Pepsi’s strategy: Create a research environment so scientists and public health experts don’t feel out of place at the corporate HQ of sugar, salt and fat. Last month PepsiCo set off a firestorm among angry bloggers when the company attempted to buy its way onto the popular ScienceBlogs (run by Seed Media Group) with its own offering called Food Frontiers. …
Year: 2010
Unmasking Aspartame… Aliases include NutraSweet, Canderel and now AminoSweet
Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Aspartame producer Ajinomoto chose to rebrand it under the name AminoSweet, to “remind the industry that aspartame tastes just like sugar, …
Help America’s Farmers Fight Big Food! Tell the FDA to Reign in Antibiotics
Taking on corporate power for America’s farmers, families, and the future of our food… For the past 18 months dairy farmers in America have faced their worst crisis since the Great Depression. Since December 2008, the price they are paid for their milk has dropped more than 50%. At the same time, giant dairy processors have raked in record profits …
Stop Monsanto’s Assault on Organics!
Organics are under attack again. Earlier this year, you may have learned about Monsanto’s efforts to market and sell its genetically modified (GMO) Roundup Ready (TM) alfalfa. The USDA has given initial signs that it is preparing to grant Monsanto approval to distribute its seed, even knowing that it is almost certain the crop’s modified genes will contaminate non-GMO – …
In Praise of the Simple Things… Quinoa
Quinoa (KEEN-wah) originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as chisaya mama or the mother of all grains. During the European conquest of South America quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as “food for Indians,” and …
Wisconsin’s Battle Over Raw Milk Continues – Despite Governor’s Veto!
On Wednesday, May 19 Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle switched directions, vetoing the raw milk bill that he previously said he would sign. It appears that the the state’s Dairy Business Association put forth enough pressure to influence Doyle’s decision. “Big agriculture dominates this state,” says Joe Plasterer, the consumer representative on the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. …
Can U.S. farms produce food without relying heavily on fossil fuels?
From SmartPlanet.com By Melissa Mahony Along with drought and blight worries, stressing about future fossil fuel prices and availability keeps many farmers counting sheep at night. Conventional farmers in the United States use a lot of fossil fuels, and not just in tractors. Through petrochemicals comprising synthetic fertilizers, weed killers and insecticides, fossil fuels can help boost crop yields. These …
Wisconsin’s Raw Milk Bill moves forward, but needs a final push!
Thanks to overwhelming grassroots support, a bill to allow farmers to sell raw, or unpasteurized, milk directly to consumers is moving forward in the WI State Legislature, but more calls are need to get the bill scheduled for a vote. Family Farm Defenders has identified two key legislators who need to hear from their constituents on this issue. Action Step: …
Help Rescue Local Organic Farming in the Food Safety Bill
Next week, as early as Tuesday, April 13, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on S. 510, a sweeping overhaul of federal food safety law. The House food safety bill passed last year (HR 2749) included several measures that threaten small-scale organic producers, including a registration fee of $500 and blanket application of complicated monitoring and traceability standards — …
Local Door County Filmmaker’s Night This Thursday – Dinner and Some Movies, Apr 1
You are invited to catch a Sneak Preview of Tim Erskine’s new comedy short, “The Case of the Tainted Cheese Curds” – A Door County Boys Mystery. Door County locals Jim (Tim Erskine) and Mark (Pat Palmer) run afoul of two hapless criminals (Peter Ciesla and Joel Kersebet) and a plot to poison thousands of Green Bay Packers fans with …