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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2015)
May 20, 2015 Page 9 H ealth Eat Healthy with Local Produce ‘Double Up Food Bucks’ serve low-income The Farmers Market Fund, an independent non-profit and com- panion organization to the Portland Farmers Market, has always been dedicated to providing increased access to healthy local grown food for low-income, elderly and under- served populations. But now even more can be Buying fresh local produce is a way to eat healthy. Now a new pro- gram gives cash incentives to low-income Oregonians who receive food stamps to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. A genetically engineered potato poking through the soil of a planting pot inside J.R. Simplot’s lab in southwestern Idaho. USDA Tackles GMO Labeling (AP) - The Agriculture Depart- ment has developed a new govern- ment certification and labeling for foods that are free of genetically modified ingredients. USDA’s move comes as some consumer groups push for man- datory labeling of the genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The certification is the first of its kind, would be voluntary - and companies would have to pay for it. If approved, the foods would be able to carry a “USDA Process Verified” label along with a claim that they are free of GMOs. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vil- sack outlined the new certification in a May 1 letter to USDA em- ployees. Companies can already put their own GMO-free labels on foods, but there are no govern- ment labels that only certify a food as GMO-free. Many companies use a private label developed by a nonprofit called the Non-GMO Project. The USDA organic label also certifies that foods are free of genetically modified ingredients, but many non-GMO foods aren’t organic. achieved thanks to a $500,000 award from the Food and Drug Administration’s Food and Inse- curity and Nutrition Incentive Pro- gram and an Oregon food stamps incentive program called “Double Up Food Bucks.” The program will provide cash incentives to low-income Orego- nians who receive food stamps for purchasing locally grown fruits and vegetables at farmers markets and through community supported agriculture. The food stamps incentive will apply at 46 farmers markets, in- cluding the King Farmers Market in northeast Portland and other markets in rural and urban com- munities. For information, visit farmers- marketfund.org.
