By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

“Seventeen main meals producers earned a mean grade of F for his or her lack of progress in lowering pesticides within the merchandise they promote, based on a brand new evaluation by As You Sow, a nonprofit specializing in shareholder advocacy.

‘Many firms set pesticide discount objectives of 2025 and 2030 that enchantment to shareholders,’  mentioned Cailin Dendas, lead writer for the report, ‘Pesticides within the Pantry: Transparency & Threat in Meals Provide Chains.’

‘Now, we’re trying on the progress firms are making to realize these objectives, and discovering little vital motion,’  mentioned Dendas, environmental well being program coordinator for the nonprofit.

‘It’s disheartening to see so many unhealthy grades throughout the board for these main meals manufacturing firms,’  mentioned Jane Houlihan, analysis director for Wholesome Infants, Brilliant Futures, an alliance of nonprofits, scientists and donors with a mission of lowering infants’ exposures to neurotoxic chemical compounds.

‘Research discover the very best quantities of pesticides in a number of the hottest meals youngsters eat — berries and apples, for instance,’ mentioned Houlihan, who was not concerned within the report. ‘Pesticides are additionally present in breast milk and umbilical wire blood, that means that exposures begin earlier than beginning and proceed by infancy and past.’”

Read how choosing organic foods is a surefire way to reduce pesticide exposure and more: Reducing Pesticides in Food: Major Food Manufacturers Earn an F Grade

Want Better Food? Demand a Better Farm Bill!

Read: The poison in the food says a lot about our values

By Navdanya Worldwide, with illustrations by Chiara Vercesi.

Watch this superbly illustrated message of hope and willpower.

“On the event of the 28th Local weather COP, Navdanya Worldwide presents ‘Regeneration is Life – An Agroecological Paradigm to Overtake the Climate Crisis’

There are two most important paradigms of pondering of ourselves on the earth and of our relationship with the Earth. We both consider ourselves as being separate from Nature or as being one and a part of it.

The economic agriculture paradigm, which sees the world as a machine, and never as a self-organized dwelling system, has created devastation on the planet by extraction and exploitation. Collectively, the ecologically damaging practices of the economic agriculture paradigm account for 29% of all greenhouse fuel emissions (GHG), making the worldwide meals system one of many most important culprits behind local weather change and environmental degradation. Appearing as if the world had been a machine undermines and ultimately destroys dwelling processes and natural programs.

Following our Biodiversity is Life booklet, which showcases the deep interconnections between our well being and the well being of our ecosystems and planet, this new booklet lays out how, in the present day greater than ever we’d like the agroecological cultures of the world to take the forefront and present us what it means to be rooted in concord with the Earth. The purpose must be to work alongside nature to revive its biodiversity and rejuvenate its pure cycles to supply Actual Meals. These options exist already and are being applied by native, various meals communities world wide. Exhibiting us that it’s attainable to stroll a path of dwelling in concord with nature. We’re a part of the Earth’s programs, our meals is a continuum of well being from the ecosystems of the earth. We’re deeply and inherently interconnected.

The actual resolution to the ecological and local weather disaster doesn’t lie in creating substitutes for meals or increasing the economic paradigm, however in scaling the initiatives all around the world which are already engaged on therapeutic our reference to the Earth by care.”

Read more: Regeneration is Life – An Agroecological Paradigm to Overtake the Climate Crisis

8.9ha TV

“A SCIENTIFIC literature assessment by Canadian researchers from the College of British Columbia concludes that ‘glyphosate could also be a important environmental set off within the etiology of a number of illness states, together with celiac illness, inflammatory bowel illness and irritable bowel syndrome’.

‘A Western weight-reduction plan, characterised as excessive in fats and refined carbohydrates, will also be outlined as a product of elevated expertise and industrialisation.

Trendy farmers depend on agrochemicals to satisfy the wants of a rising inhabitants, and these chemical compounds have shifted the Western weight-reduction plan’s chemical composition.

Whereas the variety of people selecting to reside a wheat-free life-style with no celiac illness analysis has elevated, scientific trials have proven that gluten from wheat is just not chargeable for inflicting signs in wholesome people suggesting that one thing else is inducing signs.

