Thursday, September 25, 2008
Job Update
Today is my last day at Food & Water Watch. Monday I officially become an FDAer. That's right, I'm going to work for the government. I'll be working for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, MD as a General Health Scientist. Title doesn't tell you much, but basically I'll be working on preventing intentional and unintentional contaminations of the food supply.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Seafood buying guide
If you're gonna eat seafood it's important to know where it came from and how it will impact you and the environment! Click on the title of this post to be taken to a guide to assist you.
Q&A with founder of Sustainable Table
By Dowdle, Hillari
For Diane Hatz-executive producer of famed viral video The Meatrix-it all started with a question that stymied her. Employed at GRACE, an advocacy group for community-based production and consumption of food, water, and energy, Hatz, 46, was asked by a consumer about genetic engineering. Her research led her to found Sustainable Table (sustainabletable.org), with GRACE'S blessing and backing, in 2003- The source for information on all things local and sustainable, Sustainable Table educates consumers about issues surrounding today's agricultural system and what's happening with our food supply. Here, we learn a bit about what's on Hatz's plate- and ours. The Sustainable Table founder aims to raise your consumer IQ.
Q You're a dedicated vegetarian, but Sustainable Table does not advocate a strictly vegetarian diet. Why not?
A Who am I to tell anyone else what to do? I'm a vegetarian, that's my choice. But a lot of people hear the word "vegetarianism" and just want to run to McDonald's for a Big Mac.
I think we should be educated about the food we're eating. I want to help people understand the problems with industrial agriculture, and let them make their own choices. What if people simply chose to cut back? If we all stopped eating meat on Mondays, that would have a huge impact!
Q Are vegetarians eating sustainably by simply skipping the meat?
A Not necessarily. Dairy is one of the biggest problems out there. Recombinant bovine growth hormone-rBGH-is a genetically engineered hormone injected into cows to make them produce more milk. We know that rBGH causes mastitis in the animals, which is very painful. And it hasn't been proved safe for people in the long term. Tests have not been done cither way, which is scary. The easiest way to avoid it is to buy organic.
Even if you're vegan, chemicals are still a big concern-both personally and environmentally. Conventionally raised produce is monocropped; farmers don't do proper crop rotation. They spray the plants with pesticides, and assume chemical fertilizer is enough to keep the soil healthy. It's not.
Soil is alive. I didn't really understand that myself until we put together an issue paper on it. It's not just dirt-there are bacteria and living organisms in it that need to be there. Good soil is crucial to the health of the plant, and it produces food that's more nutritionally rich. Sustainable farmers rotate crops-they'll have 20 crops growing-not only for pest control, but also for the healthiest soil.
Q Are the words "sustainable" and "organic" interchangeable?
A No. "Organic" implies a standard. "Sustainable" is really more a philosophy.
Organic food can be sustainable, but it might not be. A lot of organic farms are sustainable, but the hot-button issue right now is industrial organics-the big agribusinesses getting into the market. Many times they monocrop; you can have acres and acres of one kind of lettuce, and still label it organic. But that is not sustainable.
For their part, sustainable farmers aren't necessarily certified organic. Many have given up on certification because the paperwork is so intense, but still, they grow foods with no pesticides whatsoever. They are what we call "beyond organic." We also know sustainable farmers who've lost their certification because they believe sick animals should be treated with antibiotics. It's not like they're participating in the daily low-dose antibiotics problem- but organic certification has no room for such subtleties.
Q So how do you know who's who and what's what?
A You have to do your homework. If you're going to buy a computer or a car, you do tons of research. We eat at least three times a day, so shouldn't we be asking questions about our food and where it comes from? Yes, it does take a bit of time, and that's why Sustainable Table was developed-to give people a place to learn about these issues.
We also tell people: Take the next step. Get to know your local farmer. We offer question-and-answer sheets on the Web site to print out, so people feel more comfortable asking questions-and know what answers to listen for.
Q Why are organic and sustainably grown foods more expensive?
A We try to explain to people the concept of externalities. When you factor in the externalities-the degraded quality, the lost community, the pollution, the animal cruelty-food from a conventional factory farm is not necessarily cheaper. Sustainable farmers are paying their workers a fair wage; they're feeding the animals what they should be fed; they're providing the healthiest food possible.
