Legal Update
[This article was previously published in the winter issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.] Federal Lawsuit Challenging USDA Power Grab Dismissed/Refiled by Will Fantle, Codirector of The Cornucopia Institute Organics should be a safe haven: Xanthan gum would have been removed from organics under the former Sunset process. A thickener and stabilizer, it is commonly […]
More Than Honey: Honeybees and Our Food System
Fix by Tafline Laylin Source: Brad Smith The importance of bees to humanity’s long-term survival is impossible to overstate, yet their numbers are plummeting. In the past five years alone, the United States has lost 31 percent of its total bee population.1Each year – because of climate change, mites, pesticides, colony collapse disorder (CCD), and […]
Hershey Dumps Sugar Beets Because of GM Concerns
Star Tribune by Tom Meersman Source: Frankie Leon Regional co-ops are worried about losing big candy customers Something was different about a lot of the Hershey’s kisses in your stocking this year: The popular chocolates no longer contain sugar made in Minnesota. For decades, the Hershey Co. has used sugar made from both sugar beets and […]
Why the Egg Industry is Scrambling to Set Hens Free
The Guardian by Marc Gunther Source: Joyce S. Lee, Flickr Governments, activists and big brands like McDonald’s and Nestle are putting increased pressure on egg producers to raise their hens more sustainably Americans eat about 265 eggs per person per year, according to the American Egg Board, and roughly nine in 10 are laid by […]
Soil Solutions to Climate Problems – Narrated by Michael Pollan
YouTube by Center for Food Safety A powerful solution to the climate crisis can be found right beneath our feet—in the soil.
Whistleblower Speaks Out Against USDA, Corruption and Systemic Pesticides
truthout by Maryam Henein, HoneyColony Dr. Jonathan Lundgren, a respected expert on the risk assessment of pesticides and genetically modified crops, worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research (ARS) for more than a decade. But when his findings on the ill effects of systemic pesticides and RNAi on pollinators began to gain […]
Herbicides and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Linked to Decline of Smallmouth Bass
Beyond Pesticides Source: Flickr One of the most likely causes for the population decline of smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna River are endocrine-disrupting compounds and herbicides, concludes a multi-agency, multi-year study of one of the most complex river systems in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission […]
In Defense of Food: A Look Behind the Scenes of the New Michael Pollan Film
Modern Farmer by Brian Barth Source: In Defense of Food It’s been a few years since Food, Inc. came out and author Michael Pollan last graced the big screen. On Wednesday December 30, Americans will again be privy to Pollan’s wisdom—this time about eating, more than farming—when PBS airs In Defense of Food, a documentary film […]
What Happens When You Cut GMOs Out of Your Diet?
Rodale’s Organic Life by Gina Roberts-Grey Source: Melinda Shelton Considering that they’re everywhere, from restaurants to grocery stores to some farm stands, genetically modified ingredients aren’t easy to avoid, but it can be done (for the most part) with some creativity. Crops once threatened by persistent insect pests now genetically engineered to produce their own […]
How to Find Shrimp That’s Not Produced by Slave Labor in Thailand
The Washington Post by Becky Krystal Source: Sheila A report published this week by the Associated Press has brought renewed scrutiny to the Thai seafood industry. An extensive investigation confirmed that much of the peeled shrimp that makes its way into the American, European and Asian markets is being processed in horrendous conditions by people who […]
Are You Eating Frankenfish?
The New York Times by Tom Colicchio Source: Danielle Helm This month, Congress may decide whether consumers are smart enough to be trusted with their own food choices. Some lawmakers are trying to insert language into must-pass spending legislation that would block states from giving consumers the right to know whether their food contains genetically […]
Major U.S. Food Stores Sell Shrimp Peeled By Slaves: Report
The World Post Burmese migrant workers in a Thai shrimp peeling plant. Source: ILO in Asia & the Pacific An AP investigation has found shrimp peeled by modern-day slaves in Thailand is reaching the U.S., Europe and Asia. SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand (AP) — Every morning at 2 a.m., they heard a kick on the door and […]
