July 3rd, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Zany “right-wing conservative” Stephen Colbert supports big-business pharmaceutical companies, but he freaked when New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof, told him “lady pee” laced with unfiltered estrogen from birth control pills is turning up in our drinking water.
Stephen Colbert is very entertaining, but this is a serious issue. Drinking water is taking the brunt of American’s obsession with pills and chemicals. In March, depression medications were found in fish across the U.S., and in June artificial sweeteners, like saccharin, also washed up in water.
Via Colbert Nation.
Tags: artificial sweeteners, drugs, fish, pharmaceuticals, water
Posted in Health, The Environment | 1 Comment »
June 30th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
Right before Memorial Day, as Americans prepared for holiday barbecues, I informed you of a recall involving 96,000 pounds of ground beef potentially contaminated with E. coli.
Now, with Fourth of July barbecues only days away, we face another beef recall. JBS Swift Beef Co., based in Greeley, CO, has recalled approximately 380,000 pounds of assorted beef products that may be contaminated with E coli. Not surprisingly, its a huge factory farm.
Once again, this is a Class I recall, defined as “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
The CDC is investigating 24 illnesses in multiple states; 18 appear to be associated with the recalled beef.
The beef products were produced on April 21 and were distributed both nationally and internationally. Click here for a PDF file that lists recalled products.
As noted yesterday, multiple recalls have eroded consumer confidence in the food industry.
From Our Organic Blog: DIY Ground Beef
Tags: beef, factory farming, factory farms, food safety, meat, recalls
Posted in Health | No Comments »
June 29th, 2009 - Leslie Billera
 I’m about to become a first-time mom at age 40. Literally, at any moment.
I don’t know how I will feel when I first see my baby (my guess is a post mortem cocktail of thrill and terror), but one thing I definitely do know: my time – and sleep – will be limited. That’s what everyone has been telling me for the last 10 months (yes, it’s actually 10 months, not 9…but that’s another blog subject!).
Soon, my husband and I will have less time to make buying decisions – but more pressure than ever to make the greenest and healthiest choices for baby. The hours I formerly spent clicking around eco product sites, languorously reading ‘about us’ and ‘press’ sections to try to discern a given product’s ‘true green value’ will be but a hazy memory.
To prepare, I’ve saved these green washing sites – green washing is misleading marketing about the environmental benefits of a product – that I now share with other busy moms, dads, or just busy people in general…
Green America’s Responsible Shopper
I’m a Green America Business Network member, so this one is close to my heart (as a copywriter, I’m Green America-Approved and have the seal to prove it!). This site ranks companies in 27 industry categories from best to worst based on research focusing on such key issues as human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability and more. Check out the user-friendly “Act” section in which you can join campaigns to battle corporate abuse, or sign up for instant emails to get actions delivered to your inbox.
Skin Deep Database from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
This searchable database matches the ingredients in more than 25,000 shampoos, makeup, deodorants, sunscreens and other personal care products with 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. It provides the most safety information anywhere about the products you put on your body – and on the body of baby too!
The Greenwashing Index
Enviromedia Social Marketing’s website asks consumers to send examples of both good and bad green marketing campaigns, which visitors then rank using a five point index that includes 1 for Authentic, 3 for Suspect and 5 for Bogus. Also includes “ripped from the headlines” exposes on worst offenders, i.e. the recent charge from the FTC that Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International are making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.”
Terrachoice
Check out the free report entitled the Six Sins of Green Washing and get tips on the top suspect terminology – i.e. the use of ‘chlorofluorocarbon-free’ even though these chemicals have been banned, by law, for years.
Laura Klein’s Green Club
Shameless plug here (I am the chief copywriter for Laura Klein’s green lifestyle membership site), but there’s no doubt that in addition to lots of good, green info and action-oriented tips, membership in Laura Klein’s Green Club gives you one-on-one consultation from Laura herself on any question relating to going green. It’s like having a personal eco consultant at your finger tips, so it makes for a truly great value.
Babies away!
