Yesterday was the fourth annual Brooklyn Food Conference, where foodies, organic enthusiasts, activists and other related parties link up to learn about the local food scene. Hosted by the Brooklyn Food Coalition—a group that promotes food sustainability and healthy eating— and held at Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene, the conference boasts speakers, cooking demos, workshops, vendors selling organic goodies and family activities. Missed it? Bloggers at the Local live-tweeted the conference for a couple hours yesterday; we've gathered their top five most interesting New York food facts for you to digest.
- The NYC public school district could be counted as the 10th largest city in the nation, serving 650,000 lunches and 220,000 breakfasts out of 1,200 kitchens.
- Before public schools started running breakfast programs, teachers used to bring cereal and milk with them to class so hungry students would have something to eat in the morning.
- Sweet 'N Low sweetener was invented in Brooklyn. The Cumberland Packing factory in Fort Greene still has one of the original signs.
- 36.4 percent of the members of households assisted by food banks are children under the age of eighteen.
- Grassroots organizing in New York has helped farmworkers get basic guarantees like sanitation, shade and water, even though they aren't protected by state labor laws.
For more information about local food sustainability, visit the Brooklyn Food Coalition's website here.
