Eating local seems to be the focus of the hour, with the Eat Local Challenge blog and the local food movement getting press in Time magazine, Food and Wine, and E Magazine just in the past month. As a person who spends a lot of time thinking and writing about local farmers and local food, it is rewarding to see that the discussion is occurring nationwide. The main thing I'd like to see is that consumers consider the origin of their food before deciding what to buy, and these articles are bound to affect that decision.

The Locavores and the Eat Local Challenge blog will be hosting a nationwide challenge in September asking people to pay attention to eating locally for a month. This year, the focus will be on preserving and putting food up for the winter. Keep an eye on the Eat Local Challenge blog as well, as some of us will be taking part in an exciting challenge toward the end of April.

If you're interested in food issues in general, and like to keep up on food news, there are an astounding number of deep resources that can be found on the web. Samuel Fromartz, the author of Organic, Inc., has started a blog called Chews Wise that has thoughtful and current essays about today's food news. This week, Fromartz dedicates a post to organic food in mainstream grocery stores. We're all aware that Wal-Mart is selling organic food, but what happens if no one buys it? So far, the sales of organic food at Wal-Mart are not as hot as expected, and if that continues it may have far-reaching effects on the organic food industry.

The Ethicurean is a group blog that I read on a daily basis. If you only have five minutes in your day to keep up with the day's food news, check out their daily digest.

Culinate is a beautifully designed and chock-full new website that covers the food world especially as it pertains to food politics and where our food comes from. Their tag line is "eat to your ideal" and with posts on the food-justice movement in Portland, lawsuits against Kraft foods, and Costco selling cage-free eggs, they are helping us do just that.

Labels: jennifer maiser, sustainability