F I R S TP R E V655NEXTLAST

Shell Mound Outside an Oyster Shack, Marin County
The healthiest estuary on the Pacific Coast is Drake's Estuary in Marin County. The shellfish farms there produce enough clams, mussels and oysters to make aquaculture the fourth-largest crop in the county competing with the county's other sustainably-farmed crops. Marin has long been a center of natural foods with dozens of organic farms, ranches, and restaurants. A January study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy found that Marin County had the state's highest ratio of healthy eating options (natural restaurants and produce stores, compared to unhealthy choices, such as fast food restaurants) at 2-1. The worst was county was San Bernardino County with a ratio of 1-6. One Marin city, Tiburon, went so far as to ban the use of products containing trans-fats in 2004. This citywide ban inspired New York City's recent ban that gained national attention.
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