Recall of Organic Alfalfa Sprouts Expands

July 30th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Recalled sprouts

Sunday’s recall of specific Specialty Farms organic alfalfa sprout products has been expanded.

Now, the company’s Organic Alfalfa Sprouts Blend (UPC 509800108) and Organic Sprout Salad (UPC 8192400024) with best if sold by dates of 8/3/2010 and 8/1/2010, respectively, may also be contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). This expansion reflects new “sell by” dates.

The company is also recalling the following Stop & Shop-brand products with a “best if sold by” date of 8/1/2010:

Read More:Recall of Organic Alfalfa Sprouts Expands

Grill Organic Red Bell Peppers for a Vitamin Boost

July 29th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Grilled Red Bell Peppers

Whether raw, grilled or roasted, red bell peppers are an incredible low-calorie source of vitamin C.

One medium bell pepper has only 25 calories, while providing:

  • 190% of your daily vitamin C requirement
  • 2 g fiber
  • 4% of your daily vitamin A requirement
  • 4% of your daily iron requirement

But does nutritional content change when peppers hit the grill or roasting pan?

Read More:Grill Organic Red Bell Peppers for a Vitamin Boost

Van Leeuwen Delivers Organic Ice Cream to NYC

July 28th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck

Move over, Good Humor man! The old-fashioned ice cream truck has experienced a dramatic makeover.

Lucky New Yorkers can hook up with Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, whose trucks have a huge Twitter and Facebook following. Think of it as ice cream by appointment: Loyal patrons use the social networking sites to find out where the company’s three trucks will be parked each day.

Van Leeuwen’s ice creams are made with carefully sourced ingredients: fresh, local and organic, with no stabilizers or preservatives. The most popular flavors include vanilla and pistachio, but why not opt for ginger, red currant or peppermint & chip?

Read More:Van Leeuwen Delivers Organic Ice Cream to NYC

Feds Work Toward Reducing Listeriosis Outbreaks

July 26th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

listeria

Yesterday’s report on the recall of organic sprouts serves as a reminder that we still have a long way to go in ensuring the safety of our food supply.

In fact, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)—the bacterium involved in the sprout recall—has been a key target for regulatory agencies in the United States and abroad.

In 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture made rigorous attempts to reduce Lm contamination after contending with 2 years of outbreaks associated with ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, according to Daniel Engeljohn, PhD, acting assistant administrator of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Office of Data Integration and Food Protection.

Read More:Feds Work Toward Reducing Listeriosis Outbreaks

Organic Sprouts Recalled in Northeast

July 25th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

sprouts

Bridgeport, CT-based Specialty Farms, LLC, is voluntarily recalling its Organic Alfalfa Sprouts Blend (UPC code 8192400108) and Organic Sprout Salad (UPC code 8192400024) because they may be contaminated with the bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes (Lm).

The products have a sell-by date of 7/26/2010 and are sold in 4-oz. plastic containers.

Read More:Organic Sprouts Recalled in Northeast

Infuse Your Drinking Water with Organic Fruit

July 24th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Pitcher

Fruit-flavored waters are a refreshing change of pace, especially during the hot summer months.

But there are several disadvantages to buying premade brands:

  • Beverages may not be organic.
  • Products are sold in glass jars or plastic bottles, which need to be recycled.
  • Drinks may contain a fruit essence, but no real fruit. Some will contain sweeteners, which lead to consumption of empty calories.
  • Ounce per ounce, they’re usually overpriced.
Read More:Infuse Your Drinking Water with Organic Fruit

Make Your Organic Breakfast a High-Priority, High-Protein Meal

July 22nd, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Organic Eggs

Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast reduces our risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes, while also facilitating weight loss. We also know that kids who skip their morning meal lack energy, are more irritable, become fatigued and depressed, and fail to perform well in school.

Put the emphasis on protein if you want to maintain muscle mass, curb hunger, reduce abdominal fat, and slow age-related bone and muscle loss, advises Marie Spano, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist who currently serves as vice president of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Higher-protein diets “are associated with greater bone mass and fewer fractures when calcium intake is adequate,” she told attendees this week at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting. “In addition, replacing carbohydrates with protein can prevent obesity and obesity-relted conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.”

Read More:Make Your Organic Breakfast a High-Priority, High-Protein Meal

Decoding Food-Label Expiration Dates

July 21st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Check food expiration dates

My mother, who lives 3,000 miles away, has this weird penchant for using me as a food-safety barometer.

“I made some chicken salad a week ago,” she’ll tell me over the phone. “Do you think I can eat it for lunch?”

“Not unless your life-insurance premium is paid up,” I’ll reply.

Food poisoning is on my official Top 10 List of Unpleasant Experiences, courtesy of a visit to a fish eatery at New York City’s South Street Seaport some years ago. I’m talking about the bona fide nastiness that exiles you to your hotel room for 3 straight days, as you cope with fever, fatigue, cramping and surreal gastrointestinal upheavals.

Read More:Decoding Food-Label Expiration Dates

Posh British Restaurant Foraging for Ingredients

July 20th, 2010 - Scott Shaffer

flowers

Honey nettles and wild flowers for dinner? Exotic, but it doesn’t sound very filling.

The BBC has the scoop on a hot British restaurant where the star chef Sat Bains ordered an employee to use her foraging skills to expand the kitchen’s repertoire. Rosy garlic and kitchen honey nettles grow just a few feet away from the restaurant, so picking them seemed natural to Nanna Vestergard, a kitchen worker. Talk about local!

Read More:Posh British Restaurant Foraging for Ingredients

Sustainable Swordfish Available at Whole Foods Market

July 20th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Swordfish

Swordfish has been on the eco-worst list of seafood choices for as long as I can remember. Between high mercury levels and ocean-savaging fishing practices, this protein has been banned from my shopping list for 20 years.

In January 2007, I bashed swordfish in Making Safe Fish Choices and substituted Pacific halibut in a featured recipe for Kabobs with California Dried Plums and Bay Leaves.

But the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program now rates Hawaiian, Canadian and some U.S. swordfish as “best choices,” while discouraging the purchase of imported and certain U.S. swordfish. (Click here for the fishy details.)

Read More:Sustainable Swordfish Available at Whole Foods Market
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    " . . . The quality of the fruits and vegetables available at grocery stores is terrible. Most are laden with toxic substances, such as sulfates on grapes, pesticides . . . many times fruits and vegetables are imported from foreign countries that use toxic pesticides that are illegal in the United States."
    As stated by Dr. Ronald Steriti in our article Antioxidants and Organic Foods

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