Dear Folks,
A question to ponder -- What is the real cost of food choices?
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/7277419-423/food-detective-the-cost-of-fair-and-unfair-food.html
The above is an article about the questions raised by Oran Hesterman the author of Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All.
I have not read the book, however the question gave me an opportunity to think about the long-term as well as short-term collateral issues of food choices.
In this article, Hesterman, briefly, discusses the potential future problems with what he terms "unfair" food choices eventually causing more environmental damage in addition to the growing (no pun intended) obesity problem in America.
Why should you care what someone else chooses to eat? Because eventually you may be paying the cost to either treat the issues down the road through reduced viable crop land and health care costs rising even higher because of diseases related to obesity.
Before anyone gets worked up about targeting the people struggling with weight, the point I'm making is about YOUR choices, not someone else.
The more people who choose locally and naturally grown food, the less factory farming which contributes to 'dead zones' in the gulf from fertilizer and pesticide runoff,.and the less Oil we need.
How does oil fit in here? Have you seen the oil industries commercials touting all the jobs etc. the industry provides. There is a little side note, with visual, highlighting the use of oil in fertilizers and pesticides.
Besides 'un-natural' fertilizers and pesticides, did you know oil is used to make alcohols which are then processed to create food items such as distilled vinegar and food flavors and colorings? A "natural" product, oil, in my opinion, has absolutely no place in our food system. What do you think?
Choices that people make about lifestyles including food, can have long-term consequences that impact the rest of society as well as themselves in the 'fall-out' from those choices.
I had an interesting conversation with a young friend several months ago. I was remarking on the inevitable hearing problems young people will have listening to their music with earphones and in cars with the volume turned up so loud. What my young friends said, just dropped my jaw -- "they are not really worried about their hearing - they just figure by the time it becomes an issue, medicine will have found a treatment or remedy."
And who would pay for that is the question that rolled around in my mind for weeks after. We can kid ourselves that a premium for insurance pays for our rights under the policy, but the benefits and costs are directly tied to what the insurance company finds is a common and customary need and cost.
In an un-fair scenario any individual who has a condition or disease directly associated with poor choices on their part would have to pay for the real value of the cost of treatment. There is no way to cover, fund or single out such an option and no way to fairly apply it.
There are currently calls to 'sin-taxes' on things like sodas and junk foods.. Whether those ever become reality the point is there are some who think that is a great idea and others who feel it a private choice of food and not someone else's business and then "that" point gets embroiled in down-the-road health costs, and on, and on, and on.
So I choose to make better food choices because in the long run I believe it will benefit me and my family and society as a whole, as an extension of a single individuals choices, multiplied by the estimated millions of people choosing to spend some of their food budget on organic or naturally (really naturally) grown foods.
Statistics for 2010 on organic food purchases: "...organic fruits and vegetables, now representing over 11 percent of all U.S. fruit and vegetable sales." Source: Organic Trade Association’s 2011 Organic Industry Survey
Think about food choices as a "Now" kind of choice and a "later" consequences choice.
By the way, no one is perfect and no one should point fingers at someone because they want the occasional 'guilty pleasure' - think of it as making better choices most of the time or at least aiming in that direction.
Some of the people my family has lost, could perhaps have had longer and healthier lives if they had made better choices. Something to ponder.
Be kind to yourselves,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Slow Foods Healthy Meal Challenge!
Dear Folks,
Slow Foods USA is having a challenge event on September 17, 2011. Can you make, share, host or write about a meal that is a homemade, nutritious and overall healthy option to fast-food offerings for $5 or less?
Click here to learn more about the challenge itself.
I have taken the pledge to make such a meal. Here is what I'm going to do. I decided to address the meal options as versions of "happy meals" (I am working with a crafter friend to come up with a locally made 'toy'- and hoping that works out). These won't be for just children only, I expect adults to enjoy the meals I have in mind too.
If it were adults alone who need to make better food choices some of the "challenge" would not be so challenging. But finding healthy options for children when you are competing with some of the top social/food addictions is a real challenge.
For those of you who are not familiar with Slow Foods - it is an organization devoted both to alternatives to both fast food, and the re-focus back to community and local.
"Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment."
On September 16th, I will publish my recipes and other related information to the challenge, and hope that you can do two things: 1) try them yourselves, and 2) pass the information around to as many people as you can.
Get off the fast food track and onto the community slow food trail and enjoy a renewed sense of community and, oh by the way, better health :-)
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Slow Foods USA is having a challenge event on September 17, 2011. Can you make, share, host or write about a meal that is a homemade, nutritious and overall healthy option to fast-food offerings for $5 or less?
Click here to learn more about the challenge itself.
I have taken the pledge to make such a meal. Here is what I'm going to do. I decided to address the meal options as versions of "happy meals" (I am working with a crafter friend to come up with a locally made 'toy'- and hoping that works out). These won't be for just children only, I expect adults to enjoy the meals I have in mind too.
