Seattle City Vending Machines to Carry Healthy SnacksMarch 10th, 2013 - Lacy
Two years after adopting a policy which required at least half of all snacks sold in vending machines at parks and recreation facilities be considered healthy, Seattle’s city council is extending the policy to all of the city’s properties. Read More:Seattle City Vending Machines to Carry Healthy SnacksA Look Back at 2012′s Biggest Food TrendsJanuary 2nd, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
They say you can’t go forward without first knowing where you’ve been—and this is perhaps most true in our ever-evolving food system. What were the biggest food trends of 2012? Forbes Magazine chimes in with its assessment. Read More:A Look Back at 2012′s Biggest Food TrendsIndia Gains Small Victory in the Fight Against GMOsJune 23rd, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
In a notable victory for India, a country plagued with controversies surrounding the widespread genetically modified crops found across the nation, the government announced that beginning in January 2013 all food products containing genetically modified ingredients must be labeled if they’re going to be sold in the country. Read More:India Gains Small Victory in the Fight Against GMOsArmy’s New Sandwich Fights Decay, Stays Fresh for Two YearsDecember 21st, 2011 - Erin ShawThe US Army’s new pocket sandwiches evade moisture and bacteria with high-tech preservation techniques that stifle bacteria and mold growth. Packaging and ingredients reduce waste and offer more portability and flavor for soldiers in intense combat situations. Read More:Army’s New Sandwich Fights Decay, Stays Fresh for Two YearsStudy On Organic Food and Health Ignores PesticidesMay 28th, 2010 - Scott Shaffer
Really?! If true, this would’ve been news to me, so I checked it out. Sure enough, they elaborate in the first sentence that “there is currently no strong evidence that organics bring nutrition-related health benefits, a new research review finds.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading until I got to the end and figured it out: the study ignored all the health benefits of avoiding synthetic chemicals. So let’s set aside, for the moment, that “green living” means eating less processed meat (which increases your risk of heart disease) and red meat (which increases your risk of bladder cancer, among other things) and just focus on the term “organic.” Strictly speaking, organic food is food that has been grown or raised without the use of synthetic chemicals. Conventional farms use insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to grow fruits and vegetables, and inject their animals with antibiotics and growth hormones. Organic farms cut all that stuff out. There are some other parts of the definition, but being chemical-free is the heart of it. There are lots of reasons to avoid pesticides—as Canada already knows. Pesticides have been linked to ADHD in children. Pesticide sprayers are at risk for blood disorders. Pesticide-free plants are more nutrient-dense and have more polyphenols and antioxidants. And that’s only looking at pesticides! Animal antibiotics and growth hormones pose risks, too. The bottom line is that you need to pay attention to what you eat and what you read. If you come across a report that disses organic food but doesn’t mention any of the dangers of pesticides, growth hormones, or antibiotics, then you’re not reading science or journalism—you’re reading propaganda. Image credit: The U.S. Army Read More:Study On Organic Food and Health Ignores PesticidesEzra Klein’s Crusade Against the Grilled Vegetable PlateApril 8th, 2010 - Scott Shaffer
Organic Authority supports Klein’s campaign for great-tasting vegetarian meals. In this spirit, we offer some of our favorite organic vegetarian recipes below. Enjoy, and fight on!
