Thursday, October 30, 2008

Why did the tofu cross the road?

Newsletter - October 28, 2008

Specials and Recommendations
Answer to that burning question below. But first....

Just in time for the holidays, we welcome several new sponsors to Organic Food and Drink.com Check these out:

Chocolate Herbals - I just had to list this first. Imagine healthy herbs in a base of organic chocolate - that's Chocolate Herbals. So far I've stayed away from the whole nutritional supplement arena, but this is chocolate!

Roger's Gourmet Coffee & Tea Market - This one has gotten a bunch of attention already. A variety of coffees (and teas), including a good selection of organic under the Organic Coffee Co. brand. Visit them for 15% off your order of $90 or more, 10% off $60 or more, and free shipping over $30.

Not to be outdone, Mystic Monk Coffee is serious about the "monk" part. Each bag of coffee is roasted and prepared for you in a hidden, cloistered monastery where each roast is the work of perfection and a labor of love.

La Cense Beef isn't fully organic, but they explain on their web site that they come awfully close.with their grass-fed, hormone-free beef. Worth a look if you're in the market. Free shipping on orders over $45 and $25 off your first order.


A few current specials:
wine.com continues with a couple, till the end of the month. Save 15% off any 12-month wine club membership. Enter Promo Code FALLCLUB at checkout. Or, Save 5% on your order of $50 or more. Enter Promo Code FALL50 at checkout.

Wine Enthusiast has an array of wine-related products - a good idea to get that holiday shopping going:
Fun Halloween specials - till 1 November
Their "Gift of the Year" - a EuroCave SoWine Home Wine Bar, for $100 off and free shipping
Fusion stemware - break-resistant glassware with a 10 year guarantee
A whole variety of "Pink Products", in support of breast cancer awareness

Amazon.com is running specials on a number of organic and natural products, but as far as I know this is only for October so don't wait too long.

All of these and much more - with every part of the world I can find to include- are always being updated on the web site.
Organic wine
Organic coffee
Organic meat
Organic produce
Organic chocolate

So, why did the tofu cross the road? To prove he wasn't chicken!

Demand for organic bananas

THE Far North is poised to tap into the growing demand for organic produce with Dole Australia gearing up to increase production of organic banana.

The international company, which is growing plots of organic banana in Walkamin on the Tableland and in the Daintree, said demand was outstripping production.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Here's a sale, but better hurry

Arbico Organics having a 15% Harvest Moon Compost Sale. Use their coupon code MOON15 to get 15% off your composting supplies. Not much time left on this one though - this expires on October 31.

Organic strawberries a hard sell at times

Over the next several weeks, 600 California farmers will plant 31,000 acres of strawberries. That includes 12,000 acres in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties alone.

Just 1,200 to 1,500 acres will be grown without chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Although that's not an insignificant amount, it is fewer than expected as demand for organic produce grows steadily and scientists probe ever further into the environmental and health benefits of organic agriculture.

Is Fair Trade all it's cracked up to be?

The rise of the "ethical" consumer hasn't just created a market for greener products – it's also created a market for new labels meant to show that those products have been vetted on your behalf. But for the average shopper, the labels can get confusing pretty fast.

Research Helps Fuel Revolution in Sustainable Viticulture

Winegrapes are one of California's signature agricultural products, bringing some $52 billion in revenue and 20 million tourists to the state each year. At the same time, grapes are grown on some of the most sensitive acres in the state, in areas of high population growth, high land values and environmental activism.

Since the early 1990s, the California winegrape industry has made an unprecedented effort to promote sustainable practices, those that prioritize environmental protection, economic viability and social equity. Winegrape growers have formed unique partnerships - with UC researchers, government agencies, environmental groups, vineyard neighbors and others - to define best practices and monitor progress along a "sustainability continuum."

Monday, October 20, 2008

Companies line up for organic tea

Competition has started heating up in the organic tea segment. With consumers getting health conscious companies are launching new products in the segment, which is still at a nascent stage and is pegged at Rs 50 crore.

Study Says Organic Food Cuts Risk of Atophy

The reduced incidence of atopic disorders is likely due to a combination of organic food consumption and health education, according to a study released yesterday.

A Bad Summer for Organic Food

The summer of 2008 has not been very good for the organic food industry. Below is a compendium of this summer's news items, followed by my remarks.

June 20. The season starts with news of a Which? report that a panel of 120 taste testers found no differences between organic and conventional strawberries although the former cost two to three times as much. (Which? is the UK equivalent of Consumer Reports.)

Organic farming could work wonders

An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system that has the integrity, the independence and the benign dependence of an organism``

Vietnam: Hard times ahead for organic farmers

Rising prices for agro-materials and falling purchasing prices for vegetables are causing headaches for organic produce farmers in HCM City’s suburbs, say local farmers. The biggest buyers of organic vegetables from suburban farming co-operatives have been the city’s supermarkets. Over the last eight months, local growers only managed to sell a kilo of spinach to supermarkets for VND3,000 (20 cents), a loss for most vegetable farmers.

