ANIMAL WELFARE APPROVED GOOD HUSBANDRY GRANTS 2010

The deadline is October 1, 2010 to get in your application for a Good Husbandry grant for 2010-2011 grant season. This grant cycle will focus on improving farm animal welfare through expanding genetics adapted for outdoor production, increasing outdoor access, and maximizing welfare at slaughter. Projects that fall outside these area, but increase animal welfare will also be considered. Examples of projects that were funded in 2009 include: portable shelter for calves on pasture, mobile feeding equipment and breeding stock adapted for pasture-and range-based management. Detailed guidelines and a grant application are available on their website at www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org, or calling (202)546-5292.

Indiana’s Milton Frey Farm in Paoli was recently accepted into the Animal Welfare Approved program. Animal Welfare Approved is the only free and independent certification that means healthy, safe, environmentally responsible and humanely raised outdoors on a family farm.

Be Well, Be Healthy: NBC's Natalie Morales asks the experts when it makes the most sense to splurge on more expensive organic foods. Watch the full report here:

Bloomington orchard! communitiestakeroot.org

Earth Day Network Everyday!

The Truth About Vitamins & Supplements
by Ronnie Cummins, National Director, OCA
The Organic Consumers Association is proud to announce a new nationwide campaign called Nutri-Con: The Down Side of the Vitamin & Supplement Industry. Nutri-Con will expose the hazards and limited effectiveness of synthetic vitamins and supplements, and strive to create mass consumer awareness and marketplace demand for truly organic, "naturally occurring" vitamins, botanicals, and supplements.
Part of this campaign will be the implementation of a new set of Naturally Occurring Standards (NOS), certification procedures, and labels which are truly "organic and beyond," and to expose the fact that 90% or more of the vitamins and supplements now on the market labeled as "natural" or "food based" actually are spiked with synthetic chemicals.

A major underlying theme of this campaign will be to steadily inform and remind consumers that Big Pharma's prescription and over the counter drugs are generally hazardous substances offering no real solution to our health problems; while preventive health and wellness promotion, traditional holistic remedies, and complementary medicine practices represent the "organic road" to health.
In terms of wellness promotion, there is no doubt that an organic whole foods-based diet and a healthy lifestyle are the "best medicine" for those of us trying to survive and keep our families healthy in the toxic soup of 100,000 synthetic chemicals that surround us everyday, polluting our food, water, medicines, homes, and environment.

As we complement our organic whole foods-based diet with herbs and supplements, we need to make sure that these vitamins and botanicals are derived from naturally occurring plant and mineral sources, and that they contain no synthetic chemicals whatsoever.

As part of this campaign, OCA will be posting an eye-opening new book, The Vitamin Myth Exposed, by Brian Clement of the Hippocrates Health Institute, in several installments. ( Read the Prologue & Chapter 1 here) This book is nothing less than the opening salvo in a campaign that OCA believes will revolutionize the $20 billion vitamin and supplements industry. OCA sees this effort as part of our ongoing efforts to establish and safeguard strict organic standards in food and farming, clothing, body care, and other important consumer sectors.

We invite you to please circulate The Vitamin Myth Exposed widely to friends and family, and to talk to your local natural foods store or coop about joining forces with the OCA in this important new campaign.

For Health and an Organic Future,
Ronnie Cummins " 01/18/10 - Proposed Dose Limits on Vitamin Supplements in Europe Found to be Scientifically Flawed
" 11/19/09 - Victory in the Senate for Alternative Health Freedom and Dietary Supplements

Due to overwhelming opposition from consumers and rBGH-free dairies, Rep. Friend passed on the opportunity to hold a House vote on Bill 1300, and now the Indiana legislature is adjourned and HB 1300 is dead.

Washington paid out a quarter of a trillion dollars in federal farm subsidies between 1995 and 2009, but to characterize the programs as either a "big government" bailout or another form of welfare would be manifestly unfair – to bailouts and welfare.

After all, with bailouts taxpayers usually get their money back (often with interest), while welfare recipients are subjected to harsh means-testing, time-limited benefits, and a work requirement, all in order to receive modest-to-pitiful government benefits that are more or less uniform for every applicant. READ

Economic Research Report No. (ERR-99) 81 pp, June 2010

A series of coordinated case studies compares the structure, size, and performance of local food supply chains with those of mainstream supply chains. Interviews and site visits with farms and businesses, supplemented with secondary data, describe how food moves from farms to consumers in 15 food supply chains. Key comparisons between supply chains include the degree of product differentiation, diversification of marketing outlets, and information conveyed to consumers about product origin. The cases highlight differences in prices and the distribution of revenues among supply chain participants, local retention of wages and proprietor income, transportation fuel use, and social capital creation.

