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Okay I realize that Tim Horton's is a Canadian institution.
Even I go there from time to time.
Have to stay awake somehow in that van.
When my late mother failed her senior's driving test a while back
~ because she couldn't remember the hand turn signals for cyclists of all things ~
she kept driving anyway.
Finally I felt compelled to confront her about that.
I said, you can't keep driving around when you're licence is suspended!
She replied without hesitation and in all earnest ...
But we have to go to Tim Horton's dear!
And she meant it.
And likely any cop that pulled her over would have understood perfectly too.
After all what would the police do without Tim Horton's?
In fact many would consider it next to treason to criticize dear old Timmie's.
However ...
Recently have seen a commercial from the venerable coffee spot.
Says that dear old Tim's is doing this and that to help out peasant coffee farmers in the third world.
Trouble is I don't know exactly what that is or what that really means.
Went to their web site and still am not entirely sure.
Certainly looks rather paternalistic to say the least!
And isn't this a bit like putting the fox in charge of the chickens?
If Tim Horton's wants to make a real difference in the lives of third world peasants
they should just buy and sell certified Fair Trade coffee ~ it's that simple.
Because you and I and everyone else knows exactly what that means.
Products may only display the Fair Trade symbol when they measure up to a certain set of standards.
Those comprehensive standards are set out by a third party without any vested interest.
Tim's certainly has a vested interest here that's for sure!
The Fair Trade standards are specifically designed to improve the compensation
and living standards of such peasant farmers.
And to protect their health and safety too.
If Tim Horton's sold Fair Trade coffee they could change the world ~ quite literally.
Even if they only sold it as an option many conscientious consumers would pay extra for it.
I certainly would.
But what we have here is entirely different.
One of the peasant farmers in the commercial actually says they hope they can establish a business
~ Timmie's help in doing that is implied ~ in the next two years!!!
How about right now?!
After all how long have these folks been growing coffee?
For generations.
And for how long have they been exploited by the international coffee trade?
Also for generations .. and Timmie's plays a big role in that trade.
So in effect Tim Horton's is now apparently coming to the rescue of a group of people
that it helped victimize in the first place ~ along with many others of course.
While I support and think highly of Tim's annual Camp Day For Kids campaign
because it seems to provide direct benefit to kids who otherwise wouldn't have it,
unfortunately what we have here is a huge corporation using the plight of exploited peasant farmers
as a marketing tool of some kind ... and actually taking advantage of it in this ad!
And how long will their "assistance" to these farmers continue?
Until the ad campaign is over?
However, Timmie's is still leaps and bounds ahead of the golden arches on this one.
McDonald's also has a new ad about coffee.
In their spot, ironically a waitress offers a customer a free coffee.
I say ironically because McDonald's was amongst the first to get rid of waitresses.
And provide you with the privilege of standing in line and hence serving yourself!
Lucky you.
I wouldn't know ~ I don't go in there.
Anyway, in their ad the waitress goes on to explain what kind of coffee it is, how it was roasted.
When she is interrupted by the customer who says ~ You had me at "free"!
In the first place when are we ever going to learn that when we buy something
there is often much more to think about than just how much it costs in terms of our wallets?!
Sometimes even if it's free!
Someone is paying for that coffee.
And secondly, the plight of exploited peasants doesn't even cross McD's radar screen!
At least Tim Horton's seems to understand there is a problem here.
Now if they would only make a serious concerted effort to really do something about it.
Other than making t v ads to make it seem like they are.
Message to Tim Horton's.
Lead the way.
Buy and sell certified Fair Trade coffee ~ and change the world.
That would really empower third world farmers.
And make a substantial difference in their circumstances.
Many would stand up and salute you all day and night for doing that.
And before you know it, Big McD's and others would soon be doing it too!
Yours - Bob Burrows @ clean food
Bob Burrows is the owner and founder of The Clean Food Connection.
Bob is a former teacher, YRDSB school board board member and farmer
who specializes in research into the effects of buying and producing local organic and natural foods.
You can find Bob at ...
www.cleanfoodconnection.com
and sign up for his weekly message by sending an email to ...
info@cleanfoodconnection.com.
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Well the maple syrup season is in full swing.
