Live Stream Panels From The Food Dialogues Conference

It's impossible to go online, watch television or listen to the radio without being bombarded by messages about food. From reality cooking competitions shows to junk food advertising to the hyper-local restaurant you dined at last night, food in America is diverse, and often complicated. Especially when it comes to questions of production — factory farm vs. organic, local vs. imported and so on.

To address these concerns, the Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is hosting its second annual Food Dialogues this year in Los Angeles. The two-day event will feature four panels, two of which will be live streamed on fooddialogues.com (see line up below). Panelists will debate a wide range of topics from food in pop culture to urban farming in Hollywood.

Last year's event garnered criticism for promoting a big business agenda (USFRA board members include executives from Monsanto, DuPont and the National Corn Growers Association) which USFRA felt was unwarranted. Watch for yourself this year and see whether you think the criticism was legitimate.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT: "Hollywood and "Vine": The Intersection of Pop Culture and Food Production"
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. PDT: "Meeting of the Minds: Touring Hollywood's Urban Farm" (live streamed)

Thursday, June 21, 2012

• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT: "The Great Debate: Science, Technology and Food" (live streamed)
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. PDT: "The REAL Chef Challenge: Understanding How Food is Grown and Raised"