Can 'organic' labels backfire?

"ANAHEIM, CA: Could organic labels lead you to overeat? These labels certainly appear to make people think their organic snack has a lot fewer calories than it really does.

These findings were presented at this week's Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, Calif. They showed that people who ate organic cookies labeled as "organic" believed that their snack contained 40% fewer calories than the same cookies that had no label, according to Jenny Wan-Chen Lee, a graduate student with the Cornell Food and Brand Lab."

Read the article

What’s on my food? Pesticides and toxins on conventional vs organic foods

"Many people still the debate the practice of buying organic food, claiming it’s not really worth the extra money. While the ubiquitous labeling of “organic” isn’t as specific and regulated as it should be by the USDA, the fact of the matter is that you’re still a lot more likely to be ingesting harmful pesticides if you’re not eating organic. Yes, you can wash your produce when you get home, but a variety of pesticide residues still turn up on many of our foods after being washed.

Want proof of that claim? The Pesticide Action Network’s database, What’s On My Food?, provides an extensive online database listing the toxins, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors, including their health risks, found on many commonly purchased foods from being sprayed with pesticides. Their data comes from the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program’s regulatory information on thousands of pesticides and millions of toxicity tests performed on them. PAN’s site also lists side-by-side conventional vs organic comparisons on most of the foods, letting you see the facts for yourself to then make the decision on whether or not to buy organic."

Read the article

Organic farm produce to show up in unlikely spots this summer

"Chris Ruder of Wicker Park wanted to eat more fruits and vegetables. He wanted to support local organic agriculture. And he wanted to know the person growing his food.

So, like thousands of Chicagoans, he bought a share in a Midwest organic farm that would deliver weekly boxes of produce to the city in an arrangement called community-supported agriculture, or CSA.

"But the drop-off point was way on the North Side and at a time that didn't work for me," Ruder said of his experience last year. "And I figured if this was a hassle for me it must be a hassle for other people too."

Read the article

Will the “Green Revolution” Ever Hit Africa?

"To most people in the developed world, agricultural science is a bit of an afterthought. We go to the grocery store and decide between small, vibrantly red cherry tomatoes and charmingly misshapen heirloom tomatoes. We buy big, juicy oranges and know that when we peel them the juice will run over our fingers and the sticky scent will linger. We can choose between 10 different kinds of apples, no matter the season. At no point during our shopping do most of us stop to think about the technology used to produce this bounty.

Despite the nostalgia many Americans feel for the image of a farm in the country with a red barn, only 2% of Americans are still classified as farmers by the government’s fairly lenient standards. Large industrial farms (producing more than $250,000 in annual sales), though representing only 6% of farms, are responsible for 58% of America’s agricultural sales."

Read the article

On This Oregon Trail, Pioneers Embrace Organic Wine

"TWO decades ago, Doug Tunnell was a veteran newsman who wanted to be a winemaker. Having been a globetrotting CBS correspondent for 18 years, he bought a farm and returned to his family’s roots in the Willamette Valley, a landscape of rolling hills and farmland about 45 minutes southwest of Portland, Oregon.

But he didn’t just want to make wine — he wanted to make organic wine."

Read the article

Organic ice cream maker Three Twins adds production plant

"PETALUMA – Three Twins Ice Cream, which started small in 2005 and grew to three retail operations in the Bay Area, has opened an organic production plant in Petaluma.

According to founder Neal Gottlieb, the increased volume has already scored Three Twins a distributorship with United Natural Food Inc., which supplies Whole Foods.

“This is a major step forward for us,” said Mr. Gottlieb, who chose opening his own business over attending graduate business school.

Organic and green products are often in niche markets, with buyers limited to believers or the affluent, he said."

Read the article

Organic Revisited: A Free Cheat Sheet For Buying Organic

"Common knowledge tells us that organic food is good food. It is tasty to eat, good for the environment, and safer for the farmers and workers who produce it. Since agriculture is responsible for much of the pollution of the waterways, choosing organic is the eco-choice for those who want to live a more sustainable life.

Eating organic may be one of best ways to keep your body healthy and the world’s ecosystems strong. Which organic fruits and vegetables to buy with your hard earned cash can be confusing. Some produce has less pesticides, while others are laden with chemical residues. Some are obvious, because of their thick skin (bananas), while others are penetrable (berries)."

Read the article