Immediate Release
March 22, 2011
MEDIA ADVISORY: ATTENTION NEWS EDITORS,
FARM AND FOOD WRITERS
Working together to build trust in food and farming
Charlie Arnot, Centre for Food Integrity to address Ontario farm and food industry
GUELPH, ONTARIO The Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) and its sister group Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment (AGCare), are pleased to welcome renowned speaker Charlie Arnot to Ontario in April when he serves as the keynote speaker at a day-long program hosted by the two groups on April 5, 2011 in Guelph.
Arnot, head of the Centre for Food Integrity in the U.S. will provide hints and tips on how to change gears from protecting the status quo to building trust for modern Canadian food and farming in a morning session called “Stop Defending and Start Winning.”
In a separate keynote address in the afternoon, Arnot will talk about our complicated relationship with “big food” why we love to hate the large food conglomerates that both dominate our store shelves and have the power to drive meaningful change.
Arnot is a thought-provoking leader who speaks internationally about food, farming and sustainability. The Centre for Food Integrity, based in Kansas City, is a not for profit organization focused on building consumer trust and confidence in the contemporary U.S. food system, with many state and national farm groups, agriculture and food industry members.
Consultant Paul Hodgman will also be speaking about a new project now underway in Canada to build linkages between the food industry and agriculture to bridge that gap between the realities on the farm and major food buying decisions.
Meeting Agenda
9 a.m. Joint OFAC and AGCare annual meeting, 2010 operations report, Friend of OFAC awards, Farm Care foundation update; OFAC/AGCare amalgamation update.
11:20 a.m. Charlie Arnot, Centre for Food Integrity, “Stop defending and start winning: Shifting strategies from protecting status quo to building trust for today’s Canadian agriculture”
12 noon Lunch
1:15 p.m. Stephanie Kneeshaw, Young Speakers for Agriculture winner
1:25 p.m. Paul Hodgman, “Making Ready for the Phantom Menace: Farmers, the Food Industry and Activists”
2:05 p.m. Charlie Arnot, Centre for Food Integrity, “Size Matters Why we love to hate big food”.
3:30 p.m. Adjourn
WHERE AND WHEN:
OFAC-AGCare AGM
Tuesday, April 5, 2010
Victoria East Golf Course, Guelph
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: Free to media; $75 for guests (prior to early bird deadline of March 25) or $100 after that date.
Media availability at the event and upon request.
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For further information, requests and inquiries contact:
Kelly Daynard, OFAC/AGCare Communications Manager
519-837-1326, extension 224
kdaynard@ofac.org
