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Showing posts with label food safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food safety. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

joy of luck: day 7

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theme { a rainbow }

a “rainbow of risk”

us federal regulators are (finally) reexamining artificial ingredients they have long deemed to be safe, prompted by scientific studies suggesting that color additives might be linked to allergic reactions, hyperactivity and even cancer.

did you know pop tarts sold in the uk are different than pop tarts sold in the us? and fruit loops sold in australia are different than fruit loops sold in the us? manufacturers are producing healthier versions of these popular products (and I’m sure others) with natural food coloring ingredients for other countries because of their “strict food policies”.

prohibit the use of artificial dyes that are known carcinogens?

seems pretty black and white.

http://blog.foodfacts.com/

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

joy of luck: day 6

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theme { who is a blessing }

confession: i’ve become an overnight activist for food safety. until legislators and the fda do right by consumers to protect us from unsafe products, i‘ll send letters and emails and (most importantly) vote for pesticide, herbicide and toxin free products with each and every purchase at the grocery store.

 

Dear Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison,Senator John Cornyn III and Representative Randy Neugebauer,

It is shocking that the FDA has never developed binding federal rules to protect consumers from the food safety risks of genetically engineered foods. Instead, the FDA relies on the very companies that have a financial interest in bringing these biotech crops to market to assess their safety. FDA has stated, "Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety" of gene altered foods.

Congress must step up and fill the gaping regulatory hole left by the FDA to protect American consumers by requiring mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Here in America, we pride ourselves on having choices and making informed decisions. Under current FDA regulations we don't have that choice when it comes to GE ingredients in the foods we purchase and feed our families. Labeling is essential for me to choose whether or not I want to consume genetically engineered foods.

Genetically engineered foods are required to be labeled in the 15 European Union nations, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world. As an American, I firmly believe I should also have the right to know if my foods have been genetically engineered. If food makers like Kraft and Kellogg's can label the products they sell in these countries, they can certainly do it in the U.S.

A recent poll released by ABC News found that 92 percent of the American public wants the federal government to require mandatory labeling on genetically engineered foods. As ABC News stated, "Such near-unanimity in public opinion is rare."

I hope you will listen to me and the other 92 percent of the American public who want mandatory labeling and show your support for American consumers by supporting and co-sponsoring legislation requiring mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Friday, March 18, 2011

joy of luck: day 2

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theme { green }

green is the symbolic color for newness, beginnings, spring and life...

my organic seed was planted a few year ago, when drew transitioned from formula to milk. at that point, I was only buying organic milk and occasionally organic strawberries if they were available or i made a special trip to central market (when we lived in the metroplex). organics were probably readily available in other categories, but i hadn’t noticed or understood the environmental impact...until now.

and i thought for sure our selection would be very limited our here in the wild wild west without a whole foods or central market, but i’ve been amazed at the variety of products available at United and HEB. and really they aren’t that much more, but a premium i’m learning and willing to accept for chemical free.

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good read alert: the president cancer panel released a report a few years ago, reducing environmental cancer risk. below is a thought provoking and disheartening quote from the report regarding our involuntary exposure to chemicals used in agriculture.

“I believe it is time for a new human experiment. The old experiment…is that we have sprayed pesticides which are inherent poisons…throughout our shared environment. They are now in amniotic fluid. They’re in our blood. They’re in our urine. They’re in our exhaled breath. They are in mothers’ milk….What is the burden of cancer that we can attribute to this use of poisons in our agricultural system?...We won’t really know the answer until we do the other experiment, which is to take the poisons out of our food chain, embrace a different kind of agriculture, and see what happens.” ~ SANDRA STEINGRABER, ITHACA COLLEGE

Thursday, March 10, 2011

super power: bone building…

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unless it comes in the form of homemade banana nut bread, you won’t find me eating this mushy super food anytime soon. however, my kiddos love the B-A-N-A-N-A and i love the fact that it’s the most portable, inexpensive and healthy snack for a toddler whose always on the go.

did you know that walmart sold more bananas last year than any other single item?!

anyway, here are the other super foods featured as “bone builders” according to men’s health magazine (with my unsolicited opinion).

  • alaskan king crab (all you can eat) – zinc
  • dried plums (never tried em) – copper and boron, prevent osteoporosis
  • bok choy (pretty indifferent) – packed with calcium, vitamins A and C, folic acid, iron, beta-carotene and potassium
  • oysters (with a cracker and cocktail sauce) – zinc, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, potassium and selenium
  • kiwis (never see them at the store?) – potassium, vitamin C and lutein, and who knew you could and should eat the skin?
  • broccoli (steamed with cheese or ranch) – calcium, manganese, potassium
  • spinach (yes, please!) – vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium
  • leeks (onion hater) – thiamine, riboflavin, calcium and potassium, folic acid
  • artichokes (love ‘em on my pizza) – fiber, magnesium, potassium
  • bananas (bread only) – potassium, tryptophan

sounds like we wouldn’t need a multi-vitamin if we incorporated more of these into our meal planning…

erica copy

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

the basics…

Organic produce is labeled organic when it has been grown, raised, harvested and packaged without the use of harmful chemicals, such as fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, growth hormones or antibiotics. Organic also means the produce has not been genetically modified. When we choose organic we not only look after the health of our own body and immune system but also the health of our family, the health of our soil and the health of our planet. So everyone wins. ~ foodmatters.com