Cornucopia’s Take: Conventional meat requires vast plots of feed, often grown using the most soil- and water-damaging agricultural practices ever used. Fertilizer runoff now taints the water of more than half of the U.S. population and is responsible for the largest Gulf of Mexico dead zone in history. Time...
Cornucopia’s Take: A spokesperson for hydroponic organics from the Recirculating Farms Coalition is quoted in the article below, describing the lack of vote against hydroponic growing in organics as “inclusive, not exclusive.” We heard this same language from National Organic Standards Board members during Cornucopia’s coverage of their meeting....
Cornucopia’s Take: A new law in California prohibits agricultural chemical spraying within a quarter mile of any school from 6AM to 6PM during school days, beginning in 2018. A local Farm Bureau spokesperson claims that there needs to be more consideration about where schools are placed moving forward. The pesticides...
Cornucopia’s Take: The USDA recently retested conventional spinach for pesticides, having last tested it in 2008. In the last decade there has been a sharp increase in pesticide residue on the crop. USDA samples show more pesticides by weight on spinach than any other crop, including up to 16...
Cornucopia’s Take: The European Union is preparing to vote on a neonicotinoid pesticide ban, likely in December. As more research shows the enormous harm to bees and other pollinators from neonicotinoids, government officials are becoming concerned. The United Kingdom had originally opposed the ban but now have reversed their...
Cornucopia’s Take: The European Union decided not to renew the license for glyphosate use, the flagship Monsanto pesticide that is also suspected of being a carcinogen. The license will expire at the end of this year, and Monsanto’s supporters have until then to reverse this decision. We will continue...
Cornucopia’s Take: Our colleagues at the Organic Consumers Association are looking for help in finding the GMO apples released into Midwest grocery stores. The apples have been genetically modified not to brown. The anti-browning gene adds nothing nutritionally. Rather it is a marketer’s dream, allowing a long shelf life...
Cornucopia’s Take: The federal government paid out over $1 billion to settle a class-action suit based on discriminatory USDA policies in the 80s and 90s. Congress appropriated funds for a second phase of settlements, but a USDA-hired administrator allegedly improperly denied plaintiffs’ claims. The Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association...
Cornucopia’s Take: “Superbugs” have become a threat to human health, caused largely by the abuse of antibiotics in our healthcare and food systems. The World Health Organization is now calling on governments to stop antibiotic abuse. Perhaps predictably, conventional meat producers are not pleased with the suggestion. WHO To...
Cornucopia’s Take: Cellulose from wood pulp has no nutritional benefit, but it is used in many foods as a filler or to keep cheese shreds, for example, from sticking together. And, because most cellulose is organic and non-GMO, it can be used in certified organic foods as well. How...
Cornucopia’s Take: Chlorpyrifos was originally developed as a nerve gas, meant to cause harm to human beings. It is now used to kill pests on our food, which it does quite well. Although EPA scientists had agreed it should be banned from agricultural production for our safety, particularly that...
Cornucopia’s Take: Will Harris, President of the American Grassfed Association and owner of White Oak Pastures, wrangled permission to attend this meeting of mostly foreign grassfed beef industry representatives. Presenters claimed that U.S. grassfed beef producers cannot meet demand, so foreign grassfed beef is required. It is worth noting...
The Cornucopia Institute, through research and investigations on agriculture and food issues, provides needed information to family farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the good food movement and to the media.