The herbicide, glyphosate, is utilized to wheat crops earlier than harvest to encourage ripening leading to larger glyphosate residues in industrial wheat merchandise inside North America. Glyphosate inhibits the shikimate pathway, a pathway unique to vegetation and micro organism. Glyphosate’s impact on dysbiosis was not thought of when making security suggestions.

Read how Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicide exposure may alter behavior through changes in the gut microbiome and more: Wheat Allergies May Instead Be Allergies to Glyphosate

By Emma Gatten, The Telegraph:

“Plant-based various meat merchandise are sometimes extremely processed and have an excessive amount of salt, the UN has mentioned whereas nonetheless urging governments to contemplate offering extra assist to the business.

Vegan substitutes can contribute to considerably lowering the carbon footprint of meat and dairy, particularly in richer international locations, the UN Setting Programme (UNEP) mentioned.

Animal merchandise account for between 14.5 and 20 per cent of world emissions, from direct methane emissions, feed, modifications in land use and energy-intensive international provide chains.

The UN checked out a number of completely different alternate options, together with lab-grown meat and fermentation-derived merchandise.

Plant-based merchandise, corresponding to these comprised of soy or pea protein, are among the many hottest various meat merchandise, typically marketed as sausages or burgers.

However the UN cautioned that these merchandise “at present are typically extremely processed and have excessive quantities of salt”.

It added that the proof of well being impacts from lab-grown meat or fermentation-based merchandise was additionally restricted.

Lab-grown meat can be extremely power intensive, with a research earlier this 12 months discovering it may very well be 25 occasions extra expensive for the surroundings than beef.”

Read more: Vegan Meat Substitutes Are Often High in Salt and Highly Processed, Warns UN

TAKE ACTION: Restrict Risky mRNA Foods!

Yuko Tamura studies for CNBC: 

“In 1896, pioneering physician and pharmacist Sagen Ishizuka coined a Japanese philosophy referred to as ‘shokuiku.’ It’s derived from two phrases that imply ‘eat’ and ‘develop.’

Shokuiku encourages dad and mom and faculties to show children the place their meals comes from and the way it impacts our thoughts and physique. This idea has been an integral a part of Japan’s tradition, and it’s an enormous cause why we’re residence to a number of the world’s healthiest youngsters.

In line with UNICEF, amongst 41 developed international locations within the European Union and the OECD, Japan is the one nation the place fewer than one in 5 youngsters are obese.

As a mom elevating a younger daughter in Japan, right here’s what Japanese dad and mom do in a different way to lift completely satisfied and adventurous eaters:

1. They implement shokuiku early.

Japanese medical doctors typically encourage anticipating moms to stay to a well-balanced meal model referred to as “ichijū-sansai.” It’s centered round a bowl of rice and miso soup, accompanied by a protein-focused dish, and two vegetable sides (like seaweed or mushroom) for sufficient nutritional vitamins, minerals and fiber.

As children become older, they begin to study wholesome consuming habits. In 2005, the federal government handed the Primary Act on Shokuiku to advertise shokuiku.

Some preschools have children harvest greens to eat for lunch, whereas in elementary faculties, they study concerning the farms that produce greens, fish and different meals

Read how Shokuiku can create experiences that can instill healthy eating habits today well into their future: I’m a Mom Living in Japan, Home to the World’s Healthiest Kids—4 Things Japanese Parents Do Differently

Evaluation by Dr. Joseph Mercola

Story at-a-glance

“A paper introduced on the AASLD — The Liver Assembly in November 2023 suggests a hyperlink between publicity to environmental toxins, together with low ranges of lead, and liver scarring that may result in liver illness and most cancers

The researchers discovered that the variety of folks with superior liver fibrosis has risen, and the chance elements diverse by race and ethnicity, highlighting the speculation that persistent illness could also be pushed, a minimum of partially, by environmental elements

A second 2023 research discovered low-level lead publicity was related to 765 million misplaced IQ factors in youngsters aged 5 and youthful and 5.5 million deaths in adults as a result of heart problems

Dangers are additionally multigenerational, that means that publicity throughout being pregnant can result in epigenetic modifications in DNA methylation patterns in grandchildren. Your first step is to be examined and work with a well being care practitioner who’s adept at eradicating lead with out inflicting extra hurt

Keep away from consuming extra lead by testing for, and filtering out, lead in your cooking and ingesting water; by testing older home paint for lead; and being aware to not purchase or use family merchandise that will comprise lead, corresponding to medication, cosmetics and youngsters’s toys.”