Jamie Oliver is Making British Kids SmarterMarch 29th, 2010 - Scott Shaffer
Jamie partnered with Parliament to institute his “Feed me Better” campaign in 2004, and Oliver, along with other healthy food enthusiasts, have been waiting with bated breath to see if the efforts are paying off. New results show that UK students in Math and Science are performing better — now that they are being fed Mexican bean wraps and creamy coconut fish, rather than the fatty, salty, deep-fried “turkey twizzlers” and “chicken dinosaurs.” Absenteeism is down, too. The number of kids who stayed home sick from school dropped 15% from before Oliver’s campaign. Imagine how much more productive adults would be if companies replaced candy bar and soda vending machines with healthier food! Really, this shouldn’t be surprising at all. Our minds are connected with our bodies, and if you nourish your body, you’ll make your mind sharper, too. To all the college kids: remember that next time you think of ordering greasy pizza when you’re pulling an all-nighter. This is fantastic news for Britain. Now if only America would try out Jamie’s common-sense approach to nutrition in schools, we’d have something to celebrate on this side of the pond. Read More:Jamie Oliver is Making British Kids SmarterHow Did America Lose Its Connection With Food?January 22nd, 2010 - Laura Klein
Before asking where it came from, I think we should ask when did this change? How did we become so disconnected from our food? Here are three things/events that I think lead us down this path: The World Wars This made traditional farming methods such as crop rotation and animal fertilization obsolete. It led to the mass farming practices that are practiced today amongst conventional farmers. This new way of farming allowed farmers to grow massive amounts of crops and ship them nationally (and globally). People could now get their (cheaper) produce from a farmer that was hundreds or thousands of miles away and spraying who knows what on it. The Feminist Movement She mentions that the Women’s Liberation movement was positioned as getting women out of the kitchen and into the workforce, which it did. You know what else also happened at the same time? Heavily processed foods started to show up in the stores. Up until that time, women spent time at home preparing meals from scratch for their families. Therefor they had a better connection with their food because they were preparing it. Suddenly someone else was put in charge with this responsibility. Advertising In the case of the chemically sprayed produce, it is positioned as being able to feed more people and a cheaper method. It is also given the name “conventional.” The method that was around for years was given the new label of “organic.” Why not call it what it is? Chemically sprayed. Why was the method that’s been around since the beginning given this new label? Organic is the way that produce has been farmed for thousands of years. As for the Women’s Movement, all of these new processed and packaged foods are advertised as quick and easy because “you don’t have time to cook a meal for your family. We can do it for you. Just pop this in the microwave.” Now instead of chicken with mashed potatoes, homemade gravy and broccoli, families are eating high fructose corn syrup, salt, hormone injected chickens and a bunch of unpronounceable additives. These are all reasons that I started an organic vegetable garden on my fire escape. I’ve also made a New Year’s Resolution to eat more seasonal and locally grown produce. The purpose of this post isn’t to point out a bunch of problems and offer no solutions. There are simple ways that you can eat organic and local on a budget. You can grow your own, join a CSA, join food co-op or go to a local farmers market. Build a relationship with the people that are growing and making your food. Ask them questions about growing practices and where the food came from. You owe it to yourself. Mike Lieberman resides in NYC. He is someone who walks their talk as a living, breathing demonstration of how sustainable living is possible anywhere. Lieberman shows others how they can do the same on his own blogs and writes for others around the web. You can find him at CanarsieBK.com. Read More:How Did America Lose Its Connection With Food?Stephen Colbert Freaks Out Over “Sugar Shortage”August 23rd, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Calm down. In this clip, Stephen talks with author of Food Politics, Marion Nestle and she insists the “sugar shortage” is a manufactured crisis, claiming food producers just want cheap imported sugar because domestic quotas are so high. Via The Colbert Report. Read More:Stephen Colbert Freaks Out Over “Sugar Shortage”The Dish on Safer Food: Be Your Own Best AdvocateAugust 17th, 2009 - Laura Klein
As you know from my last blog, I think the best thing about this bill is its title; huge agribusinesses need to make serious changes, and the bill doesn’t support this. Factory Farming Creates Super Bacteria When large numbers of animals are raised in confinement, diseases are more prevalent. This translates to a greater reliance on antibiotics. In time, bacteria become resistant to the drugs. In turn, the humans who consume these antibiotic-resistant bacteria find that medications available to us are ineffective. One study illustrates this point perfectly (and scarily!): A survey of E. coli bacteria isolated from poultry raised in a state-of-the-art confinement poultry operation at a university found that all the bacteria were resistant to the commonly used antibiotics, Tetracycline, Streptomycin and Sulphonamide (Sulphafurazole). In contrast, all the strains of bacteria isolated from free-range birds were sensitive to the drugs.1 Ask Away for Healthier Food! All of this confirms my theory that an informed eater is a healthier eater! If you want steak at a restaurant, ask your waiter where the meat comes from – grass-fed from farm to fork is your healthiest choice. Ask your market’s butcher for organic, free-range poultry…if they don’t carry it, maybe they’ll start! The more you know about the source and origins of your food, the safer you and your family will be. And in turn, you’ll be supporting the small, local producers and manufacturers that need and deserve your dollars. Stay tuned here for more on HR 2749 when the senate returns from summer recess. 1Ojeniyi, A. A. (1989). “Public health aspects of bacterial drug resistance in modern battery and town/village poultry” Acta Vet Scand 30(2): 127-32.lets say it… Read More:The Dish on Safer Food: Be Your Own Best Advocate |
Last month on OATV, 
Those of us who care about keeping our food safe and healthy are all waiting with baited breath for the Senate to return from summer recess to consider the HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act.
