13 Resolutions to Change the Food System in 2013

Huffington Post by Danielle Nierenberg As we start 2013, many people will be thinking about plans and promises to improve their diets and health. We think a broader collection of farmers, policy-makers, and eaters need new, bigger resolutions for fixing the food system — real changes with long-term impacts in fields, boardrooms, and on plates… Read more »

Pesticides: Now More Than Ever

New York Times By Mark Bittman How quickly we forget. After the publication of “Silent Spring,” 50 years ago, we (scientists, environmental and health advocates, birdwatchers, citizens) managed to curb the use of pesticides[1] and our exposure to them — only to see their application grow and grow to the point where American agriculture uses… Read more »

Organic: Food Justice for the 99%

Dr. Oz in Time Magazine Slandering Families Who Choose Safe, Organic Food for Their Children — Off-Base/Ill Advised As Americans become increasingly aware of the story behind conventional foods—the ecologically destructive monoculture fields, the petrochemical fertilizers, the toxic pesticides and dangerous fumigants—the agrochemical industry has launched an all-out media offensive against the booming organic industry…. Read more »

America’s Water Mirage

Even at Hoover Dam, the ugly truth about our water crisis is being ignored. Los Angeles Times By Cynthia Barnett On an unseasonably hot morning this fall, my 11-year-old son and I set off for Hoover Dam, his first time to tour the American engineering wonder that draws nearly 1 million visitors a year. In… Read more »

Belinda Martineau: A Scientist Says Yes on Prop 37 to Label Genetically Engineered Food

San Jose Mercury News By Belinda Martineau I’m a molecular geneticist who helped commercialize the world’s first genetically engineered whole food. I wholeheartedly support providing Californians with information about whether the foods in their grocery stores have been genetically engineered. I believe this issue is now best left to lay society to examine. Richard Feynman,… Read more »

Cornucopia’s Message to Organic Dairy Farmers

Cornucopia sent the message below the graphic to organic dairy farmers, including ones shipping to Dean Foods’ Horizon label. We encourage consumers to sign the petition that will send a message to the Dean’s CEO telling him that taking profits generated by organic customers, and investing them to stab us in the back, is a… Read more »

Safer Food May Require Abandoning Factory Farming

The Vancouver Sun By David Fisman And Sarah Elton Canadians, this week, are a little nervous around beef. For good reason. “Verotoxigenic” E. coli (VTEC), which are often a strain known as E. coli O157: H7, are yet again causing an outbreak, with numerous Canadians sickened by tainted beef. Now what’s being called the country’s… Read more »

A Simple Fix for Farming

New York Times By Mark Bittman IT’S becoming clear that we can grow all the food we need, and profitably, with far fewer chemicals. And I’m not talking about imposing some utopian vision of small organic farms on the world. Conventional agriculture can shed much of its chemical use — if it wants to. This… Read more »

Only Organics Can Feed the Hungry World: Here’s Why

Truthout By Richard Schiffman A new approach to agriculture that combines the best in industrial production with organic and sustainable practices is the key to meeting the changing needs of a changing world, where resources are rapidly depleted by a growing population. “Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?” is the title of… Read more »

Prop 37: California Soil Scientist Says Label Up!

Huffington Post Annie Spiegelman This November, Californians will vote on a historic proposal that would require genetically modified foods in supermarkets to be labeled. For some reason, Proposition 37, or The Right to Know Genetically Engineered Foods Act, has the food, biotech and pesticide industries shaking in their fancy, fat-cat boots. They’ve already spent $25… Read more »