Learn more! New Research Links Low-Level Lead Exposure to Liver Injury

Talli Nauman writes for Buffalo’s Fireplace:

“PINE RIDGE, S.D.- A world enterprise based mostly in Spain could seem an unlikely position mannequin for a fledging American Indian initiative. However impressed by its success, Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm in Anishinaabeg territory is sowing the beginning of an intertribal cooperative consortium.

The brand new endeavor, referred to as the Indigenous Hemp and Hashish Farmers Cooperative, is laying the groundwork for the envisioned community. Farm proprietor Winona LaDuke and fellow founders intend to assist the event of seeds, Indigenous requirements, cultivation, value-added processing, acceptable applied sciences, and fair-trade markets.

LaDuke spoke to different Native hemp growers throughout a current informational assembly at Purple Cloud Renewable Vitality Middle, positioned not removed from Oglala Lakota tribal places of work. Alerting listeners to an upcoming fundraiser for the cooperative trigger, she mentioned, “I hope that some seeds are within the floor, and we’ll pray for mild rains.” She introduced the initiative on the fundraiser, a live performance that includes people singer-songwriter David Huckfelt at Madeline Island in Lake Superior.

Hemp is a flexible constructing and textile materials, with many different makes use of as nicely, together with for the fundamental wants of gasoline, meals, and medication. LaDuke touts its carbon sink potential within the area and its substitution as an enter to avoid wasting bushes from paper or constructing business calls for.”

Read more: Native ‘Hempsters’ Follow Global Cooperative Example

Tom Perkins writes in The Guardian:

“Almost 40% of typical child meals merchandise analyzed in a brand new US research had been discovered to comprise poisonous pesticides, whereas not one of the natural merchandise sampled within the survey contained the chemical compounds.

The analysis, performed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) non-profit, checked out 73 merchandise and located a minimum of one pesticide in 22 of them. Many merchandise confirmed multiple pesticide, and the substances current a harmful well being risk to infants, researchers mentioned.

‘Infants and younger youngsters are notably weak to the well being dangers posed by pesticides in meals – and meals is the way in which most kids might be uncovered to pesticides,’ mentioned Sydney Evans, a senior science analyst at EWG and co-author of the report.

Amongst pesticides it detected had been acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide that harms bees and people, and captan, which is linked to most cancers. Fludioxonil, a product generally used on fruits, greens and cereals, was present in 5 merchandise and is assumed to hurt fetal growth, trigger modifications in immune system cells and disrupt hormones.

One of the best ways to keep away from pesticides is to purchase natural child meals merchandise, that are subjected to a lot stricter laws, and at the moment are typically comparable in worth, mentioned Olga Naidenko, a research co-author and who leads youngsters’s analysis for EWG. The non-profit has additionally developed produce guides that present pesticide residue ranges.”

Read more about how advocacy does work, and the process of banning chemicals often involves drawn out administrative and court battles so we need to keep making our voices heard: Nearly 40% Of Conventional Baby Food Contains Toxic Pesticides, US Study Finds

Make Your State the First to Ban Monsanto’s Roundup Weedkiller!

OCA was based in 1998, when the USDA was writing the very first set of natural requirements. The coverage writers wished irradiation to be allowed in natural. And sewage sludge. And GMOs.

OCA’s founders mentioned “no manner.” They organized. They collected over 200,000 feedback opposing the proposed unhealthy insurance policies. They despatched “SOS (Save Natural Requirements) kits” to all of the pure meals shops, whose house owners and managers then distributed them to customers.

We gained these preliminary battles. But it surely didn’t finish there. We’ve needed to go to battle with each administration since over the integrity and enforcement of natural requirements.

We’re grateful for the assist you could have given us to assist us rise up in opposition to Monsanto, corruption within the EPA and D.C. politicians whose solely loyalty is to the almighty greenback.