Keywords: Local foods, case studies, direct marketing, intermediated supply chains, farm-to-retail, farm-to-school, farmers markets, food miles, ERS, USDA

Chapters are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. READ REPORT

CLICK FOR AN OVER-VIEW OF WATER PRIVATIZATION
Our hands have been full, we welcome your emails with information for updating this water section!

ISDA - Clean Water Indiana Program 2010- The State Soil Conservation Board's (SSCB's) Clean Water Indiana (CWI) Grants Program provides Indiana's Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) with a great opportunity to showcase pilot programs of what Hoosier conservationists can do when given the resources to make a difference.

By displaying the impact of our stewardship, the current level of CWI funding will serve as seed money to grow into much larger sources of funding for soil and water conservation initiatives.

Districts will find that these programs are not "one size fits all", however, we encourage SWCDs to "think outside the box" and submit creative and innovative ideas within the guidance provided.

For 2010, the State Soil Conservation Board (SSCB) voted to set aside $550,000 for this grant cycle, as well as provide more choices for the use of grant funds. The focus for this round of grant funding will include:

* Adult Education
* Outreach/Marketing
* Cost Share Incentives
* Capacity Building

Grant Application
-Public Citizen site - Water for All Campaign
-Clean Water Action - a national citizen's organization working for clean, safe, and affordable water

Did you know ?

• Once GMO's are released into the environment they can never be recalled.
• We have been eating GMO food since 1996
• The United States grows 75% of the world's genetically engineered crops
• Most GMO crops are engineered to require the use of toxic weed killers
• Labeling of GMO foods is required in Europe, Japan, Russia and Australia, but not in the US

At the top of the world wide news is Genetic Engineering of the food we eat. Altering genetic makeup of species undermines and destroys the genetic foundation of agricultural systems world wide. Local Food believes that with the use of world altering technologies being applied to what we eat, that it is a small thing to ask that all GE foods and modified food products be labled. Monsanto and other American mega food corporations are spending six million to defeat the measure. Local Food supports your right to know what you are consuming and support the choice of consumers being knowledgeable about their food. The Organic Consumers Association have been lobbying against these giants with less than $150,000, yet the volunteer effort is strong and excellent work is resulting. Of course they can use your help. Much information can be found on the subject of GE foods at Genetically Engineered Food Alert . Another site, Genetically Modified Food News has a listing of over 2000 news articles about Genetically Modified Organisms in the food chain.

The Union of concerned Scientist have great articles like:

• Listing of genetically engineered foods currently allowed on the market
• Genetically engineered salmon
  

Feel free to forward this informative publication to family and friends, place it on websites, print it, and post it. Knowledge is power.

Why water privatization is not your friend
"……..Formerly, water - clean, healthy water was practically a right. It didn't matter who I was. Turn on the tap and the water flows. If it didn't, there was hell to pay and we could vote the water commissioners, councilmen, or whoever was responsible, out of office and even demand that they be heavily fined or jailed for betraying a public trust.
Once privatized, what was our water isn't a right anymore. It is a product. If it becomes more profitable to do something else with it than sell it to us at whatever rate the market will bear, then we'd better get used to not having any water."http://www.canyon-news.com/artman/publish/article
_3763.php

Monday 07 June 2010

"We're for seeds that have never been touched by multinationals. In our advocacy, we say that seeds are the patrimony of humanity. No one can control them," said Doudou Pierre, national coordinating committee member of the National Haitian Network for Food Sovereignty and Food Security (RENHASSA), in a recent interview. "We reject Monsanto and their GMOs. GMOs would be the extermination of our people."

READ ARTICLE on IHHN CRANE

Open pollinated seed vs Monsanto genetic engineered seed: David and Goliath? Extracts from Monsanto's Destruction of Seed Cleaners and the Immense Threat to Human Access to Seeds
by Linn Cohen-Cole

Life itself depends on seeds. Multinational biotech corporations such as Monsanto have been genetically engineering them, promoting GE-seeds as producing better yields, helping the starving of the world, using less pesticides and as a boon to small farmers.

