Friday’s 5@5 Wine Tasting will benefit the Woman’s Club of Charlottesville to support projects for Camp Holiday Trails, Meals on Wheels and Hospice of the Piedmont. Dates are July 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd. Tuesday, July 13, 6 pm, Facial Rejuvenation, Beauty with a Conscience with Cynthia and Jen. Learn about some of our fine cosmetics and their quality and sustainable / eco-friendly production and ingredients, facial exercise and rejuvenation techniques and how to achieve a youthful and healthy face. Call to reserve your space! Call 434-973-4900 Every Wednesday, 10am and 4pm, “I Wonder with Tim”, Gain your knowledge here with Tim as he wonders about…some great item from our Store. Where it comes from, what’s a good recipe, what are the benefits. Attend 5 “I Wonder Classes” and receive a $10.00 Gift Card. 

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Every reader is a Stakeholder in local food. So if you have an opinion on the issues below, this is the time to voice your concerns and lend your ideas.

1. The GAP Harmonization Initiative is an effort to unify GAPs standards for all sizes and scopes of farms, commodities, locations and production practices. This link will provide you with background on the initiative, the draft GAPs document and an opportunity to speak your piece: http://ngfn.org/resources/food-safety/gap-harmonization-an-invitation-to-the-table Some background on this initiative, written by Steve Warshawer, food safety coordinator for the National Good Food Network. The GAP Harmonization initiative led by the United Fresh Produce Association has reached an important milestone. We have developed a draft standard after 6 months of hard work. I have found the process to be welcoming of the interests of producers of all scales, including small- and mid-sized producers. Continuing in this spirit of inclusiveness, United Fresh has created a blog (go to www.unitedfresh.org/blog) so that anyone may comment on the draft. I strongly encourage you to comment: the draft needs the practical critique of the farmers, aggregators, and anyone who would eventually use the standard to meet buyer requirements in the retail and wholesale supply chain. For more information on this opportunity, read the article “GAP Harmonization: An Invitation to the Table”. 

2. Speak your piece on Senate Bill S.510, the Food Safety & Modernization Act. Save Local Food Sources! The food safety issue is heating up and growers need your help—they can’t do it alone. There is not a concerted effort to bring this delayed bill to the floor for a vote. S.510 will strengthen the forces that have led to the consolidation of our food supply within the hands of a few industrial food producers while harming small producers who give consumers the choice to buy fresh, healthy, local foods. Contact your Senators now to urge them to amend or oppose the bill. Congress needs to solve the real problems—the centralized food distribution system and imported foods—not regulate our local food sources out of business. S.510 will unnecessarily burden both farmers and small-scale food producers, depriving consumers of the choice to buy from producers they know and trust. Call both Senators. Mark Warner, 202-224-2023 and Jim Webb, 202-244-4024. Ask to speak to the staffer who handles food safety issues. Urge the Senators to support the Tester-Hagan Amendments to exclude small facilities and direct marketing farms from the burdensome provisions of the bill.