International nutrition conference to explore the politics of food

October 17, 2010 — The intense debate generated by proposed food safety legislation, ongoing government opposition to raw milk, and raids by agents with guns drawn on private food clubs in California and Ohio, has vaulted the subject of food politics into the eye of consumers and policy makers.

Should small farms be regulated? Are the USDA dietary guidelines improving health or causing disease? Do citizens have a right to the foods of their choice? 

Food activists, raw milk advocates, nutritionists, farmers and consumers will explore these issues at Wise Traditions 2010, the 11th annual international conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Nov. 12-15 in King of Prussia, Pa.

With more than 136 licensed raw dairy farms and forty applications pending, Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserving traditional dairy farming methods and providing access to raw milk for consumers. 

The Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, will host more than twelve hundred participants for the four-day event of presentations, seminars, food preparation demonstrations and farm tours, in addition to showcasing delicious traditional foods. Attendees will include health and nutrition professionals, farmers, activists and wellness-oriented citizens from around the world. The event is open to the public and Continuing Education Credits are available for some health professionals.

Several experts will address the subject of raw milk, including Tim Wightman, dairy and soil expert, Ted Beals, MD, physician and dairy safety consultant, and Mark McAfee, owner of the largest raw dairy in California.

At the general session on Saturday, Nov. 13, Geoffrey Smith will discuss the politics of genetically modified organisms, Judith McGeary will explore the pitfalls in proposed food safety legislation, and Sally Fallon Morell will present insights into the negative effects of the USDA dietary guidelines on foods served at school lunch programs and in institutions like prisons and hospitals.

Other topics on the menu include dental health, heart disease, soil and livestock fertility, cancer alternatives and native diets. The exhibit hall, featuring over one hundred vendors of whole foods, supplements, body care products and crafts, will be open on Saturday and Sunday

The conference will feature several full day seminars on Friday, Nov. 12: Traditional Diets by Sally Fallon Morell; Holistic Cancer Therapy with Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, MD; Gut and Psychology Syndrome by autism specialist, Natasha Campbell McBride; Soil Health and Fertility with Will Winter, DVM, and Jerry Brunetti, soil health expert; and Milk Quality, Testing, and Continuing Education for Dairy Farmers with Mark McAfee, Dr. Ted Beals, and Tim Wightman, author of the Raw Milk Production Handbook.

Other partial day tracks will cover the topics of cooking, wellness, hormones, environmental hazards, fitness and weight loss.

The conference will feature delicious traditional meals, with much of the food donated by sustainable small farmers from around the country.

For further information about WAPF, visit www.westonaprice.org. For the conference schedule or to register for the conference visit the conference page at www.westonaprice.org/conferences/2010-conference.html or phone 304-724-3006. 

Source: Weston A. Price Foundation, http://westonaprice.org