If it were adults alone who need to make better food choices some of the "challenge" would not be so challenging. But finding healthy options for children when you are competing with some of the top social/food addictions is a real challenge.
For those of you who are not familiar with Slow Foods - it is an organization devoted both to alternatives to both fast food, and the re-focus back to community and local.
"Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment."
On September 16th, I will publish my recipes and other related information to the challenge, and hope that you can do two things: 1) try them yourselves, and 2) pass the information around to as many people as you can.
Get off the fast food track and onto the community slow food trail and enjoy a renewed sense of community and, oh by the way, better health :-)
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
What Is A Market Town? What Is A Made Over?
Dear Folks,
I am particularly drawn to old fashioned ideas - when they make perfect sense most of the time. There is something comforting to me about terms like 'made over' and 'market town.'
The former (made over) is an old fashioned term for using 'left overs.' Now a days more recent terms referring to left overs are Rachel Ray's "cook once, eat all week." Yesterday I made a rif on an Italian pasta fagioli (bean) soup, using a couple of left overs, to 'make over' into this outstanding soup. (Recipes below.) Made over foods are the ultimate in recycling and if done with creativity, no one has to know you used left overs unless you tell them. Growing up in a financially challenged family, I had a negative 'thing' about anything hand-me-down or leftovers. I have matured in both age and appreciation for making complete use of something, or even planning ahead to consider the other uses for things down the road.
What Is A Market Town?
The phrase has history in both England and other countries in Europe and other areas of the world might call these marketplaces bazaar or souk. Whatever the term it means a central place to come together to sell and buy things.
I like the term 'market town' because to me it means community. While England is known for its market towns operating as a hub to the smaller residential villages and towns surrounding it, the need for market towns was utilized here in the US, although not always under that name. Any rural farming or ranching area had a place where residents "went to town" weekly or monthly to buy or sell supplies, visit and catch up with other residents and then return home with their purchases.
In this day and age the concept of a "market town" for centrally located merchandise sources might be called a "mall" (shudder) but really should be looked as "your neighborhood" community.
The valley does not have the advantage of several centuries of community history like some areas of the east coast. The almost ancient areas there had to forge extensive community reliance in the 16 and 1700s in order to literally survive. That history made it a little easier to form communities where most people knew each other, and share not only commerce, but social interaction.
Here is the valley while there is a rich history of cultural diversity, there is less community because we are soooo spread out.
Where am I going with this? I would like our valley folks to look at their neighborhoods as their community, not just the city at large, although that is certainly a part of it. There are a lot of reasons for choosing to look to neighbors and most it has to do with a kind of survival resource. In a disaster who would you turn to first? What if you can't call or drive or even bike to help? Most of us would either call for help to our neighbors or we would see that our neighbors need help.
This past week's earthquake and then hurricane Irene on the east coast made me contemplate community a lot more - I have extensive family all up and down the eastern seaboard. So far all reports are they are all safe and un-injured. Some may be without power until early September, some can't go to work because the roads are either blocked or the companies themselves shut down. On a side note I am very angry at those who think the hurricane was over-hyped. You can't over-prepare for a hurricane or other potential natural disaster. If you are lucky enough to survive with extra, store it or donate it!
So the community I envision is my neighborhood. If you think, as I do, about what my neighbors do for a living or are good at in retirement, I can think of my neighborhood as a 'market town' and by extension as "my community" where I might get help from a plumber or Deane can help someone start their car, or . . . I help them. I like to share my meals with neighbors, particularly an elder one. One neighbor and I do cookie/candy making at the holidays and deliver trays to those we know. We bring fresh things from our garden to newbies. My neighbor and I going to organize a cookie swap for the holidays. What can you do in your neighborhood that would make it your community? It does not have to be houses. An apartment complex or dormitory is a community. Years ago I lived in a small garden apartment complex and we all routinely got together for parties and holidays, going in and out of apartments like a huge progressive party.
I hope you see what I mean here. Who are your neighbors and what can you and they share?
Besides a 'market town' for buying and selling things, your community can also be your participation with your neighbors in a neighborhood community garden. I have written about this before. A community garden, can certainly be a lot set aside by the City (Mesa Community College also has a community garden), but it can also be several neighbors growing what they are either good at or have space for and then getting together for a good old harvest gathering and sharing. And during that event you can find out what each do, and plan for a cookie or candy swap during the holidays.
More on community gardens.
Here is a new buzz word SPIN -- Small Plot INtensive farming. Deane's son Travis has launched a tour with his gal-friend Morgan highlighting gardeners, small farmers and others with great ideas on permaculture and sustainable agriculture. The SPIN concept is to make use of urban lands either by lending, renting or purchasing them for sustainable farming, to create a small commercial farm in an urban environment. A 'community farm'. The main "Eco-Jaunt" site is here.
