From Boise State Public Radio
Vast potato fields in Eastern Idaho
[HOST INTRO] A modest resolution proposed during Idaho’s last legislative session didn’t get much attention. And yet it revealed a deep philosophical divide between traditional agricultural interests and the fledgling local food movement. The resolution asked the Idaho legislature to simply show its support for locally grown food. But when it comes to food and politics, nothing is simple.
In this the first of an Edible Idaho series on the local food movement, correspondent Guy Hand looks at why the Idaho Potato Commission sees local food as a potential threat to its brand and bottom line.
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Farmer and local food advocate Janie Burns
(Janie Burns) Thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you committee members for allowing me to return and speak in support of HCR-56.
(Hand) It’s March, 2010. Farmer and local food advocate Janie Burns is addressing the agricultural committee of the Idaho State Legislature. HCR-56 is a bill asking the legislature to officially support locally grown food. Burns believes Idaho and America are too dependent on food from distant sources.
(Burns) Our food is from almost everywhere else and we the people are not very self-sufficient. It is time for us to seek a better balance in our agriculture and in the food we eat and in the personal responsibility that each one of us bears in providing for ourselves.
(Hand) Burns sites recent research showing that a revitalized local food system would stimulate the Treasure Valley economy, keep food dollars from flowing out-of-state and foster a fresher, healthier and more diverse food supply. But as the popularity of the local food movement grows nationally, it also threatens the profits of businesses that supply those distant markets. Frank Muir, CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission, is alone in testifying against the local food legislative resolution.
Frank Muir, President and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission
(Muir) Well Mr. Chairman, Representatives it will probably come as somewhat of a surprise that the Idaho Potato Commission is here to testify in opposition to HCR-56 and on the surface I would be shocked too because it sounds positive, in support of the grower, in support of eating locally and the problem that we have with this is that Idaho Potatoes is not local. Idaho Potatoes is a global brand.
(Hand) The Idaho potato took a serious hit when Walmart recently jumped on the local food bandwagon — as illustrated in this Walmart video:
(Walmart Video) Walmart is increasingly turning to local farms for fresher produce and savings. Food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table . . .
(Hand) As a direct result of Walmart’s turn toward the local, the Idaho Potato industry lost significant contracts. Frank Muir:
(Muir) The largest retailer in the country discontinued Idaho potatoes in 5 distribution centers – not 5 stores – 5 distribution centers. Not because Idaho potatoes wasn’t selling; it was because they were now focusing on buying from the local farmers.
Potato flowers
(Hand) Muir says the Potato Commission has since convinced WalMart to bring Idaho potatoes back into the fold, at least for now. But the threat hasn’t ended. McDonalds recently launched a billboard campaign around Seattle touting their use of Washington-grown potatoes in their French fries. Thus the Idaho Potato Commission’s reluctance to endorse a local food legislative resolution.
(Muir) If this is passed it can actually be used against us as a marketing tool because other states can say even the Idaho state legislature says that you should buy your potatoes locally.
(Hand) Frank Muir believes many of the stated health, environmental and economic benefits of local food are overstated. (Sound at Farmers Market) But the movement’s popularity is hard to refute when surrounded by shoppers at a farmers’ market. Restaurateur and local food advocate Dave Krick stands just outside his restaurant at Boise’s Capital City Public Market.
Dave Krick, restaurateur and local food advocate at Boise's Capital City Public Market
(Krick) We know that last year when we did censuses on the market, we were averaging 17,000 people a Saturday. This year on the 4th of July weekend, there was actually 20,000 people at the market that particular Saturday. And it’s not a surprise because we’ve seen growth by about 10 to 15 percent every year. It’s not a movement that’s going away anytime soon. I think this is probably one of the larger social movements we’ve seen in many years.
(Hand) Krick thinks the Idaho Potato Commission could actually benefit from the local food movement. He says industrial beer makers were once apprehensive of the craft beer movement.
(Krick) The craft beer industry has been good for the industrial brewers. While they’ve lost market share, their businesses have grown tremendously because of the popularity of the craft beer movement. Local food is no different. I think that getting people interested in where their food comes from, getting them to think about their relationship with their food is important. The Idaho potato industry has a lot of opportunities to promote the idea of the health benefits of eating potatoes and the economics of eating potatoes. So I think that there’s a lot of room for us to work together.
(Hand) But Krick says there’s also a fundamental philosophical divide.
(Krick) You know if potatoes can grow well in Washington, why are we promoting Idaho potatoes in Washington, Washington should be growing its own potatoes. So I think that’s going to be a conflict in our message.
Sounds at legislative hearing . . .
New, locally grown potatoes from a small farm
(Hand) To resolve that conflict at the March legislative hearing — at least on paper — the Idaho Potato Commission’s Frank Muir suggested some subtle but significant word changes to the local food resolution. At the hearing, State Representative Bill Killen asked Muir this question:
(Killen) Thank you Mr. Chairman, Mr. Muir. If I understood your response then if everywhere it said local we just said Idaho, it would totally eliminate the construct that you are worried about?
(Muir) In principle it is the word local ‘cause local is wherever you’re at. If it could be focused back on buying Idaho, yes it would be less of an issue for us.
(Hand) By simply substituting the word Idaho for local throughout the resolution, the bill would then promote Idaho grown food rather than locally grown food. Or as Frank Muir later put it:
(Muir) We want everybody in Idaho to buy an Idaho potato but we want everybody outside of Idaho to buy Idaho potatoes too. And I stand by that.
(Hand) With those changes, HCR-56 passed the Idaho legislature. It wasn’t exactly what local food advocates wanted, but it did prove that the local food movement is — in the eyes of big ag. at least — no longer small potatoes.
(Hand) On the next Edible Idaho, we’ll look deeper into the pros and cons of the local food movement.
(Hand) For Boise State Public Radio, I’m Guy Hand.
(Committee Chair, Tom Trail) Discussion on the motion? If not, all those in favor say aye. Oppose? OK, go to work team.
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture.
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Nice piece, Guy. We learn again that nothing is as easy as it seems.