SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsIntroducing Central Coast GrownSunday, March 26, 2006A marketing outgrowth of the Central Coast Agricultural Network (CCAN), Central Coast Grown is an ambitious new effort seeking to foster awareness of local foodstuffs and make people aware of how their choices affect their community. By buying food grown on the Central Coast, consumers help support their neighbors and also help preserve the agricultural heritage of the area."Our motto is, ‘If you love this view, you'll have to eat it,' " explained Debra Garrison, who handles membership services for Central Coast Grown. "Our job is to get out and educate the consumer and show them the benefits of buying local." At this point, the focus of the effort is going toward a labeling program that producers can use to indicate their foodstuffs are raised in San Luis Obispo County; the labels feature a Central Coast spin on the classic California fruit-crate art genre. "That's the only program we have in place right now," said Garrison, "but we're also going to develop a speakers' bureau that will help educate consumers — including chefs - about the importance of eating seasonally. The next phase will be a Food Guide so members will know who has what and what's in season." In addition, Central Coast Grown/CCAN has future plans to construct a processing plant, delivery system and a retail outlet. The ultimate goal of Central Coast Grown is to sustain the local agricultural economy, but Garrison noted that the concept will also help foster a sense of community as people "start getting to know the farmers and ranchers, start having dialogues with their food producers. Plus, you'll get the added bonus of having food that tastes a lot better and is a lot better for you." Read entire article at: If you love this area, you’ll have to eat it The Tribune, Katy Budge To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.sanluisobispo.com. (c) 2005, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Read More
|
|