6 Tips to Avoid Food Poisoning this Summer
As August nears, we’re all scraping to hang onto these final weeks of summer. Thinking about taking a picnic to the park, packing a lunch for a hike, or hosting an outdoor bar-b-q? Careful, with the heat wave being experienced all over the US, it doesn’t take long for the warm air to spoil your food. Organic Authority gives us 6 helpful tips to avoid getting food poisoning this summer.
Written by Lacy Boggs Renner
You only need to have food poisoning once to know how incredibly awful it can be—and to become committed to doing everything possible to prevent further foodborne illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that every year, 48 million Americans—nearly one in six—will get sick from a foodborne illness.
We’ve rounded up our six best tips to keep your summer picnics and barbeques safe and healthy. Read about them here: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/tips-to-avoid-food-poisoning.html
Will You Join the ‘Food Revolution’?
MantraMeds is big on sustainability. One of the most pressing issues today is our out-of-whack eating habits. Jamie Oliver has started a Food Revolution – bringing healthier eating to communities & schools across America & the UK. Will you Join the ‘Food Revolution’?
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day Aims To Inspire ‘Better Food, Better Life’
Read full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/28/jamie-oliver-food-revolution-day_n_1461430.html
He’s a chef, author, restaurateur and TV personality who has launched a food revolution, bringing healthier eating to communities, schools and homes across America and his native U.K.
Now Jamie Oliver has created Food Revolution Day, “a global day of action for people to think about where their food comes from and get back into their kitchens,” that will take place May 19.
“There are so many incredible people working on this issue, so we wanted to provide a platform for anyone with skills and knowledge around food — chefs, gardeners, food bloggers, food educators, etc. — to offer experiences/events (classes, seminars, tours, sessions) to kick start a real food movement in their community. They can go to the website and create a local food event and it will be in our global event listings for the public to attend. It can be an event for five people or for 50, and the more creative the better. We hope that this will inspire future projects at a grassroots level and connect neighbors who can support each other in standing up for real food,” Oliver says. “The other way that people can get involved is to host their own dinner party. There will be people in over 45 countries around the world hosting their own dinner parties in support of food education.”
For Oliver, who sums up his food philosophy as “Better food, better life,” has made it his life’s mission “to get people to eat real food, made from scratch. I believe — and research has shown — that by eating a diet of real food (meats and vegetables, carbohydrates and the occasional treat) that you cook for yourself and your family will make you a healthier person. When I look around the world at the rising rates ofobesity and diet-related disease, I am saddened and angered because this is entirely preventable. People just need food education and a few cooking skills.”
He’s proud that his television programs and campaign initiatives have produced tangible results and inspired people to make changes in their lives.
“After ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’ aired in the U.K., the people petitioned the government to serve better food to our children and they actually listened and voted more than $500 million into the system. In America, after the ‘Food Revolution’ aired, we inspired people to petition against flavored milk and pink slime in our schools, which not only got the USDA to change the regulations around flavored milk, but led fast-food companies and grocery stores to stop selling pink slime.”
Although he encountered bureaucratic red tape and resistance while making “Food Revolution,” he nevertheless considers it a win. “Just getting the ‘Food Revolution’ series on national prime time television was an accomplishment, but then to have the entire town of Huntington [West Virginia] transform and getting Los Angeles on the journey is a huge deal. We’ve started a national dialog around food issues that many more people in America are participating in part because of exposure to our shows and campaigns. And winning an Emmy was pretty cool, too.”
Currently, Oliver is running a restaurant empire that includes “Three Fifteens, one Barbecoa next to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, two Union Jacks with Chris Bianco, and 31 Jamie’s Italians, which I hope to bring to the USA at some point.” His latest print effort is the U.S. version of “Jamie’s Great Britain,” due out in October. “It is my love letter to British food, and I am hoping after everyone falls in love with the country after the Summer Olympics that they will want to give the food a try too,” he says.
