Final Infographic Spotlights Dueling Food Brands on Colorado and Oregon Initiatives For the third election cycle in a row, biotech corporations and large agribusinesses narrowly defeated statewide citizen initiatives that would have mandated the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients on food packages. This time the electoral showdowns took place in Oregon, where it was… Read more »
10 Amazing Food Co-ops Across America
[NOTE: The Cornucopia Institute is proud to partner with the nation’s 300+ co-op grocers—the original organic champions. Support your local co-op!] Food Tank by Rachel Lazar Cooperatively owned grocery stores exist all over the country. Some have thousands of members and have been around since the 1970s, and some opened within the past few years… Read more »
Downtown St. Louis To Sprout Its First Rooftop Farm
St. Louis Public Radio by Véronique LaCapra East Collegiate rooftop garden in Toronto Source: Karen Stintz St. Louis will soon have its first rooftop farm. Urban Harvest STL signed a lease for the space this week on the roof of a two-story building a couple of blocks east of the City Museum. The non-profit’s founding… Read more »
USDA Could Take the Environment Into Account in Its Next Dietary Guidelines
Will the US government incorporate environmental impacts into dietary guidelines for the first time? Or will it blink? The Guardian by Garrett Hering Aurora Coldwater Dairy in Stratford, Texas When a federal advisory committee created the first federal proposal to explore the relationship between nutrition and the environmental impacts of the American diet in December,… Read more »
Organic Industry Watchdog Expands Membership Base and Staffing
The Cornucopia Institute Adds Jérôme Rigot, Ph.D. as Policy Analyst Jérôme Rigot, Ph.D. The Cornucopia Institute announced that it has added to its staff Dr. Jérôme Rigot, a Maine-based agricultural researcher and organic certification professional, with broad experience in organic farming, specialty crop production, composting and the culinary arts. Dr. Rigot holds a doctorate in… Read more »
Seed Libraries Fight for the Right to Share
Shareable.net by Christopher D. Cook Source: World Bank Photo Collection It’s easy to take seeds for granted. Tiny dry pods hidden in packets and sacks, they make a brief appearance as gardeners and farmers collect them for future planting then later drop them into soil. They are not “what’s for dinner,” yet without them there… Read more »
Benton County Oregon Community Bill of Rights Banning GMOs: Yes on 2-89
Benton County Food Freedom Willamette Valley farmers in Oregon have created a Community Bill of Rights preserving their rights to a local food system. The Local Food System Ordinance of Benton County (Measure 2-89) will be voted on in May 2015, and would protect conventional and organic farmers from further crop contamination from GMOs.
Mad Cow Disease Confirmed in Alberta; First Canadian Case Since 2011
Global News by Melissa Ramsay Source: Sarah R CALGARY – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed on Friday that a case of mad cow disease has been found in a beef cow in Alberta. Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is a progressive, fatal neurological disease in cattle. Canada’s last confirmed BSE… Read more »
Jim Gerritsen on Food Sleuth Radio
Melinda Hemmelgarn, of Food Sleuth Radio interviews, Jim Gerritsen, an organic farmer, owner and operator of Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine, and President of the Maine-based Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA). Gerritsen discusses OSGATA’s lawsuit against Monsanto in 2011 and why it’s critical to challenge seed patents. He also shares his perspective… Read more »
NY Assembly Votes to Help Farmers Fight GMO Seed Lawsuits
New Jersey Herald Source: Ben Rea ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Farmers in New York state would be better protected against lawsuits from biotech companies if genetically modified crops inadvertently grow on their fields under a bill passed by the state’s Assembly. Seed producers have sued farmers around the country for allegedly growing their bioengineered crops… Read more »
