‘Food as culture’ conference planned

Internationally known chefs, food producers, writers and scientists will gather this September at the university.

An all-day conference Friday, Sept. 8, will focus on the cultural importance of food and about questions concerning genetically modified organisms. The conference, entitled “Taste, Technology and ‘Terroir’: A Transatlantic Dialogue on Food as Culture,” will be held 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Fluno Center, 601 University Ave.

More information: Taste, Technology and ‘Terroir’ Web site For information, contact Ronnie Hess, (608) 262-5590, public affairs officer, International Institute, 321 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706.

The conference aims to explore the social and cultural contexts of “terroir,” the idea of food as culture, and to examine the ways in which food, science and politics come together in issues such as the advent of genetically modified food. The conference will focus on the changing relationships in these areas and between France, the European Union, and the United States, with a focus on Wisconsin.

Speakers include American chef Charlie Trotter, owner of Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant in Chicago; Robb Walsh, culinary essayist for National Public Radio and “Natural History” magazine; and Harriet Welty Rochefort, author of “French Toast,” an irreverent examination of French and American cultural differences.

Other speakers include José Bové, a French sheep farmer and leader of the radical farmers’ union, the Peasants Confederation (Confédération Paysanne); David B. Schmidt, senior vice president, food safety at the International Food Information Council; Rebecca Goldburg, head of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Biotechnology Program; Julian Kinderlerer, Sheffield Institute of Biotechnological Law and Ethics, the University of Sheffield, UK; representatives from the European Union; and Jim Murphy, assistant U.S. trade representative, agriculture, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Washington, D.C.

The conference is sponsored by the International Institute and three member programs – the European Union Center, the Center for European Studies, and the Center for German and European Studies. Other sponsors include the Department of French and Italian; the Department of Rural Sociology in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems; the Department of Anthropology; the Genetics/Biotechnology Center; and the Department of Consumer Science in the School of Human Ecology. The conference is made possible, in part, with a grant from the Anonymous Fund.

The conference is free but advance registration is encouraged. Lunch at the Fluno Center is $15, tax and tip included. Reservations are required.

For information, contact Ronnie Hess, (608) 262-5590, public affairs officer, International Institute, 321 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Or visit: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/eucenter/Conferences/index.htm

The conference kicks off a weekend of discussions in Madison about food. The Second Annual Food for Thought Festival, sponsored by a coalition of area food and agriculture groups, including Research Education Action Policy, will be held Sept. 8-9. For information, call Chris Rietz, (608) 226-0300, ext. 206.