As a father of four, Oliver keeps the food he serves at home and at his restaurants local, sustainable and impeccably sourced. “A lot of what we eat at home comes straight from the garden so that helps, particularly from this time of year right through until Christmas when there’s plenty to harvest. As for the restaurants, we source everything very carefully so we know all about the food provenance. We go to all the farms to check on the animal welfare and we always use higher welfare chicken, for example.”
Looking ahead, he plans to “keep doing what I’m doing, raising my family, writing books, making telly, and making noise around issues that I believe in,” Oliver says. He has a simple solution for improving the food situation, and it starts with us. “Demand better,” he says. “More fresh, less processed. More access to good fresh food and food education so that the lovely people at home actually know what to do with a fresh vegetable.”
Get inspired: Learn about others who are making a difference with MNN’sInnovation Generation project.
The Key to Cold Prevention: Food, Wine & Merriment?
Written by Jessica Reeder
A miserable winter cold can prevent you from doing all the things you love: going out with friends, enjoying the outdoors, getting intimate with that certain someone… Lucky for you, those same activities can actually keep a cold from surfacing in the first place. In fact, there are plenty of ways to ward off sickness that might seem more like plain old fun. Here are a few: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/how-to-prevent-a-cold-with-fun.html
Peace, love, iPod
Peace, love, iPod
Shanthini Naidoo | 04 December, 2011 02:06
Hippie-ism started to fade like a bad tie-dye at the tail end of last century. Then we focused on making money quickly. It was cool to own stocks and bonds, to build empires in grey suits and to have stress-related heart attacks. Now hipsters, ancestors of the hippie, are everywhere. The Bohemian has woken up from a 30-year slumber. But this time, dreadlocks and mind-evolving drugs are not a prerequisite.
From the soccer mom to the socialite, we all carry a bit of the inner hippie and the world is a better place for it.
Find your inner hippie! Are you a food hippie, an activist, a benevolent boho, a nomad, or (our personal favorite) a shopper hippie? Read full article: http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/2011/12/04/peace-love-ipod
Like the t-shirt above? It’s made of recycled X-ray film & recycled cotton – Check out Earthspun Apparel on Facebook!
5 Foods That Fight The Flu
(http://www.healblog.net/wp-content/uploads/flu.jpg)
Written by Whitney Lauritsen
This time of year is an immune system’s nightmare – coughing, sneezing, fever, chills, exhaustion – yep, it’s flu season. If you feel the onset of these dreaded symptoms, take a look at what’s in your kitchen before getting shot up with a vaccine. If you find lots of salty chips and sugary cookies, your sick coworker’s germs may not be the blame; the saying is true: You are what you eat. Processed foods stripped of sustenance will leave you run down and defenseless, while fresh, nutritious fare results in an energized, resilient body.
Save the tissue for wrapping presents – here are the top 5 foods you should be eating for a healthy holiday season.
Read 5 foods here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/7ReYPa/www.organicauthority.com/health/5-foods-that-fight-the-flu.html
Thanksgiving goes gourmet with high-end turkeys
More families are shunning the traditional frozen bird for free-range fowl or heirloom breeds that carry a higher price tag.
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By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times
November 23, 2011
By long-standing tradition, the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner has been purchased rock-hard, frozen and cheap.
That’s starting to change. Turkeys are going Godiva.
The same passion for eating that brought us gourmet food trucks and swelled ratings for TV cooking shows has boosted demand for top-drawer turkeys with fancy names and even fancier price tags — up to $150 for a prized Bourbon Red heritage variety.
“People want a bird that has a name, a provenance, a pedigree — a bird you can brag about,” said Kathy Gori, a 60-year-old screenwriter who splits her time between Sonoma and Santa Monica.
Lindsay Calev of Redondo Beach usually steers away from pricier items at the store, but was willing to pay extra for a Diestel brand organic turkey at Whole Foods.