Independent studies already show crop failures and a link between GE-crops and organ damage and various diseases and it's clear they are designed to require petroleum-based pesticides and the use of pesticides has gone up with their use.

But even if the GE-seeds were wonderful and all that was promised, the real problem is the patents they come with.

In India, where Bt-cotton farmers have been committing suicide in huge numbers because of debt, Monsanto sells Bt-cotton seed at 1000% higher than normal seeds. [See extracts of article here.] The seeds come with a contract that must be signed, preventing farmers from collecting seeds off their own land at the end of the season - an historic rupture of humankind's free access to natural growth.

As astounding a move as that is, they are doing more. They are actively and aggressively and thoroughly removing access to normal "open pollinated" seeds, the ones we have known since the beginning of time, that farmers have collected and saved and shared among each other.

In the Midwest, where Monsanto sells GE-corn and GE-soy, it also bought up the "normal seed" companies so farmers no longer have places to go for normal corn or soy.

And though GE-corn cross pollinates with normal corn over miles and miles - so maintaining organic corn is nearly impossible now - if its GE-crop is found on a farmer's land, Monsanto sues.

Monsanto is now working to eliminate the last man standing between humans and corporate privatized seeds - the seed cleaner.

The farmers have had three choices - to buy normal seed (now almost gone), to buy GE-seeds at huge cost (and going up); or to collect their own seeds and use them the next season.

If a farmer has even 10 acres, collecting and cleaning those seeds is a huge task. If he has 1000, it would be an impossible task without the seed cleaner whose equipment can separate out seed in just a few hours and whose costs are 1/3 that of buying normal seed. The seed cleaner is the man who makes sustainable agriculture possible.

Monsanto is picking off seed cleaners now across the Midwest, in Missouri, in Indiana, and now in Illinois, where they are going after Steve Hixon.

Shortly after someone broke into Mr. Hixon's office and he found his account book on his truck seat where he would never have left it, every one of his remotely located and very scattered customers had three men arrive at each farm, going out onto it without permission, and serving close to 200 farmers.

Mr. Hixon, and state police who were called in, believe a GPS tracking device may have been put on Mr. Hixon's equipment. All of his customers are being sued and are being intensely pressured to settle, with the men coming back again and again and with daily calls and letters. It appears they are [asked to choose] between being sued or settling out of court or testifying against him that he encouraged them to clean GE-seeds.

The first words out of the judge's mouth when Moe Parr, a seed cleaner in Indiana was sued, were "It's a honor to have a fine company like Monsanto in my courtroom."

Monsanto is working closely with the FDA in redefining seeds as a potential health hazard, subject to bioterrorism, and under that rubric to create rules for importation (controlling access).
http://pratie.blogspot.com/2008
/12/open-pollinated-seed-vs
-monsanto.html

Food For Thought

Local Food is a resource for local food and related information. Your support, submissions and suggestions are welcome. Our individual and collective actions shape the world we see around us. Again we are pleased to report that when searching Google we are # 3 on the search for Local Food News and continue as #1 for Local Food Bloomington.

Recently I was asked wether I believed Bloomington could become a sustainable community. I recall answering rather quickly that if we didn't move collectively in that direction, then we were in for some really hard times. I left it at that. Now after some reflection, I would say the same; only include that as far as my own knowledge of cities goes, and with the wonderful eclectic mixture of people here, we have a really good chance of findeng our way through the transition maze of peak oil times, supporting local food, developing green resources, employment, etc. As with most success stories, the key is us. Further, Bloomington, Indiana is asking the hard questions of how to move forward. Some are examining what resources that are already in place with the question of "How can we nurture this, and how to seed that which is not yet planted.

Following this note is a blurb about one community, in Vermont that was dying, and how they turned themselves around and now people are studying them.

Occassionally we are asked, why our readers are not seeing this status reflected by local business advertising here. We can not answer that. We suggest them to ask it of those they would like to see represented here. Readers are also asking us toinclude more information about food related news around the area. We would love to have food reviews, articles and notice of new locallly owned food establishments. If you have something to share E-mail localfood@greendove.net.

Local Food
Bloomington, IN

Food News: Eggs, Pesticides, Chinese Honey

Something to Squawk About ------ Jun 22 2010, 8:30 AM ET

During the winter here in Vermont, my 12 laying hens seem content enough residing in a retrofitted horse stable. But when I open the henhouse door for the first time in the spring, feathers literally fly as the birds stampede to get outside. In celebration of their newfound liberty, they flap, run, peck, and scratch—in short, behave like chickens.