The feature on SPIN is here.
Learn more about SPIN here.
While you might not be interested in staring your own commercial farm the ideas in the SPIN concept of utilizing local and urban areas for community are worth learning.
Made Over Recipes.
CATHERINE'S POTATO, PASTA, BEAN & CHICKEN SOUP
Home made chicken broth (sure you can use store bought)
Boiled Dressing (see below for recipe)
1 Left Over Cooked Chicken Breast (see directions)
1 can organic northern white beans or cannellini beans (more power to you if you cook your own from scratch - save about 2 and a half cups worth of cooked with some of the liquid)
1 large potato (I used a very large new red) - I always leave healthy skin on potatoes while cooking
1/4 cup stellinie or pastini pasta (small star type)
1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch
water as needed
Herb blend of choice - I used rosemary, garlic and black pepper
salt to taste (I used a total of about 1/2 teaspoon)
Optional: Other vegetables to add more depth and color - carrots, celery, parsnip, sweet potatoes. The extra veggies should be added at the same time as the potatoes and the liquid increased to completely cover them while cooking.
BOILED DRESSING
A boiled dressing is an old fashioned recipe where you thicken a liquid mixture of flavors to create a sauce which can be used hot like a gravy or cold like a salad dressing. The beauty of this recipe is at your choice there can be no fat at all, it has a lot of flavor depending on what herbs and spices you put in it and the citrus brings out better flavor in most foods. This is an unsweetened lemon or limeade.
2 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
6 ounces of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch.
Herb/spice mixture - I used about a half teaspoon of a mix of dried rosemary, garlic and black pepper.
Mix juice with water, and place 3/4 of it in a sauce pan with salt and herbs and bring just to a boil, reduce to simmer. Make a slurry of the remaining cold liquid with corn starch and blend well (the easiest way I have found to mix the corn starch slurry is to put in a jar, cap tightly and shake well.)
Slowly poor the slurry in the simmering pot, stirring - simmer for about 2-4 minutes until thickened. At this point you can use while hot or chill and use later for heated gravy/sauces or tossed with salads.
CHICKEN NOW AND LATER
3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 recipe of the boiled dressing
1 teaspoon of olive oil
To a hot skillet add oil and then the chicken breasts, cook on medium high heat uncovered. Turn after 1 minute. Cook other side 1 minute, turn once more and add dressing all at once. Add more herbs if you like. Cover and cook on medium turning the chicken every few minutes until done. It usually takes me a total of 20 minutes for this dish.
Save 1 chicken breast and some of the sauce for the soup on another day. Sever dinner tonight with either a salad or a colorful mix of sauted vegetables. You can saute the vegetables in a bit of the sauce to keep the flavor theme going.
SOUP DAY
Dice the raw potato. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside. Open the can of beans, but do not drain.
Bring 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil and add the liquid from the beans, setting the beans aside.
Add the potatoes and about a quarter teaspoon of the blend of herbs. Add a shake of or pinch of salt. Cover and cook the potatoes for about 7 minutes on a low boil. A knife or fork should get just a bit of resistance. Add the pasta, stir and continue cooking covered for 6 minutes. Add the beans, chicken and reserved sauce all at once. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Meanwhile to some chicken broth or water, add the corn starch and make a slurry. Slowly add to the pot while stirring. Taste for any additional salt or herbs. Serve with crusty bread. A very hearty and satisfying soup - we had it yesterday and it was delicious - keep the recipe for cool or cold fall / winter meals.
If those of you of Italian heritage are wondering why no tomatoes -- I love tomatoes, tomato sauces and lots of foods cooked with them. I just want some wonderful soups and stews which allow other flavors to come forward.
Hope you can expand your community!
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Check out my books at the publisher's site
I am particularly drawn to old fashioned ideas - when they make perfect sense most of the time. There is something comforting to me about terms like 'made over' and 'market town.'
The former (made over) is an old fashioned term for using 'left overs.' Now a days more recent terms referring to left overs are Rachel Ray's "cook once, eat all week." Yesterday I made a rif on an Italian pasta fagioli (bean) soup, using a couple of left overs, to 'make over' into this outstanding soup. (Recipes below.) Made over foods are the ultimate in recycling and if done with creativity, no one has to know you used left overs unless you tell them. Growing up in a financially challenged family, I had a negative 'thing' about anything hand-me-down or leftovers. I have matured in both age and appreciation for making complete use of something, or even planning ahead to consider the other uses for things down the road.
What Is A Market Town?
The phrase has history in both England and other countries in Europe and other areas of the world might call these marketplaces bazaar or souk. Whatever the term it means a central place to come together to sell and buy things.