“I don’t eat organic every day of the year — wish I could afford to,” said Calev, 28, who helps create graphics for advertising. “But Thanksgiving is a time where we’re really valuing the food we’re making. I was willing to spend a few extra dollars for that.”
If you haven’t bought a premium bird by now, it’s probably too late. Many purveyors say they are sold out.
“My phone is ringing nonstop,” said Mary Pitman, whose family raises heritage turkeys, the priciest of the elite varieties,on a farm near Fresno. “Everyone’s on a mad hunt for heritage turkeys and there’s almost not enough left for my own family. It’s the most sought-out bird in the U.S.”
Despite the growing appetite for premium varieties, most of the 46 million turkeys that the National Turkey Federation says Americans will gobble down this Thanksgiving will be acquired for as little as 50 cents a pound at local supermarkets.
The trade group doesn’t break down sales of the fancy fowl, but retailers, farmers and customers all say that demand is soaring.
Heritage Foods USA, which sells turkeys online and ships viaFedEx, said it sold out of all 6,000 of its heritage birds, despite a $150 price tag for a 22-pounder. Sales of the bird are up 82% since last year, the company said.
Whole Foods, which operates about 300 upscale markets nationwide, said sales of organic turkeys have tripled in the last three years and now account for about 40% of the chain’s turkey sales.
“Customers are much more into food now than they were a few years ago because of food magazines and TV shows,” said Theo Weening, global meat coordinator for Whole Foods. “People want to know where the bird comes from, what breed it is, how it’s been raised.”
Standard frozen turkeys, which are sometimes kept in cold storage for six months or more, generally cost less than $2 a pound. Some supermarkets have even given them away as part of a buying incentive for customers.
Beyond that, there are four major upscale varieties.
Free-range fowl, which have access to the outdoors, start at about $3 a pound. Next up the ladder are organic gobblers, which usually sell for at least $4 a pound and are certified by the USDA for their chemical-free feed and processing.
Heirloom turkeys are the next rung up, and are a type that date back more than a century to the earliest domesticated breeds.
Heritage turkeys cost the most, at about $6 to $12 a pound. They are comparable to the wild breeds used for the original Thanksgivings and are allowed to live months longer than most turkeys, helping them develop more flavor and dark meat as a result of heavy outdoor running and flying.
According to the Heritage Turkey Foundation, there are a limited pool of breeds — including Bourbon Red, Jersey Buff and Black Spanish — that are considered to be heritage birds.
Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-upscale-turkey-20111123,0,7474573.story
6 Thanksgiving-Worthy Organic Wines Under $25
Written by Jessica Reeder
Americans drink more wine on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year. Maybe it’s because a couple of glasses take the edge off awkward family interactions, or maybe, as Andre Simon claimed, “wine makes every table more elegant.” But don’t be mistaken: You won’t need expensive bottles to create that elegance. In fact, Slate recently made a case for cheap vino — a mighty convincing one at that.
Unless you’re serving sommeliers and wine critics, you don’t need to go for broke. Let your delicious meal speak for itself, and pair it with these tasty organic wines that’ll enliven your table without killing your bank account.
Whites
Award-winning wine blogger Dr. Debs calls Snoqualmie Vineyards’ 2009 “Naked” Chardonnay“beautifully balanced” with clean mineral flavors and notes of apples and lemon peel. Unlike many Chardonnays, it’s fermented in stainless steel, not oak — and it’s an amazing bargain at $13 a bottle.
Domaine Eugene Meyer in Alsace has been making wine since the 1600s with organically-grown grapes. Their vegan-friendly Riesling is listed in the Organic Wine Company’s “Outstanding Wines” for this season. The winemaker describes it as having a “delicate fruitiness,” citrus nose and suggestion of elderflower. The 2010 is listed at $24; other vintages may be cheaper still.