Which is why I'm always skeptical when a factory farm claims that hens are perfectly happy spending their entire lives crammed into barns with tens of thousands of other chickens in stacked battery cages each not much bigger than the average computer screen. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) apparently agrees. Last week, the organization filed a complaint (PDF) asking the Federal Trade Commission to stop Rose Acre Farms, the country's second largest egg producer, from making "false and misleading animal welfare claims."

Indiana-based Rose Acre, which bills itself as "the good egg people," has 16 million hens and supplies eggs to most parts of the nation. According to the company's website, its chickens get "plenty of fresh country air" and have "plenty of space for free movement." The company says only happy hens lay eggs.

In its complaint, the HSUS says that Rose Acre falsely claims that it provides a "humane and friendly environment" for its caged hens. In an investigation earlier this year, the HSUS says it found conditions in one of Rose Acre's facilities starkly at odds with the cheerful image projected by the company. Birds were trapped in the wires of battery cages, unable to reach food or water. Others had broken bones and untreated prolapsed uteruses. Mummified corpses of dead chickens were in cages with live ones. Abandoned hens had fallen into manure pits.

"Companies like Rose Acre are deceptively exploiting the exponentially growing consumer demand for improved animal welfare," said Jonathan Lovvorn of the HSUS in a press release.

Gas Pains

Methyl bromide was a popular weapon in chemical agriculture's arsenal. Sprayed onto fields before planting, the colorless, odorless gas conveniently kills every living organism in the soil. Less conveniently, the chemical is also eats a giant hole in the ozone layer, so the Environmental Protection Agency ordered that the fumigant be weeded out of the nation's fields by 2015.

The pesticide industry wasted no time coming up with a substitute. Called methyl iodide, the new chemical also sterilizes soil, but doesn't poke holes in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, in experiments with lab animals, it caused cancer, neurological damage, and birth defects.

"This is, without question, one of the most toxic chemicals on earth," John Froines, a professor of environmental health at the University of California, told Timm Herdt, a reporter with the Ventura County Star.

Froines, who chaired a scientific review panel on methyl iodide's possible health effects, testified before a California legislative committee last week. The committee is looking into a decision by the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation to authorize the use of methyl iodide in California. A public comment period on the decision ends at the end of this month. Unless legislators act, the chemical will cleared for application by late fall, even though the panel said that "adequate control of human exposure would be difficult, if not impossible."

But Arysta LifeScience, the company that sells methyl iodide under the trade name Midas, assured potential customers that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the chemical would be available by next spring—"fumigant season" in California. It seems that the scientific review panel overlooked one important fact: it pays to have friends in high places.

A Sting Operation

Add yet another chemically contaminated food to the roster of unsafe imports from China. Earlier this month, federal marshals seized 3,500 gallons of honey from a Philadelphia warehouse. The honey, which had been imported by Sweet Works, Inc. from China, contained chloramphenicol, an antibiotic that is not approved for use in food, animal food, or food-producing animals in the United States.

Chloramphenicol is a potent, potentially toxic drug that is given to people with infections that have proven resistant to other treatments. Fortunately, the marshals got to the honey before it was distributed to consumers.

Barry Estabrook - Barry Estabrook is a former contributing editor at Gourmet magazine. His work on a dairy farm and fishing boat taught him that writing about food was easier than producing it. EMAIL

The director of Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, Dr David Katz said that the American food supply is very salty. Dr Katz seconded Dr Kuklina's views and said that excess salt intake has increased the number of deaths from heart diseases to 100000 per year.

The solution to this problem is also indicated. The recent Institute of Medicine report suggests that sodium levels in processed food should be brought down to solve this problem.

According to the report, the salt intake of almost 70 percent adult should be 1500 mg approx per day, only 5.5 percent people could meet this level.
The recommended amount of salt for others is less than 2300 mg per day.

