Jenny Huston: "They’re scared, hence the attacks.”

Welcome to another installment of "10 Words or Less," in which I ask brief questions, and request brief answers, of interesting people. Today’s contestant is a chef and food-justice activist who circulates an exhaustive compendium of food-related news. Remember: the 10-words thing is a goal, not a rule, so please, no counting. And besides, let’s see you do it.
Bay Area food activist Jenny HustonName Jenny Huston
Born when, where San Francisco, February 1959
Resides Oakland
Occupation Food services consultant
How long have you been doing your weekly news update? “Since 2003.”
How much time does it take you? “Only a couple hours. As I come across things, they just get stuck into the list.”

Do people seek you out now, to ensure their news gets out? “Yes.”
Someone outside your family who influenced you “Julia Child. Her sister was one of my mom’s best friends.”
Three people you follow on Twitter than other people should too “Food First, OccupyWall Street Food, and Post Growth institute, which is about sustainable economies.”
Why is the East Bay such a hotbed of food activism? “Ecosystem and our microclimate. Historically, the Bay Area has had a much more balanced diet than the rest of the country.”
Can local/fresh/organic feed the world? “Of course. A lot of studies show that it can. Industrial ag is just reaming the soil, all our natural resources, and we’re not going to be able to feed ourselves the way we’re going now.”
What’s the biggest impediment to real change? “Corporate money in politics and elections, which drives our regulatory and economic policies that benefit corporations and large businesses, at the cost of the public welfare.”
If you were to concede an opposition point, what might it be? “Industrial ag isn’t going away.”
Tell me someone whose work deserves more notice “Raj Patel.”
Why? “Because he’s opened a lot of people’s eyes, he’s involved on multiple levels, and he has the acumen to engage different sectors of our culture.”
Three developments that could be really big “Petri dish meat, the stacking of technologies for engineered foods, and the return old pesticides and chemicals.”
What’s a question I should have asked you? “Where’s all of this going?”
And the answer? “A long hard haul, but we are breaking ground. They’re scared, hence the attacks.”
What’s the one thing you wish everyone would just get right? “The economics.”

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