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V O L . X X I I I N O. X X V O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 6 Gov. LePage calls in Legislature for special session Gov. Paul R. LePage issued a proc- lamation calling the full Legislature to Augusta for a special session on Oct. 23 to deal with what he called two "time-sensitive issues." e governor's offi ce said Maine's food sovereignty law needs to be amended to make it clear that local food sales subject to inspection under federal jurisdiction remain so, and any food products intended for wholesale or retail distribution outside of the local municipal- ity must be in compliance with all food safety laws. ese changes will permit the state to continue its sys- tem of local inspection, rather than compelling federal inspectors to take over. LePage also noted that in fi nal budget negotiations, the Legislature failed to restore funding to oper- ate the Maine Offi ce of Geographic Information Systems. MEGIS is currently operating on funds that were carried forward from the previ- ous fi scal year. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Maine's share of U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to support local- food initiatives will be $1 million. The largest share will be a $500,000 grant to Greater Portland Council of Governments for its "Scaling for Growth in the Portland Foodshed" proj- ect, which addresses a defi ciencies in the food processing infrastructure and distribution network. Other funding will go to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, which will receive a $99,473 to work with New England fi shermen to address marketing local seafood to lo- cal markets, and Coastal Enterprises Inc., which will receive a $36,637 to help microenterprises startup and grow in rural parts of the state. Kestrel Aircraft evicted from Brunswick Landing e Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority evicted the aircraft manu- B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N Brain food you can buy by the quart B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n When a group of 12 researchers met for the first Wild Blueberry Health Research Summit in 1998, the health benefi ts of blueberries were just being recognized — nota- bly the potential of antioxidants to prevent or slow cancer. New research is showing that wild blueberries can also improve brain health, among other things. Maine is the world's top producer of the wild blueberries, at up to 100 million pounds a year, which brings $250 million into the state, according to the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. "We went from being a blueberry muffi n berry, to being recognized as one of the healthiest superfoods you can eat," said Nancy McBrady, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, in a news release advancing this year's summit, which was held in late September in Bar Harbor. The fact the berry had potential as a powerful antioxidant — a molecule that protects the body's cells — was the pri- mary focus at the fi rst summit, which is hosted by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America. Two decades later, the antioxidant benefi t "is only the tip of the iceberg," said Mary Ann Lila, director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. This year's meeting drew 30 scientists, researchers and doctors who discussed the wild blueberry's role in health areas from Alzheimer's research to cancer prevention. "At the onset of the [fi rst] summit, we were just beginning to realize what's inside the wild blueberry," said Lila by email from Quebec, where she and Kitty Broihier, nutrition advisor for association, were attending a conference. "The antioxidant health story was virtually unknown when we began," Broihier said in the news release. "Yet is has become of the most powerful health narratives of our time." The discovery of how antioxidants benefi t health was a breakthrough, leading to further research about how phyto- chemicals produced by plants to protect themselves from germs and other organisms play a role in human health. Antioxidants are linked to improving chronic disease and the effects of aging, and that research now has led to wild blueberries' powerful effects in half a dozen areas. Among the research discoveries about blueberries' health benefi ts: Potential to improve brain health, particularly where mem- ory and Alzheimer's disease is concerned Potential to prevent and slow cancer Improves insulin sensitivity, which helps reduce the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Improves gastrointestinal health. Some of this year's focus was on plans to use human clinical trials to combat diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The association also discussed how the berry affects gastro- intestinal health in a way that strengthens the metabolism and protects against chronic illness. As important as wild blueberries are in the research lab, the importance in the grocery store isn't lost on the association. Lila said that all blueberries are good to eat and good for health, but the wild variety has much higher concentra- tions of phytoactives and other elements that make them so benefi cial. "The general public is not as tuned in as they should be to the differences between the wild blueberry and their cultivated cousins," she said. Broihier said wild blueberries also have a more intense taste. "We tell people that if they like blueberries, then they'll love wild blueberries," she said in an email interview this week. But before consumers can love them, they have to fi nd them. B R I E F Wild blueberries have long been credited with having antioxidants that prevent or slow cancer. New research is showing the berries can improve brain health, among other things. P H O T O / T E D A X E L RO D, W W W. A X E L RO D P H O T O G R A P H Y. C O M Maine's wild blueberry harvests of up to 100 million pounds a year represent a $250 million industry, according to the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. P H O T O / T E D A X E L RO D, W W W. A X E L RO D P H O T O G R A P H Y. C O M

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