BPA Update (not really about organics, but still important food news)

The New York Times reports that the FDA is reassessing their 2008 statement that BPA (a plastics chemical most known as that used for plastic water bottles) is safe. It seems the FDA under Obama rather than Bush is finally putting food safety before corporate interests, what a novel concept.

I think what's most striking in this article is when BPA is described, it sounds markedly similar to PFOA's and PFOS, chemicals found in the old recipe of Scotchgaurd which are now found lodged in the bodies of nearly every living thing on Earth. BPA is being found in all people now, even unborn babies. The effects of this chemical continue to be mostly unknown, but I can't help but be nervous when unnatural chemicals like these become lodged in my body.

BPA use is still widespread (although I think Nalgene has dropped its use), another common place you'll find it is the plastic liner often used in food canning. I've seen cans with both white and clear plastic liners, I don't' think there's any way of knowing if BPA is in both, but it seems likely.

Canada already has BPA bans in place.

For the record, my baby uses glass bottles. :)

Jd

Top Foods to Buy Organic

Many of us can't afford to buy all organic foods, but if you can start with a few you'll make a huge impact on the quantity of pesticides, antibiotics and hormones consumed.

"According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating only the cleanest. (www.thedailygreen.com)"

1. All meat, fish and poultry
While these foods won't typically contain much in the way of pesticides, when commercially farmed they're loaded with other nasty substances.
These are the most important foods to buy organic, the chemicals and bacterias are carcinogenic and even deadly. Did you know if you put a corn-fed cow on it's natural diet of grass, the cow's digestive system would bring it's e-coli levels back to safe levels in only ONE WEEK!

Also see: Josh's post about beef fillers.
Also see: the rest of the developed world's ban on rbgh.


2. Carrots
Not only do the organic carrots taste AMAZING, they also contain little to no pesticides!! The European Union is actually working to ban the chemical pesticide commonly used for carrots. Wake up USA! We've got some catching up to do.

Additionally, Aleisha says carrots are her pick for an always buy organic veggie, especially for the taste:)

3. Thin skinned fruits (and/or fruits you eat the skins of): peaches, nectarines, grapes, apples and strawberries to name a few
Not only do these fruits have super permeable skins, we commonly eat those skins and they're just soaked with pesticides that no amount of running under cold water in a colander will fix.

Buy these organic, or buy thicker skinned fruits like melons, oranges, pineapple, kiwis or mango.

4. Veggies with no protective anything: leafy greens, kale, spinach, peppers and celery
Pesticides are sprayed directly onto the edible parts of these plants... and remember that experiment we did when we were kids with the glass of dyed water and a celery stalk, and the stalk turned blue? Yeah, well that happens with these plants and chemicals. Gross.

5. Milk and Eggs
For me this is predominantly an animal and worker/farmer treatment issue. Conditions in factory dairy and poultry farms are inexcusable. Henceforth, buy these from local producers with humane practices.

So it costs a dollar more? Pretty sure you can skip a coffee and find it was worth your while.
As with all the foods on this list, the organic versions just taste better.


http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/10-foods-you-should-buy-organic.htm
http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/slowfoodorganiclocal/a/organicproduce_2.htm

What's in this burger!?

Want a great way to stick to your New Year's Resolution to eat a better/healthier/local/organic/more sustainably raised/eco-friendlier/save the freaken world diet? All you have to do for a little motivation is find out what is in your food, and presto, you'll be too disgusted to ever eat it again!

I can't get enough of this article in the New York Times, thanks to Heather for emailing it to me. This incredible, inedible meat byproduct cranked out by BPI (a beef giant that has their products in far better restaurants than you would hope) is in all McDonalds burgers, some of Burger King, and of course, in your child's school lunch (up to 15% per pound of ground beef). You take the nasty, fatty, e-coli contaminated scraps left over from beef processing, grind 'em up, blast them with ammonia until the pH is changed from around 6 to upwards of 10, then flash freeze it and chip it. Then, just thaw and blend for a savings of 3 cents per pound of ground beef, thank you very much.

Sound disgusting? Stop paying for it! Stop eating it!
Learn more about "ground beef"

My new years rez:

I'm fighting the Big Food fight this year. I will henceforth only be purchasing ethically raised and produced meat and poultry. Every purchase of food is a vote to the industry, I will vote Organic and seasonal and local and against over processing and factory farms each day this year! Educate yourselves on this issue! The deeper you get the more troubling; but we, the consumers, are the ones making the choice!

In addition to my personal consumer/digestive commitment, I will be collecting observations, articles and such here on this blog to engender a process of dialog and for change. Please feel welcomed to be involved and post your observations and findings.

FOOD FIGHT!

Cage Free my chicken butt

Big-Food Fight misnomer of the day: Cage Free Eggs.

Here's a picture of factory farmed "cage free" chickens.