too fast in the last century.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user rednuht

To Big To Fail, | Government Bailouts | Credit Default Swaps | Occupy Wall St. | The Other 98% | $15 Trillion In Debt

Can you explain what and why these have happened? Perhaps we wanted to make a dollar so fast, we didn’t look out the side window as to the means to these expeditious ends.

Question: Do you know where your money in your 401(k) is going?

A mutual fund is not a sufficient answer. Do we care to know which companies are receiving our money? Do we care how they make their money? Or do all we care about it is a piece of paper that comes in the mail every quarter stating a percentage, return on investment (ROI), hoping that it is black and positive?

Slow money is an idea that returns the control and understanding of our investments and finances to us vs. financial institutions promising a better ROI.

Now obviously this post has to be about something food orientated. So how does investing in food solve the previous issues, especially when they seem so overwhelming, daunting and ominous?

Tuesday’s post will have a solution and will answer the following riddle:

A raging bull is in front of you. You can’t go around, over, or underneath. You can’t outrun the bull. How do you escape?

¹ Stephen Bertmann- Hyperculture: The Human Cost of Speed

We are all familiar with the idiom, a bad egg, which means someone dishonest or not to be trusted.  What is amazing is how many ‘bad eggs’ are out there.  My research revealed some disheartening means to which eggs are brought to market.

Let’s start with a regular cartoon of eggs.   These hens are permanently caged.  Their living area is less than a piece of letterhead paper.  The hens are so close that their beaks are burned off so they don’t peck each other. ¹

But then there are cage-free or free-range eggs.  I was fooled on this one.  The USDA’s requirement is for the hen to have access to outdoor areas.  It does not regulate how long the hen goes out or if it even spends any time outside at all. ²   Therefore, a farmer could label his eggs cage free because he opens a door for 5 minutes. The hens could go outside but are not required.

Well, we have organic eggs right?  Yes, organic eggs are regulated more but only with regards to what the hen can eat and the removal of antibiotics and hormones.  This is at least a step in the right direction.

The last label is the best – pastured eggs.  This means the hens are able to run around outside.  They have beaks so they can chase bugs and eat what chickens like to eat, rather than what the farmer wants them to eat.  They are out in the sunlight and absorbing all that Mother Nature has to offer.

But does a pastured raised chicken mean a healthier egg?  Here’s the facts:  ³

Pastured raised eggs have:

-       1/3 the cholesterol
-       1/4 the saturated fat
-       2/3 more vitamin A
-       7 times more beta carotene
-       3 times more vitamin E
-       2 times more omega 3

Yes, pastured eggs are more expensive.  But think of it this way, so are cholesterol pills and vitamin supplements and by-pass surgeries.  Somehow we need to learn that cheaper food is not always cheaper.

Perhaps being educated is the best defense against ‘a bad egg’.

¹   http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/cage-free_vs_battery-cage.html
²   http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/meat_&_poultry_labeling_terms/index.asp#4
³ http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx

Remember Wendy’s popular commercial of “Where’s the beef?”  Soon, people could be asking a different question.

Willem van Eelen is considered to be the godfather of in-vitro meat.  As a teenager of Dutch descent living in Indonesia, van Eelen fought the Japanese in WWII.  His comment about his experience in prison camps shows how hungry they were, “If one of the stray dogs was stupid enough to go over the wire, the prisoners would jump on it, tear it apart and eat it raw. If you looked at my stomach then, you saw my spine. I was already dead.” ¹ Now van Eelen and other scientists are growing in-vitro meat in the lab.

Really?

Yes.  It can be done.  Scientist take stem cells from a pig, cow or chicken and place them in bioreactors.  The cells divide and the technicians instruct the cells to differentiate into muscle cells.  Over time, the muscle cells bulk up and get harvested.  Keep in mind, growing muscle cells outside the body is extremely difficult.  It might cost $50,000 to produce 1 pound of meat.  But the fact remains that it can be done.

Yuck!

I had the same reaction.  But consider the ‘The Jungle’ environment of a slaughterhouse, and the diseases that spawn from them.  As for the taste, I don’t know how they make a chicken nugget taste like chicken, but they do.

Why?

People are hungry!  The demand for meat is increasing.  The global livestock industry is responsible for nearly 20% our greenhouse gas emissions.  Water is becoming more of a precious commodity and cattle consumer nearly 10% of the planets fresh water.  This last stat is crazy!  80% of farmland is devoted to the production of meat.²

So as absurd as in-vitro meat sounds, I want to point out that in the future, it might become a reality, whether we like it or not.  How do you feel about eating meat grown in a lab?  Do you foresee this becoming part of humans’ diet?  Is there a parallel to GMOs?  I would love to hear your comments.