Reds
Pinot Noir is the traditional choice for Thanksgiving, so I’m giving you two choices. The first isCooper Mountain Winery’s 2009 Pinot Noir “Reserve” ($24), an organic and biodynamic wine with dark fruit and spice flavors. Dr. Debs described the 2006 vintage as “cheerful,” “pure,” “intense” and “lively.” For an even more intense flavor, try Domaine Carneros’ “Avant Garde” Pinot Noir ($24), which boasts black cherry and cranberry flavors, spices, orange peel and oak. The catch: It’s only available at the winery in Napa.
For something just a smidge different, try Terlato & Chapoutier’s Shiraz-Viognier blend, an Australian-Californian mashup with a dark earthiness surrounding berry flavors. It consistently scores well in Wine Spectator, but you can get the 2008 for about $15.
Bubbly
When it comes to holiday bubbles, look no further than Domaine Carneros’ Brut Cuvee ($20-26), which has been called to as the best sparkling wine in America. Yes, it’s organic — and despite its low price, it may just be the definition of a California “champagne.”
Want more options? Try these holiday organic wine pairings or check out the organic wine finder app.
image: star5112
Read more at: http://www.organicauthority.com/juicy-spirits/6-cheap-good-thanksgiving-organic-wines.html
Waste Not: 8 Ways to Reduce Thanksgiving Day Waste
Mantrameds sustainable medical apparel encourages you to reduce, reuse & recycle on this Thanksgiving holiday! This great article from Organic Authority gives tips on reducing your waste before, during and after turkey day!
Written by Abbie Stutzer
Thanksgiving is not about stuffing your face and unbuttoning your pants to allow your stomach that extra inch of space. Nor is it about wasting oodles of food, paper products and energy. Shocking, I know. The renowned holiday is really about being thankful for what you have, family and good food prepared with care — and consciousness.
It’s easy to overlook that last part. We’re all hurried and rushed, and spend most of our holiday prep time thinking about meal presentation rather than preparation and clean up. The following tips, ideas and general advice can help you stay conscious this Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day and take pleasure in knowing you did everything in your power to produce a sustainable meal!
Thanksgiving Day Preparation
Get it Done in One Trip
Make your list, check it twice, and have your mom look over it so she can remind you of that one item you will inevitably forget. Getting all of your holiday shopping done in one trip will save gas, wear and tear on your car and time.
Break Out the Good Dishes
Don’t use plastic utensils or paper plates, and cook with reusable containers and pans. Sure, dish washing is a chore, but these “convenient” dishes create a ton of waste. Use cloth napkins, too. Also, post meal clean up can be done with a homemade, green cleaner and an old towel.
Recycling Garbage
Recycle every last plastic container, cardboard box and wine bottle.
Compost!
Put plant waste, coffee grounds and tea bags in your compost pile.
Decorate with Nature
Fill clear vases with pinecones, acorns and colorful leaves and use as an earthy centerpiece. Popped open your organic wine bottles already? Take the corks, carve a small slit in the cork, and place a piece of paper with a guest’s name to create unique, upcycled place settings.
The Meal
Use the Whole Turkey
That expensive free-range, organic turkey gave its life to feed you and your family and friends — you better use the whole thing. Kathy Bechtel of Italian Food, Wine, Health and Fitness has a great post dedicated to how to use the entire bird.
Use Organic and Local Veggies
A no-brainer, but easy to forget if you’re in a rush at the store. Try to buy fresh rather than canned. Use traditional Thanksgiving food (cranberries, yams) and make unconventional side dishes.
Meat-Free Meal Options
These awesome holiday recipes are vegetarian-friendly. Serve as this year’s Thanksgiving entree (the butternut squash gnocchi looks amazing — and it can be made vegan) if you and your family don’t eat meat, or serve as unique side dishes to complete your turkey.
image: nappent
Food As Medicine Lecture with Eva Stanley, Dipl. Ac. 9/8/11 at 6pm!
| Food As Medicine |
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The sustainable seafood myth
Written by Brendan Smith
Put down your fork — Whole Foods is not telling you the whole story. The dirty little secret of their seafood rating system is that it ignores the largest and most imminent threat to our oceans: greenhouse-gas emissions. Even if every human on the planet miraculously decided to buy only seafood stamped with the Whole Foods seal of “sustainablity,” marine species will still be doomed.
