food

WinACC's monthly Saturday morning open meeting coupled with a debate on food. This will be followed by a "lunch and share" in the garden.

WinACC open meetings take place on the first Saturday of each month. They usually have a topic for discussion, and an update about recent activities and future plans. An opportunity for newcomers and memers to get involved

The local food group has three priorities:

1. Education – having a presence at events to present educational materials, eg carbon footprint of each kind of food, and how much less local food produces


2. A possible site for a community farm in Winchester in the future, once our group has built up in numbers and skills


3. Sustainable produrement – working with public sector bodies including WCC to advocate their considerable budgets should be used on sustainable low or zero carbon purchasing including in their catering. 

Colden Common Greening Campaign launch ‘Love Your Own Food’, a free springtime event to encourage local people to grow their own food.  Home-grown produce is greener by far, can be sociable, healthy and fun.  To launch their campaign, the Greening Campaign has got together with local gardening experts & businesses to offer help and advice on everything from compost to carrot fly, plus advice on energy savings to help reduce your carbon footprint.

There are many hidden food miles, chemicals, packaging and other nasty issues in our everyday food. It is nearly impossible to find out exactly where it has been, and how many processes it has been through to arrive in our own kitchens, therefore we can't be held entirely responsible. But armed with the facts, we can make the right choices.

One process that really grates on me is freeze-drying. Think instant coffee, powdered milk, dried fruit (in those expensive cereals), even your goldfish flakes! Freeze-drying is a wonderous invention that removes moisture, making the product light, long-lasting and easy to transport.

Regular meeting of WinACC Food Group. This meeting will focus on preparations for a stall at the Winchester farmers' market on Sunday Jan 10th.

The Daily Echo has launched an Eat Local Wednesdays campaign.

WinACC supports the Daily Echo in working with environmental groups across the region as well as Hampshire Fare to encourage everyone in the area to eat local food at least one day a week.

Guy Watson founded Riverford Organic Vegetables in 1993 as a means of escaping the grip of the supermarkets. On 3 June, Guy will be discussing the challenges around running an ethical business, scale, measuring environmental impact, co-ops and co-operation.

To book your free place, email Trish.Kernan@winchester.ac.uk  or ring 01962 827578.

On Saturday 13 June, Southampton Fair Trade Group, with the Southampton and Waterside Women's Environmental Network, is organising a day on how to eat good food and to care about fairness to the producer, pollution or land degradation. Find out more.