Tags: babies, children, grocery shopping, healthy eating, healthy living, motherhood, newborns, Organic Food, parenthood
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Food Recipes, Organic Living, Parenting | 1 Comment »
June 29th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
A spate of food recalls has left a large percentage of Americans wary about the nation’s food supply.
According to a recent IBM survey of 1,000 consumers in the 10 largest U.S. cities, more shoppers are worried about the safety of the food they buy at grocery stores—and their trust of food retailers, manufacturers and grocers has diminished.
Survey results reveal:
- 83% of respondents could name a food product that was recalled in the last 2 years because of contamination or other safety concerns.
- 46% named peanut butter as the most recognizable recall. Spinach came in a distant second, with 15% awareness nearly 2 years after an E. coli outbreak.
- 49% of respondents said they’re less likely to purchase a food product after a contamination-related recall; 63% confirmed they would not buy the food until the source of contamination had been identified and addressed.
- 8% said they would never purchase a recalled food again, even after the source of contamination was found and addressed.
These data should serve as a wakeup call for food growers and producers. A betrayal of the public trust has consequences that impact the bottom line. As IBM notes:
These findings underscore how the rise in recalls and contamination has significantly eroded consumer confidence in food and product safety, as well as with the companies that manufacture and distribute these products.
Tune in tomorrow for more eye-opening survey stats.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Food Alert! The Ultimate Sourcebook for Food Safety
Photo courtesy of IBM
Tags: food safety, Health, Organic Food, recalls
Posted in Health, Organic Food | 1 Comment »
June 28th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
The Western Pistachio Association (WPA), a Fresno, Calif.-based trade group that represents growers in California, Arizona and New Mexico, is trying to restore its product’s good name.
Upon learning that Anaheim, Calif.-based Orca Distribution West repackaged and sold potentially contaminated nuts (see yesterday’s story), the WPA issued a press release to help allay consumers’ fears. It states:
Pistachio products subject to the recall should have already been removed from the market by each distributor and/or entity that had potentially contaminated product. The WPA does not condone any entity that knowingly shipped recalled product or withheld information related to the product recalls.
The association has also launched a website that provides a list of safe, regionally grown, organic and nonorganic brands. This is helpful, as I’ve avoided buying pistachios since the FDA initiated the recall in March.
If you’re worried about our nation’s food supply, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey, 60% of consumers polled have qualms about the food they buy. Tune in tomorrow for more staggering stats from the study.
Tags: FDA, food safety, Organic Food, pistachios, recalls
Posted in Health, Organic Food | 1 Comment »
June 27th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
It’s been a bad year for the food industry, with recalls for peanuts, pistachios, ground beef and the latest entry: Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough.
The ongoing pistachio recall includes more than 660 organic and nonorganic products that may pose a salmonella risk. And even after companies were warned to stop selling pistachios sourced from Setton Farms (ground zero for the outbreak), the FDA recently found that Anaheim, Calif.-based Orca Distribution West had repacked and distributed potentially contaminated nuts under the California Prime Produce and Orange County Orchards brands, most of which were sold at airports and hotels.
According to the FDA, Orca has “not made a public announcement regarding these products.”
As for Nestle, the FDA and CDC have warned consumers to avoid eating any varieties of Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough because of possible E. coli contamination. Since March, there have been 66 reports of illness across 28 states, with 25 hospitalizations. Seven of the hospitalized patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that can seriously damage the kidneys. No one has died.
If you happen to have any Nestle cookie dough in your fridge, throw it away. Don’t bake the dough, as your hands and cooking surfaces can be contaminated by the bacterium. Nestle has updated information on its website, as well as a toll-free phone number to handle questions: (800) 559-5025.
“If there was anyone left in America who didn’t realize we need to reform the food safety functions at the Food and Drug Administration, this latest recall of Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough provides a sobering wakeup call,” says Sarah Klein, attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, DC.