I like the term 'market town' because to me it means community. While England is known for its market towns operating as a hub to the smaller residential villages and towns surrounding it, the need for market towns was utilized here in the US, although not always under that name. Any rural farming or ranching area had a place where residents "went to town" weekly or monthly to buy or sell supplies, visit and catch up with other residents and then return home with their purchases.
In this day and age the concept of a "market town" for centrally located merchandise sources might be called a "mall" (shudder) but really should be looked as "your neighborhood" community.
The valley does not have the advantage of several centuries of community history like some areas of the east coast. The almost ancient areas there had to forge extensive community reliance in the 16 and 1700s in order to literally survive. That history made it a little easier to form communities where most people knew each other, and share not only commerce, but social interaction.
Here is the valley while there is a rich history of cultural diversity, there is less community because we are soooo spread out.
Where am I going with this? I would like our valley folks to look at their neighborhoods as their community, not just the city at large, although that is certainly a part of it. There are a lot of reasons for choosing to look to neighbors and most it has to do with a kind of survival resource. In a disaster who would you turn to first? What if you can't call or drive or even bike to help? Most of us would either call for help to our neighbors or we would see that our neighbors need help.
This past week's earthquake and then hurricane Irene on the east coast made me contemplate community a lot more - I have extensive family all up and down the eastern seaboard. So far all reports are they are all safe and un-injured. Some may be without power until early September, some can't go to work because the roads are either blocked or the companies themselves shut down. On a side note I am very angry at those who think the hurricane was over-hyped. You can't over-prepare for a hurricane or other potential natural disaster. If you are lucky enough to survive with extra, store it or donate it!
So the community I envision is my neighborhood. If you think, as I do, about what my neighbors do for a living or are good at in retirement, I can think of my neighborhood as a 'market town' and by extension as "my community" where I might get help from a plumber or Deane can help someone start their car, or . . . I help them. I like to share my meals with neighbors, particularly an elder one. One neighbor and I do cookie/candy making at the holidays and deliver trays to those we know. We bring fresh things from our garden to newbies. My neighbor and I going to organize a cookie swap for the holidays. What can you do in your neighborhood that would make it your community? It does not have to be houses. An apartment complex or dormitory is a community. Years ago I lived in a small garden apartment complex and we all routinely got together for parties and holidays, going in and out of apartments like a huge progressive party.
I hope you see what I mean here. Who are your neighbors and what can you and they share?
Besides a 'market town' for buying and selling things, your community can also be your participation with your neighbors in a neighborhood community garden. I have written about this before. A community garden, can certainly be a lot set aside by the City (Mesa Community College also has a community garden), but it can also be several neighbors growing what they are either good at or have space for and then getting together for a good old harvest gathering and sharing. And during that event you can find out what each do, and plan for a cookie or candy swap during the holidays.
More on community gardens.
Here is a new buzz word SPIN -- Small Plot INtensive farming. Deane's son Travis has launched a tour with his gal-friend Morgan highlighting gardeners, small farmers and others with great ideas on permaculture and sustainable agriculture. The SPIN concept is to make use of urban lands either by lending, renting or purchasing them for sustainable farming, to create a small commercial farm in an urban environment. A 'community farm'. The main "Eco-Jaunt" site is here.
The feature on SPIN is here.
Learn more about SPIN here.
While you might not be interested in staring your own commercial farm the ideas in the SPIN concept of utilizing local and urban areas for community are worth learning.
Made Over Recipes.
CATHERINE'S POTATO, PASTA, BEAN & CHICKEN SOUP
Home made chicken broth (sure you can use store bought)
Boiled Dressing (see below for recipe)
1 Left Over Cooked Chicken Breast (see directions)
1 can organic northern white beans or cannellini beans (more power to you if you cook your own from scratch - save about 2 and a half cups worth of cooked with some of the liquid)
1 large potato (I used a very large new red) - I always leave healthy skin on potatoes while cooking
1/4 cup stellinie or pastini pasta (small star type)
1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch
water as needed
Herb blend of choice - I used rosemary, garlic and black pepper
salt to taste (I used a total of about 1/2 teaspoon)
Optional: Other vegetables to add more depth and color - carrots, celery, parsnip, sweet potatoes. The extra veggies should be added at the same time as the potatoes and the liquid increased to completely cover them while cooking.
BOILED DRESSING
A boiled dressing is an old fashioned recipe where you thicken a liquid mixture of flavors to create a sauce which can be used hot like a gravy or cold like a salad dressing. The beauty of this recipe is at your choice there can be no fat at all, it has a lot of flavor depending on what herbs and spices you put in it and the citrus brings out better flavor in most foods. This is an unsweetened lemon or limeade.
2 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
6 ounces of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch.
Herb/spice mixture - I used about a half teaspoon of a mix of dried rosemary, garlic and black pepper.
