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EDIBLE COMMUNITIES CO-FOUNDER, TRACEY RYDER, SPEAKS ON FDA'S WARNING OF SALMONELLA OUTBREAK FROM TOMATOES

(Santa Fe, N.M….June 12, 2008) "This week's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning regarding salmonella contamination of tomatoes is a reminder that eating from sources close to home is one way to avoid exposure to widespread foodborne illnesses," says Tracey Ryder, co-founder and president of Edible Communities, Inc., the network of publications dedicated to the local food movement across North America.

"If there is a problem with a locally grown crop, consumers can trace their food back to its source very quickly," Ryder says. In the current case of salmonella in tomatoes, FDA officials have been trying to locate the origin of the outbreak since May. "We've seen this exact situation before with industrially produced food, and we're likely to see it again."

Ryder says the FDA's pronouncement that homegrown tomatoes are safe to eat resonates with "locavores," proponents of eating locally grown and raised food. "For many locavores, the next best thing to homegrown is food that is locally grown on a small family farm," she says. "Our publishers in more than 40 communities across North America have definitely seen the interest in their publications grow as more folks lose confidence in the industrial food system and look for local farmers they can know and trust."

Edible Communities is the leading network of publications dedicated to the local food movement. Edible Ojai, launched in 2002 by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, was lauded by Saveur magazine in 2004 as the model for what a regional food publication should be. That recognition led the two to start Edible Communities, Inc. to help other local publishers explore the foods farmed, raised, tended and produced on family farms and by small growers. Edible Communities now licenses 44 locally owned and operated titles across the U.S. and Canada. Information about Edible Communities and its publications is at www.ediblecommunities.com. To schedule an interview with Tracey Ryder or for more information about Edible Communities, contact: Lisa Ekus-Saffer or Sia Antunes at (413) 247-9325 or by email at LisaEkus@LisaEkus.com.