News
July 26, 2006
THE Agriculture Department has proposed allowing animals to be labeled grass-fed even if they never saw a pasture and were fed antibiotics and hormones.
When Martin E. O'Connor, chief of the standardization branch of the department's livestock and feed program, explained the proposed rule at a conference of the American Grassfed Association in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Friday, members were angry.
Producers of grass-fed animals have waited for years for the department to develop Read more
When Martin E. O'Connor, chief of the standardization branch of the department's livestock and feed program, explained the proposed rule at a conference of the American Grassfed Association in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Friday, members were angry.
Producers of grass-fed animals have waited for years for the department to develop Read more
News
July 25, 2006
Web Note: More and more cheap "organic" soybeans are being imported into the U.from China and Brazil by companies such as Silk soy milk, and White Wave tofu, despite the fact that labor and environmental standards are routinely violated in these countries.
PRESS RELEASE JULY 25, 2006
CONTACT:
Greenpeace International
Mike Townsley,
+31 6 2129 6918
Paulo Adario,
Head of Greenpeace Amazon Campaign,
+559281158928 (mobile)
John Sauven,
Greenpeace UK (London),
+447929638296 (mobile)
Thomas Read more
PRESS RELEASE JULY 25, 2006
CONTACT:
Greenpeace International
Mike Townsley,
+31 6 2129 6918
Paulo Adario,
Head of Greenpeace Amazon Campaign,
+559281158928 (mobile)
John Sauven,
Greenpeace UK (London),
+447929638296 (mobile)
Thomas Read more
News
July 20, 2006
Aurora Organic Dairy, the nation's largest factory farm supplier of "organic" milk just announced their animal welfare certification today. They've also recently introduced their own brand of milk and butter (High Meadows). Please read about this formidable competitor to real organic dairy products...
Mark A. Kastel
The Cornucopia Institute
kastel@cornucopia.org
608-625-2042 Voice
866-861-2214 Fax
P.O. Box 126
Cornucopia, Wisconsin 54827
www.cornucopia.org
Aurora owns two feedlot dairies (factory farms), and are developing two Read more
Mark A. Kastel
The Cornucopia Institute
kastel@cornucopia.org
608-625-2042 Voice
866-861-2214 Fax
P.O. Box 126
Cornucopia, Wisconsin 54827
www.cornucopia.org
Aurora owns two feedlot dairies (factory farms), and are developing two Read more
News
From Advertising Age magazine
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Amid its $578 million advertising review, Wal-Mart Stores is kicking off a multi-million dollar campaign focused on its new organic food offerings.
Wal-Mart is moving into the organic food field with a marketing campaign emphasizing low prices.
The TV, radio, online, print and in-store push, from independent Bernstein-Rein, Kansas City, Mo., showcases the first-ever "organics" Wal-Mart logo and the tagline "What will you bring to the table?"
Separation from Target As Wal-Mart positions itself to win over more affluent shoppers, the focus on Read more
Wal-Mart is moving into the organic food field with a marketing campaign emphasizing low prices.
The TV, radio, online, print and in-store push, from independent Bernstein-Rein, Kansas City, Mo., showcases the first-ever "organics" Wal-Mart logo and the tagline "What will you bring to the table?"
Separation from Target As Wal-Mart positions itself to win over more affluent shoppers, the focus on Read more
News
July 12, 2006
A typical grocery list might include eggs, milk, pork chops, asparagus, coffee, salmon steaks and bananas. Sounds simple. But each involves a personal choice that reflects our values.
Are the bananas organic or grown with chemicals? Do they carry a Fair Trade sticker, indicating that the farm workers who grew and harvested them earned a living wage?
How much fossil-fuel energy went into growing that asparagus, and transporting it thousands of miles? Or was it grown nearby?
Is the salmon wild-caught from a well-managed fishery, or was it raised on an underwater Read more
Are the bananas organic or grown with chemicals? Do they carry a Fair Trade sticker, indicating that the farm workers who grew and harvested them earned a living wage?
