Food & Agriculture

BPA Now Banned From Bottles & Sippy Cups

Is it too little too late? The Food and Drug Administration will now ban Bisphenol-A from baby bottles and sippy cups. However, manufacturers have recently phased BPA out of  those products. In fact, the U.S. Chemical Council, which is the chemical industry’s main association, had requested this move, according to NBC, to help boost consumer confidence.

The ban of the controversial chemical does not go further than those kids’ products. And that mean BPA is probably still getting into your homes and bodies everyday. There is reason to be concerned.  BPA is linked to everything from developmental problems to infertility.

To find out how you can help ban BPA from your home, watch my Do Your Part video here.

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How Green Will the London Olympics Be?

The 2012 Olympic games in London will be one of the greenest Olympics yet. Organizers say sustainability is at the core of the games – everything from the venues to the food provided for the world’s most elite athletes.

Starting with the venues, many places where the athletes will compete were already in place such as the Wimbledon courts. Public transportation has been significantly beefed up for athletes and travelers. And, new bike and walking routes and paths have been added across London. Olympic organizers have also been hard at work to make sure much of the food is sustainably sourced and minimum packaging is used.

Organizers have also created what they call a revolutionary new system to deal with the waste left behind from all the incoming people – pledging to keep it all from the landfills during the games.

To see more about the eco-friendly efforts surrounding the 2012 games, check out this video.

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Pocket Guide to Safer Produce

During the winter months, much of the produce we purchase at the grocery store is imported from thousands of miles away and usually is not organic. The Organic Center claims that certain pieces of imported produce actually contains up to three times the amount of pesticides as produce grown in America. Click here for the organization’s pocket guide that you can print out and keep handy for safer food shopping.

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Is Your Honey Really Honey? Tests Show It May Not Be

Your favorite brand of honey may not be honey at all. Testing shows a majority of honey sold in U.S. grocery stores is produced using a filtering system to remove the pollen which means the honey is not exactly what the bees produce. The removal of pollen from honey makes it impossible to determine whether the product came from legitimate and safe sources. The Food and Drug Administration says any product that’s been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen is not honey. But the agency does not check honey sold in the U.S. to see if it contains pollen.

Recent testing for Food and Safety News looked at 60 brands of honey from ten states and the District of Columbia. The honey was analyzed by an industry expert at Texas A&M University. 76 percent of the samples bought at grocery stores had all of the pollen removed. 100 percent of the honey sampled from drugstores like Walgreens and CVS had no pollen. The testing did find that all of the samples purchased at farmers markets, co-ops and natural food stores like Trader Joe’s contained the full amount of honey. The Food Safety News analysis also found that 71 percent of the grocery store honey labeled as ‘organic’ was heavy with pollen.

Ultra-filtering of honey is a procedure where honey is heated, sometimes watered down and then forced through extremely small filters to remove pollen. It’s similar to a technique used in China, the source of some of the honey found in the U.S. market. An earlier investigation by Food Safety News found honey from India on U.S. grocery store shelves that had been banned in Europe because of contamination with antibiotics, heavy metal and a lack of pollen.

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More Americans Buying Organic Food

More U.S. families than ever before are choosing to buy organic foods. According to a new study, 78 percent of families say they buy organic foods and 40 percent of families are buying more organic food than they did a year ago. The findings by the Organic Trade Association are in line with an earlier survey showing the U.S. organic industry grew at a rate of nearly eight percent in 2010. The group says consumer choice and demand is one reason the industry is one of the few components of the U.S. economy that continues to add jobs.

Nearly half of the parents surveyed in the report said the strongest motivating factor for buying organic is their belief that organic products “are healthier for me and my children.” Other reasons for choosing organic include concern over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on children. Parents also say they are trying to avoid highly processed and artificial ingredients. The report also found more shoppers are familiar with the USDA Organic seal which ensures the product is made without the use of chemicals or antibiotics. 72 percent of parents say they are familiar with the USDA Organic label, up from 65 percent in 2009.

The growing organic market is one reason the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded 23 new grants to organic agricultural research projects. The $19 million dollars worth of grants will fund research and extension programs working to help organic producers and processors grow and market high quality organic food. The grants include a project in New Hampshire to increase year-round organic dairy production and a project in Ohio examining the incorporation of pasture-raised poultry and naked oats into an organic rotation plan. USDA officials say as more farmers adopt organic farming practices, they need the best science available to operate successful organic farms.

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Earth-Friendly Blue Jeans

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of your favorite pair of blue jeans? When it comes to water use, it’s a lot. Levi Strauss and Co. says the typical pair of jeans consumes 919 gallons of water during its life cycle. Growing cotton for blue jeans accounts for 49 percent of the water used, more than all of the washings blue jeans go through after they are bought.

One of the largest demin producers in the world wants to cut the eco-footprint of its blue jeans. Levi Strauss is releasing two million pairs of jeans made with sustainably grown cotton. The Levi’s and Denizen jeans are made with Better Cotton, grown as part of the Better Cotton Initiative that reduces the environmental impact of cotton farming and improves the lives of farmers.

Levi’s joined the Better Cotton Initiative in 2009 along with retailers GAP, Adidas and IKEA. The non-profit group promotes water conservation, reduced pesticide use and encourages better working conditions for cotton farmers and laborers. A recent study found Better Cotton farming techniques raised farmers’ profits by up to 69 percent and reduced water and pesticide use by one-third.