This is not a secret threat: Just last month, the International Program on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) — a consortium of 27 of the top ocean experts in the world — declared that effects of climate change, ocean acidification, and oxygen depletion have already triggered a “phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history.” According to Dr. Alex Rogers, director of the IPSO [PDF]:
The findings are shocking. As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean the implications became far worse than we had individually realized … We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime.
Sadly, in the era of climate crisis, overfishing and other forms of unsustainable harvest are the least of our problems. Rising carbon emissions are radically changing the chemical composition of our seas, having already contributed to the destruction of more than 85 percent of the world’s coral and oyster reefs. Rising air temperatures are changing wind patterns, which is a major cause of more than 400 ocean “dead zones” devoid of oxygen and sea life. Species ranging from gray whales to plankton are fleeing their native habitats for the first time in nearly 2 million years as water temperatures rise. (more…)
Ice Cream for a Cooler Planet
By Avital Binshtock
We asked dessert experts to recommend their favorite eco-friendly ice cream, so you can cool your palate and the planet at the same time.
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LISA CLARK owns Petunia’s Pies and Pastries, a sweet shop in Portland, Oregon, that uses local ingredients in its high-end vegan desserts.
“My favorite is the decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge flavor from Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss, which tastes like a rich, fudgy sundae. Coconut Bliss is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and committed to fair-trade principles. It’s sweetened with agave syrup and made with coconut milk. The company is enthusiastic about local ingredients — the organic hazelnuts are grown nearby in Oregon. Their recyclable containers are printed with food-safe ink and bleached without chlorine.” $6 per pint
JAI KENDALL is the corporate pastry chef at Rosa Mexicano, a bicoastal chain of Mexican restaurants.
“My favorite organic ice cream is Laloo’s Goat’s Milk Ice Cream in Vanilla Snowflake. It’s free of hormones, antibiotics, and lactose. You can almost taste the happiness in the milk because the goats graze on fresh grass and thistleberry in California. It has all the characteristics of the perfect ice cream: velvety, silky, creamy, with an ideal balance of vanilla and that slight tang from the goat’s milk. My favorite way to eat it is with sliced peaches and a drizzle of maple syrup.” $6 per pint
TAFF MAYBERRY is the executive pastry chef at Olivia in Austin, Texas. An ice cream connoisseur, he makes his own with all-natural ingredients.
“I’ve always loved the ever-expanding chest of flavors from Ben and Jerry’s. Their ecofriendly practices, like using non-rBGH-treated dairy cows and cage-free farm eggs, only bolster my affinity for them. I’ve always been a chocolate guy, and their Chocolate Macadamia flavor is supercreamy and rich and made with fair-trade-certified cocoa beans. It’s affordable, delicious, and backed by sustainable, responsible practice.” About $4 per pint
ANN GENTRY owns L.A.’s popular Real Food Daily restaurants, which serve organic vegan cuisine and desserts. She also wrote Vegan Family Meals.
“My favorite is the vegan ice cream from Tempt, which is made with hemp seeds that are non-GMO-grown by farmers with sustainable practices. All the other ingredients are organic, and it’s gluten-free and kosher too. Hemp has no drug value; the only high you get is from the luscious and indulgent creamy texture. I love making milk shakes with the Chocolate Fudge flavor, whose feel and flavor stand up to any [dairy] ice cream.” $4 per pint
PATRICIA GREENBERG wrote Soy Desserts and The Whole Soy Cookbook. She’s also a chef, a nutritionist, and the president of L.A.-based Fitness Gourmet, a consulting firm specializing in diet and exercise.
