Deciphering markets' new eco-friendly labels

Efforts to go green are becoming more and more widespread, and one place that's evident is on supermarket and department store shelves. Nowadays, labels on foods and other household products often display seals and certifications vouching for their eco-friendliness, but what do those emblems mean and which ones can you trust?

Global Fairtrade sales increase by 40% benefiting 1.4 million farmers worldwide

Consumers worldwide spent 1,6 billion Euros on Fairtrade Certified Products in 2006, according to Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). This is a 41% increase on the previous year, directly benefiting over 1,4 million producers and workers worldwide.

Organic meat and dairy linked to better quality breast milk

The breast milk of mothers consuming organic meat and dairy contains higher levels of beneficial fatty acids, and has an overall improved quality, suggests new research.

The new study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, reports that obtaining at least 90 per cent of dairy and meat products from organic sources increases levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Is organic better and can it feed us?

Due to consumer demand, organic agriculture is now growing faster than any other sector. It is finally starting to be taken seriously by researchers who are doing studies comparing yields and nutritional analysis of foods grown with modern synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and those grown organically.

Organic, With Pesticides (Extended)

The word "wholesome" doesn't exactly spring to mind when describing Chinese exports these days. But for years now, Chinese farmers have fed soaring global demand for organic foods. China's organic exports totaled $350 million in 2005 (the most recent data available)—up from $150 million the previous year—according to China's largest organic food certification agency.

A growing movement toward green food

Green. Green. Green. It’s the color of the year, maybe even of the century. And rest assured we are not talking about painting your walls or buying a new T-shirt or pair of shoes.

Buying imported food may actually be more energy-efficient

FOR the conscientious, food shopping now poses yet another ethical dilemma: is it really better to buy locally rather than shipping meat, fruit and vegetables around the globe?

A conference of experts yesterday heard that importing food from the other side of the world can actually be more energy-efficient than buying British produce and helps developing countries tackle poverty.

China Quietly Muscles In on the Organic Food Market

Consumers turning to organic food in the wake of warnings about antifreeze-laden toothpaste, poisoned pet food, and antibiotic-laced fish may be in for a surprise. The same country blamed for those scares, China, is quietly muscling in on the organic market.

Vintages that won't cost the earth

Wine can be a tricky subject. The number of wine-producing regions in the world is growing by the year (keep an eye out for Brazil and China, by the way) and the proliferation of the latest flavour-of-the-month grape varieties and blends that they send out into the world is bewildering.

Children's meals from Save the Bacon

After much hard work and having built great business partnerships, Save the Bacon in the UK is offering Juniorganic children’s organic ready meals.

Each dish provides a complete meal and contains sufficient vegetables to count towards the “5 a day” recommended by experts. All meals are suitable for children from one year upwards. Meat is cooked from fresh, sourced from selected British farms and fish is fresh Scottish Salmon. Vegetables are British and purchased locally where possible.

Our meals are blast frozen for increased shelf life – up to 12 months. Meals are simple to prepare in a microwave or conventional oven.

Efforts to curb climate change may hurt African farms

A bid to slow global warming by reducing the tonnes of food air freighted around the world ran up on Tuesday against the worries of poor African growers who fear it will hurt their business.

Organic farming is historically more common than it is now

It is an argument that has been used by large food corporations for so long now that most people come to regard it as fact. The corporations say: Organic farming is great and all, but it just can’t feed the world and its growing population.

Yet recent studies from the University of Michigan and Iowa State University show that organic farming can produce a yield as high of, if not higher for certain crops, as conventional farming. It is time that we see that organic can feed the world, and that it is not a type of food only for the wealthy.

Buy Organic Without Breaking the Bank

ORGANIC FOODS MAY be healthier for you, but they can have a sickening effect on your wallet.

Produced without pesticides and other chemicals, organic produce, meat and dairy products can cost 50% to 100% more than their conventional counterparts, says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist and policy analyst with Consumer Reports' Greener Choices. Despite those mark-ups, studies touting the health and environmental benefits of organic foods have made them more popular than ever before. More than 70% of consumers have at least one organic product on their shopping list, according to market research firm Hartman Group.

There is no demand for ecologically safe produce in Lviv region

Only 2-3 farms in Lviv region grow ecologically safe produce. The situation is a little bit better throughout Ukraine - around one hundred farms grow plants without the application of toxic chemicals. But still, even chemical-free fruits and vegetables do not possess an international quality certificate now. This information was discussed on July 13th during the press-conference "Realities and perspectives of ecologically safe produce growing in Lviv region" held in Lviv Reform Press-Club.

GM push vilifies organics

Recent attacks on the organic food industry are about discrediting it to soften up the public to accept genetically modified (GM) crops, Dr Maggie Lilith of the Conservation Council of WA and the Say No to GMO campaign told Green Left Weekly.

