I’m not sure how to structure this post because I want to cover a few things about my recent bloggy/media jaunt weekend in Toronto and open up a discussion about local food. The two are related in kind of an interesting way, so if you’re keen, grab a coffee and read on!
I was contacted some time ago by a PR firm called Harbinger, who asked me whether I was interested in participating in a weekend-long conversation about local foods hosted by Hellman’s. After a few emails back and forth I decided I would attend. After all, food/health/local/etc are all topics very close to my heart, so why not?
My inner sceptic (which I have great difficulty quashing) wondered whether Hellman’s was really serious about its pledge to support the local food industry or whether this was just a bunch of PR/marketing hoopla solely designed to position Hellman’s as a company that cares. I also wondered whether I was being brought in so someone could show me how I could use Hellman’s to improve my life through homemade mayonaise facials and tuna salads. (Thankfully, the tuna salad wasn’t brought out until Sunday and even then I’m not sure if Hellman’s had anything to do with it.)
* (Before I continue I want to make it clear that the bill for my flight, limo, hotel, meals and MANY MANY BEVERAGES consumed during this jaunt was picked up by Hellman’s and/or the PR firm representing Hellman’s. And for absolutely full disclosure you should know that I also brought home some amazing cookies and a small box of chocolates. I am under no obligation to write about Hellman’s.)
I was one of eight foodies from across Canada flown in for this event. Food was the thing that tied everyone together but I was the only one who can be classified as a generalist, or if you must, a mom blogger (tho’ I really dislike the term I guess it describes some of what I write). The people I was with (and that includes PR peeps) made some great company.
The bunch of us spent a lot of time in the board room at Pantages Hotel, talking about local foods and issues pertaining to eating locally.
When smoke wasn’t billowing from our brains from overuse we were wined and dined in the most amazing way. I tried to take photos but only managed to get a lot of this:
(I really should do a menu breakdown because it was all divine. Remind me to tell you about the bacon donuts and bacon brittle!)
Anyway, yes, it was interesting to get an insider view of a PR campaign of this magnitude … the planning process, the legal issues, management vs. creative, and also how they’re appealing to the web community to spread the word. Some of it felt a teeny bit focus groupy. (Haven’t they already figured out why moms might find it challenging to increase the amount of local food they’re eating? So why are they asking me?) I also found it odd that Hellman’s has put their own spin on what “local” means for this campaign. FYI: their eat local campaign really means choose Canadian.
Semantics aside, there are many good reasons to eat locally (my own definition of local would include anything within a 100 km radius of my house), reducing the number of imports, as well as increasing the amount of whole foods we eat as a society.
I found the discussion pretty interesting. (Sadly, I had a cold and spent much of the weekend heavily medicated and/or coughing up a lung in the ladies washroom.) When I wasn’t scrounging around my purse for a throat lozenge I was busy learning that a recent poll showed that almost nine out of ten Canadians (86 per cent) indicate that they prefer to eat locally sourced foods and that:
“In addition to eating more locally sourced foods, Canadians also say they are willing to pay more in order to do so, with 77 per cent of respondents saying that they are willing to spend more on a locally produced item versus something similar that’s been imported from another country.”
Clearly, this is an issue that resonates with people, but we all still have a long way to go. e.g. Why do I still find it so hard to find Ontario garlic?
The gist of the weekend was this: Hellman’s has kickstarted a national conversation about local eating, and part of this is a pledge to give money to Evergreen, a national charity that works to make our cities more green by funding community gardens, facilitating outdoor classrooms, and collecting monies for said projects from corporate donors. ;)
You can poke around the new Eat Real Eat Local website here.
Note that for every “action” taken (both on the site and in the blogosphere), Evergreen gets some cash. There are a variety of ways you can make your action count, and that includes tweeting or even blogging about eating locally using the hashtag #REALFOOD. Even if you comment on this post and include the term “#REALFOOD” it means that more money will get to Evergreen. So please comment!
Hellman’s wants to sell more mayonnaise, no one disputes that, but even my inner cynic can recognize that the cause is a good one. Their goal of collecting 100,000 actions (which translates into donation of $25,000 for Evergreen) is pretty cool no matter how you slice it.
Here’s a question… the Eat Local campaign will help Evergreen, but will it generate enough buzz to truly make a difference in consumers minds? Will it inspire people to look a little closer at where their food is coming from? And do you think that some people might be jaded when they see notice a big brand name attached to something that’s already happening on a grassroots level?
Eating locally – however you may define it – is something we need to start doing more often, not just for ourselves, but for our local economy and our environment.
What about you? Do you ever think about how far your food has to travel before it gets into your hands? How much local food are you planning on buying this summer?
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ETA: a few other peeps who came out for the conference have been blogging about this as well. Check out:
- “Eat real, eat local” at Are you gonna eat that
- “Canada’s Fabulous Food & Community Bloggers” at the Bitchin’ Kitchen
- Eating for the Season at Once Upon a Feast