“My favorite is the dairy-free So Delicious. It’s certified organic, vegan, kosher, and the most luscious treat I know. Its taste and texture not only replicate the feel of [dairy] ice cream but actually become more tasty and satisfying because of the purity of its ingredients. They make many different flavors, but I often buy the Neapolitan.” $6 per quart (more…)
The Delicious Dietitian Products Creating National Buzz
New product line that supports and provides flavor to numerous healthy lifestyle choices such as vegan, raw, vegetarian, gluten-free, organic and kosher, as well as diabetic and heart healthy diets, is getting national recognition and rave reviews. These 100% natural, “farm to table” products give a pop of healthy flavor to any meal. http://www.thedeliciousdietitian.com
Mobile, Ala. based business, The Delicious Dietitian, recently debuted their line of The Delicious Dietitian Spice Blends and Wine Vinegars on a national level. These products were developed as a solution to the recognized growing need for healthy lifestyle products that promise and actually deliver good flavor.
The Delicious Dietitian Spice Blends compliment and support healthy living while pleasing all types of palates. Available in six unique styles (Thai, Creole, Southern All-Purpose, Seafood, Italian Mediterranean and Southwest), they deliver a pop of flavor with no salt, no sugar, no potassium and no calories. They fit perfectly into 100% gluten-free, 100% raw, 100% vegan, organic
and kosher lifestyles. These spice blends cook evenly and can be used in any recipe or on their own as seasoning.
All of The Delicious Dietitian Wine Vinegars are 100% natural and made from the freshest vine ripe produce, bringing flavor and antioxidants to any dish. Working with local farmers is the key to quality and ensures the “farm to table” experience. The Delicious Dietitian Wine Vinegars are born from the pulp of the fruits and vegetables, and handcrafted for a sweet delicious taste. They can be used to create wonderful marinades, salad dressings, demi-glazes and more. In addition to being a no-salt, no-sugar way to add flavor to meals, The Delicious Dietitian Wine Vinegars are gluten-free, vegan, kosher and raw.
The Delicious Dietitian’s Thai Spice Blend was featured in the June 2011 issue of Clean Eating
magazine. The entire collection of spice blends were also featured in a recent post on MyRecipes.com. MyRecipes.com features one of the largest collections of professionally-tested recipes and nutrition content online from food experts at national magazines and cookbooks.
The Delicious Dietitian entire product line can now be found on the shelves of select Whole Foods Markets in the southeast. In-store cooking and recipe demonstrations featuring The Delicious Dietitian products are scheduled. According to Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Specialist Ely Navarro, “I love using the Delicious Dietitian wine vinegars sold at Whole Foods Market. They give a flavor boost to so many dishes!” (more…)
Eating organic – Yoga entrepreneur keeps it raw
Taylor Wells, 45, eats only raw vegan food. The younger of her five children, Phoenix, 4, and 14-month-old twins Dakota and Montana, who are still nursing, have never eaten cooked foods in their young lives.
Taylor and husband Phillipe converted to a raw vegan diet after 7-year-old Sage was born, but waited for a while before introducing a completely raw food diet to the children.
For skeptics, Taylor, Phillipe and kids stand out on the urban streets only for being enviably fit and attractive. No anemic, sandaled vegan cliches here; Taylor is powerful, petite with shiny blond hair and a gleaming smile; Phillipe has a square jaw and steely arms. They drive the kids to softball in a green mini-van, have roomfuls of plastic toys for all the kids, and wink at 13-year-old Madison’s occasional Starbucks frappuccino with friends. (more…)
Rush Hour Gourmet
By Ashley Primis
Food Network chef Tyler Florence never overlooks the little things in life.
In 2009, he whipped up Sprout, a successful organic baby food line (available at select Wegmans and Whole Foods), and just this month, he released a kid-focused cookbook, Start Fresh: Your Child’s Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating (Rodale Books), geared toward parents who are busy but who actually have tastebuds.
