Triple-digit days. Weeks with little to no rain. Soil crumbling away. Stunted corn stalks. Right now the fertile fields of the U.S. Midwest are experiencing corn-killing weather, with parts of five corn-growing states in the …
EcocentricFood
food
EcocentricFood
EcocentricFood
The Most Pesticide-Ridden Fruits and Veggies
The EWG releases its 8th annual “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce”
EcocentricFood
Whole Food Blues: Why Organic Agriculture May Not Be So Sustainable
When it comes to energy, everyone loves efficiency. Cutting energy waste is one of those goals that both sides of the political divide can agree on, even if they sometimes diverge on how best to get there. Energy efficiency …
EcocentricFood
Caged Hens: An Undercover Investigation Reveals Apparent Animal Cruelty at an Egg Farm
Last summer saw a rare détente between animal-rights advocates and industrial agriculture. The Humane Society of the U.S. — the largest animal-protection group in the country — and the farming trade group the United Egg …
EcocentricFood
Farm Drugs: The FDA Moves to Restrict (Somewhat) the Use of Antibiotics in Livestock
It’s no secret that America has a drug problem—so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that our livestock have one as well. Antibiotics are a major part of the conventional meat industry, and the drugs aren’t just used to treat sick animals—they’re also given regularly in feed to help growth promotion of pigs, chickens and cattle. …
EcocentricEcocentric
Irradiated Baby Food Formula Highlights Ongoing Problems in Fukushima
New tests show traces of radioactive elements in Japanese baby food, forcing the recall of more than 400,000 cans of infant formula. The news underscores the challenges still facing Japan’s food sector nine months after the …
EcocentricFood
How to Avoid Food Waste This Holiday Season
Does anyone else think it’s strange that Thanksgiving—a holiday meant to commemorate the moment when white settlers in America were essentially saved from starvation—now involves the biggest day of overeating in the calendar? …
EcocentricBiofuels
Why the Future of Skincare May Be Algae
[Update: The original title of the post said that the algae used in the Algenist cosmetics line was genetically engineered. That’s not the case—the compounds come from existing microalgae that Solazyme has been able to identify and grow. We’ve fixed the headline—my apologies.]
Trying to make a biofuel startup work is tough. On …
EcocentricFood
Questioning Industrial Food
This Friday environmental and public health groups will hold the first National Conference to End Factory Farming in Arlington, Virginia—a gathering which is pretty self-explanatory. Gene Baur heads the Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting animal abuse on farms, sent in a piece outlining the goals of the conference, …
EcocentricFood
Can Joel Salatin Save America’s Food?
I have a profile of the self-described “Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic” farmer Joel Salatin in this week’s TIME. Sadly it’s behind the pay moat, so only subscribers can access it, but for introduction’s sake, Salatin is a sustainable farmer who raises grass-fed cattle and “beyond organic” chickens, pigs and …