The Debate About Drug-Free Meats: Are we Asking the Right Questions?
The drug free meats debate misses the point. To feed the world, we need to eat more plants.
industrial agriculture
The Story of Our Broken Food System
After learning about our broken food system, it’s often easier to make smarter food decisions, which can then connect to other areas and build a more sustainable lifestyle.
Organic Progress! Oregon Voters Ban GMOs in 2 Counties
Voters in two Oregon counties this week overwhelmingly approved ballot initiatives prohibiting cultivation of genetically modified crops, despite a million-dollar agribusiness PR campaign against the proposed ban.
Top News from the Food Front: New Food Documentary, New Food System Foolishness
Vermont boldly goes where no state has gone before, and food industry moguls mobilize to resist transparency. The USDA gets something right, surprising local food enthusiasts everywhere; and Katie Couric’s new documentary cheeses off the food industry’s obesity profiteers. Meanwhile industrial ag causes problems for bees, food eaters, and the whole planet actually. What else is new in the world of food? Glad you asked!
Lawsuit Challenges Constitutionality of Utah’s Ag-Gag Law
A group of animal welfare advocates, journalists and others recently filed suit against the state of Utah, in which plaintiffs claim the state’s year-old ag-gag law violates the U.S. Constitution. Though many states have joined the ag-gag craze, Utah was the first to attempt a (failed) prosecution under such a statute — and now boasts the first lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of these anti-whistleblower anti-transparency pro-animal-cruelty laws.
Hispanic Kids and Childhood Obesity: What Michelle Left Out
On Tuesday Michelle Obama addressed an enthusiastic audience about health concerns facing Hispanic families in the U.S. The First Lady spoke eloquently about the importance of healthy choices in fighting debilitating lifestyle diseases, now distressingly prevalent even among our children — especially among Hispanic (and other minority) children. But framing childhood obesity as a choice-driven issue sells parents and kids way short, especially within economically marginalized communities. If we fail to address the underlying problems, we can’t begin to hope for actual progress.
Are Agricultural Antibiotics Making You Outgrow Your Pants?
Agricultural overuse of antibiotics poses serious risks to public health, in terms of facilitating emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ‘superbugs.’ But wait, there’s more! Agricultural antibiotics in the food supply may also fatten up human beings, right along with the farmed animals they eat.
Do we need industrial agriculture to feed the world?
Our food system has some serious problems, and if we’re going to feed the world, something has to change. Proponents of industrial agriculture say that to feed the world what we need are more GMOs and more industrial farms. Food MythBusters takes a look at this claim.
Farm to Fridge: The Video The Meat Industry Doesn’t Want You To See
Agribusiness whistleblower and vegan advocacy group Mercy For Animals presents Farm to Fridge, narrated by Oscar-nominee James Cromwell.
How Fast, Cheap, and Easy Food is Destroying the Environment [video]
A skyrocketing demand for food means that agriculture has become the largest driver of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental destruction. At TEDxTC Jonathan Foley shows why we desperately need to begin “terraculture” — farming for the whole planet.
The Farmer Veteran Coalition: Jobs for Vets, Food for All
The Farmer Veteran Coalition has an answer to the crisis caused by the aging population of farmers: they are helping returning veterans become farmers at a time when the farmer workforce is dwindling.
McDonald’s Says ‘No More Gestation Crates’ — Good Job, Consumers!
McDonald’s announced to pork suppliers Monday that it wants gestation crates phased out. Due to the fast food giant’s massive purchasing power, its new gestation crate policy might just be the tipping point that ends this inhumane practice in the US pork industry. This is a big deal! But the even-bigger deal is the reason for the change.
Methyl Iodide on Trial: Dangerous Pesticide Illegally Approved?
Methyl iodide is one of the worst actors in the Big Ag Pesticide Toolbox. Known to be a dangerous neurotoxin, carcinogen, and endocrine disruptor, the soil fumigant is currently under legal review in California. A major win for health and sustainability fans may be imminent, if the presiding judge rules that methyl iodide was illegally approved.