Studies Warn of Produce Grown in ‘Hot Spot’ Soil; Pingyang’s Ill Farmers Wall Street Journal By Nicholas Zamiska and Jane Spencer NANNING, China — For nearly two decades, Lai Mandai regularly ate and sold beans, cabbage and watermelons grown on a plot of land a short walk from a lead smelting plant in her village…. Read more »
More Evidence that Food Nutrient Quality is Declining
Mother Earth News Cheryl Long A study has strengthened evidence that the nutrient content of conventionally grown vegetables and fruits has declined over the past 50 years. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, compared U.S.Department of Agriculture data from 1950 and 1999 for 13 nutrients in 43 crops. After… Read more »
Pasteurized Almond Rule Has Raw Food Fans Going Nuts
Fresno Bee By Garance Burke Raw, organic almonds form the basis of Karyn Calabrese’s garlicky nut pate, her vegan pie crusts and vanilla ice cream custards. But under a new federal rule requiring that virtually all almonds be pasteurized to prevent foodborne illness, the Chicago restaurateur will have to substitute a new nut, or go… Read more »
U.S. Apple Growers Brace for Competition From China
The LaCrosse Tribune Associated Press GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Farmers in apple-growing regions across the country worry as they face a new challenge that may be too big to overcome and could change their way of life. Farmers in apple-producing states are becoming increasingly anxious about the prospect of China flooding the U.S. market with their… Read more »
Big Decertified Dairy Pulls Out of Organic
Chews Wise (link no longer available) Samuel Fromartz The Case Vander Eyk Dairy, which reportedly said it was seeking recertification of its 3,500 head organic herd, has decided not to pursue it after all. The controversial dairy in the Central Valley of California had been certified by Quality Assurance International, but QAI suspended the company’s organic… Read more »
Hain Subject of SEC Options Probe
New York Business.com By: David Jones Hain Celestial Group Inc. said Friday that the Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an informal inquiry into its stock option practices. The Melville, L.I.-based firm did not give any details about the probe, except to say that it would cooperate.
Anger as EU Ministers Give Green Light to GM-Contaminated Organic Food
Friends of the Earth has criticised the decision by EU Ministers to allow organic food to be contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). EU Agriculture Ministers, including the UK, have adopted a new law which allows organic food containing up to 0.9 percent of GM content to be classed – and labelled – as organic…. Read more »
Nonorganic Exceptions Ruffle Enthusiasts of Organic Food
New York Times By Andrew Martin The latest battle over what can be called organic involves beer and gelatin, food colorings and casings for sausage. The Department of Agriculture, the final arbiter of all things organic, is poised to approve a list of nonorganic ingredients that can be used in food stamped with its green-and-white… Read more »
US to Meat Packers: Thy Shall Not Test Cattle for Mad Cow Disease
FoodConsumer.org By Ben Wasserman The US government said Tuesday it will continue fighting against private testing of cattle for mad cow disease, the Associated Press reports. A federal judge in late March ruled that the United States Department of Agriculture has no authority to suppress private testing of cattle for mad cow disease.
Food Scares Help China’s Nascent Organic Market
Reuters By Ben Blanchard and Niu Shuping BEIJING (Reuters) – Fish could give you cancer, snails meningitis and baby milk may kill your children — barely a day goes by without some new food horror story in China. This is helping drive sales in another, though still tiny, food sector in China — organic produce…. Read more »
