Feeding the
ethical omnivore

How to eat locally, organically
and humanely in Montreal

CLOSE, AND STEROID-FREE: Cows at Les fermes Morgan

by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Last week’s outbreak of listeriosis in Maple Leaf brand cold cuts is just the latest in a long line of food-borne illnesses that have Canadians feeling ill about their last meal. E.coli! Mad cow! Salmonella-infected tomatoes and spinach! What’s an ethical omnivore to do?

Eating well has been moving out of the insufferable foodie preserve and into the mainstream for years now, whether it’s eating free-range meats, organic fruits and veggies or avoiding long-distance imports. Proponents say benefits range from feeling better to cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions, and the message, judging by the amount of money the organic industry is making, is getting through.

According to federal government figures, the organic industry has been enjoying double-digit growth for the past decade and is looking at total retail value topping a billion dollars. On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the federal government announced it was investing an additional $258,000 in organic growing, bringing federal investment contributions to $7.4-million since 2004.

In 2006, the Canadian Organic Growers, an industry group, estimated that some there were some 3,571 certified organic producers in Canada, working on 1.38 million acres—not including land used for cattle ranging or wild harvesting. Another 116,300 acres is said to be in transition. (Although it must be noted that just because a product claims to be organic doesn’t mean it’s pesticide-free. Most “organic” products do indeed use some kind of pesticide or herbicide—except that they’re “organic” pesticides or herbicides, meaning they contain no synthetic chemicals.) Quebec, British Columbia and Saskatchewan are the industry leaders.

Still, confusion abounds. There’s such a smorgasbord of information on the Internet, much of it contradictory, that any would-be healthy-lifestyle ingénue can easily be baffled. Why, exactly, is consuming organic food and drink a good idea? Why should you care if your grapes are from California, your peanuts from China and your beef from Alberta? And where can you get food that is ethical, healthy and local? The Mirror consulted several experts to get the skinny on eating well.

HEALTH GUIDE: Équiterre’s Isabelle St-Germain

Fruit and Vegetables

For anyone interested in eating healthy, local food, the best bet is to start with Équiterre (www.equiterre.org), the Montreal organization that serves as a portal to living healthier, greener and more responsibly. Since 1995, Équiterre has been building a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) network, linking consumers to 98 small-scale farm producers around the province. The most tangible result is the weekly food basket delivery, where, for between $360-$420 a season, you get a shipment of fresh fruits and veggies delivered to a drop-off point in your neighbourhood (prices vary depending on the farmer, the season and the size of the basket). Deliveries run from June to around Thanksgiving, in mid-October.

The farmers delivering to Montreal generally live around the city, within a reasonably drive. And, in the case of La Ferme du Fort Senneville and nearby Ferme Zéphyr, in it. Most of them are certified organic, while others are in transition. “We want to avoid long travel times both to avoid greenhouse gas emissions and to respect time constraints for farmers,” says Équiterre coordinator Isabelle St-Germain. Supporting local farmers is more important than ever, she says, as they are facing a steady decline in numbers, with rippling consequences for the economies of outlying regions. “In 1900, there were 200,000 farms in Quebec,” she says. “In 1951, there were 140,000. By the 1960s, there were 95,000. Today there are around 30,000.” The size of the average farm has grown tremendously, resulting, she says, in a “rural exodus.”

Where to get them: If you don’t want to get involved in the food basket, there are still plenty of ways to get fresh local fruits and vegetables, but you have to look for them. The four big outdoor markets—Jean-Talon, Atwater, Maisonneuve and Amherst—have both local and imported food, so, St-Germain says, “You have to be active and ask that food be identified as local. Try to buy apples that are from Quebec instead of New Zealand or South Africa.” You can also try some of the smaller neighbourhood markets —for thier locations, see www.marchespublics-mtl.com. The big supermarkets don’t mark origins very well, she says, even though “something like 80 per cent of consumers would be willing to pay a little more to buy local food.”

BACK TO THE ON-ISLAND LAND:
Ploughing at La Ferme du Fort Senneville

Meat and alternatives

Choice, according to McGill associate professor Ariel Fenster of the Office for Science and Society, matters, and some choices matter more than others. If the choice is between eating only non-organic fruits and vegetables and not eating any, eat the damn things. But meat is a different matter. Fenster—and many, many others—point out that commercial meat production is not only horribly inefficient (one widely quoted Japanese report says that producing one kilo of beef creates the same amount of greenhouse gases as a European car driving 155 miles), potentially unhealthy and often cruel, it’s also contributing to global unrest: “As India and China become more wealthy, their meat consumption has increased tremendously,” he says, pushing up the price of livestock feed crops like corn that once were affordable for the world’s poorest.