Five percent of the cotton used in Levi’s Better Cotton jeans hitting stores this fall was grown using sustainable methods. The New York Times reports the company wants to increase that number to 20 percent by 2015. Last year, Levi Strauss introduced a line of blue jeans called ‘Water<Less’ jeans. The manufacturing process of Water<Less use an average of 28 percent less water, in some products up to 96 percent less water.

 

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Do Your Part and Pick a Better Cup O' Joe

Are you someone who savors that morning cup of coffee? Do you enjoy the smell and taste of a freshly brewed pot? You’ll enjoy it even more if you Do Your Part to seek out fair trade and organic coffees. And since October is Fair Trade Month, it’s the perfect time to talk about why it’s critical to seek out coffees that are cultivated with the planet and people in mind.

The Fair Trade label is an important one. It certifies that the people working to produce your coffee are paid a fair price and are working in good conditions. Since many coffee producers are small scale organizations in poorer countries, the Fair Trade program works to connect them directly to coffee importers around the world. This allows the producers to foster long lasting relationships that will help sustain their coffee businesses and improve their communities.

Seeking out organic coffees is another important decision. Look for the USDA organic seal and you’ll know that your coffee beans were grown without pesticides that can pollute our land and water.  This also means the farmers working that land and the people living in the surrounding communities won’t come into contact with those toxic chemicals, either.

There’s another thing to look for when shopping for the best beans. If you can, seek out shade-grown coffees.  This means the valuable land used to grow the coffee wasn’t clear cut which allows the natural habitat for birds and other animals remains intact.

So what if you don’t brew your own and instead go to a coffee shop to get that morning jolt? There are still plenty of ways to Do Your Part on the go. First, ask where the beans they use come from and how the crops were cultivated. Next, bring your own coffee mug instead of using a paper coffee cup. Many coffee spots will offer you a deal to bring in one of your own. Starbucks and Peet’s offer .10 off each time you do.

Many times, coffee shops will also give away their coffee grounds for free. Those grounds are rich in nitrogen which means it’s an effective addition to any compost pile. That compost pile will eventually become free fertilizer for your lawn and garden. Straight coffee grounds are also good food for acid-loving plants such as azaleas, roses, and hydrangeas.

Something as small as your morning cup of coffee can actually make a big impact on our environment. Do Your Part as you enjoy your next cup of joe knowing that you picked the perfect blend for you and the planet.

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Study: How To Feed The World While Protecting The Planet

October 19, 2011

It’s estimated the global population will reach nine billion by the year 2050. With a billion people in the world are already malnourished there is concern about future food security and sustainability. An international team of scientists says there is a solution and have come up with a plan they say could feed billions of people without exhausting all of the world’s resources. The scientists say it can happen by transforming the global food system in the next 40 years  toward a more sustainable model. The scientists five point plan includes strategic use of water and nutrients, reduced food waste, croplands that are dedicated to human food production and improved crop production.

Those are just some of the conclusions of a study published by the researchers in the journal Nature. The study says agriculture is the single leading cause behind global warming and loss of ecosystem services. The team of scientists used satellite maps and on-the-ground records to compile data about crop production and environmental impacts. The images showed tens of thousands of acres of acres of forests and grasslands disappearing and converted to cropland. Worldwide, 70 percent of grassland, 45 percent of deciduous forests and 27 percent of the tropical forests have been converted to agriculture. And more than a third of the world’s cropland is dedicated to growing feed for animals and biofuels.

The researchers say the strategies they are proposing could lead to 100 to 180 percent more food available for consumption while sustaining lakes, forests and soil. The study says devoting more cropland to human food consumption could boost calories produced per person by nearly 50 percent.

 

 

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Cow Power Produces Green Energy

October 18, 2011

Dairy farmers are getting a lot more than milk out of their cows. Some farmers are creating their own electricity by turning cow manure into energy. The process uses anaerobic methane digestion and a recent study took a closer look at the economic and environmental benefits of the renewable energy process. Qingbin Wang, of the University of Vermont, led a seven year study of six dairy farms in Vermont. The farms all participated in the local power company’s Cow Power program which provides generators that run on methane from cow manure.

The study showed that the six farms were able to generate about 12 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. Through the Cow Power program, more than 4,000 customers voluntarily paid 4 cents more per kilowatt hour to use the renewable energy. The study found the success of the program was dependent factors including base electricity price, premium rate, financial support from the government and other revenue from selling byproducts of generating methane.

Professor Wang says the Cow Power program represents a successful and local sourced renewable energy project with economic and environmental benefits.

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What's Really In Your 'Natural' Cereal?

October 14, 2011

What’s in a label? Apparently not much when it comes to the word ‘natural’. A new report says many cereals labeled as ‘natural’ actually contain pesticides and genetically modified ingredients. The report by the non-profit Cornucopia Institute claims some of the nation’s major cereal makers are using deceptive marketing practices to sell ‘natural’ cereals that are chemical engineered or contain what the group calls toxic agrichemicals. Cornucopia says there are no restrictions or regulations for foods labeled as ‘natural’. However, the certified USDA organic seal requires that food be produced without fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified ingredients.

The Cornucopia report claims products labeled as ‘natural’ are often priced higher than equivalent organic products. It also suggests that some companies are taking advantage of consumer confusion and lack of labeling laws. Cornucopia also published a Cereal Scorecard to help consumers support organic farmers and find cereals without genetically engineered ingredients.

The report gives examples of cereals that claim to be natural but are filled with unnatural ingredients. Cornucopia says 100 percent of the soy used in Kashi brand cereals was genetically modified. Whole Foods 365 brand Corn Flakes was found to contain over 50 percent genetically modified corn.

 

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