May 22, 2013

You are here: Home / Archives for Food

Postal workers look to stamp out hunger

May 11, 2013 By

Iowans are reminded to leave cans of food by their mailboxes today (Saturday) as part of the Stamp Out Hunger effort. Webster City Postmaster Harley Tapper says letter carriers will be picking up the non-perishable food items and delivering them to the nearest food bank, pantry or shelter.

Tapper says it’s the 21st annual event. “Nationwide, it’s gone on longer than it has in certain communities,” Tapper says.

“Not every community, it started off at the local branch in one facility and it’s just exploded over the years.” This is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, involving 175,000 letter carriers in 10,000 communities across the U.S.

Tapper says the project has grown over the years. “Nationally, there’s millions and millions of pounds of food collected and donated to the area food banks and different community organizations,” Tapper says.

“It’s a very worthwhile cause.” Last year, Americans donated more than 70-million pounds of food through the program, while the effort has collected more than one-billion pounds of food since its inception in 1993.

Learn more at: www.helpstampouthunger.com

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Human Interest, News Tagged With:

Later planting means a shorter sweet corn season

May 7, 2013 By

sweet corn july 08 005Monday’s U.S.D.A. crop report showed only eight-percent of the corn crop has been planted in Iowa, the slowest start to the planting season since 1995. The wet, cold weather has not only impacted the state’s major crop, but it is also hitting farmers who plant one of the state’s summer favorites — sweet corn.

Dean Rebal grows sweet corn on a farm in eastern Iowa between Solon and Iowa City. He says he just got his sweet corn into the ground, while last year he had it planted on the 28th of March.

Rebal likes to stagger the planting so he has sweet corn maturing throughout the season. The slow planting is causing trouble with the schedule.

“Usually I plant in every week to week and a half intervals…so I am gonna be cut a little short, I probably won’t get quite as many acres in as I normally do,” Rebal says. Last year’s early planting resulted in a longer season and more corn to sell.

“Last year we were right at 9,000 here, right on Highway one,” Rebal says. He is not expecting the sweet corn season to last as long this year.

“We’re going to be cut on this sweet corn season by, I would says two to three weeks,” according to Rebal. The means sweet corn lovers will have less time to enjoy the golden ears compared to last year.

Filed Under: Agriculture, News Tagged With: ,

Contest seeks Iowa’s best tenderloin sandwich

May 1, 2013 By
Breitbachs' tenderloin.

Breitbachs’ tenderloin.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 11th annual Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin contest.

Ron Birkenholz is with the Iowa Pork Producers Association, which sponsors the contest.

“Any restaurant, cafe, tavern…you know, anyone who serves a breaded pork tenderloin is eligible to be nominated,” Birkenholz says.

“We encourage tenderloin lovers to get their nominations in on May 1st.” In addition to statewide publicity, the winner of the contest receives a plaque and $500.

“All the past winners have always told us they see a major influx of business,” Birkenholz says. “We’ve got people from all over the Midwest who follow this contest. We’ve had people from Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri go to these restaurants that win to try (their pork tenderloin).”

Iowans who want to submit a nomination can do so online at www.IowaPork.org. Entries are due by June 11.

Last year, Iowans submitted a record 993 nominations naming 65 restaurants. Judges visited the restaurants and ultimately chose Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown as the 2012 winner of “Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin.”

The winner of this year’s contest will be named in October, which is “Pork Month.” The winner of “Iowa’s Best Burger Contest” will be revealed Thursday.

That competition is sponsored by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: News, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Senate votes to send state taxpayer support to food banks of Iowa

April 16, 2013 By

The Iowa Senate has passed legislation that would set up new tax credits for Iowans who donate home-grown food to food banks.

It also would devote $2 million in state tax money to Iowa food banks every year. Representative Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, is the bill’s main author.

“We can begin our state’s journey to end hunger today in our own backyard, one dollar at a time,” Petersen said.

Thirty-four Democrats and Republicans in the Iowa Senate supported the bill, but 15 Republicans, including Senator Jerry Behn of Boone, voted against it.

“Iowa should not be in the grocery business,” Behn said. “Let’s let the private sector do what it does. Let’s let the food banks do what they do.”