Mix juice with water, and place 3/4 of it in a sauce pan with salt and herbs and bring just to a boil, reduce to simmer. Make a slurry of the remaining cold liquid with corn starch and blend well (the easiest way I have found to mix the corn starch slurry is to put in a jar, cap tightly and shake well.)
Slowly poor the slurry in the simmering pot, stirring - simmer for about 2-4 minutes until thickened. At this point you can use while hot or chill and use later for heated gravy/sauces or tossed with salads.
CHICKEN NOW AND LATER
3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 recipe of the boiled dressing
1 teaspoon of olive oil
To a hot skillet add oil and then the chicken breasts, cook on medium high heat uncovered. Turn after 1 minute. Cook other side 1 minute, turn once more and add dressing all at once. Add more herbs if you like. Cover and cook on medium turning the chicken every few minutes until done. It usually takes me a total of 20 minutes for this dish.
Save 1 chicken breast and some of the sauce for the soup on another day. Sever dinner tonight with either a salad or a colorful mix of sauted vegetables. You can saute the vegetables in a bit of the sauce to keep the flavor theme going.
SOUP DAY
Dice the raw potato. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside. Open the can of beans, but do not drain.
Bring 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil and add the liquid from the beans, setting the beans aside.
Add the potatoes and about a quarter teaspoon of the blend of herbs. Add a shake of or pinch of salt. Cover and cook the potatoes for about 7 minutes on a low boil. A knife or fork should get just a bit of resistance. Add the pasta, stir and continue cooking covered for 6 minutes. Add the beans, chicken and reserved sauce all at once. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Meanwhile to some chicken broth or water, add the corn starch and make a slurry. Slowly add to the pot while stirring. Taste for any additional salt or herbs. Serve with crusty bread. A very hearty and satisfying soup - we had it yesterday and it was delicious - keep the recipe for cool or cold fall / winter meals.
If those of you of Italian heritage are wondering why no tomatoes -- I love tomatoes, tomato sauces and lots of foods cooked with them. I just want some wonderful soups and stews which allow other flavors to come forward.
Hope you can expand your community!
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Check out my books at the publisher's site
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Organic Chicken Safer - Another Reason To Support Non-GMO Products
Dear Folks,
Organic Chicken has far less salmonella than traditionally raised. In a study published in the Journal Foodborne Pathogens and Diseases traditionally raised chickens had almost 7 times the incidents of salmonella as organic raised AND the non-organic salmonella types were antibiotic resistant, but not the types occurring in the organic-raised birds.
It goes without saying this also is relative to the eggs laid by the birds.
Another reason to press our representatives and the USDA and FDA to make GMO labeling required and to enforce with penalties any GMO suppliers and growers who contaminate organic farms and ranches.
While not every supplier of eggs or chickens is certified organic, those that follow the same principals of raising and handling would have the same healthier eggs etc.
Search the blog here for my GMO related posts.
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Organic Chicken has far less salmonella than traditionally raised. In a study published in the Journal Foodborne Pathogens and Diseases traditionally raised chickens had almost 7 times the incidents of salmonella as organic raised AND the non-organic salmonella types were antibiotic resistant, but not the types occurring in the organic-raised birds.
It goes without saying this also is relative to the eggs laid by the birds.
Another reason to press our representatives and the USDA and FDA to make GMO labeling required and to enforce with penalties any GMO suppliers and growers who contaminate organic farms and ranches.
While not every supplier of eggs or chickens is certified organic, those that follow the same principals of raising and handling would have the same healthier eggs etc.
Search the blog here for my GMO related posts.
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Non-GMO Choice Voice - Open Letter to Grocery Chains
Dear Folks,
I am happy to pass on to you an organization which is championing the consumer in helping you choose non-gmo products and retailers.
Non GMO Project
"The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit multi-stakeholder collaboration committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices.
Our shared belief is that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified organisms. We offer North America’s only third party verification and and labeling for non-GMO food and products." -- http://www.nongmoproject.org/
In my previous post(s) I encouraged you as the consumer to make your voice known about your right to choose whether you buy gmo goods or not. Here is a way for you to find retailers who support this right and / or find producers who espouse the same principal.
The foods/goods do not have to be organic (although many of them are) to choose to be non-gmo.
Information you need to be aware of: Because a producer or grower chooses to work with non-gmo goods does not mean they can give you a 100% guarantee that their goods or foods have not been contaminated with gmo pollen -- that possibility exists as long as Monsanto, their fellow laboratory engineers and the USDA and FDA choose to allow gmo planting without restriction.
BUT at least we head in the right direction by supporting the producers of the products we want and shopping with retailers who provide us with that information.
The "organic" movement began with a wish and a prayer decades ago and has blossomed into the better availability options we have today. This same 'consumer driven' spirit can make it clear to producers and retailers that we want that choice and we want it clearly labeled.