“For too long, the agency has lacked the authority and the resources it needs to inspect food processing facilities, issue mandatory recalls and punish violators,” she adds. “Once again, the agency is forced to react after illnesses are already occurring, when the focus should be on preventing contamination in the first place. We urge the House to pass the Food Safety Enhancement Act now.”
Photos courtesy of Orca Distribution (top), Nestle
Tags: CDC, FDA, food safety, Health, Organic Food, recalls
Posted in Health, Organic Food | 2 Comments »
June 26th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
I love broccoli. You love broccoli. And so does this little kitty! Now, I’m not sure if it’s organic broccoli or not, but either way, it’s adorable. Just don’t try taking his broccoli away from him. He’ll shake a paw and growl at you.
Go on, watch it again and again, then email it to a dozen friends. I did! Oh, and for more animal-related posts, check out these apple-eating inchworms in love. And find out if your dog’s poop is hazardous to your health. Eek!
Via I Can Has Cheez Burger.
Tags: vegetables
Posted in Health | No Comments »
June 23rd, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
In July 2006, I wrote a post called A Mountain of Meat and Cheese, which covered Burger King’s introduction of Double, Triple and Quad Stackers. That last sandwich consisted of four burgers, four pieces of cheese and eight pieces of bacon on a flaccid bun, weighing in at a hefty 1,000 calories, 68 g fat and 1,800 mg sodium.
The post garnered more controversy than I expected. Some readers thought I was a dietary stick-in-the-mud:
“Had a quad yesterday and a triple today,” noted Rick, apparently not referring to bypass surgery. “Outstanding, exactly what I like.”
“I don’t care,” wrote James. “It’s so good. Really good. I’ll eat a salad for dinner. Actually, I’ll just eat more of these.”
Alrighty then.
I’m not sure how James’s and Rick’s cholesterol levels are doing, but these readers are certainly entitled to shovel Death Wish Burgers into their mouths. (FYI, dudes: You’re reading an online magazine dedicated to organic living. How did you even find us?)
But besides voicing my horror at super-sizing an already super-sized menu, I had another point:
Of course, Burger King is enticing kids to order this “produce-free” behemoth through a series of TV ads featuring a crew of miniature construction workers that “diligently stacks meat, cheese, bacon and BK Stacker Sauce.”
If that’s not enough, “2.5″ collectible figurines of some of the most memorable characters from the BK Stackers television ads can be purchased online…Fans can purchase a set of three figurines, including Vin the Foreman, the Kid and the Cheese Welder.”
For parents who promote organic living and healthy eating, this is yet another example of how fast-food companies and advertising agencies pander to kids without any regard for their health. It’s irresponsible at a time when childhood obesity is epidemic.
Flash-forward 3 years and little has changed. McDonald’s, inventor of the Happy Meal/free toy marketing juggernaut, is currently promoting kids’ meals with plastic dinosaurs from the new Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs film.
“We’re committed to bringing the biggest and most exciting properties to life for our customers, and offering them the high-quality food they love,” says Mary Dillon, McDonald’s global chief marketing officer. “The McDonald’s Ice Age Happy Meal event will feature movie characters on a variety of Happy Meal food choices worldwide, such as Apple Dippers and low-fat white and chocolate milk jugs in the U.S., to reach kids in a fun and responsible way.”
And according to a McDonald’s press release, “Select restaurants in the U.K. will host family scavenger hunts, taking kids on an underground adventure to help the movie characters retrieve lost items, and will offer in-store giveaways such as character masks and balloons.”
I’m assuming a Quarter Pounder and fries will figure into the McFun.
Here’s the problem: Not every parent insists on Apple Dippers over French fries or low-fat milk over sugary sodas. That’s a parenting choice—and often a dismal one.
In the long run, continuing to use toys to promote Happy Meals amounts to McBribery, something Ronald McDonald shouldn’t be celebrating.
For further information, please check out these stories from our blog archives:
- McDonald’s…Busted!