Senator Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel, said that state appropriation to food banks removes the “choice” of charity.

“I cannot support a bill that requires and forces taxpayers to donate,” Chapman said.

The bill is a second attempt to send state tax dollars to food banks. Last year an overwhelming majority of legislators voted to provide food banks with half a million dollars worth of state support, but Republican Governor Terry Branstad vetoed the idea. During today’s debate Senator Rob Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, said he was “disgusted” by Branstad’s action.

“Here’s a man who lives in a building provided by the State of Iowa — beautiful building, a mansion,” Hogg said, “…and in that mansion where he lives, gets a state-funded chef.”

Those comments riled Republicans like Senator Sandy Greinerof Washington, Iowa, who supported the bill.

“You don’t know how close you came from turning my vote from a yes to a no,” Greiner said. “You never know where your friends are — and you almost lost one today.”

Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, said it’s a “crime” that one in five Iowa kids goes hungry on a regular basis, while Iowa farmers are converting corn into ethanol.

“That is the height of arrogance, when you can take your food in a hungry world and turn it into fuel to put in your vehicles and yet we can’t feed our children, in our state, in our own town, in our own neighborhoods?” McCoy said. “That is a complete breakdown of morality of a state, simple as that.”

Senator Dennis Guth, a Republican from Klemme, said it is a “crime” to force state taxpayers to donate that $2 million to food banks.

“I decided I’d call some of the folks back in my district that work with the food banks and they claim they’ve had adequate funding,” Guth said. “Whenever they get a little short, all they have to do is put out the words and there’s plenty of funds that come in.”

Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, scoffed at that.

“Those of you who believe that there isn’t hunger in Iowa, you’d better open your eyes and take a close look around because it’s there,” Dotzler said.

Iowa is one of 13 states which do not provide taxpayer support to food banks. If the bill becomes law, Iowans could qualify for a tax credit of up to $5000 for donating the food they raise to food banks.

Filed Under: Agriculture, News, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A proposed make-over for menus at cafeterias in state-owned buildings

April 1, 2013 By

There could be changes ahead in the menus at cafeterias in state-owned buildings.

Democrats in the Iowa Senate have voted to create task forces that would draft new standards for cafeteria food at the statehouse and in the campus cafeterias at the three state universities and at all the community colleges. Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, suggests the idea comes from Republican Governor Terry Branstad.

“During the American Heart Association’s ‘Heart Ball’ last year, Governor Branstad gave a speech letting hundreds of volunteers know that the State of Iowa would take the lead in eating healthy by starting in our own cafeterias,” Petersen says. “I agree with Governor Branstad on this goal and this legislation will help get the process rolling.”

The bill calls for using American Heart Association dietary guidelines to develop new cafeteria menus.

“The State of Iowa should take the lead in the nutritional quality of the foods we serve to thousands of Iowans every day, including 17,000 state employees working at state agencies across the state, more than 72,000 attending our public universities, more than 106, 000 students taking classes at our state’s community colleges,” Petersen says. “Eating healthy improves workplace performance and decreases the financial impact of diseases related to a poor diet.”

Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, questions why Democrats aren’t asking Iowans who get government food stamps to comply with the same dietary guidelines.

“If it’s good for our cafeterias and good for our Regents institutions and our community colleges, perhaps it should be good, also, for those who are receiving food assistance,” Ernst says.

And Ernst points out legislators themselves aren’t exactly paragons of dietary virtue, as a variety of sugary treats are easy to find in the senate.

“We had some really wonderful little Oreo balls, you know, covered in chocolate. Fantastic! I love those,” Ernst says. “And every time we have a birthday, boy, we bring in goodies, so, you know, we may be preaching, but we’re not really practicing.”

Ernst says she believes in heathy living, but the state shouldn’t be dictating to people what they can and cannot eat.

“I have a candy jar on my own desk — shame on me, I guess — full of Tootsie Rolls, but I was getting low so I thought, ‘What the heck, we’ll go for some Snickers,’” Ernst says. “And the American Heart Association in their guidelines, discretionary sugars (or calories) for a female: 100.”

Ernst says that means she can eat just two of her bite-size Snickers to abide by that limit. Senator Mark Chelgren, a Republican from Ottumwa, says he was recently told his cholesterol levels were high.

