President Bush on Food Security

On May 1, 2008, President Bush addressed the latest global food crisis in a press conference from the White House. We'll listen in on this speech and the U.S. foreign policy definition of "food security." While global efforts to respond to the food crisis may indeed be providing much-needed aid, it is this very aid and its accompanying policies that is suggested will only further push this food crisis to even more damaging proportions. In the end, the food aid effort is the very same one that has persisted for decades, and let's face it, it hasn't worked.

Lending her voice to help critically examine Bush's speech will be Anuradha Mittal of the Oakland Institute.

Cross-Canada Trike Tour I

On May 7, 2008, Darrick Hahn and Sinisa Grgic departed Victoria from the zero-mile mark of the Trans-Canada Highway and embarked on a cross-Canada journey to raise awareness of Deconstructing Dinner. The pair will be travelling by recumbent tricycles (or trikes).

In the summer of 2007, Hahn stumbled across producer and host Jon Steinman, and it didn't take long for Hahn to become a fan of the show. "After listening to Deconstructing Dinner more and more, I felt compelled to spread the word about the show," says Hahn. "So as we cross the country, we will encourage everyone to listen to the show and learn more about the state of our food system."

Hahn and Grgic believe that many of our current health problems are directly or indirectly a result of an unsustainable food system that is built primarily on profit. The trip will be focused on raising awareness and not money. "You keep your money, and with more awareness, you can choose what to do with it," says Grgic. "We hope you use it to buy healthier food from local farms in your community, or support Deconstructing Dinner, a voice that is not yet well represented in the mainstream media today.

En route, the two cyclists will stop in at farms and markets and explore Canada's food and farming culture. "We hope to eat as locally as possible along the way, and wild plants are not off-limits," says Hahn!

Hahn and Grgic will be periodically updating a blog with photos and journal entries, and weekly updates through phone interviews will be airing on Deconstructing Dinner each week.

On this episode, we hear from correspondent Andrea Langlois interviewing the cyclists as they departed Victoria, and we listen in on segments of a phone interview between host Jon Steinman and cyclist Darrick Hahn. Hahn spoke to Jon from inside the cheese-making facility of Jerseyland Organics in Grand Forks, B.C.

Guests/voices

Darrick Hahn and Sinisa Grgic, cross-Canada cyclists, Deconstructing Dinner Cross-Canada Trike Tour (Monkton, Ont./London, Ont.) -- Cyclists Sinisa Grgic and Darrick Hahn are old high-school friends based in Southwestern Ontario and are the proprietors of Fresh Entertainment. Darrick grew up on a farm in Monkton, Ontario. Sinisa, who is originally from Croatia, moved to Canada 17 years ago.

Anuradha Mittal, executive director, Oakland Institute (Oakland, Calif.) -- Anuradha Mittal, a native of India, is an internationally renowned expert on trade, development, human rights and agriculture issues. After working as the co-director of Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, Mittal established the Oakland Institute, a progressive policy think-tank, in 2004.

George W. Bush, president, United States of America (Washington, D.C.)

Duane Clarridge, ex-CIA (1955-1987) (U.S.A.)

John Pilger, journalist (London, U.K.)