The main health objection to commercially produced meat is the amount of hormones, antibiotics and steroids injected in the beasts while alive to boost protein content. While cows in Canada and the U.S. are fed hormones, the practice is illegal in Europe.

Fortunately for those who feel they have the right amount of hormones in them, Équiterre also provides meat baskets, with 11 farms on their roster. The consumer has to pledge to buying $200 worth of meat, with a $100 deposit. St-Germain, who recently purchased some lamb, says the meat is closer to consumers, is strictly hormone- and antibiotic-free, uses less packaging and was fed on free-range grass.

Where to get them: Besides the food baskets, there are a number of places in and around Montreal to get free-range meat. Try the outdoor markets first, and higher-end butchers. The Maison du Roti (1969 Mont-Royal E.) has a wide selection of cuts, including specialty imports from New Zealand, Hungary and Asia, but the majority of staple meats are from Quebec. It isn’t cheap, but it’s good. Équiterre lists several of their near-ish source farms on their Web site, including Ferme Morgan (www.fermemorgan.com) in Weir, west of Morin Heights, Les Fermes Saint-Vincent (www.saint-vincentbio.com) in Saint-Cuthbert, between Montreal and Trois-Rivières, and Au bonheur des prés (www.aubonheurdespres.com) in Ayer’s Cliff near Lake Memphremagog.

FRESH FOOD WEEKLY:
Picking up food baskets at the Mile-End Mission

Dairy

For Quebecers, this is fairly straightforward. Quebec’s huge dairy industry—it accounts for over a third of the Canadian total in terms of cash receipts, according to the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada—includes 80 organic producers, more than half the Canadian total of 147. Which is still small by comparison, but organic milk and yogurt aren’t hard to find in any decent-sized supermarket. Organic cheese, made from the milk of non-hormone-ingesting cows, is still considered a rarity.

Where to get it: Organic milk and yogurt can be found at any good supermarket or cutesy grocery store. For good local cheeses, St-Germain suggests Fromagerie Hamel, Première Moisson and the outdoor markets. In Quebec, good cheese is rarely far away.

Grains, cereals, etc.

While grains and cereals have largely been at the forefront of the genetically modified crop debate (with megacorp Monsanto generally cast as the devil), Quebec farmers have slowly been organizing a resistance to encroaching monoculture. According to the Fédération d’agriculture biologique du Québec, there are 650 organic cereal and oilseed businesses in the province, growing everything from millet (one farm) to soybeans (133). Most are based in the Centre-du-Québec, Chaudière-Appalaches and Montérégie regions.

Where to get them: Aliments Merci, with outlets at the Jean-Talon and Maisonneuve markets, and at 3623 Ontario E., offers a wide range of goods, from chocolate to rice. You can also try Bioterre (201 St-Viateur W.), Bouchée du Pain (910 Duluth E.), the Coop La Maison Verte (5785 Sherbrooke W.) and other good bakeries.

Booze

A good part of Quebec’s fledgling wine industry is based along la Route des vins in Brome-Missisquoi on the way to the Eastern Townships, a 132-kilometre trail studded here and there with 16 small vineyards. The region presents unique micro-climates for growing grapes, but, this being Quebec, much of the effort is concentrated in producing ice wines and ciders.

There are only a few certified organic vineyards in the province, including Vignoble Les Pervenches in Farnham and Vignoble des Négondos in Mirabel. Then there’s Clos Saragnat, where Christian Barthomeuf and Louise Dupuis have their 35-hectare estate on the south-facing slope of Pinnacle Mountain, pressed up against the U.S. border. The pair are so into organic, says Barthomeuf, that they refute certification since it allows for organic herbicides and pesticides, and use only local yeast. “This way,” he says, “you really find the gout du terroir.” He says this extremely focused emphasis on only local products produces a unique taste, unlike wines that use similar grapes and methods and whose only differentiation is the climate in which they are grown.

As for beer, several local labels offer either organic or at least non-genetically modified products. These include RJ Brewers’ La rescousse (www.rescousse.org/qc), which donates profits to conservation efforts, Unibroue (www.unibroue.com), Quebec City’s La Barberie (www.labarberie.com) and Le Chaudron International’s Logique. Domaine Steinbach (www. domainesteinbach.com), from the Ile d’Orléans, offers organic cider.

Nevertheless, says Laura Urtnowski, president of Boréale brewers Les Brasseurs du Nord, large-scale organic production is prohibitively expensive, at least for now. She says she and other members of the Quebec Microbrewers Association are trying to pressure the provincial government into promoting growing local organic hops and barley. “But it’s not easy.”

Where to get it: While most beers are available at select deps—it’s best to consult their Web sites to find out which ones—you can usually order harder to find ones directly from their Web sites. Most of the wines grown in Quebec are available only at or through the vineyards and select restaurants. For more info, see www.ethiquette.ca.