“I asked the doctor what I could do and he recommended strongly that I drink red wine and so I just want to make sure that we understand that there are lots of things out there that are healthy for us, that help us live longer lives and that the Heart Association promotes and suggests,” Chelgren says. “It doesn’t mean we should be serving all of those in our cafeterias, though.”

Petersen says in a state with “obesity issues,” the proposal seems reasonable.

“I think this is a great first step in helping Iowans eat healthier by starting with our own state and our own state cafeterias and our universities and community colleges,” Petersen says.

The bill that passed the Senate last week also calls for finding ways to ensure more locally produced food and beverages is served in the cafeterias in state-owned buildings.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, News, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

U-I hospitals moving to composting program for food

March 30, 2013 By

Discarded food from the state’s largest hospital will soon be part of a composting program in Iowa City. Jen Jordan, recycling coordinator at the Iowa City Landfill, says the landfill’s massive mounds of compost disappear as gardeners buy it every spring.

“It’s a hot commodity, no pun intended…currently it’s $10 a ton and we’ve sold out for the past three years,” Jordan says. The landfill will soon see an influx of more material from the cafeterias at the University of Iowa Hospitals. Two months ago, the hospital received criticism after the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported they threw roughly 12 percent of the food prepared in the dining halls – or about$181,000 worth of food in a year.

Scott Turner, an associate director for U-I Hospitals, says they’ve since reevaluated their food preparation methods to reduce the amount they waste. “We’re cooking food in smaller batches to reduce the amount of food that needs to be discarded,” Turner says. “We’ve taken additional steps to make sure food can be safely donated to other organizations.”

Food makes up 14-percent of the waste going into Iowa landfills. Nationally, it’s nearly 21-percent. Dan Nickey, with the Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa, says only four public landfills in the state of Iowa have food composting programs.

“It (food) is a growing waste stream and it’s not going down like paper, cardboard and wood waste,” Nickey says. One of the reasons food waste is growing is it’s costly to compost.

“It’s not necessarily profitable for the landfill to do food waste composting,” Nickey says. “It has to be trucked in separately and every time you try to take out waste streams and deal with them individually, it’s more labor intensive.”

Landfills also need to get a permit and comply with environmental regulations to make sure pathogens and pesticides don’t get into the mix. But Nickey says there’s growing interest to making large-scale composting more prevalent in Iowa.

In Iowa City, hospital spokesman Scott Turner says he doesn’t have an estimate of how much the U-I Hospitals will contribute to the composting operation, but as one of the area’s largest employers, it’s bound to be significant.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Health & Medicine, News Tagged With: ,

Finalists selected for “Iowa’s Best Burger”

March 26, 2013 By

Iowans have selected 10 restaurants across the state that are in the running for the title of “Iowa’s Best Burger.” The annual contest is sponsored by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Cattlemen’s Association spokesperson Dal Grooms says the 10 finalists gathered the most nominations between February 15 and March 18.

The top 10 restaurants are 61 Chop House Grille of Mediapolis, Ankeny Diner of Ankeny, B&B Grocery Meat and Deli of Des Moines, Elm’s Club of Creston, First Street Grille of Keosauqua, JB’s Bar and Grill of Marcus, Rosco’s of Norwalk, Sam’s Sodas and Sandwiches of Carroll, The Ritz of Arnold’s Park, and Zombie Burger of Des Moines.

This is the fourth year for the best burger contest and Grooms says it’s grown bigger each year. “This year, we got over 6,300 nominations that named 349 different Iowa restaurants,” Grooms said. “That’s an increase by about one-third over last year in terms of the nominations.”

The 10 restaurants will now be visited by a secret panel of judges who will evaluate the hamburgers. They’ll be scored on taste, presentation, and proper serving temperature. “We’ll get that information, put that all together, and we’ll be naming our best burger winner on May 2nd,” Grooms said.

Previous restaurants that have won the contest were The Coon Bowl in Coon Rapids (2012), The Rusty Duck in Dexter (2011), and the Sac County Cattle Company in Sac City (2010).

 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Human Interest, News Tagged With:
« Older Posts