Dr Kuklina suggested reducing the consumption of processed food and resorting to fresh food items will solve the problem . She said that canned vegetables should be rinsed with water before usage and one should also read the product labels to check the salt quantity before consumption

Although some food companies have indicated that they will reduce the sodium content in their products but consumers are advised to eat home cooked food to avoid any health problems caused by excess salt intake.
USA NEWS WEEK

The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act

* Kucinich Announces Right to Know Legislation in Wake of Alfalfa Supreme Court Ruling
By Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
June 21, 2010
Straight to the Source

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a long-time advocate of family farmers and organic foods, today made the following statement after the Supreme Court voted 7-1 to allow the experimental planting of genetically modified alfalfa seed before an environmental review is completed:

"Today the Supreme Court ruled that when it comes to genetically modified organisms, we as consumers, have to wait until the damage is done and obvious, before we can act to protect health and the environment, even if that damage could be irreversible. READ

In Wake of BP Oil Spill, Consumers Want Bodycare Products Made without Petrochemicals: Organic Consumers Association Calls on Other Leading Retailers to Follow Whole Foods' Example

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the nation's largest consumer group dedicated to organic integrity, is pleased that Whole Foods Market (WFM) is taking action to address widespread organic labeling fraud in personal care. Such brands as Avalon Organics, Nature's Gate and Giovanni, make organic claims on products whose main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients are generally made without any organic material whatsoever and are usually composed in significant part of petrochemicals. OCA commends WFM for taking such a bold and meaningful step on behalf of organic integrity for their customers. The new standard announced by WFM is a milestone achievement for OCA campaigners who recently began escalating tactics with boycotts of organic cheaters, protests at trade show conventions and strong alliances with groups such as the Consumers Union.

"In the wake of the BP oil spill, Whole Foods' announcement couldn't come at a better time. Now more than ever, Americans are searching for alternatives to petrochemicals in the body care aisle," says Ronnie Cummins co-founder and Executive Director of OCA. "This is a major victory for people who want to stop washing petrochemicals all over their bodies and down the drain. These consumers want trusted options for real organic personal care. The new Whole Foods policy will force major organic cheater brands to drop organic claims from their branding and labeling."

The new Whole Foods Market policy on "organic" labeling on personal care products states:

"We believe that the 'organic' claim used on personal care products should have very similar meaning to the 'organic' claim used on food products, which is currently regulated by the USDA's National Organic Program. Our shoppers do not expect the definition of 'organic' to change substantially between the food and the non-food aisles of our stores."

Whole Foods' new policy mandates that "Organic" or "Made with Organic [specified ingredients]" claims must be certified under the USDA National Organic Program, just like food. A more limited "Contains Organic Ingredients" claim for personal care may be certified under the NSF ANSI 305 standard. Organic claims that are not certified, including "Organics" in branding, will not be allowed. Brands have been told they have until August 1, 2010 to explain how they will change their labeling or formulations to comply with the new standard and until June 1, 2011 to be in full compliance with Whole Foods' new policy. Brands that don't submit an explanation are expected to be dropped from store shelves over the coming year.

Other major natural product retailers such as Trader Joe's and the National Cooperative Grocers Association (representing over 100 natural product retailers in the US) face a choice. Will they follow Whole Foods' lead and require the new truthful labels, or will they continue to enable organic fraud? Consumers will look unfavorably on retailers that duck responsibility and profit from organic cheater brands that rip off their customers. OCA will send a letter to all these stores asking for a formal response by August 1st as to whether they will join Whole Foods and cease organic fraud in their stores by June 11, 2011. OCA will publish each stores' response so consumers can see whether their preferred natural products store chooses to stand up for organic integrity.

"What a relief for people ridding themselves of petrochemical products, that they can shop at Whole Foods without worrying about being ripped off by petrochemical formulations masquerading as organic products," says Cummins. "Trader Joe's, NCGA and all other natural products stores need to get with the program and follow this market leader’s example."

Mr. Cummins published an Op-Ed in the Huffington Post entitled "The Oil Spill in the Bathroom." OCA also submitted a letter to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), following up on the formal complaint OCA submitted in January against organic cheaters, informing the NOP that each of the relevant organic groups in the US, including Organic Trade Association, Consumers Union, the Cornucopia Institute and Whole Foods Market, have are united in favor of NOP regulation of organic personal care.

Letter to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP)

Local Organic Food & Farming Can Help Revitalize the Economy

* Opportunity Knocks When it Comes to a Local Food Economy
By Olga Bonfiglio
Common Dreams, February 6, 2009
Straight to the Source

Community-based agriculture has the potential for creating jobs, developing small business entrepreneurships and keeping precious dollars in the community.

"As manufacturing jobs decrease, food jobs are increasing," said Dr. Kami Pothukuchi, associate professor of urban planning at Wayne State University in Detroit.