- Fast-Food Frenzy
- Let the Holidays Jumpstart New Meal Traditions
- Young Children’s Taste Preferences May Be Influenced by Fast-Food Branding
- Companies Pledge to Change Food Ads Targeted to Children
- Food Advertising Ban: A Good Start
- Advocacy Group Says Nickelodeon Should Ditch Junk Food Ads
- You Can Lead a Horse to Water…
- California Becomes First State to Ban Trans Fats
Photo courtesy of McDonald’s
Tags: fast food, Health, mcdonald's, obesity, Parenting
Posted in Health, Parenting | 2 Comments »
June 22nd, 2009 - Laura Klein
It’s hard to imagine that there’s even more reasons to steer clear of plastic water bottles…but surprise: there is!
This time the focus is polycarbonate plastic water bottles, which are popular reusable canteens like the one pictured here.
A recent Harvard School of Public Health Study shows that drinking from polycarbonate plastic water bottles will quickly and dramatically increase a person’s bisphenol A (BPA) levels.
So now you can add ‘fast-acting’ to BPA’s resume. As if being a contributor to health problems ranging from diabetes and obesity to infertility and heart disease wasn’t enough!
The study showed that tested students who drank from stainless steel bottles for a week, and then switched to polycarbonate plastic bottles, found that the amount of BPA in their urine shot up 69% in just a couple of days!
Encouraging Red Tape
While the FDA continues to claim BPA is safe, the new administration may take a new stance. In an email sent to the Boston Globe recently, Michael L. Herndon, an FDA spokesman said that newly appointed chief scientist Jesse Goodman will “provide new leadership and take a fresh look at this important issue from a scientific and policy position, incorporating emerging science and appropriate input from both inside and outside the agency.”
Could adding the Harvard study to the mounting evidence of BPA health risks finally get the FDA to outlaw it? Let’s hope so. But until then, I’m holding tight to my stainless steel bottle and not letting go…and I encourage you to do the same!
Via: www.saferstates.com
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic Living | 2 Comments »
June 22nd, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
Man’s best friend may be his dog, but Fido’s poop is another story altogether.
I’m continually amazed by dog owners who think of my lawn as a bank account, with plenty of deposits but no withdrawals. Many inconsiderate dog walkers simply don’t want to scoop the poop.
Environmentally speaking, doggie droppings expose us to several diseases caused by parasites like roundworms—potentially fatal infections in young children that can spread throughout the body.
Such infections are underdiagnosed. In fact, a recent study found that approximately 14% of Americans carry antibodies for dog and cat roundworms, meaning they’ve been exposed to the parasite.
“That’s why it’s so important that people pick up after their pets,” says Kevin R. Kazacos, DVM, PhD, a professor of veterinary parasitology at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, IN. “The No. 1 thing that people can do to stop the spread of disease from their pets to their families is to regularly take the animal to a veterinarian. That’s the first line of defense. Secondly, people need to clean up their pets’ poop.”
Never allow children to play in areas soiled with pet or wild animal feces, Dr. Kazacos says. Kids who eat dirt also are susceptible to parasites.
“There are really a number of parasites that can affect your pets, including heartworm disease, roundworms and hookworms, and all of these can be, to varying degrees, very serious health problems,” says James O. Cook, DVM, a veterinarian in Lebanon, KY, and president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “What’s worse, these can be zoonotic conditions, which can spread to the rest of the family. If your pets show any signs of infection, take them to your veterinarian as soon as possible. And when you obtain a new puppy or kitten, have your veterinarian treat them early in their life because they commonly have parasites without any symptoms.”
Common signs of parasite infection in dogs and cats include changes in appetite or coat, diarrhea, coughing and reduced activity, but many infected animals will not show any symptoms. Your veterinarian can detect a worm infection with a simple fecal test. If an infection is found, the vet may recommend a deworming program.
Editor’s Note: Check out Flush Puppies—biodegradable, water-soluble and flushable doodie bags.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Parasites (Natural Pet Care Pocket Series)
Photo courtesy of AVMA/ARA
Tags: environment, Health, pets
Posted in Health, The Environment | 3 Comments »
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