Until a recently, it was illegal for public facilities to serve traditional foods even in rural Alaska. However, an update to the US Farm Bill earlier this year changed that.
The update targeted traditional foods in schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Previously, it was illegal to serve wild-caught foods in public facilities because the meat was not certified by the US Department of Agriculture.
USDA Alaska Farm Service Agency Executive Director Danny Consenstein says the change started when Alaska Congressional staff visited public facilities in the state.
“I think Senator Begich’s office were visiting and they were told by the facility that they weren’t allowed to serve traditional food at the facility because of the USDA.”
Although traditional foods were not allowed to be prepared and served by the facilities, families could bring in the food and share. Administrator for the nursing home in Kotzebue Val Kreil says the problem before was the regulation set upon food by the USDA.
“For example, let’s say you had your mother at our facilities you could bring her food and do it that way and that’s fine. But in terms of our kitchen preparing it, facilities have not been able to do that. The food has to be approved through some sort of inspection process or authorities. And for the USDA, one of the challenges they have is they have no provisions for inspecting moose or caribou.”
Alaska does have a traditional foods code and now, Kreil says, the federal government is mimicking that code.
Director of the Dillingham Senior Center Ida Noonkesser says although her facility hasn’t received any moose this year, she has seen salmon heads. She believes it’s important, especially at senior centers, to serve these foods.
“It’s important because that’s what they grew up with is eating their native foods. It’s going away slowly, but it is important to have your native foods.”
Noonkesser says before, she never heard right out complaints but there were hints.
“You know nobody complained, but I heard here and there not complain but suggestions. And for years somebody would donate a whole moose or something but we haven’t had a whole moose or caribou in five years or so. Nobody would complain but they would suggest that it would be nice. But it take a lot of work to do that, to prepare like if they wanted King heads we would have to get a lot of heads and freeze them. It’s a lot of work.”
The update was approved by Congress but it’s still working its way through the regulatory system.