¹ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=inside-the-meat-lab

² http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_specter

What do you get when you put together over a dozen grade school kids, some chef hats, knives, and a lot of energy?  (No this isn’t a Foodvenger clue…) The answer is Cooking Matters from Share Our Strength.

I was fortunate enough to experience five weeks with some really terrific kids and teach them how to shop, cook, and eat more healthy, nutritious food. Hadley was our fearless leader that kept everyone moving the right direction. Rachel was our knowledgeable nutritionist who taught the kids all about healthy food.  And last but not least, our skilled chef Jennifer showed the kids how to prepare delicious, healthy meals.

Each week we would spend the first hour teaching kids all about food. Then the fun came, and we would put our hats on, roll up our sleeves, and start cooking.  Finally, we would feast on the meals the kids prepared, which, in all honesty, were delicious! I could go on and on about how much fun I had and how impressive Cooking Matters is, but I thought I’d show you a glimpse through a video.

The kids picked the song, so thanks to the artist: Glee Cast.

Visit Cooking Matters to learn how you can participate: http://cookingmatters.org/.

Leave a comment to keep the conversation going about food and cooking education for kids.

We are starting to hear talk of food prices going up. Why? (If you haven’t noticed, I like asking that question) The more I researched, the more chills I got.

I’m going to try to explain this as simply as possible.

Let’s start with the basics: A low supply and a high demand = an increase in price.

Now imagine if you could control the supply of something everyone needs while artificially increasing the demand. Food.

Photo by Lars Ploughmann

The Supply:

Easy- It’s been a bad year for world farming. Australia and the floods, China and the droughts, Russia and the fires have lowered the amount of food produced.

More complex- Big institutions are investing in farmland, grain elevators and seed, not only in the US, but globally. Mark Lapolla, an adviser to institutional investors, said, “It is important to ask whether these financial investors want to actually operate the means of production — or simply want to have a direct link into the physical supply of commodities and thereby reduce the risk of their speculation.” ¹

The Demand:

Easy- Our planet has more people.

More Complex- This is where it gets scary. People are investing in food, not to eat but to make money. Let me compare it to people investing in houses, not to live in, but to make money. Sound familiar? People with extra money want to invest it so they can make more. Food has become the ‘safest’ investment because food prices don’t go down. (Just like real estate, right?) The people with a lot of money (Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, etc) aren’t even buying the food; they are buying contracts on the possibility of buying food in the future. Here is how they are doing it. Instead of the housing CDO, its evil cousin CCO has emerged. Now the demand of people looking for a ‘safe’ investment is flooding money into food.

United Nations Photo

The Result: Prices are going up. In the US, it is estimated prices will increase 3-6%. Not a big deal, right? That’s because the amount of our entire income spent on food is a lot less than developing countries. MILLIONS of people around the world spend their entire income on food. “For about 44 million people, roughly the population of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago metropolitan areas combined – the rise in food prices means a descent into extreme poverty and hunger, according to the World Bank”²

The Reality: This is happening because it can. The countries that have all the food are usually the countries that have all the money, which are the countries that have all the power. So a minor increase in food prices in these countries is something to talk about, but “not a big deal”. Tragically, there is too much money to be made at the expense of starving people half way around the world.

I am curious about your thoughts on big business playing with our food. What are possible solutions to this atrocity?

¹http://www.nytimes.com

² USAToday, 3-18-11, Pg B1

It’s not hard to find people on both sides of the fence regarding the aspartame controversy. Aspartame is an ingredient in nearly 6,000 products around the world, primarily in reduced calorie foods. It’s been on the market for decades, and it’s FDA approved, so it must be safe, right? Let’s look at the facts.  

What Is Aspartame?

Aspartame is primarily derived from compounds called amino acids, and is made through a fermentation and synthesis processes. This white, odorless, crystalline powder is 200 times sweeter than sugar, and is found in products such as NutraSweet, Equal, Benevia, Canderel and many diet sodas.

Are There Safety Concerns?

Dr. John Olney, researcher at Washington University in St. Louis and pioneer in aspartame research, says aspartame “hasn’t been demonstrated to be safe,” and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed after receiving a unanimous ruling by an FDA-assigned public board of inquiry.  It bears repeating: the FDA agreed with the findings that aspartame is not safe.

But then came 1981, when Dr. Arthur Hill Hayes – a food additive neophyte – replaced the sitting FDA Chairman. Dr. Hayes was hand-picked by a prominent member of Ronald Reagan’s political transition team, Donald Rumsfeld (yes, that Donald Rumsfeld). Rumsfeld also happened to be CEO of G.D Searle company (now owned by Monsanto), the company who owned the patent on aspartame. Once Dr. Hayes was installed, aspartame was promptly approved.

The aspartame controversy was no longer an issue of science; it became, and remains, an issue of politics.