Q Given all the advantages of Sustainable farming, can you pick the No. 1 benefit?
A Bottom line: If you don't care about anything else, the food tastes better. I challenge anyone to go to a farmers' market and buy a local ripe tomato, then walk into a grocery store and buy a conventional tomato. Taste them together-you'll have an "aha!" moment, just like I did. You can do this with peaches too. I'd forgotten what a peach really tasted like until I happened to go to the farmer's market one Saturday and got a peach in season. It tasted unbelievable!
"Organic" implies a standard.
"Sustainable" is really more a philosophy.
Freelance writer Hillari Dowdle is doing her ben to support local, sustainably grown foods in Knoxville, Tenn. She can be found at the Market Square Farmers' Market on any given Saturday, chasing her 2-year-old son, Truman.
Copyright Active Interest Media Sep 2008
(c) 2008 Vegetarian Times. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
For Diane Hatz-executive producer of famed viral video The Meatrix-it all started with a question that stymied her. Employed at GRACE, an advocacy group for community-based production and consumption of food, water, and energy, Hatz, 46, was asked by a consumer about genetic engineering. Her research led her to found Sustainable Table (sustainabletable.org), with GRACE'S blessing and backing, in 2003- The source for information on all things local and sustainable, Sustainable Table educates consumers about issues surrounding today's agricultural system and what's happening with our food supply. Here, we learn a bit about what's on Hatz's plate- and ours. The Sustainable Table founder aims to raise your consumer IQ.
Q You're a dedicated vegetarian, but Sustainable Table does not advocate a strictly vegetarian diet. Why not?
A Who am I to tell anyone else what to do? I'm a vegetarian, that's my choice. But a lot of people hear the word "vegetarianism" and just want to run to McDonald's for a Big Mac.
I think we should be educated about the food we're eating. I want to help people understand the problems with industrial agriculture, and let them make their own choices. What if people simply chose to cut back? If we all stopped eating meat on Mondays, that would have a huge impact!
Q Are vegetarians eating sustainably by simply skipping the meat?
A Not necessarily. Dairy is one of the biggest problems out there. Recombinant bovine growth hormone-rBGH-is a genetically engineered hormone injected into cows to make them produce more milk. We know that rBGH causes mastitis in the animals, which is very painful. And it hasn't been proved safe for people in the long term. Tests have not been done cither way, which is scary. The easiest way to avoid it is to buy organic.
Even if you're vegan, chemicals are still a big concern-both personally and environmentally. Conventionally raised produce is monocropped; farmers don't do proper crop rotation. They spray the plants with pesticides, and assume chemical fertilizer is enough to keep the soil healthy. It's not.
Soil is alive. I didn't really understand that myself until we put together an issue paper on it. It's not just dirt-there are bacteria and living organisms in it that need to be there. Good soil is crucial to the health of the plant, and it produces food that's more nutritionally rich. Sustainable farmers rotate crops-they'll have 20 crops growing-not only for pest control, but also for the healthiest soil.
Q Are the words "sustainable" and "organic" interchangeable?
A No. "Organic" implies a standard. "Sustainable" is really more a philosophy.
Organic food can be sustainable, but it might not be. A lot of organic farms are sustainable, but the hot-button issue right now is industrial organics-the big agribusinesses getting into the market. Many times they monocrop; you can have acres and acres of one kind of lettuce, and still label it organic. But that is not sustainable.
For their part, sustainable farmers aren't necessarily certified organic. Many have given up on certification because the paperwork is so intense, but still, they grow foods with no pesticides whatsoever. They are what we call "beyond organic." We also know sustainable farmers who've lost their certification because they believe sick animals should be treated with antibiotics. It's not like they're participating in the daily low-dose antibiotics problem- but organic certification has no room for such subtleties.
Q So how do you know who's who and what's what?
A You have to do your homework. If you're going to buy a computer or a car, you do tons of research. We eat at least three times a day, so shouldn't we be asking questions about our food and where it comes from? Yes, it does take a bit of time, and that's why Sustainable Table was developed-to give people a place to learn about these issues.
We also tell people: Take the next step. Get to know your local farmer. We offer question-and-answer sheets on the Web site to print out, so people feel more comfortable asking questions-and know what answers to listen for.