Study aims to boost organic growth in Kerry

Minister for Food and Horticulture Trevor Sargent today announced an organic feasibility study for Kerry.

The main aims of the study are to identify market opportunities for enterprises in the organic sector, to encourage new entrants into organic food production, and to increase the number of organic producers and processors in the county.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Found a new source for meat in the U.S.

If you review their web site you'll see that they follow most, if not all, of the rules without the certification. La Cense Beef, all grass fed with no hormones or pesticides. The way they explain it, about 1% of their calves each year get sick and require antibiotics, and they made the decision that it was healthier for the animal to treat it and forgo the organic certification. Worth a look.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Lots of deals at wine.com

Start with 1 Cent Shipping on purchase of $99 or more! Enter code ONECENT99 at checkout. Valid 10.06.08 - 10.10.08, so hurry on this one.


Didn't make it in time? Here are some more promos for you:
Save 15% off any 12-month wine club membership! Enter Promo Code: FALLCLUB at checkout. Offer valid 9.1.08 - 10.31.08.


Save 5% on your order of $50 or more. Enter Promo Code: FALL50 at checkout. Offer valid 9.1.08 - 10.31.08.



Save 10% off any gift basket. Enter Promo Code: FALLGIFT at checkout. Offer valid 9.1.08 - 10.31.08.


Save $10 on your order of $150 or more. Enter Promo Code: FALL10 at checkout. Offer valid 9.1.08 - 10.31.08.



Save $20 on your order of $250 or more. Enter Promo Code: FALL20 at checkout. Offer valid 9.1.08 - 10.31.08.

Organic Fpod and Drink Newsletter - October 7, 2008

Specials and Recommendations

Welcoming some new sponsors to Organic-Food-and-Drink.com!

Our first link for pet owners! Only the best food and treats for your pet at PawsChoice.com.

For wine drinkers, we have winelegacy.com - superb quality, hand-picked wines from around the world, shipping in the U.S. Now featuring a case of organic wine, three bottles each of Cabernet/Merlot, Chardonnay/Viognier, Chardonnay, and Petit Syrah for $152.00.

Finally, we go beyond food and drink to find all kinds of green products at buygreen.com. Eco friendly clothing, including bamboo clothing, green home environmental products including natural organic products and solar powered lights, just to name a few.

Those of you in climates still dealing with lawn care will like the 20% off offered by Arbico Organics. Hurry on this one though, they're only good till October 9.

At CyberCucina, October is World Tea Month! Check out their assortment of organic teas.

Organic Bouquet is always a good source of gifts. Check out their autumn specials - the holiday specials won't be far behind.

Harry and David is going bigger and bigger into organic options. For October they're featuring Royal Riviera pears, and if you search on "organic" you'll get the organic version. Contrary to most places, they've actually lowered delivery charges on many items, so take advantage.


On the equipment side, for you gourmets (or gift shoppers!):
Sur la Table is offering 25% off on Wusthof Gourmet Open Stock Knives until November 1, and free shipping on select items through the end of the year.

Also, check out the bar supplies and equipment on sale at Kegworks.

Wine Enthusiast is having a sale on its wine storage, including cellars, refrigerators, and racking kits - get 15% off. Worth a look for all kinds of wine-related gifts, and they're offering free shipping on lots of things.

As always, you can find full lists of links and sponsors shipping to around the world on the web site:
Organic wine
Organic coffee
Organic meat
Organic produce
Organic chocolate


Feature Article: Why Is Organic Farming Bad - If It Is?

Why is organic farming bad, if it is? We have been told that organic farming is good for our health. Proponents have trumpeted the message that organic farming is good for the environment. How could it possibly be bad?

It seems that, increasingly, life is being divided into traditional and alternative. Each side claims their methods to be better than the other's. Each tries to win people to their side. Traditional schooling fights alternative schooling. Conventional medicine fights alternative medicine. Mainstream culture fights alternative subcultures.

Farming, too, is involved in a battle, conventional farming against organic farming. Environmentalists and those concerned with their health assure us that organic farming is preferable in many ways. But others argue that organic farming is bad.

Why is organic farming bad?

Research Results

In 2002, Swiss scientists at the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture published in "Scientist" a highly publicized study. Their study, which covered 21 years, compared four types of farming. Two of those types were organic farming. The other two types were conventional farming.

Reporters quickly stated that the study proved organic farming was more efficient. Organic farming's advocates said the study showed that organic farming uses 50% less energy. The facts?

1. Conventional farming is 20 percent more productive than organic farming.

2. Crop yields were significantly lower in organic farming.

3. The above two facts meant energy savings in organic farming were actually only about 19 percent per unit of crop produced, not 50 percent.

4. The study did not test organic farming against the most current methods of conventional farming. If it had, experts say, the 19 percent advantage of organic farming would disappear.

5. Current conventional farming matches organic farming when it comes to environmental advantages. Both have beneficial insects, produce less pesticide and fertilizer runoff, and reduce soil erosion.