A wonderful Canadian tradition - a natural amber sweetness that flows at the beginning of Spring.
A heritage passed down to us from the native people who first came to this land.
Recently had a customer remark - "Organic maple syrup? Why bother?
Surely they don't spray maple trees with anything.
Maple syrup is pretty well organic anyway!"
I used to think that myself but let me tell you a little story that may shed some light on this issue.
Many years ago when my late wife and her 8 year old son came to live with me at the farm,
we decided to make like pioneers and produce our own maple syrup from the line of maple trees
that ran along the rail fence on the western border of the property.
In doing that we learned many things.
In the first place, we learned that it is a lot of work!!!
Hauling 5 gallon pails of sap across the field to our homemade evaporator is no picnic.
Sap - like water - weighs 10 lb per gallon.
Thank goodness there was lots of snow on the ground so we could slide the pails across the field
on a toboggan. Eventually we made a harness for the dog and he towed them for us.
It's amazing what a dog will do for a couple of Milk Bones!
Anyway, the other thing we learned was how much energy it takes to make syrup from the sap.
The ratio of sap to syrup is approximately 32:1 - it takes a lot of energy to do boil it down,
be it firewood, or electricity or whatever - which is why maple syrup is so expensive.
Energy - of any kind - costs a lot and that is only going to increase over time.
However, to get on with my story, we noticed that the flow of the sap
from the spigots we had installed a few days earlier was gradually slowing down,
whereas the flow from taps that were installed later than that kept flowing in abundance.
It seemed that the tree was gradually slowing down the flow so it wouldn't sap to death I guess.
To solve this problem - isn't it interesting how we think that a natural process is a "problem"
that needs to be "fixed"? Maybe that's one of our biggest "problems" in the first place! -
At any rate, we called a local conservation centre that is very well known for its maple syrup production
and asked them what to do.
The person at the conservation centre told me that this was a very simple "problem" to solve.
Apparently the tree was "coagulating" so in order to stop that they placed an "anticoagulant"
- in this case formaldehyde - at the back of every tap hole they drill!
When I asked were they not concerned about adding embalming fluid to their maple syrup,
he replied that this was not a "problem" at all because the formaldehyde evaporates off from the sap
as it is being boiled down! (Where have I heard that one before?!)
Did it ever occur to anyone that some of the formaldehyde just might be drawn into the sap
flowing up into the tree? Just a thought - I don't know the answer to that one.
Let's keep in mind that this was not a private operation I was talking to
but a publicly funded conservation area that specializes in servicing school groups etc.
In fairness, since that time paraformaldehyde has been banned.
However, problems may still persist here.
According to Environmental Defence, in 1999 / 2000, all 87 of the domestic tests of maple syrup for
paraformaldehyde conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) found residue of the chemical.
In 2000 / 2001, 24% of maple syrup samples had residue present.
In July 2001, inspectors found paraformaldehyde pellets or fragments of same on 21 of the 50
maple syrup farms they visited that spring.
A Quebec company and its owner Michel Lamarche were fined $36 000 after being convicted of
making unregistered paraformaldehyde tablets for the maple syrup market, their second offence for so doing.
One also just has to wonder at the mentality that ever thought this was a reasonable idea in the first place.
For further info on this issue, please visit ...
http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/foodwatch/press/media/factMaple.htm
So that's one big fly in the ointment but there are others!!
This is one sticky business.
Organic maple syrup producers are not permitted to us any "anticoagulants" including paraformaldehyde.
But that's not all.
They also have to follow very strict regulations regarding the number of taps allowed on any given tree.
They are not allowed to "redrill" tap holes etc or to do anything else that would compromise the tree in any way.
In other words, these regulations are not just designed to protect you and I from ingesting undesirable elements
in the syrup but to also protect the tree itself.
Other issues of concern here centre around the kinds of chemicals used to clean and rinse out the lines
that are the current method most commonly used used for collecting sap from the trees
as opposed to the "old fashioned" method of placing individual spigots and collection buckets on each tree
- ah progress rears its ugly head again, after all we have to be "efficient" at all costs -
and the use of "anti-foaming agents" that control the development of foam that occurs naturally
in the final stages as the boiling sap approaches the consistency of syrup.