Cocktails get a 'health' makeover

On Monday around 9 p.m., three young Brooklynites stopped into Counter, a vegetarian restaurant in the East Village. Laughing and chatting, they sampled organic raspberries, poached pears, fresh pineapple and strawberries.

That this bounty was found not tableside but at the bar, where the restaurant's menu of organic cocktails has been steadily expanding, only heightened the appeal.

Public backs call for better labels

DEMAND for locally grown produce is on the rise as customers want to know more about where their food comes.

Farmers and traders at the show were questioned closely by visitors to the North's premier agricultural event in Harrogate as hundreds signed petitions backing Yorkshire Post campaigns calling for better labelling of British food and protection for Wensleydale cheese.

Demand grows for organic wine

Have you ever had an organic wine?

Chances are you've had a bottle or two and didn't even know it because they don't always put the word "organic" on the label, but that's starting to change.

Organic Products Worth Price Tag?

In an age in which Americans are becoming more environmentally aware than ever, organic products are everywhere. Consumers can purchase not only organic foods but also organic mattresses and cosmetics. It seems that everything available in grocery stores has its own organic counterpart. But it begs the question: What makes organic "organic"?

Chocolate is latest U.S. organic heavy-hitter

Organic chocolate sales are booming as more U.S. consumers seeking untreated natural ingredients are choosing the sweet treat to satisfy their cravings, and mainstream companies are entering what was once considered a high-end market.

Save the Bacon - for you UK carnivores

Save the Bacon has just announced a huge promotion for organic cooked meats and much more. Here's what they're offering:

PIES
Classic Chicken Pie
Moroccan Lamb Pie
Pork Pie
Steak & Kidney Pie
Steak & Red Wine Pie
Salmon Fish Pie

ORGANIC SOUPS
Carrot & Courgett e Soup
Chicken & mushroom Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Cream of Tomato Soup
Leek & Potato Soup
Lentil & Vegetable Soup

ORGANIC MEALS
Beef Provencal
Beef Stroganoff
Meatballs in Tomato & Herb Sauce
Lasagne
Chicken Nuggets
Chicken Mango
Coq Au Vin
Thai Chicken
Lamb Tagini
Shepherd's Pie

ORGANIC VEGETARIAN MEALS
Cheese & Tomato Pizza
Mushroom Stroganoff
Spinach & Ricotta Lasagne
Vegetable Shepherd's Pie

ORGANIC PUDDINGS AND CAKES
Baked Almond & Apple Pudding
Bread & Butter Pudding
Chocolate Bread & Butter Pud
Luxury Rice Pudding
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Custard Sauce
Gingerbread
Chocolate Brownies
Traditional Flapjack

The top organic and Fairtrade coffees - and how to taste them

John Weaver, coffee buyer for Cafédirect, knows his Palenque from his Kilimanjaro and his Machu Picchu. The rest of us are not so sure.

(Note from me: This is a good article about vocabulary - what is organic, what is fair trade, that sort of thing. But are these the best? You decide- you have plenty of choices!)

McDonalds' milk goes organic

Organic dairy farmers could benefit from increased demand for their milk after McDonalds has announced it is switching to organic milk for its coffee and hot chocolate drinks.

The move could account for 5% of the UK’s organic milk supplies.

Organic tomato boosted at UCD

In another tantalizing suggestion that organic produce may be more nutritious, UC Davis researchers have found that tomatoes grown organically in a campus test field packed an extra punch.

The organic tomatoes were richer in two types a flavonoids, compounds believed partly responsible for lower rates of cardiovascular disease and some cancers in people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

technorati tags: organic, organic food, health food, natural food, organic vegetables, organic produce

Organic food under threat

A path leads around Bwlchwernen Fawr farm, through the fields and past a wood that is home to kites, buzzards and tawny owls. The trail twists at a stream feeding the river Aeron before bubbling underground beside a badger sett which local schoolchildren are encouraged to visit.

To outside eyes, Bwlchwernen, in West Wales, appears to be an idyll of peace and tranquillity. From the inside, however, it is anything but.

Fourth of July Wine Tasting

First, happy Fourth of July to all of us who consider it a good thing. Slightly belated Happy Canada Daty to our neighbors to the north.

Today is my dad's birthday, so I wanted to find some higher-quality organic wines for our tasting. I went to my local Bev-Mo thinking I'd have a better selection. Well, maybe, but it was like the proverbial needle in the haystack. They have lots to choose from, but without reading the fine print associated with every bottle it was hard to figure out what was organic. I settled on two:

Bonterra Vineyards 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a silver medalist in Monterey. Very smooth and not too tannic. Very nice with the tri-tip.
Naked (from Snoqualomie Vineyards) 2006 Riesling. Definitely sweet and more of a dessert wine, but smoothly sweet, not cloying. Rated 90 points.

Both of these are from organically grown grapes, rather than being fully organic wines.

technorati tags: organic, natural, organic wine, natural wine, organic red wine, organic+white+wine