How much fossil-fuel energy went into growing that asparagus, and transporting it thousands of miles? Or was it grown nearby?
Is the salmon wild-caught from a well-managed fishery, or was it raised on an underwater Read more
News
July 8, 2006
Web Note: The Cornucopia Institute http://www.cornucopia.org has reported that their research shows that approximately 50% of Horizon Organic's (a subsidiary of the dairy conglomerate Dean Foods) milk is coming from large dairy feedlots where the animals have little or no access to pasture, not 20% as the CEO of Horizon Organic, Joe Scalzo claims below. Horizon could easily clear up this discrepancy--assuming they have nothing to hide-- by publishing a comprehensive list of their dairy suppliers and their locations, along with itemized herd sizes. But Read more
News
July 8, 2006
Stumped over what’s “natural” food?
You’re not alone.
Jana Morgan considers herself a careful shopper who nonetheless was somewhat stumped when asked whether she considered high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil—a sweetener and a fat widely used by food manufacturers—to be “natural.”
“I am not really sure. I know ‘organic,’ ” said Morgan, who operates a UPS Store in Hulen Bend shopping center in Fort Worth with her husband. “My assumption is that a lot of processed food will not be purely natural.”
The federal Agriculture Read more
You’re not alone.
Jana Morgan considers herself a careful shopper who nonetheless was somewhat stumped when asked whether she considered high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil—a sweetener and a fat widely used by food manufacturers—to be “natural.”
“I am not really sure. I know ‘organic,’ ” said Morgan, who operates a UPS Store in Hulen Bend shopping center in Fort Worth with her husband. “My assumption is that a lot of processed food will not be purely natural.”
The federal Agriculture Read more
News
June 7, 2006
America's appetite for organic food is so strong that supply just can't keep up with demand. Organic products still have only a tiny slice, about 2.5 percent, of the nation's food market. But the slice is expanding at a feverish pace.
Growth in sales of organic food has been 15 percent to 21 percent each year, compared with 2 percent to 4 percent for total food sales.
Organic means food is grown without bug killer, fertilizer, hormones, antibiotics or biotechnology.
Mainstream supermarkets, eyeing the success of organic retailers such as Whole Foods, have Read more
Growth in sales of organic food has been 15 percent to 21 percent each year, compared with 2 percent to 4 percent for total food sales.
Organic means food is grown without bug killer, fertilizer, hormones, antibiotics or biotechnology.
Mainstream supermarkets, eyeing the success of organic retailers such as Whole Foods, have Read more
News
Eden Foods
Though all EDEN organic food is grown, handled, processed, and certified in a way that meets and exceeds the requirements for using the 'USDA Organic' seal, Eden Foods chooses not to use this seal on its product labels or marketing materials. Many reasonably ask how Eden came to this decision. The short answer is, this seal does not approach Eden's high standards for organic, in practice or in spirit. Years before the implementation of the National Organic Program (USDA's NOP) in October of 2002, Eden got word in 1992 that a national standard for organic was underway. In theory it seemed like Read more
News
July 3, 2006
SOUTH BAY - When Florida Crystals Corp. decided to try growing and processing sugar cane for the organic market nine years ago, even some of its top officials were skeptical.
"The biggest challenge was the processing. How do you process it without chemicals?" said Ricardo Lima, vice president and general manager of the firm's Okeelanta Corp., which includes 65,000 acres of cane fields, plus a mill, processing plant and distribution center. "I said, 'That's not possible. You're nuts.' But we decided to try it, starting out with 50 to 60 tons of sugar."
Another challenge Read more
"The biggest challenge was the processing. How do you process it without chemicals?" said Ricardo Lima, vice president and general manager of the firm's Okeelanta Corp., which includes 65,000 acres of cane fields, plus a mill, processing plant and distribution center. "I said, 'That's not possible. You're nuts.' But we decided to try it, starting out with 50 to 60 tons of sugar."
Another challenge Read more
for 