For your reference and consideration I am including two URL's you can click on that will take you directly
to the web sites of the two major Organic Certification bodies in Ontario - The OCPP and The OCIA -
so that you can peruse the requirements for organic maple syrup for yourself. Please click on ...
http://www.ocpro-certcanada.com/
http://www.ocia.org/members/index.asp
Once you have had a chance to review these regulations you will at least be fully informed
so that you can ask your supplier of maple syrup the questions that need to be asked.
It may well be the case that some local producers are aware of the issues raised here and are addressing them
in a way that would satisfy your needs or mine - but maybe not.
Of course, another way to be sure that these issues are being considered and addressed
is to purchase certified organic maple syrup.
To finish off my little story, when we had completed our syrup making odyssey
my wife made some wonderful whole grain flour pancakes including some wild blueberriesb
that we had gathered up north the summer before.
A vessel of honey like amber maple syrup sat like a jewel at the centre of the table.
As she and I waited with anticipation to finally enjoy the fruits of all our labour,
her son came into the room, sat down at the table and pushed aside our newly made maple elixir
saying - "I don't want any of this stuff! Where's the Old Tyme Syrup?" - ingredients being mostly sugar
along with artificial food colour and artificial maple flavour!!!
Sometimes you just can't win!
We loved our pancake feast in spite of him!
Bob Burrows is the owner and founder of The Clean Food Connection.
Bob is a former teacher, YRDSB school board board member and farmer
who specializes in research into the effects of buying and producing local organic and natural foods.
You can find Bob at ...
www.cleanfoodconnection.com
and sign up for his weekly message by sending an email to ...
info@cleanfoodconnection.com.
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Last Valentines Day a major supermarket chain was advertising a Special
- 2 dozen Ecuadorian long stem roses and a box of chocolates for only $49.99.
Sounds like a steal and indeed it is.
Granted a great deal for the consumer but unfortunately not for the Ecuadorians that grew the flowers.
In fact quite the opposite is the case.
The cut flower industry began in the Netherlands where families operated commercial flower gardens.
Today in our era of globalization the vast majority of cut flowers are produced
in Africa and Latin America, particularly Colombia and Ecuador, by huge multi national corporations.
Most flowers traded in the North American market come from South America.
In 1999, Colombia and Ecuador shipped 134 000 tons of flowers worth about $470 million US
through Miami - about 3% of these flowers ended up in Canada.
Aside from an obviously hospitable climate, these parts of the world offer something else
- cheap labour and a labour force that is easy to control with very little regulatory protection.
The average flower worker in Ecuador gets about $0.60 an hour US. But that's only the beginning.
These workers - mostly indigenous women - are subjected to a great many other serious problems as well.
According to "Deceptive Beauty" a booklet about the global flower industry sponsored in part
by The Canadian International Development Agency ...
*in Colombia the flower industry uses 200 kilos of pesticide per hectare.
*a study of over 8000 workers on flower plantations near Bogota found that they were exposed to
127 different pesticides, 3 of which are considered extremely toxic by the World Health Organization
and 20% of which are banned in North America because they are carcinogenic and extremely toxic.
To make matters worse, these workers are often not provided with any protective equipment
like proper masks and gloves nor are they provided with adequate training when applying such pesticides.
As per Deceptive Beauty again, "Doctors in flower producing areas of Colombia report up to 5 cases
of acute pesticide poisoning per day."
Of course concentrations of chemicals like this don't just evaporate after they have been applied.
They find their way into the immediate environment in a number of ways.
They seep into local waterways, aquifers and wells.
When greenhouses are damaged and repaired or dismantled workers take home contaminated materials
from them - like plastic, wood and tin - to incorporate into their own houses.
Peasants often retrieve flower "cuttings" and waste plant materials from the greenhouses
to feed to their own cows or goats and then give the milk from such livestock to their children.
The rates of birth defects and miscarriages in these areas are well beyond any reasonable norm.
To add insult to injury, these huge greenhouse complexes occupy land on which the local farmers
used to grow food for their families and the local population, food which must now be imported.
Finally the basic human rights of these peasant workers are frequently violated.
*They are required to work overtime with no notice and no increase in compensation.
