Michael Moore's movie, Capitalism: A love story will be screening at our next 'Meal & Movie' night, on this coming Thursday evening. We now have 'Meal & Movie' nights running in Melbourne on the 2nd Thursday of each month in the west, and also the 3rd Friday of each month in the east. Let us know if you'd like to host a regular night in your local area.

>> Dinner 6.30 - 7.30pm - byo 'food and thoughts' to share >> movie 8pm - 10.30pm.

Out West - Neesh & Shaun's place, Yarraville

Next month - 9th September - screening The End of Suburbia, focus on peak oil.

Next month - 17th September - screening King Corn, a road movie about subsidised food

>> Find out more about Meal & Movie nights

Who is Wilmar?
Not a common household name (unless you're thinking of a Flintstone), but likely to be behind the palm oil in many of the products on your pantry shelf. Palm oil is found in 1 in 10 supermarket products including chocolate, cosmetics, chips, margarine and soaps. It has recently been deemed a potential saviour as a renewable resource for use as a biofuel. more

Wilmar International Ltd is a Singapore-based agribusiness and is the world's largest palm oil trader. Wilmar owns over 500,000 hectares of land - mainly in Indonesia, with the majority of this yet to be cleared for palm plantations. Wilmar has been criticised for illegally logging rainforests and violating the rights of local communities in Indonesia. more Wilmar is also presently being investiged regarding tax payments more .

Wilmar buys CSR Sugar
Last Month, after a 150 year history in sugar, CSR Ltd agreed to sell its sugar division, Sucrogen, to Wilmar for $1.75 billion. more.

Fonterra criticisied
New Zealands's largest dairy company, Fonterra, has been criticised by Greenpeace International for importing palm kernel animal feed to supplement grass. This marks a distinct change in dairying from
pastoral to industrial. Fonterra’s half owned subsidiary RD1 has joined forces with Wilmar to import this palm-based animal feed. For Fonterra's profile and Greenpeace's criticisms more. Fonterra markets brands such as Bodalla & Mainland Cheese, Allowrie &. Western Star Butter, and Ski Yoghurt.

Cage Eggs Hens are housed in battery cages. This is the production method for convential egg farming. The current minimum space allocation for caged birds is 450cm2 floor space per bird (less than the size of a piece of A4 paper). With on average 3- 5 birds per cage, this equals about 18 hens per square metre.The small size of cages means that birds are unable to turn around easily, stretch out, flap their wings or exercise. Cages do not satisfy the hen’s behavioural need to perch, dust bathe, forage, and lay their eggs in a secluded nest. Beaks are trimmed to prevent canabilism.

In 2008, the European Union announced a ban on conventional battery cages to come into effect from 2012.(Directive 1999/74/EC). This will mean 'Enriched' cages must allow at least 750 cm2 per hen, and contain a nest, litter, perch and clawing-board. This is equal to 9 hens per square metre.

Barn-laid Eggs Hens are housed in a large barn or shed, which contains perching facilities, litter, nest boxes, feeders and drinkers. Most barns have around one-third of the floor space covered with litter that allows for scratching and dust bathing. Flocks may be small (500 birds) or large (5000 birds or more). Conventional barns house 12-15 hens per square metre.. The RSPCA-accredited barn-housed hens ('Choose Wisely' branding) house 7 hens per square metre.

Free-range eggs In Australia, there is presently no binding legal definition for 'free -range', only voluntary standards. The understanding is that Free-range eggs come from hens that have access to an outdoor area during the day, and at night are kept in sheds or barns. Three voluntary certifications that have documented standards are:

>If you're wanting to buy 'Free-Range' with hen welfare in mind, look for FREPA or Certified Organic.
>See more at 'Free range eggs not all they're cracked up to be' Choice article.
>Sign the Humane Society petition.to see animal welfare standards tightened up.
>Sign the Animals Australia perition to major national retailers, Coles and Woolworths.

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