Of all the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of complaints. The FDA, as required under the Freedom of Information Act, compiled a list of 92 symptoms, including death. Here are just a few: headache, vision loss, cancer, seizures, hearing loss, joint pain, and breathing difficulties. Worse still, many conditions can be triggered or worsened by aspartame, such as brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.

Alternatives to Aspartame

There are healthy alternatives to aspartame. Look for sweeteners that are all natural – like honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, and organic sugar.

Next Steps

The deeper I dig into the aspartame controversy, the more disturbed I become. Only time will tell if I have done significant damage to myself by ingesting aspartame. I encourage you to do your own research. But be forewarned – you will uncover layer after terrifying layer of information.

For me personally, my next step is to go on a cabinet and refrigerator rampage, purging my home of this toxic synthetic chemical. Am I over-reacting to this aspartame controversy? Do you think I’m going too far? Let me know what you think!

Sources & Additional Reading:

Huffington Post: January 11, 2011
Dr. Mercola
Grist: February 14, 2011

Click Picture To View the Trailer

Forks Over Knives

For the past three weeks (Read Part1) I have written about extremes. I started by reminding everyone about the two biggest killers in the United States–heart disease and cancer. I mentioned the extreme measures we go through to try to treat those diseases. The following week, I mentioned how extremely our finances have been affected by our health. Finally last week, I showed how we have made extremely good progress with educating people about the health effects of tobacco and smoking.

This final part to our Extreme series introduces a film that discusses the incredibly strong correlation between our diets and health.

Some friends and I were fortunate enough to view a screening of this film. At first, I was a little turned off by what the filmmakers were saying about our diets. Growing up in the age of “four squares a day will keep you healthy,” it was difficult to hear some of the points they were making. Like any human, I am skeptical and reluctant to change. But the abundant supply of evidence they portrayed kept rattling in my head. A paradigm shift takes time, just ask Copernicus. What appears obvious now, was once extreme.

As we left the screening, my friends and I joked about our next dinner. I laughed and contributed. But I cannot deny, I have consciously paid more attention to my diet and to what I eat since watching the film. I started looking at foods I normally don’t think twice about with a little more attention. Have I completely change my diet? No. Do I predict that everyone will suddenly change their diets? No. But it is important for us to understand and learn about what we are eating. As we learn more, the more we will change our diets.

Changing the Status Quo

(Read Part 1, Part 2)

As I’m sure you’re aware, that this series is all about changing our diets. But to what extreme do we need to change in order to see the benefits? Let me start by changing gears a little.

Everyone knows that tobacco and smoking are bad for your health. They significantly increase our chances for lung cancer and other diseases. However just five decades ago, it wasn’t that big of a deal if you smoked. (Just watch an episode of Mad Men.) Now we ban it from restaurants, public buildings, and we even limit smoking in certain places outdoors. 50 years ago, that would be extreme. Imagine Humphrey Bogart stepping outside of Rick’s cafe to have a cigarette.

But in the last half century, we have become significantly more educated about tobacco and smoking. And when I say we, I don’t mean scientists, I mean everyday real people. It took some time, but more and more people are quitting smoking.

Understanding that our diets affect our health is nothing new. But understanding and learning about these strong correlations between our nation’s most deadly killers and our diets is surprisingly new. To me, that seems extreme. So I ask–Can we change the status quo? Well the next time you are on an airplane, image the guy next to you smoking a cigarette.

Next week I will tell you how you can learn more about this new diet and how I was inspired to write this series of posts.  (Read Part 4)

Financial Benefits

Health Care Spending (click to view)

Last week (Read Part 1),  I asked the question: What is extreme? It was a morbid entry, but I wanted to make sure we realized the importance of these issues. This week, I want to point out some of the financial benefits of a healthy diet.

An extremely big issue in our country is health care. There are valid points on both sides of the argument, but one fact that cannot be debated is that during the past decade, the cost of health care has significantly increased. It may continue to increase if we don’t take the appropriate actions. By changing our diets, we can reduce our health care costs up to 70 percent. As old Ben Franklin stated, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” That means $700 billion would be saved. EVERY YEAR! That was nearly the entire stimulus package. Does a stimulus package every year sound extreme?

OK, how about something that reaches a little closer to home? Every day people are battling diseases with prescription drugs. We all know that these medicines can get expensive. But with a healthy diet and exercise, we can totally remove our dependence on these drugs AND cure our health as well. Think of the savings for people who spend $100 a month on medicine. With the money, they now save up to take a nice vacation every year.  (Reader’s Digest said, “Laughter is the best medicine.”) Would it be extreme to be free from prescription medicine?

This is all great, but you might be saying, “These issues are too big to change.” Next week, I will give you an example from the past when the United States has made significant progress in making a big, health-related change.  Read Part 3