Remember that Kroger companies was one of the first to ban rBst from their stores. It can also happen with GMO labeling - IF WE all ask for it.
. . .
An OPEN LETTER TO MAJOR GROCERY RETAILERS
As a consumer who regularly purchases some of my foods and goods from your stores I want the right to know if they contain GMO products or components.
I want labeling to allow me to make informed choices.
This is no different than the labeling allowed for non rBst dairy products.
I want your company and stores to permit producers to label their products as non-gmo. And I want you to do more -- I want you to encourage your vendors to provide such labeling. If you do this and promote it in your ads, you WILL get my attention along with the millions and millions of us who regularly look for organic or naturally produced goods. If you clearly mark your natural and organic food shelves with NON-GMO signs - I will pay attention to that. If you clearly mark your produce in sections with NON-GMO signs - I will pay attention.
Thank you,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
I am happy to pass on to you an organization which is championing the consumer in helping you choose non-gmo products and retailers.
Non GMO Project
"The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit multi-stakeholder collaboration committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices.
Our shared belief is that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified organisms. We offer North America’s only third party verification and and labeling for non-GMO food and products." -- http://www.nongmoproject.org/
In my previous post(s) I encouraged you as the consumer to make your voice known about your right to choose whether you buy gmo goods or not. Here is a way for you to find retailers who support this right and / or find producers who espouse the same principal.
The foods/goods do not have to be organic (although many of them are) to choose to be non-gmo.
Information you need to be aware of: Because a producer or grower chooses to work with non-gmo goods does not mean they can give you a 100% guarantee that their goods or foods have not been contaminated with gmo pollen -- that possibility exists as long as Monsanto, their fellow laboratory engineers and the USDA and FDA choose to allow gmo planting without restriction.
BUT at least we head in the right direction by supporting the producers of the products we want and shopping with retailers who provide us with that information.
The "organic" movement began with a wish and a prayer decades ago and has blossomed into the better availability options we have today. This same 'consumer driven' spirit can make it clear to producers and retailers that we want that choice and we want it clearly labeled.
Remember that Kroger companies was one of the first to ban rBst from their stores. It can also happen with GMO labeling - IF WE all ask for it.
. . .
An OPEN LETTER TO MAJOR GROCERY RETAILERS
As a consumer who regularly purchases some of my foods and goods from your stores I want the right to know if they contain GMO products or components.
I want labeling to allow me to make informed choices.
This is no different than the labeling allowed for non rBst dairy products.
I want your company and stores to permit producers to label their products as non-gmo. And I want you to do more -- I want you to encourage your vendors to provide such labeling. If you do this and promote it in your ads, you WILL get my attention along with the millions and millions of us who regularly look for organic or naturally produced goods. If you clearly mark your natural and organic food shelves with NON-GMO signs - I will pay attention to that. If you clearly mark your produce in sections with NON-GMO signs - I will pay attention.
Thank you,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Greening - Various Tools to Help You Shop and Live Wisely
Dear Folks,
If you have been following me, you are probably already trying to shop at your local farmers markets, do more cooking at home to control your menu ingredients, enhance your family quality time, and experiment with all those cool recipes you see on cooking shows.
To add to your tools and information sources, I tripped across a couple of sites I found helpful.
The Sustainable Table site has a variety of kits (in PDF file form) which can be used as teaching or display tools and for your own family information use.
They also have a kit for the Sustainable Dinner Party which can give you some ideas for Supper Groups.
(I have been thinking off and on of potentially setting up 'secret suppers' -- it would require quite a bit of planning, but is fun to contemplate. I will let you all know if I get serious!)
Another site to visit for information is the Animal Welfare Institute, which certifies humanely raised livestock farms. They are dedicated to supporting the small-scale and family farm. http://www.awionline.org/
The troubling issues with factory farming continue to, finally, get more and more attention. Even when a farmer wants to do things right if they make the mistake of getting into contracts with large processors -- the real manufacturers when you come down to what you are buying -- they are trapped in unconscionably egregious contracts which leaves them captive to corporate whims or in bankruptcy.
Read what some chicken farmers are up against.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/2010/05/chicken-farmers-describe-a-system-of-extortion-and-economic-slavery/
How can you get more control over what you buy? I have noticed more and more food manufacturers are getting the message. I just saw an ad for Hunts Ketchup which loudly proclaimed on the label 'no high fructose corn syrup' -- good start!
They are listening. The real challenge to getting healthier and better quality foods is to make sure you are clear about what you want them to offer to you.
I participate in online consumer surveys. I am troubled when the elimination questions (I don't have the ability to complain about the questions) are frequently aimed at getting the survey participant to use emotions to explain how they purchase something. That is not to say there are no questions about what do you purchase - recently I had a survey on dairy and cheese and how much was organic, or natural, or other - that was a good one.
