The Piggy Market

Dave Neil, co-owner of The Piggy Market announced today that he won't be bringing The Piggy and its locally-sourced artisan food to the Feast of Fields this year. The event, organized by the Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Organic Growers confused some of its supporters last month when it announced that Loblaws would be its key sponsor.

"Feast of Fields celebrates what is grown locally in a City of Ottawa fashion," says Neil, "Loblaws takes the local part out of it." The national supermarket conglomerate Loblaws happens to be Canada's largest food distributor. "We're trying to be part of a food culture that fights that kind of food hegemony," he says.

On Monday City Bites reported that The Red Apron withdrew participation from the event on similar grounds. "This event is supposed to celebrate the other side of the food chain," said co-owner Jennifer Heagle.

Like the owners of The Red Apron, Neil says he has nothing against the Feast of Fields and will certainly consider getting back on-board next year. But as long as Loblaws is the sponsor, The Piggy Market and The Red Apron, won't be a part of it.

I would like to know what Loblaw's is going to do to help local organic farmers stay financially viable while they continue to import produce from California and even further afield. How does Galen Weston define "local" and what do farmers such as myself have to do to meet their riduculous criteria to get on his store shelves? What support is he going to offer? How is he going to help build sustainable local food systems now that we are past peak oil and can't keep flying food around the world just because it was cheaper somewhere else- what exploitation took place to make that food so cheap

Dave Neil, co-owner of The Piggy Market announced today that he won't be bringing The Piggy and its locally-sourced artisan food to