The drought currently plaguing the nation may cost California 100 dairy farmers before the year’s end, according to dairy industry experts.
Read More:California Dairy Farmers Suffering Massive Losses
California Dairy Farmers Suffering Massive LossesOctober 16th, 2012 - Jill EttingerPolls Show Californians Will Pass GMO Labeling Law in NovemberSeptember 30th, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
A recent L.A. Times poll suggests California’s Proposition 37, which would make it the first state to require mandatory labeling on foods containing genetically modified ingredients, is likely to pass by more than a 2-to-1 margin this coming November. Read More:Polls Show Californians Will Pass GMO Labeling Law in NovemberBiotech Industry Pushes Back Against California GMO Labeling InitiativeJuly 13th, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
It was only a matter of time before Monsanto and the biotech industry at risk of being forced to label genetically modified ingredients pushed back against The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. They’re targeting Californians where it hurts most: their wallets and the state’s poor communities. Read More:Biotech Industry Pushes Back Against California GMO Labeling InitiativeSenate Approves Farm Bill, Rejects Mandatory GMO Labeling AmendmentJune 24th, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
After much debate and input, the Senate has finally passed the Farm Bill: a five-year, $500 billion bill that is rife with controversy, including major cuts to farm subsidies, land conservation efforts and rejecting a measure that would allow states the rights to require the mandatory labeling of foods or beverages that contain genetically modified ingredients. Read More:Senate Approves Farm Bill, Rejects Mandatory GMO Labeling AmendmentCalifornia First State to Ban Styrofoam PackagingJune 13th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
The state of California is close to being the first state to approve a ban on Styrofoam. The state Senate passed a bill that will prohibit vendors—mainly restaurants and grocery stores—from using the controversial packaging by July 2016. Schools would have to make the shift by 2017. Read More:California First State to Ban Styrofoam PackagingNaturland Promoting Eco Fishing & AquacultureMarch 25th, 2011 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
At this year’s Boston Seafood Show, which opened on March 20th, worldwide organic farming advocate Naturland is urging the fishing industry to consider more eco-friendly fishing techniques. Hans Hohenester, chairman of the Naturland board of directors, says current fishing practices are unnatural, unsustainable, and contaminate waters with harmful chemicals and antibiotics. That’s why Naturland has impressive standards and strict procedures for ensuring organic and sustainable production. Read More:Naturland Promoting Eco Fishing & AquacultureChefs File Lawsuit Against Top Olive Oil Producers, RetailersAugust 9th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
After reading the UC Davis report on mislabeled extra-virgin olive oil, angry California chefs have filed a class-action lawsuit against companies whose products failed the “virginity test.” At press time, 10 major producers and distributors have been named in the suit:
Several of these companies sell organic varieties. Other defendants include markets that have sold these brands “without testing and verifying” oil quality: Bristol Farms, Gelson’s, Vons/Pavilions, Ralphs, Stater Bros., Albertson’s, Target, Walmart, Kmart and Nob Hill Foods. “This is an egregious fleecing of the California consumer,” says lead counsel Daniel J. Callahan. “These companies placed corporate profiteering over their integrity and the integrity of their product.” Callahan believes these companies “have been knowingly misleading and defrauding California consumers for years. “Defendants have been claiming the olive oil they sell meets the high standard of the extra-virgin classification,” he says, noting that chefs’ menu prices have reflected use of the real deal. Some chefs and consumers have reportedly said over the years that their extra-virgin olive oils simply don’t taste right—and “it has now become clear that these tales were based in fact,” Callahan says. Olive oil is a kitchen staple for most organic home cooks, especially those who follow a Mediterranean diet. It’s a monounsaturated fat that should replace unhealthful saturated fats. Read More:Chefs File Lawsuit Against Top Olive Oil Producers, RetailersIs Your Olive Oil Fake?August 7th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Almost 70% of imported and 10% of California-produced extra-virgin olive oils sold at the state’s supermarkets and big-box retailers were mislabeled and may have confused consumers, according to a report from the Olive Oil Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. These findings prompted the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) to petition the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revise oils’ grade standards. The USDA has granted the petition and is in the process of altering the standards so they’ll conform to those commonly accepted by the U.S. and international olive oil industry. Definitions for the various grades—including extra-virgin, virgin, refined and olive pomace oil—will be amended. The USDA expects these revisions to affect olive oil importers, as well as 500+ domestic producers and growers. “The COOC was founded to promote quality extra-virgin olive oil grown in California, and we welcome the opportunity to help fund and support any research that exposes defective or adulterated oils wherever they exist—even in our own backyard,” says Albert Katz, cofounder of Katz and Company, a Napa Valley-based producer of organic oils. Tips from Linda Sikorski, head buyer for Market Hall Foods in Oakland
Photo: The World Through Athene’s Eyes Read More:Is Your Olive Oil Fake?Safeway Responds to Demand for Cage-Free, Organic EggsMay 27th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Grocery giant Safeway has announced it will increase sales of cage-free eggs—from 6% to 12%—over the next 2 years. The decision follows a study published last month in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, which reveals that California’s Proposition 2—legislation passed in 2008 that outlaws cages for hen-laying eggs by January 2015—had “a significant effect on consumer preferences for eggs, increasing demand for cage-free and organic eggs by 180% and 20%, respectively.” The study shows that “the very act of putting an issue like Prop 2 on the ballot affects consumers’ preferences—likely because consumers are largely unaware of, and have incorrect beliefs about, modern agricultural practices,” concludes author Jayson L. Lusk, PhD, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Lusk found that, despite higher prices, demand for cage-free and organic eggs increased 180% and 20%, respectively, in response to news stories about Prop. 2, even as overall egg demand remained the same. “California egg producers have an opportunity to thrive by meeting this demand and abandoning cruel cages,” says Jennifer Fearing, who managed the YES! on Prop 2 campaign for the Humane Society of the United States. Safeway’s 1,712 North American stores include the Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Carrs and Randalls grocery chains. Read More:Safeway Responds to Demand for Cage-Free, Organic EggsTrans Fats Gone from California RestaurantsJanuary 3rd, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
In July 2008, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (at podium, right) signed into law a bill that banned the use of trans fats in restaurants, effective Jan. 1, 2010. Restaurants must now use oils, margarine and shortening that contains less than half a gram of trans fat per serving. Violators will be fined up to $1,000. The second part of the law, a trans-fat ban for baked goods, takes effect next January. The lag time allows the industry to make the proper conversions. As reported in the Sacramento Bee, the California Restaurant Association initially balked at the bill, but its spokesperson now says the industry is compliant. Other opponents represented a wide spectrum of the food industry, from the California Grocers Association and California Retailers Association to the California Chamber of Commerce and California Retailers Association. Business interests resisting a public health-oriented change? Profits over patriotism? Not exactly shocking. California is the first state to ban trans fats, following the lead of cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Read More:Trans Fats Gone from California Restaurants |
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