One good thing I noticed about the surveys in the last 6 months are the options in prepared goods or shelf-stable foods which offer more environmental, natural, local, family farm options for selections in answering the survey.
So why might that be a problem? Because those buzz words can be grabbed by food processors to label something which amounts to bait and switch - "So and so's family farm produces only naturally prepared..."
Back in January, 2010 "Tyson Foods Inc. has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the poultry giant of falsely claiming its chickens were "raised without antibiotics."
"In 2007, Tyson began advertising and labeling its poultry products as having been "raised without antibiotics." The following year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered Tyson to remove the labels when it found that the company had injected its chickens with antibiotics before they hatched. Tyson argued the labels were accurate because chickens aren't "raised" until after they're born."
So how do you like that corporate logic?
Isn't that enough to make you want to scream at them! The quote attributed to Voltaire goes something like "If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." Don't you wish we could tell corporate food producers they need to define their terms so we know what they are really saying?
What is a consumer to do? You need to know your suppliers like your grandparents did, your local farmers, meat producers, egg sellers, and cheese makers.
Some of the material on the sustainable table site are sheets of questions to ask sellers of food.
Oh, and on the subject of organic - organic picked green and shipped hundreds or thousands of miles is not a whole lot better for you than "somewhat" regional and non-organic.
Organic and natural are two words used at your local farmers market. Here is what THEY mean:
Organic means it was grown locally in a USDA certified program, picked local and sold local.
Natural for most of our local small-scale farmers means they grew the foods or produced the foods in much the same way as organic producers but without going through the expense of official certification.
Our farmers market vendors and farmers are happy to tell you all about their foods and origins - they are proud of their products. Ask them questions.
There is now a "Certified Naturally Grown" label for small-scale farmers and food producers. Check them out at: http://www.naturallygrown.org/
What is a natural flavor or anything proclaimed natural?
AND don't forget about growing some of your own food, raising a couple of chickens for eggs, or even consider having a dairy goat or two (you need to know your areas zoning limitations).
You may wish to join the Phoenix Permaculture Guild forum - they have groups on different subjects. I am a member of the micro-livestock group and soil culture group. Nice people, made up of newbies, getting there, experts - who still learn - and all are very helpful with answering questions.
http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/
If you have an interest in my books, the publishing site is still offering free shipping on orders totaling 19.95 shipped to USA addresses.
If you have been following me, you are probably already trying to shop at your local farmers markets, do more cooking at home to control your menu ingredients, enhance your family quality time, and experiment with all those cool recipes you see on cooking shows.
To add to your tools and information sources, I tripped across a couple of sites I found helpful.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/spread/kits
The Sustainable Table site has a variety of kits (in PDF file form) which can be used as teaching or display tools and for your own family information use.
They also have a kit for the Sustainable Dinner Party which can give you some ideas for Supper Groups.
(I have been thinking off and on of potentially setting up 'secret suppers' -- it would require quite a bit of planning, but is fun to contemplate. I will let you all know if I get serious!)
Another site to visit for information is the Animal Welfare Institute, which certifies humanely raised livestock farms. They are dedicated to supporting the small-scale and family farm. http://www.awionline.org/
The troubling issues with factory farming continue to, finally, get more and more attention. Even when a farmer wants to do things right if they make the mistake of getting into contracts with large processors -- the real manufacturers when you come down to what you are buying -- they are trapped in unconscionably egregious contracts which leaves them captive to corporate whims or in bankruptcy.
Read what some chicken farmers are up against.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/2010/05/chicken-farmers-describe-a-system-of-extortion-and-economic-slavery/
How can you get more control over what you buy? I have noticed more and more food manufacturers are getting the message. I just saw an ad for Hunts Ketchup which loudly proclaimed on the label 'no high fructose corn syrup' -- good start!
They are listening. The real challenge to getting healthier and better quality foods is to make sure you are clear about what you want them to offer to you.
I participate in online consumer surveys. I am troubled when the elimination questions (I don't have the ability to complain about the questions) are frequently aimed at getting the survey participant to use emotions to explain how they purchase something. That is not to say there are no questions about what do you purchase - recently I had a survey on dairy and cheese and how much was organic, or natural, or other - that was a good one.
One good thing I noticed about the surveys in the last 6 months are the options in prepared goods or shelf-stable foods which offer more environmental, natural, local, family farm options for selections in answering the survey.
So why might that be a problem? Because those buzz words can be grabbed by food processors to label something which amounts to bait and switch - "So and so's family farm produces only naturally prepared..."
Back in January, 2010 "Tyson Foods Inc. has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the poultry giant of falsely claiming its chickens were "raised without antibiotics."