Q Why are organic and sustainably grown foods more expensive?
A We try to explain to people the concept of externalities. When you factor in the externalities-the degraded quality, the lost community, the pollution, the animal cruelty-food from a conventional factory farm is not necessarily cheaper. Sustainable farmers are paying their workers a fair wage; they're feeding the animals what they should be fed; they're providing the healthiest food possible.
Q Given all the advantages of Sustainable farming, can you pick the No. 1 benefit?
A Bottom line: If you don't care about anything else, the food tastes better. I challenge anyone to go to a farmers' market and buy a local ripe tomato, then walk into a grocery store and buy a conventional tomato. Taste them together-you'll have an "aha!" moment, just like I did. You can do this with peaches too. I'd forgotten what a peach really tasted like until I happened to go to the farmer's market one Saturday and got a peach in season. It tasted unbelievable!
"Organic" implies a standard.
"Sustainable" is really more a philosophy.
Freelance writer Hillari Dowdle is doing her ben to support local, sustainably grown foods in Knoxville, Tenn. She can be found at the Market Square Farmers' Market on any given Saturday, chasing her 2-year-old son, Truman.
Copyright Active Interest Media Sep 2008
(c) 2008 Vegetarian Times. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The rising cost of food...
An excerpt from an article in The Farm Press:
The rising cost of fuel and other products drove U.S. farm production expenditures to a record $260 billion in 2007, according to USDA's Farm Production Expenditures 2007 summary released by the department's National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Total U.S. farm production expenditures rose 9.3 percent from 2006 and nearly 30 percent from five years ago.
Increasing petroleum costs meant farmers not only paid more for fuel, but also for fertilizer products, chemicals and transportation services. Indirectly, fuel prices and the growth in ethanol production also led to higher crop prices, resulting in increased cost for livestock feed.
Meanwhile, Russia is making move toward State-controlled grain trading --- that will control half the countries exports. In doing so it's possible they could use food, the witholding of it, as a weapon. These are disturbing signs of things to come...
We must move toward a more sustainable food system based on conscious consumption habits.
What you can do:
- Reduce waste and stop taking the food on your table for granted.
- Reduce consumption of energy intensive food products (meat and meat based products being at the top).
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Yet another reason to eat less meat...
Meat recalls are occurring with alarming frequency: Over the past 1.5 years the American meat industry has experienced a huge number of beef recalls. 40 million pounds of meat tainted with highly toxic E. coli O157:H7 has been publicly recalled, up by a staggering factor of two hundred from the 2006 amount of only 181,900 pounds. The interesting/disturbing thing about this one is that the company implicated is not a slaughter facility -- they just process/pack the meat received from the slaughterhouse. And it is quite likely that the source of the contamination precedes S&S Foods. Meaning, this recall is putting blame on the wrong company! Here's the latest...
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2008: S&S Foods LLC., an Azusa, Calif., firm, is recalling approximately 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The following product is subject to recall:
The problem was discovered through a joint epidemiological investigation by FSIS and the Virginia Department of Health as well as product testing by the Virginia Department of Health.
These ground beef products were shipped to distribution centers located in Milwaukee, Wis., and Allentown, Penn.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
FSIS has received 11 reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult a medical professional.
Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Keith Dunning at (626) 625-2039. Media with questions should contact Jeff Grohs, company Vice President of Business Development at (626) 625-2039.
Consumers with food safety questions can Ask Karen, the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2008: S&S Foods LLC., an Azusa, Calif., firm, is recalling approximately 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The following product is subject to recall:
- 30-pound boxes of 742798 MFST, 100% GROUND BEEF BULK, 80/20, 1LB. BRICK.
The problem was discovered through a joint epidemiological investigation by FSIS and the Virginia Department of Health as well as product testing by the Virginia Department of Health.
These ground beef products were shipped to distribution centers located in Milwaukee, Wis., and Allentown, Penn.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
FSIS has received 11 reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult a medical professional.
Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Keith Dunning at (626) 625-2039. Media with questions should contact Jeff Grohs, company Vice President of Business Development at (626) 625-2039.
Consumers with food safety questions can Ask Karen, the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
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