We couldn’t resist this crowd-pleaser remake, nor the fact that you get a complete meal on one pan. (more…)
Market season returns to the mountains
Telluride Farmers Market kicks off Friday, MV launches market in Heritage Plaza
By Katie Klingsporn
Aspen leaves are unfurling in exuberant bursts, grasses are growing tall and dandelions are popping up on the Valley Floor.
And Friday on Oak Street, another sure sign of summer will sprout up: The Telluride Farmers Market.
Regional vendors return to Telluride this week for another season of peddling fresh, local, organic and sustainable food.
This season, roughly 50 vendors will offer fingerling potatoes, baby leeks, sublimely-sweet peaches, granola, crimson beets, heirloom tomatoes, artisan cheeses, pastured poultry, grass fed and finished meats, baked goods and fresh eggs to Telluride’s food-savvy populace. It’s all organic, sustainable and grown and harvested within a 100-mile radius of Telluride. (more…)
The 100 Mile Design Challenge Asks Students To Think Local With Their Designs
The city of Baltimore has grown through its interaction with the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding marshlands, and raw materials that can be found in the region range from oyster shells, to invasive bamboo and vine species, and even driftwood and other industrial rubble. From this material palette, 100 Mile designs from the MICA contingent focus on creating products that capture the innovative spirit of this historically entrepreneurial trading port. The final product from these prodigious Environmental Design majors hint at the cultural and material variety of this Mid-Atlantic creative center. (more…)
Portion Control: A Case Study in Reducing Food Waste Through Information Technology
By Presidio MPA
The following case study is part of a project by MPA students at the Presidio Graduate School on information management technology and policy. You can read the rest of the series here.
What else could have been done with these resources?By Amy Hammes, Waste Warrior
Food grown in the United States is abundant, cheap and has allowed for unprecedented prosperity. These factors have also led to immense waste of valuable resources. Of the 591.4 billion pounds of perishables grown in the United States each year, it is estimated that nearly half is discarded. (Bloom, 2010) While previous generations might have considered wasting food “sinful,” today it has become a social norm; the collateral damage of a highly productive agricultural system that is enabled by inexpensive transportation and disposal capabilities.
Even cost-conscious commercial kitchen operations consider scrap waste an undesirable but inevitable part of their operational expenditures, throwing away 4-10% of their food purchases. (Copeland, 2011) Further adding to the waste problem is the consumer’s desire for near-perfect aesthetics.
These factors in aggregate means that much of what is grown will never reach the plate. Yet, new economic realities, such as higher disposal fees, government scrutiny of greenhouse gas emissions from decomposition and transportation, and the slow awakening that “waste = money” are leading organizations to take a closer look at their food footprint. This case study will examine how an innovative food waste tracking technology is helping a non-profit hospital system analyze their entire kitchen operations in order to reduce the amount of food scraps produced. (more…)
Shop Organically Online, Pick Up Downtown
The Cotton Mill Deli and Local Food Stop join forces to offer Woodstock residents healthy, organic food choices.
A Community Supported Agriculture Program has now made it easier for Woodstock residents to order organically grown food from the comfort of their homes and pick it up in their own backyard.
Local Food Stop is working with the Cotton Mill Deli to make it possible to shop farm-fresh food online and pick it up on Main Street in Downtown Woodstock.
Deli owner, Jake Marler, said he likes the idea of bringing organic food to the community and feels confident in working with such a knowledgeable CSA Coordinator, Annmarie Laramee.
“Our No. 1 mission is to support local farms which try to grow foods free of pesticides, herbicides and neurotoxins, which have links to Autism and other childhood disorders,” Laramee said.
Laramee also said her hope is to educate people and provide easy access to healthy, fresh, organic foods. (more…)
MANTRAMEDS - Scrubs Reinvented 