There are a number of instruments accessible to guard natural requirements for customers who depend on the natural seal. We intend to proceed to deploy all of them. Lawsuits. Lobbying. Market stress.

You, the buyer, have the final word energy. You may reject the manufacturers that break the foundations. You may assist the natural, regenerative farmers and types that adhere to the requirements. You may vote the pro-corporate coverage makers out of workplace.

Our job is to make sure you could have the data you want, so you’ll be able to wield that energy.


Between now and the tip of January, we’ve got a donor that has pledged to double match your donations!

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Order your OCA “Planting Peace” bumper stickers from our Minnesota office

Click here for more ways to support our work

From camphill.org:

“Over the previous eighty years, the worldwide Camphill motion has grown to multiple hundred communities in twenty two international locations, the place folks with and with out mental and developmental disabilities reside, work and look after one another based mostly on social, religious, cultural and agricultural renewal.

Identical to dwelling collectively as a household, the connection is intimate and deep – personally, socially, spiritually, and culturally – it’s a partnership in dwelling.

A typical Camphill family consists of two skilled house owners, their youngsters, two or three younger volunteer coworkers, and two or three residents with disabilities. Everybody has private area but additionally enjoys a robust widespread life.

An essential a part of that is shared mealtimes. Mealtimes give everybody a chance to share their experiences of the day, or quietly draw energy from shared meals and companionship.

Good meals is an enormous a part of life in Camphill and we imagine in wholesome, contemporary residence cooking.”

Learn more about and how you can be part of this inspiring, loving community who strives to bring consciousness and connection to everything we do through a tapestry of authentic relationships, holistic care, creative expression, and celebration of nature and the seasons. 

By Kevin Keane, BBC

Flax: Bringing again the historic crop which might make trend greener

“Flax was extensively grown 100 years in the past to make linen for clothes and for ships’ sails.

However its decline was triggered by a transfer in the direction of cheaper man-made fibres, which had been typically imported, and a shift away from crusing.

Now local weather change is making linen an interesting possibility once more as trend homes more and more demand pure, locally-grown fibers. 

Though linen clothes will be costlier to purchase, it’s a robust and hard-wearing fibre which suggests it ought to final for much longer than cotton or polyester clothes.

Soil Affiliation Scotland believes that growing demand for linen means a complete provide chain may very well be developed inside a decade. The trials had been conceived by groups at Edinburgh School of Artwork, the place college students have been in search of low-carbon various materials.

Grower Jossie Ellis discovered flax to be a fast-growing and straightforward crop to handle, with spectacular resilience. ‘It took about 20 minutes to sow about 90 sq. metres of mattress after which we’ve got ignored it.

It obtained sown throughout a drought. We didn’t irrigate it, we didn’t weed it. When it comes to a crop that doesn’t take any further time, that is undoubtedly in that class,’ she mentioned.”

Learn more: Flax: Bringing Back the Historic Crop Which Could Make Fashion Greener

Eat These Fruits for Their Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

Labeling Lab-Grown Meat and Poultry Isn’t Likely To Be Easy

There’s Renewed Pressure on the FDA to Ban Synthetic Food Dye Red No. 3

Do or Dye: Synthetic Colours in Wastewater Pose a Threat to Food Chains Worldwide

Potentially Harmful Chemicals Used in Many Cosmetic Products Banned by California Governor

Prenatal and Early Life Exposure to Glyphosate Induces Oxidative Stress in the Brain, Causing Damage and Negatively Affecting Melatonin Levels

Seeds of Resistance

How a Plan To Develop Wisconsin’s Largest Pig Farm Upended a Small Town’s Politics

Slow Food USA and Seed Savers Exchange partnership unveiled on World Soil Day

Front of Mind for Michael Pollan: Psychedelics

Two Newcomers to EWG’s Dirty Dozen List of Fruits and Vegetables

Natural Cold Remedies: What Works, What Doesn’t

After 30 Years of Waiting, COP28 Deal Addresses the Elephant in the Room

EU Floods COP28 Climate Talks With Fossil Fuel Lobbyists

As Droughts Intensify, This Utah Family Farm Is Ditching the Monsanto Way

With Bison Herds and Ancestral Seeds, Indigenous Communities Embrace Food Sovereignty