This is especially good news for a state like Michigan whose economic engine has been dependent on the declining automobile industry. Click to Read More

Following is an article we continue running on the safety of plastics. Have updated information you would like to share? Send it this way!

As a recycling and reuse director, I educate people everyday in regards to these matters. There is a plastic that is stable that will not leach into the water when reused, frozen or microwaved. They sell these reusable 'jugs' at our local organic co-op and they come with the lids that are used for drinking. I can't tell you what # plastic it is, but there should be a little sign or sticker on it that explains that the container won't leach. They look like mini water jugs that people use in their homes or offices, you know, the bigger 5 gallon containers. The other great thing about these containers is that it is the exact amount of water you are supposed to drink in a day.

I always encourage folks to buy products packaged in anything other than plastic, and the only other packaging that's worse than plastic is Styrofoam, which is a type of plastic that is completely toxic. And of course, buy products that use the least amount of packaging.

And, my nutritionist is totally against microwaves period. If you do the research, there's some scary stuff about how it changes the molecular structure. But, I still use mine to heat up water and to reheat some stuff. I just try to keep it to a minimum.

Even if it is a container is #1 or #2 it can still leach if it is reused. Over a period of time, the plastic breaks down and leaches.

Here is a container website. I had no idea that there were so many to choose from. These containers are actually a #7, which is a polycarbonate. It's the most durable kind of plastic and highly recyclable as well. There are numerous studies and plastics are extremely complicated. Although there are only 7 numbers, there are technically hundreds of different plastics. Some studies say that #7 also leaches, but most studies indicate that it only leaches if the integrity has been compromised or only after several years of usage. So, if the container is cracked, cloudy or damaged don't use it. This website also has stainless steel water bottles.

Use #7 for food storage ie…real Tupperware brand. Don't put plastic in the dishwasher or microwave. That compromises the integrity, and fatty foods are more susceptible to leaching. #1 and #2 are technically the safest, but they have short life shelf. After a soda or water bottle has been opened, it shouldn't be used after about 5 days. Milk jugs, #2's, are the same way. So, while they are safest short term, the #7 polycarbonate is safer for long term use/reuse. I used to reuse my cottage cheese, butter and yogurt containers. Studies show that they are probably the most unsafe and break down the fastest. But, #5's are the most environmentally friendly to make, which is why Stony Field Farms decided to change to #5, because most communities will only accept #1 and #2 bottles for recycling. Although, that technology is also changing.

For some guidelines onusing plastic, check out the Green Guide.

Melissa A. Kriegerfox, (previouslly)Monroe County Solid Waste Management District, Recycling and Reuse Director & Indiana Recycling Coalition President, 812-349-2019, www.mcswmd.org -

A survey by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition found that the use of compostable materials in packaging has the corollary effect of increasing the rate of food composting.

According to a report on Greener Packaging, the survey interviewed 40 composting facilities on the effects of compostable consumer packaging. The sector has received a significant boost since Frito-Lay introduced its 100 percent compostable potato chip bag last year. Since then, Green Planet, Dell and Cereplast have all announced new compostable packaging. According to a Pike Research study last year, compostable packaging is expected to grab 32 percent of the market by 2014.

Pactiv, the makers of Hefty garbage bags, recently introduced the first compostable meat tray. The tray is being used by grocery stores in Seattle in order to comply with a new city-wide ban on the use of Styrofoam in stores and restaurants, which goes into effect July 1. The new tray is a bioplastic made from corn, and will be used by local Seattle supermarket chain Metropolitan Market. The new Seattle law is expected to reduce landfill waste by 6,000 tons a year.

The survey found that 72.5 percent of respondents said accepting compostable packaging allowed them to increase their overall rate of food waste tonnage, due to increased hauling efficiencies. Ninety percent of respondents said that they accept compostable packaging. Those that do not cited difficulty in certifying whether material was compostable, longer composting times and fear of contamination from regular plastics as their reasons.

The survey also found that a large majority, 82.5 percent, said that standardized labeling of compostable materials was the most significant area of potential improvement, with responders saying they would be more likely to accept compostable packaging if it were more clearly labeled.

Local Food News is a forum for the topic of food and what is happening in the Bloomington community and the world that affects what is on our tables. Information found here is available to inform the consuming public so that we may all have needed information about the changing face of food to assist us in making responsible sustainable food choices.

Local food is a resource for building local food networks, supporting sustainable agriculture and growing awareness on living in harmony with nature.

