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Like food? Living in an artful city? Being active? Local farmers? Local artisans? Local businesses? Local chefs? Local music? Natural resources? Then you might like to go to these partner sites.p

I thought you might want to know, if you don't already, that the The US Food and Drug Administration is considering redefining the definition of 'chocolate' to allow substituting vegetable oil ($0.70/lb.) for cocoa butter ($2.30/lb.), and whey protein for dry whole milk. There are already standard terms to differentiate these products from chocolate, such as 'chocolatey' and 'chocolate-flavored.' The change was requested by the industry group Chocolate Manufacturers of America. As you know, Cocoa Puro offers the very best quality pure chocolates with our Kakawa Cocoa Beans. We continuously inform customers that good chocolate depends on quality cocoa beans and the purest ingredients. We don't want to see people confused about chocolate. And, we don't need another fake food out there; a "Chuck-alot" that resembles chocolate but isn't real chocolate. The FDA's action would only serve to promote profits for makers of cheap, unhealthy, inferior fake-chocolate products. Producers of real chocolates, and artisan producers such as ourselves, would face an unfair disadvantage, since true chocolate would cost more to produce but would be sold alongside the fakes. Consumers would also suffer, because finding true chocolate would become difficult and they would be misled into buying the imitation product. Readers can go to this address:http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/dockets/comments/getDocketInfo.cfm?EC_DOCUMENT_ID=1477&SORT=DOCKET_NOD&MAXROWS=15&START=1&CID=&AGENCY=FDA to submit a comment to the FDA to protect the current high standards and US definition of real chocolate.

Best regards, Tom Pedersen .Cocoa Puro . Kakawa Cocoa Beans . www.cocoapuro.com

NEW PROPOSED USDA ORGANIC REGULATIONS COULD DRIVE THOUSANDS OF SMALL ORGANIC FARMERS OUT OF BUSINESS

A controversial new directive from the USDA threatens to deny organic certification to thousands of small organic coffee, tea, banana, rice, sugar cane, cacao and other farmers around the world. The USDA's directive would eliminate the longstanding practice of certifying organic and Fair Trade family farm cooperatives as a group, rather than forcing each coop member to ay for individual certification. Thousands of organic and Fair Trade farming cooperatives around he world have been established over the past few decades to help low-income farmers in inancing and marketing, and in acquiring otherwise cost-prohibitive certification for their arms. Most of the world's small-scale organic coffee farmers take part in these cooperatives, o eliminating group certification, will drive thousands of family farmers out of business while giving large-scale commercial coffee plantations a competitive advantage. Though the OCA supports careful monitoring of all organic farms, we are adamantly opposed to the elimination of group certification for low-income farm cooperatives. MORE INFO: Recent Decision: http://www.agmatters.net/Organic/RECENTGGC_DECISION_BY_US... or go to the USDA website: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Compliance/AppealsSummaries/Sept NOSB 2002 Grower Group Recommendation: http://www.agmatters.net/attachments/f2002_NOSB_GGC_Recommendations

The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is a diverse nationwide partnership of individuals and organizations cultivating grass roots efforts to engage in policy development processes that result in food and agricultural systems and rural communities that are healthy, environmentally sound, profitable, humane and just. http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/

Check up on current progress of advocates and legislation regarding the National Animal Identification System. If you have questions about NAIS, please contact judith@farmandranchfreedom.org - Judith McGeary at the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance.
Join the mailing list at www.farmandranchfreedom.org/list/?p=subscribe
Donate online at www.farmandranchfreedom.org/join-online.html

Arnosky Family Farm Second Sunday potluck, 4 pm. Just come out with a dish and share music, food, tour the 20 acres of cultivated flower farm and relax in the Hill Country! Go to http://www.texascolor.com for details, directions.

Start your Marathon Kids 5-a-Day Schoolyard Food Garden by contacting Karen@sustainablefoodcenter.org today! Includes kids growing at school gardens AND participating in the free Marathon Kids six-month running/walking and nutrition program.

Go to the Sustainable Food Center website to see our calendar of events across the many levels of our programs on farm marketing, cooking and nutrition, and gardening.

Check for downtown street closings weekly before you make your trip! Go to Downtown Austin Alliance's website and check out the weekly update, scroll down to the end for street closings.

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The largest certified growers-only farmers market in the state of Texas.

We meet the criteria of having 51% or more of farmers in our vendor base, year-round, AND we enforce that all farmers must grow 100% of what they sell.

What is NEW for Summer, 2008?

The market is year-round! There are more ways to learn about the local food system, there are more community gathering events, and there is much more to accomplish to connect the farmers to you. The market is growing!

The market is a project of the Sustainable Food Center, a local 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. We operate the market because it is an important extension of our mission, to improve access to local, healthy and affordable food for children and adults in Central Texas. We have been involved in doing this in a variety of ways since 1975.

Here is an example of what you will find at the market this winter:

* Peaches, blueberries and honey

* Field tomatoes and peppers!

* Nutty, nutritious squashes and sweet onions

* Humanely raised lamb, poultry, bison, beef, goat and eggs from pastured chickens

* Late shade-grown lettuces, New Zealand spinach, summer-resistant greens, hardy arugula

* Bulging heads of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage

* Sweet and red, pink and striped beets

* Patio gardens and flowering fruit trees and plants

* Fresh-cut flowers

* Fresh, low-temperature pastuerized milk (not homogenized, nor raised with hormones or antibiotics) from pastured cows and ice cream!

* World-reknowned Cocoa Puro chocolate, Sticky Toffee Pudding and the best coffee shop in a downtown street!

* Organic locally brewed, fantastic tasting Maine Root root beer and the "Pink Drink" - of prickly pear

* Artisan breads, melt-in-your-mouth scones, and fresh empanadas

* Melt in your mouth chevre made from goat milk and specialty cow milk cheese

* Whirl around the world with freshly made, locally produced ethnic foods..Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Mexican, Oaxacan, Brazilian, Thai, Napalese and more!

Come try these delicious freshly picked and made products direct from our hands to yours!

This is your farmers market. You can celebrate by coming often, and bringing a friend.

Thank you for sustaining your enthusiasm and support for the Austin Farmers Market, we welcome you this ending of our fifth year.

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