The New York Times The point of factory farming is cheap meat, made possible by confining large numbers of animals in small spaces. Perhaps the greatest hidden cost is its potential effect on human health. Small doses of antibiotics — too small to kill bacteria — are fed to factory farm animals as part of… Read more »
For Bob Hill, Growing Bananas Has Certain A ‘Peel’
Morris Plains gardener does what others say is “impossible.” Morris-Plains Patch, New Jersey (link no longer available) By Liz Alterman When Bob Hill set out to grow bananas in the backyard of his Morris Plains home, fellow gardeners thought he was, well, bananas. Having discovered his green thumb as a kindergartner when he was able to… Read more »
Environmental/Food Activists Appeal to USDA Advisory Board to Protect Wild Salmon
Good morning, my name is Buzz Hofford. I’m speaking as a Trustee for PCC Natural Markets, a certified organic chain of nine stores here in the Puget Sound area and the largest consumer – owned natural foods co-op in the country. In addition to representing 47,000 active members, we also serve more than 100,000 customers… Read more »
Bacteria in Supermarket Meat: One More Argument for Organic Beef
Yahoo News (this link is no longer available) Karen W. Wyman COMMENTARY | Findings from a recent study are making a case for organic meat. According to a study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, up to 50 percent of supermarket meat is contaminated with drug-resistant bacteria. The study’s authors report that bacteria found inside the… Read more »
How to Save a Trillion Dollars
The New York Times, Opinionator By MARK BITTMAN In the scheme of things, saving the 38 billion bucks that Congress seems poised to agree upon is not a big deal. A big deal is saving a trillion bucks. And we could do that by preventing disease instead of treating it. For the first time in… Read more »
Today’s Food System: All Drugged Up
Huffington Post By Laurie David [It’s worth noting that antibiotics are prohibited in the production of organic food.] The next time you’re feeling sick, think twice before going to your doctor for answers. Look down at your plate, instead. Hidden in your hamburger or smoked ham may be something you didn’t want or expect on… Read more »
I’d Really Like to Know If I am Eating GMO
Tony T. Azevedo, WODPA President If you are interested in eating, you should know what you are putting in your mouth. The “powers that be” finally won their battle in Washington DC allowing Round Up Ready alfalfa seed to be used. What is Round Up Ready? Round Up Ready is a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)… Read more »
Vermont’s Raw Dairy Farmers Are Doing a Booming Business, and We Don’t Even Know Half the Story
The Complete Patient David Gumpert It’s kind of amazing, when you think about it, that we’re still debating–as Milky Way and Ken Conrad were, following my previous post–whether milk comes through a cow’s udder sterile or having picked up certain beneficial bacteria. Our government and public health research establishment are so committed to eliminating raw… Read more »
Corporate Propaganda: Crossing the Line to Outright Lies
Dean Foods’ organic label, Horizon, claims that “the USDA has not banned the use of plant-based DHA.” However, according to federal law, any ingredient or additive that is not produced according to organic standards must be formally petitioned, reviewed and accepted before it can be added to organic foods. The federal organic standards provide a… Read more »
Why Aren’t G.M.O. Foods Labeled?
New York Times By Mark Bittman If you want to avoid sugar, aspartame, trans-fats, MSG, or just about anything else, you read the label. If you want to avoid G.M.O.’s — genetically modified organisms — you’re out of luck. They’re not listed. You could, until now, simply buy organic foods, which by law can’t contain… Read more »