6. Food quality was almost identical in conventional and organic farming. Advocates of organic farming had long claimed their food was far superior.

7. Current conventional farming methods produce the same or greater yields mentioned in number 1 above.

This research does not, of course, conclude that organic farming is bad. On the face of it, the conclusion is more that organic farming is not very different from current conventional farming. There most be other reasons for people believing organic farming is bad.

Organic Farming Can Kill

Many took from the Swiss study a realization that, as Cambridge chemist John Emsley said, "the greatest catastrophe the human race could face this century is not global warming, but a global conversion to 'organic farming'- [where] an estimated 2 billion people would perish."

Organic farming may supply food for small markets, but how can it feed starving nations? Its adversaries claim that current conventional farming is the only hope for these people. If we turn entirely to organic farming, they say, we will doom billions to die of starvation.

Challenging Organic Farming

Alex Avery, Director of Research and Education for the Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues, recently published a new book, "The Truth About Organic Foods." (2006) In this book, Avery offers an unemotional look at the odd origins and unscientific basis for organic farming.

Nobel Peace Prize Winning Agricultural Scientist, Dr. Norman Borlaug, says about this book, "The Truth About Organic Foods gives consumers a thorough and straight-forward explanation of why organic foods offer no real health or safety benefits. More importantly, Avery communicates why organic farming's lower yields and reliance on scarce organic fertilizers represents a potential threat to the world's forests, wetlands and grasslands. The book offers scientifically sound evidence that more-affordable conventional foods are healthy for families and also good stewardship of nature."

Skimming Mr. Avery's book, one finds statements that indicate:

1. Organic farming started in the 1920s when a German mystic advised use of only animal manure because synthetic fertilizers had no cosmic energy.

2. Soon, the wealthy decided manure-fertilized produce was better.

3. J.I. Rodale first published his "Organic Gardening Magazine" in 1942, and the organic farming / organic gardening movement was named.

4. In 2007, organic farming advocates still have no credible science to support their beliefs.

5. Organic farming does not avoid pesticides. About 5 percent a vegetable's weight is natural pesticides, some of which are cancer-causing.

6. Foods from organic farming have more illness-causing bacteria. (The January 2007 issue of "Consumer Reports" showed that chicken from organic farming has 300% more Salmonella than that from conventional farming. University studies have found more bacteria in vegetables from organic farming than in vegetables from conventional farming.

7. If organic farming, which decries synthetic fertilizer, was chosen over conventional farming, we would have a choice. We could kill millions of people to reduce global food needs, or we could sacrifice wildlife habitat in the amount of millions of square miles so we could produce more manure.

Why is organic farming bad? Mr. Avery believes he has the answer.

Notwithstanding Mr. Avery's new book, I am not sure whether organic farming is bad or not. It is often difficult to sort through rhetoric and find fact. I do know that my forefathers had large organic farms. The produce was good and it was nourishing. Before I can turn my back completely on organic farming and organic gardening, I need clearer evidence. You probably want to do more research, too.

About the Author:
©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic farming on a small scale at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles regularly, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want to know how to make your own organic fertilizer, you will want to read Anna's article on the subject.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Top 12 Must-Buy Organic Foods

Pesticides help protect crops by warding off damaging weeds, diseases, and bugs, but they also leave a residue on our produce. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, certain fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticide residue than others, even after washing. Researchers at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested these top offenders and dubbed them "the Dirty Dozen." For these 12 foods, the EWG recommends avoiding pesticide residue by choosing organic versions.

Organic Farm Contaminated by Pesticides Wins $1M Verdict

A Santa Cruz County jury has awarded $1 million to an organic farm in Santa Cruz whose edible herbs were contaminated by pesticides applied to vegetables on nearby farms.

Lawyers for Jacobs Farm / Del Cabo said today that organophosphate pesticides evaporating after application and then blowing onto the organic herbs made it impossible for Jacobs Farm to sell significant portions of its 2006 and 2007 harvests of sage, rosemary and dill.

5 Foods Pregnant Women Should Eat Organic

More than four million acres of American farmland have already been dedicated to organic farming, helping our health and our future. That’s four million acres farmed without the use of toxic pesticides or other toxic chemicals; four million acres nurtured with both ancient and modern techniques that are in balance with nature, helping to reduce the production of greenhouse gasses and reduce the threat of global warming.

ComBio: Organic misconceptions and nutritional genomics

The comforting but questionable assumption that nature knows best strongly influences the food-buying preferences of Western consumers. The booming organic food industry takes the mindset a step further, by using only “natural” fertilisers and pesticides.

Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of people in the world’s poorer nations suffer because “natural” does not mean optimal nutrition. Professor Dean DellaPenna, professor of biochemistry at Michigan State University, would like to make it so.

Defining organic

The increase in popularity of local, fair-trade, and organic produce is an indication people in general are beginning to realize consumerism carries with it social, economic and environmental consequences and responsibilities.