Retail sales of grocery products making ethical claim reach $33 billion NEW YORK: “Conscientious Consumerism,” the trend towards products with an ethical bent, has taken root across America as consumers increasingly preach their social concerns through their pocketbooks. Sales of organic, hormone-free, eco-friendly, locally- grown, cruelty-free, and other ethical products have skyrocketed according to a… Read more »
Is the FDA’s Cloning Proposal Ready for Prime Time?
Between Christmas 2006 and New Year’s day, the Food and Drug Administration released a long-awaited set of documents on animal cloning for food. Now the Organic Center has released a new report, Is the FDA’s Cloning Proposal Ready for Prime Time? The report provides key facts and insightful analysis to help readers reach their own… Read more »
Are Wal-Mart’s “Organics” Organic?
Wisconsin officials have launched an investigation into the giant retailer’s practices after complaints that it may be misleading consumers BusinessWeek by Pallavi Gogoi A year after Wal-Mart (WMT) laid out ambitious plans to become a much bigger player in the organic foods business, the giant retailer is running into trouble over its organic effort with… Read more »
More American Dairies Go Organic
Timing “finally right,” says Idaho dairyman Capital Press Staff Writer Dave Wilkins The time was finally right. Earlier this year, Idaho dairyman David Roberts joined the growing number of American farmers who produce organic milk. The third-generation dairyman and his dad milk about 200 cows near Preston in southeastern Idaho.
Superbug Linked to Antibiotic Used on Farms
The Herald by JAMES MORGAN The use of antibiotics on farms should be reduced because of suspected links with a superbug in humans, an organic food group claimed yesterday. A virulent strain of E-coli which has killed at least 57 people in the UK has been found on 10 cattle farms in the UK since… Read more »
Harkin Pushes for Rules to Include More Farms
Organic farmers: Old-fashioned tilling keeps them out of conservation program. Federal government: CSP favors spraying to prevent erosion and greenhouse gases. By PHILIP BRASHER Des Moines Register Washington Bureau (link no longer available) Washington, D.C. – Organic farmers control weeds the old-fashioned way, turning the soil. Most conventional growers, of course, spray herbicides. Which is… Read more »
Pasture Production Better for Water and Air Quality, Public and Animal Health
WASHINGTON, DC — The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a report that shows how pasture-raised pork, chicken, and egg production can avoid the problems conventional production poses for water and air quality and animal and public health. The report also explains the definitions, standards, and label claims for pasture-raised foods that consumers encounter at… Read more »
Who Owns Organic?
The latest update of major corporate ownership and involvement in the organic food sector is now out. The chart graphically focuses on the organic brands with ties to the top 25 food processors in North America. Dr. Phil Howard, an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, is responsible for preparing this information.
US Accused of Being Lax on Mad Cow Safety
The Korea Times By Kim Yon-se U.S. consumer advocacy groups accuse the U.S. government of blocking voluntary tests for mad cow disease by meat processing companies and trying to scale the existing ones down. One case in point is Creekstone Farms, which produced the first batch of U.S. beef exported to Korea after the three-year… Read more »
Foul State of Affairs Found in Feedlots
Factory farms are harmful to the public and the environment, researchers report. Los Angeles Times By Marla Cone, Staff Writer Growing so large that they are now called factory farms, livestock feedlots are poorly regulated, pose health and ecological dangers and are responsible for deteriorating quality of life in America’s and Europe’s farm regions, according… Read more »
