Growers and Grocers

It’s the middle of summer and there’s nothing tastier than some lovely fresh fish. But wait – aren’t fish bad for you now? Or are they good for you again? And some of them have been overfished, haven’t they? And what about pollution?
Buying fish can be a confusing process. Besides obvious concerns about taste, freshness […]

I took a trip to London in April, and I can tell you that the British are on top of food-related issues. All over the city, food purveyors tout dishes as organic, vegetarian, this-free and that-enriched. And Prime Minister Tony Blair does have good table manners at international summits. But he is not so popular […]

I admit it; I’m suspicious of most anything the US government does. I’m not a fan of the current administration’s big business-loving policies, and I think that the system we have of a few powerful lawyers lobbying Congress on every issue you can think of is a bad thing for consumers. […]

When I say Ohio, you don’t immediately think WINE, do you? I live in Ohio, and I don’t think of my home state as a great wine producer. But Ohio wines have been gaining worldwide attention, and reaching beyond the traditional area of wine production in Ohio. In the 1800s, the Ohio […]

The FDA has established strict labeling guidelines for bottled water, but with so many different categories, how helpful are they to consumers? Bottled water is generally defined in the regulations as “water that is intended for human consumption and that is sealed in bottles or other containers with no added ingredients except that it […]

What if I told you that you could have a steak, or a breast of chicken or a nice slice of ham, without having to worry about antibiotics, hormones, over-crowding of factory farms, environmental damage or the death of an animal?
And how about if I told you that in a decade or two, you’ll be […]

What are they?
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, biopesticides fall into three categories: microbial pesticides (microorganisms are the active ingredient), Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (genetic material is added to plants so that they naturally produce the pesticide substance), and biochemical pesticides (naturally occurring substances).
Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials […]

For more than a decade now, soy beans have been touted as a miracle food. Soy reduces the risk of heart disease, breast and prostate cancer, is known to ease symptoms of menopause, prevents digestive disorders and problems of lactose intolerance and milk allergies, is beneficial to diabetic diets and may help prevent osteoporosis among […]

Welcome to the first edition of “The Sunday News.” This weekly post at Growers and Grocers will keep you informed of the latest developments in food policy and marketing, sustainable agriculture and organic food, and other issues related to how food gets to your table. Look forward to a link-filled view of what’s happening in […]

Recent news about Wal-Mart carrying items labeled “organic” got me to thinking about what organic really means. The USDA set standards for organic labeling in October of 2001, and continually updates those standards, most recently in June of 2006. (Full text of those standards can be found here.)
But how does the United […]