*Women who become pregnant are routinely fired.
*Children often become victims of child labour in countries where there are no regulations to prevent it.
*Anyone that tries to organize workers in any way is literally placing their life in jeopardy.
Paramilitary goon squads routinely murder such individuals.
Again, according to Deceptive Beauty, "More trade unionists are killed in Colombia
than in the rest of the world combined."
Local governments are often unsympathetic and / or ineffective in terms of addressing
such labour issues and have few if any regulations to govern such matters.
So behind this symbol of love and beauty - flowers - lies this dreadful horror story.
And what can you do about it? Plenty!
You can start by asking your florist where they get their flowers from.
You can ask them whether they were produced under the circumstances described above
and you can tell them how important it is to you as a customer that such issues be considered.
In Europe it is quite common for customers to raise such questions.
Or you can buy Fair Trade and / or Organic Flowers.
What are Fair Trade flowers (or coffee or chocolate or whatever).
The term Fair Trade indicates that the farmer or worker that produced the goods in question
has been fairly compensated for their products and that they have been treated reasonably and responsibly
with regard to their health and safety and their basic human rights.
There has actually been developed an "International Code Of Conduct for the Production of Cut Flowers"
which sets standards that must be met by flower companies if they wish to receive accreditation
as a company that has lived up to this code.
Furthermore, compliance to the code must be monitored by an independent body.
More and more Europeans will only buy flowers from companies that are so accredited.
In our own neck of the woods, you can always turn to Scott Graham at Eco Flora.
Aside from having a most unique and exquisite touch with flowers,
Scott only deals in Fair Trade and / or Organic flowers - that's all he does.
We feature his flowers at our stores every week.
The girls are constantly amazed by his arrangements!
For a look at his floral vision, please visit his web site at www.ecoflora.ca
You can either order his flowers through our web site or directly from him.
Scott's prices are also very reasonable.
So, when you buy flowers for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day,
you can do more than bring that wonderful smile of joy to her face when she receives them.
You can also gain some satisfaction from knowing that you have helped
to make this a better, fairer and safer world for others too.
It's just the right thing to do.
Yours - Bob Burrows @ clean food
P.S. Please get your husband or sweetheart to read this commentary!!!
Bob Burrows is the owner and founder of The Clean Food Connection.
Bob is a former teacher, YRDSB school board board member and farmer
who specializes in research into the effects of buying and producing local organic and natural foods.
You can find Bob at ...
www.cleanfoodconnection.com
and sign up for his weekly message by sending an email to ...
info@cleanfoodconnection.com.
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Time to make like David Letterman.
No not make out like David Letterman ... so the staff can relax!!!
Time to do a top ten list.
Here are 10 good reasons why you should consider placing delivery orders with us.
-
We provide the most extensive selection of organic and natural food and other related products
available for delivery anywhere in the GTA.
- We provide a personalized service that responds to your individual needs and preferences.
We customize your orders.
- We specialize in sourcing out local foods and other products.
We provide a direct connection to local farmers and artisans.
- Our prices are very competitive and they are the same as if you came to shop at our store.
- Cuts down on impulse shopping.
- Delivery is free with a minimum order.
We do invite you to contribute to our delivery costs in the form of a gratuity.
But that's your call ~ you can contribute whatever you like or nothing at all.
- We provide you with a real alternative to the world of industrialized food and factory farming.
And an opportunity to support your local economy.
- All our products must meet an ethical set of standards that considers not only the nature of the food itself
but also related issues such as how farm animals are housed and treated.
- Delivery reduces your carbon footprint.
It takes less fuel and energy for one van to go from house to house than if everyone got into their cars
and went out shopping.
- Your convenience.
So there you have it.
Now all you have to do is click on that mouse and we'll come to your house.
Right to your door with organics galore.
And where oh where have you heard that one before?
Yours - Bob Burrows @ clean food
Bob Burrows is the owner and founder of The Clean Food Connection.
Bob is a former teacher, YRDSB school board board member and farmer
who specializes in research into the effects of buying and producing local organic and natural foods.
You can find Bob at ...
www.cleanfoodconnection.com
and sign up for his weekly message by sending an email to ...
info@cleanfoodconnection.com.
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