Clearing up the Confusion about Organic Wine

There is a lot of interest and a lot of confusion about organic wine these days. The interest stems from the increasing presence of wines with organic claims on store shelves and from wine consumers who want organic alternatives to conventional wines. Most of the confusion has to do with the labeling of these organic wines.

Grapegrowing like most other farming is organic by origin, but like most other farms, most vineyards today are not organic. A more recent history of organic wine and the labeling of organic wine dates back to 1990 when congress passed the National Organic Foods Act. The goal of the Organic Foods Act was to protect producers, handlers, processors, retailers, and consumers of organic food by assuming that foods labeled as organic were in fact organic. The Organic Foods Act put the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in charge of establishing regulations for organic foods and food products. They in turn established the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) to advise them. Since fermented beverages were included in the Organic Foods Act, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) which regulates wine labeling also became involved. The ATF said they would allow organic claims on the label if the claims were documented by an accredited or recognized certifying agency and that the certification had to be submitted for approval with applications for label approval. The ATF did not allow finished products (i.e. wines) to be designated as organic. This changed when Hallcrest Vineyards and the Organic Wine Works challenged the ATF and became the first exception based on an inspection of raw materials, production methods, and records by The California Department of Health Services, Food and Drug Branch. Since then, only a few wineries have followed the same course and become certified processors of organic wines.

Along came the National Organic Program (NOP), also part of the USDA. The NOP’s goal has been to set guidelines for the processing and labeling of organic products and to maintain the “National List” of allowed and prohibited substances. According to the NOP and the ATF who have stated that all label approvals filed with them must comply with the USDA relating to the NOP, there are four categories that organic wines can claim: 100% Organic, Organic, Made With Organic Ingredients, and Some Organic Ingredients. Today, these categories define organic wine so understanding the differences among the four categories is important if you want to know what you are really buying.

The standards are being monitored and regulated by the individual certifying agencies who are in turn being monitored and regulated by the USDA so be careful and make sure you trust the certifying agency that the label identifies.
Organic

For a wine to be labeled “Organic” and bear the USDA organic seal, it must be made from organically grown grapes and give information about who the certifying agency is. A wine in this category cannot have any added sulfites. It may have naturally occurring sulfites, but the total sulfite level must be less than 20 parts per million.
Made with Organic Grapes - or Made with Organically Grown Grapes

The wine in this category must be made from organic grapes, but it can include added sulfites.
The Confusion about Sulfites

What seems to further complicate the subject of organic wine is the subject of sulfites. Sulfite or sulfur dioxide is used as a preservative in wines. It has strong antimicrobial properties and some antioxidant properties. The health effects or consequences of sulfites are debatable though a small percent of the population does suffer a sensitivity reaction to them. A wine can make the claim,“Sulfite Free” or “ No Added Sulfites - Contains Naturally Occurring Sulfites”, but if sulfites are added and the total sulfites in the wine are above 10 parts per million, it must make the statement, “Contains Sulfites.” A wine that makes the claim Sulfite Free must have no detectable sulfites. There is some controversy about whether it is really possible for a wine to have no sulfites, but no detectable sulfites means that current ATF analysis is not sensitive enough to detect the presence of sulfites at such low levels. No Added Sulfites means that the winery did not add sulfites to the wine but there may be naturally occurring sulfites in the wine that occur as a byproduct of fermentation.

According to the NOP labeling laws. Any of the NOP categories could claim to be Sulfite Free or have No Added Sulfites, but the 100% Organic and Organic categories must meet one of these criteria. The Made with Organic Ingredients and Some Organic Ingredients categories may or may not have added sulfites.
Conclusion

According to the law, all organic claims must be stated on the label so you have to read labels carefully to know what is in the bottle. Also, be careful of the way that stores advertise and shelf the various wines. It may not be the same as what the bottle labels state. Organic Consummers

* During World War I and World War II, the US government asked its citizens to plant gardens in order to support the war effort. Millions of people planted gardens. In 1943, Americans planted over 20 million Victory Gardens, and the harvest accounted for nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year.
* Planting a Victory Garden today is a great way to relieve some of the strain of the worsening recession while reducing your carbon footprint.
* Planting a Victory Garden reduces global warming pollution, gasoline demand and the cost of food. Instead of traveling many miles on fossil fuels from farm to table, your food would travel from your garden to your table, saving you money and saving the planet! An Organic Consumer Action!