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The American Diet: 53 Gallons of Soda, 42 Pounds of Corn Syrup, 200 Pounds of Meat

Jill Ettinger — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:00:45 +0000

The average American eats. A lot. As a new infographic points out, per year, food intake per person can amount to some 200 pounds of meat, 85 pounds of fat, 415 pounds of vegetables, 31 pounds of cheese, 53 gallons of soda and 42 pounds of high fructose corn syrup.

FDA Advises Livestock Producers to Limit Antibiotic Use

Barbara Feiner — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:36:24 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a draft guidance on limiting the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals.

By definition, organic meat and poultry are free of antibiotics, pesticides and hormones.

The agency wants to ensure animals remain healthy, while decreasing human and animal resistance to these drugs—a growing public health hazard.

Not surprisingly, meat industry representatives are unhappy with the recommendation. The National Pork Producers Council argues it will be “overly burdensome,” while claiming there’s no connection between nonorganic meat consumption and antibiotic resistance. (Try again, guys…)

The FDA is inviting public comments on the draft guidance, so seize the opportunity to voice your concerns.

Photo: Scott Bauer/USDA

Colorado Rules in Organic Livestock

Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:41:17 +0000

I live in New Jersey, so to me “open space” means a corner lot. But not in Colorado, there's plenty of land out there.

So it's no surprise that a recent report shows Colorado has the highest percentage of land dedicated to organic livestock.

Colorado rules with 76%, the most in the West. And you better call it the “West,” I was just in Colorado and they're very punchy about being called "Midwest."

And Colorado is second only to Idaho in the number of organic farms in a state.

Farmers in Colorado say switching to organic is expensive and cumbersome, but the certification makes their organic meat "the real McCoy.”

It's pretty cool to see a state so dominated by organic. I think it represents a nationwide shift in consumer demand.

I don't know about organic farms, but I tell you one thing, Colorado has more medical marijuana stores...on EVERY corner - it's far out man!

Image credit: groans from within

Vegetable-Based Nitrates Can Help Preserve Pork, Organically

Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:28:55 +0000

A common trouble with organic food, and you don't have to be an expert to guess what it is, is how to preserve and protect it.

For years, pesticides and chemicals have been seen as the guardians against food-borne illness, and food “going bad.”

All this probably goes double for meat products. So how do you protect foods, in this case pork, from spoiling, and making you sick?

Researchers have an idea, using vegetables.

Organic meat cannot contain contaminates. And traditional curing involves nitrates, a chemical preservative, i.e. an organic no-no.

So if chemical preservative aren't allowed, vegetable-based nitrates from organic plants is being looked at as a solution.

Items being considered are lemon powder and natural vinegar, even lactic acid, the stuff in milk might work.

What's spurred the desire to better preserve organic meats is people don't realize organics usually don't last as long as regular meat.

So they save them longer than they should, and often abuse them the same as traditional products. You can't leave organic meat out too long.

But people often don't realize this, meaning they increase contracting some sort of food-borne pathogen.

Via Newswise.

Image credit: The Pug Father

How One Couple Changed the Organic Meat Business

Barbara Feiner — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:17:39 +0000

Muslims Neil and Nikki Payne moved to the English countryside to escape London’s frenetic pace. They sought a greener lifestyle and were extremely unhappy with the quality of meat sold by butchers and supermarkets.

The Paynes suspected much of the meat labeled “halal” (slaughtered in accordance with Islamic principles) may not be legit. Conversations with breeders, abattoir owners and locals revealed some uncomfortable truths about the industry: a lack of standards, ethics and principles. The couple decided to launch the United Kingdom’s first organic halal meat company, investing their life savings.

Abraham Natural Produce provides organic, ethically reared, halal meat. The Paynes believe the UK’s Muslim population benefits from local, high-quality organic food.

“We decided to set up the company as a service for people who think like us,” Neil says. “Our target market is people who really care about the quality of the animals, their treatment, what they are fed and how they are slaughtered. We are the only company that can tell a customer when and where their lamb was born, what breed it was, where it lived, what it ate, what air it breathed and who slaughtered it. Show me a halal butcher that can do that. In addition, we promote eco-friendly values, support local providers and donate a percentage of profits to charities that help feed the poor and underprivileged. Our business model is not profit-driven, but conscience-driven.”

The launch comes at a time when the public is showing increased interest in organic and naturally reared meat and produce. The Paynes would ultimately like consumers to put an end to the domination of supermarkets over local food producers.

“You are what you eat,” Neil says. “So, when you are eating flesh—something else’s DNA—you need to be 100% positive that the animal was pure, healthy and, above all, happy.”