"In 2007, Tyson began advertising and labeling its poultry products as having been "raised without antibiotics." The following year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered Tyson to remove the labels when it found that the company had injected its chickens with antibiotics before they hatched. Tyson argued the labels were accurate because chickens aren't "raised" until after they're born."
So how do you like that corporate logic?
Isn't that enough to make you want to scream at them! The quote attributed to Voltaire goes something like "If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." Don't you wish we could tell corporate food producers they need to define their terms so we know what they are really saying?
What is a consumer to do? You need to know your suppliers like your grandparents did, your local farmers, meat producers, egg sellers, and cheese makers.
Some of the material on the sustainable table site are sheets of questions to ask sellers of food.
Oh, and on the subject of organic - organic picked green and shipped hundreds or thousands of miles is not a whole lot better for you than "somewhat" regional and non-organic.
Organic and natural are two words used at your local farmers market. Here is what THEY mean:
Organic means it was grown locally in a USDA certified program, picked local and sold local.
Natural for most of our local small-scale farmers means they grew the foods or produced the foods in much the same way as organic producers but without going through the expense of official certification.
Our farmers market vendors and farmers are happy to tell you all about their foods and origins - they are proud of their products. Ask them questions.
There is now a "Certified Naturally Grown" label for small-scale farmers and food producers. Check them out at: http://www.naturallygrown.org/
What is a natural flavor or anything proclaimed natural?
The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or flavoring rather than nutritional...”
When a company says it is selling you something based on what they KNOW you want, but if it is in-fact selling you a substitute or inferior product isn’t that bait and switch?
The manufacturers of Splenda were sued for claiming their product is sugar. It is not and they had to concede that or face losing the lawsuit.
When the high fructose corn syrup producers revved up their protectionist marketing campaign to tell us that it was our own over-eating that was the problem and not their product, they left out the science which shows that consuming foods containing HFCS does not trigger the “you are full” chemical leptin. And their throw-away tag line “in moderation” is a slap in the face when you look at the sheer volume of foods manufactured with HFCS -- how do you moderate eating something that is in almost every processed or manufactured food and which has no eating cut off command?
Oh, and the FDA does not object to the corn syrup producers calling HFCS ‘natural’ - natural hmm, - HFCS has been found to be toxic to honey bees fed it. (In cold winter areas bee keepers feed their bees sugar water or even honey to help sustain them through the cold time.)
See my blog on sweeteners:
I have also been concerned about the very useful plant-based Stevia being ‘hijacked’ by the corporate giants.
In looking at labels on packages of some of the newest offerings purporting to be Stevia, most are a combination of stevia and sugar alcohols -- the sugar alcohols being used to add baking capabilities and additional taste. Not necessarily a bad thing although some people are allergic to some sugar alcohols like sorbitol (I for one am).
What bothers me is when one of the big giants (or two) get into the act and make some part of it proprietary with the disclaimer "trade secret." Truvia is a partnership of Cargill and Coca Cola, and they have stevia and sugar alcohol listed on their ingredients. And then they say “natural flavors” but won’t tell you what they are - it is a trade secret.
Remember HFCS can call itself natural. Splenda tried to call itself something it wasn’t.
Bottom line - if you can’t tell what the ingredients really are and you don’t know enough about the company's history in truthful advertising, back away.
AND don't forget about growing some of your own food, raising a couple of chickens for eggs, or even consider having a dairy goat or two (you need to know your areas zoning limitations).
You may wish to join the Phoenix Permaculture Guild forum - they have groups on different subjects. I am a member of the micro-livestock group and soil culture group. Nice people, made up of newbies, getting there, experts - who still learn - and all are very helpful with answering questions.
http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/
If you have an interest in my books, the publishing site is still offering free shipping on orders totaling 19.95 shipped to USA addresses.
And for you Mac iPad, iPod and iPhone users my Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest is now available through iBook.
Have a great weekend,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Greening Alert - The USDA ready to deregulate GMO products
Dear Folks,
I received an urgent alert from Center for Food Safety passed on to me by the Organic Dairy, Strauss Family Dairy in California. The cut off date is only several days away February 16th.
Tell the USDA you do not want GMO products, they think consumers do not care! Sign the petition here.
I can't tell you how troubled I am that all consumer and farmer concerns are apparently falling on deaf ears of the USDA and FDA.
Please pass this on to everyone you can think of.
Thank you, we need to have peaceable gardens and safe food,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
I received an urgent alert from Center for Food Safety passed on to me by the Organic Dairy, Strauss Family Dairy in California. The cut off date is only several days away February 16th.
Tell the USDA you do not want GMO products, they think consumers do not care! Sign the petition here.
I can't tell you how troubled I am that all consumer and farmer concerns are apparently falling on deaf ears of the USDA and FDA.
Please pass this on to everyone you can think of.
Thank you, we need to have peaceable gardens and safe food,
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
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