Victoria -- On Tuesday, June 20th, SPOKE will be arriving in Victoria by bicycle accompanied by local food security organizations. SPOKE's seventy-day cross Canada journey aims to raise awareness about the benefits of organic farming and the threats of genetically modified organisms as they travel from community to community.

Their journey begins early morning in Prto Renfrew and will en in St. John's, Newfoundland on August 28th. In partnership with Canada Organic Growers, the group will host public events in the towns they visit where organic farmers, prossessors, retailers, wholesalers and individuals can promote and educate the bpublic about the benefits of organic farming.

The Victoria leg of the trip will culminate at the Downtown Activity Centre at 755 Pandora from 1PM to 4:30Pm to celebrate the beginning of the journey. The event will include a free, all organic lunch with support from local businesses. And at 3PM the Victoria Organic Food Guide 2000, which aims to assist consumers to purchase local and organic food, will be launched.

Sharon Jutila, local organizer of the SPOKE events stresses,

People have a lot of power to make choices about the food they purchase. If people only knew how simple it was to take that step towards organics, our food system would fundamentally change. In turn government would start making policy decisions that would support sustainable agriculture and the farmers who grow in a way that is healthy for communities, the environment and the economy.

Over the past two years, there have been hundreds of events held throughout Canada where the public has expressed their concern about genetically modified organisms. And with the organic food industry growing at 20% per year, consumers are recognizing that organic food is the safe and healthy source of food

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For more information, contact Sharon Jutila at (250) 479-5849. To talk with SPOKE on the road, contact (416) 892-1819 or email, spoke@ecoexplorer.com

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