The Great Organic Marketing Ploy
Published February 09, 2010 @ 11:35AM PT
We all know that when the term "organic" is attached to a food product it means that it is grown free from chemicals, on environmentally sustainable farms, and by small family farmers, right?
Wrong.
There is a false perception among many consumers of what organic really means, and I'd like to take this opportunity to help lift the veil.
FDA Sizing Up Serving Sizes
Published February 09, 2010 @ 10:00AM PT
With obesity on the rise, the FDA Is thinking up ways to scare people away from unhealthy foods.
The first idea? Encourage manufacturers to post the food's calorie information on the front of the box or bag, as the FDA is doing, according to the New York Times. That will make reaching for a handful of chips a more alarming experience.
The problem with that, however, is that most serving sizes marked on packaging don't correspond to people's actual eating habits. And the calorie count listed on the packaging is determined by the serving size, so the FDA is considering changing that too.
LoraxAg Prompts a Look at Coal-based Fertilizer
Published February 09, 2010 @ 07:00AM PT
After I wrote last week about a company called LoraxAg using waste coal to make farm fertilizer, commenters rightly pointed out that we should understand the technicalities of coal-based fertilizers before we condemn the stuff.
Of course that is a good policy, so I am now offering a deeper look into what this is all about. Coal as fertilizer? What the heck?
How Michelle Obama's Fight Against Obesity is Taking Shape
Published February 09, 2010 @ 05:00AM PT
Congressman George Miller is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change. Congressman Miller is chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.
This year we will reauthorize the laws governing the federal school meal and afterschool meal programs, the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and community-based programs such as the summer meals program and the child and adult care food program. As Chairman of the Committee with jurisdiction of these programs, I take this very seriously. Nothing is more important than our children’s health, but for too many families, healthy meals fall to the wayside as they struggle to make ends meet. Our nation’s school meal and child nutrition programs provide millions of children with nutritious meals and help them develop healthy life habits – and will be critically important in the fight against childhood obesity. As we work to rewrite our child nutrition laws this year, we must focus on eliminating any barriers to these programs, so that all eligible children have access to healthier foods and nutrition education whether in school, child care, or at home.
Students Compete To Cook Up Change
Published February 08, 2010 @ 04:25PM PT
Who better to design a delicious and healthy school lunch than the people who have to eat it? High school and college students are invited to enter the Cooking up Change 2010 National Healthy Cooking Contest, hosted by the Healthy Schools Campaign and the National Farm to School Network.
Their challenge? To create a healthy lunch using only ingredients that are available to the workers in school food service. That sounds challenging enough, but add to that the requirements that the meal must use at least one locally grown food, meet stringent nutritional guidelines and taste good. Tall order!
Talking About Weight vs. Talking About Health
Published February 08, 2010 @ 02:00PM PT
Michelle Obama recently announced that she will be kicking off a national campaign against childhood obesity tomorrow.
In her announcement at a YMCA outside Washington, D.C. on January 28, Mrs. Obama made the issue personal by discussing her own family's process of ensuring healthy, balanced eating.
That sounds like an uncontroversial approach to the topic, and the fact that she referenced her daughters' weight in her comments has set off somewhat of a controversy.
Sustainable Winter Eats: Carrots, Onions, and the Secret to Soup
Published February 08, 2010 @ 12:28PM PT
With the exception of you lucky readers in California, many sustainable eaters face real winter challenges. Farmer's markets are closed and most grocery store produce costs more and tastes worse.
What to do? Here's the first of a few tips I'll be posting to help you eat through the winter without compromising your values or denying your taste buds.
