Fresh food for everyone

I keep running into these kinds of things all the time (see Diet Myths below) - real facts that counter the hysteria about fresh food, localism, obesity, low density, carbon-spewing autos, resiliency, sustainability, and all the other horrors of modern life that occur, especially in the suburbs. The 2012 study referred to in the article below was not cited so its validity needs to be confirmed, but if my grandmother, who lived to be 102 is an example, food that isn't fresh can be very healthy indeed!

An early Comp Plan Backgroud Report on "Access to Local Foods" described the unhealthy living conditions in suburbs compared to urban settings.  Access to fresh, local food was extremely important to keep us healthy, prevent obesity, and to bolster resiliency.  The locally grown, fresh food topic was whittled down to a minimum but remains in the Comp Plan.  (Pg. 83-85 of 210 of the Council meeting packet)

Goal
Provide the opportunity for residents to access a variety of local food options.
Policies

1. Allow farmers’ markets, farm/produce stands* and community gardens where they are compatible with the surrounding uses.
   
2. Preserve agricultural land as designated in the Luscher Farm Master Plan.
   
3. Allow gardens as an accessory use in all residential zones where residents may grow and raise their own food. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION MEASURES

1. Review and update the Community Development Code to remove regulatory barriers to providing local food options within Employment Centers, Town Centers, and Neighborhood Villages.
   
2. Review and update the Community Development Code to provide standards for the raising of fowl.
   
3. Maintain access to Community Supported Agriculture. 

The significance of the Comp Plan mention (for any topic) comes when the planning staff writes code.  Draft code has already been written for Access to Local Food about 6 months prior to the City Council's  changes to the Comp Plan (that sets policy for codes).  The draft codes allow community gardens in every land use zone in the city.  Astounding and incomprehensible until one considers the big picture - the 2040 Plan and beyond - where every commercial piece of land will be mixed use with the potential for dense housing.  Every part of the city can be residential.  The Southwest Employment Area IGA allows staff to study mixed use in the industrial zone and write codes to support the preferred land use. (The Foothills industrial zone is already mixed use.)

Code Streamlining and Updates,  PP 12-0007,  April 8, 2013
The section below appears in every land use zone in the city including Ease End Commercial, Campus Research and Development, Industrial, Freeway Commercial, General Commercial, etc

•   Community gardens would now be permitted outright as both primary and accessory uses. This is a new use listing. 

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3 DIET MYTHS THAT PERSIST

Eating healthy may be easier than you think -

 if you know how to separate fact from fiction

Myth No. 2

THE HEALTHIESTFOODS ARE FRESH, NOT CANNED.

Canned or jarred foods can be more affordable sources of vitamins and minerals compared to their fresh or frozen counterparts, according to a 2012 study.  What's more, your body is better able to absorb some nutrients (like lycopene in tomatoes) after the cooking and canning process.