Month: December 2014

Study Shows Organic Cotton Causes Less Environmental Damage than Conventional Cotton

(Cornucopia – Sourcing Journal – by Tara Donaldson) More than just a “feel-good” fiber, organic cotton has now been proven better for the environment than conventional cotton, according to a new study.

Textile Exchange, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing sustainability in the textile sector, in partnership with sustainability consultancy PE International conducted an 18-month Organic Cotton Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) demonstrating the tangible benefits of organic cotton cultivation.

In short, the organic process showed reduced global warming potential, lower soil erosion, less water use and less energy demand.

La Rhea Pepper, managing director of Textile Exchange said the study’s findings mark a turning point for the organic cotton industry as a whole. “For 12 years, we have been promoting the benefits of organic cotton. This study allows us to show the quantitative data that supports what we already know – that organic cotton is much better for our environment than conventional cotton,” she said.

The LCA study looked at the impact of organic cotton production in five categories, and compared the findings to a separate independent peer-reviewed study of conventional cotton done by Cotton Incorporated.

In the comparison, the LCA uncovered that organic cotton had 46 percent reduced global warming potential, 70 percent less acidification potential (such as acid rain), 26 percent reduced soil erosion potential, 91 percent reduced blue water (water withdrawn via immigration) consumption, and 62 percent reduced energy demand.

“Under current system boundaries, the difference in results can be attributed to the lower agricultural inputs that are required by the principles of organic agriculture, namely of mineral fertilizer, pesticides, as well as the practices related to tractor operations and irrigation,” the report noted.

The lower acidification potential can be attributed to reduced or avoided agricultural inputs like fertilizer and pesticide production, irrigation pumps and tractor operations. The difference in field emissions due to varied amounts of applied nutrients also contributed to the disparity.

In terms of soil erosion, organically cultivated systems can prevent 90 percent of the soil erosion that would otherwise enable washing off of nutrients into nearby water and soil bodies. Cultivation of rotation crops and intercropping also contribute to less loss in nutrients due to leaching.

The LCA found that nearly all (95 percent) of water used to produce organic cotton is green water, or rainwater and moisture stored in soil and used for plant growth. Organically cultivated cotton in the regions surveyed receive relatively little irrigation in addition to rainfall, reducing blue water consumption—the impact category with the highest relevance to the environment.

Avoiding mineral fertilizer, as organic cotton does, reduces the use on non-renewable energy since mineral fertilizers are derived from petroleum and have a high primary energy demand.

“This information is empowering for the people and organizations along the organic cotton supply chain, including farmers, cotton ginners, spinners, brands and retailers and all the way to the consumer level. Making a commitment to plant, grow, cultivate and use organic cotton in our textiles is also making a commitment to improve our water, soil and air,” Pepper said.

In terms of costs, Pepper said there are a few things retailers can do to accommodate the higher costs of organic cotton compared to conventional cotton: Strategically put organic cotton into products in which consumers place high value – for example, baby wear. This is where consumers are willing to invest a little more to have the best possible materials; Work within their supply chain to leverage cost-effective ways to save on shipping and other costs so they can then accommodate the higher price (and value) of organic cotton; Engage their consumer–show them the value of their investment in organic cotton. This can help eliminate the barriers consumers have to face in understanding why costs are higher and they will eventually be willing to pay a little bit more.

Data for the study was culled from the top five countries for organic cotton cultivation, India, China, Turkey, Tanzania and the United States—which combined account for 97 percent of global organic cotton production.

“The brands and retailers that are committed to organic cotton have seen first-hand the positive results that going organic has on communities, soil, water and more. They already understand the value. What this LCA does is give them the numbers and proof to support what they already know. This LCA demonstrates what we have been saying all along. In addition, this LCA can help convince companies that have been on the fence about organic cotton. To see the results in real numbers is what some need to make the commitment to incorporate organic cotton into their long-term plans,” Pepper said.

Big Food Giants Like General Mills and PepsiCo Hijack Yogurt Industry

(NaturalNews – Julie Wilson) What used to be one of America’s go-to foods for a quick, healthy snack has been hijacked by Big Food and replaced with a product containing so many unhealthy, synthetic ingredients that critics say it’s lost its identity.

Yogurt in its traditional form is a rich source of essential minerals, vitamins and probiotics, and is thought to boost gastrointestinal health and aid with digestion. However, with today’s food industry jumping on the organic bandwagon, there are now more unhealthy brands of yogurt (many of which probably shouldn’t even be called yogurt) on store shelves than ever before.

Luckily for the consumer, Wisconsin-based food and farm policy research group The Cornucopia Institute has kept a close eye on the evolving market of yogurt, tracking and identifying which brands to buy and which ones to avoid.

Released in November, their latest project, entitled Culture Wars: How the Food Giants Turned Yogurt, a Health Food, into Junk Food, not only includes a comprehensive report[PDF] on the yogurt industry but a scorecard rating 114 brands, separating the healthy and unhealthy choices.

The report “alleges that agribusiness, in their marketing approach, has capitalized on yogurt’s historic, well-deserved healthful reputation while simultaneously adulterating the product, sometimes illegally, to gain competitive advantage and popular appeal.”

Food giants like General Mills (Yoplait), Groupe Danone (Dannon), Walmart and PepsiCo have hijacked the healthy food industry through products like yogurt, marketing them as healthy when in reality they’re anything but.

Carrageenan, artificial sweeteners, added sugars, added artificial coloring, added artificial flavors, synthetic nutrients and milk protein concentrate are just a few of the ingredients to watch out for when buying yogurt.

Candy bars and Food Big yogurt brands have equivalent sugar content

Testing by Cornucopia found that some brands of flavored yogurts, such as strawberry or blueberry, actually contain NO real fruit and have so much sugar that they’re comparable to candy bars! The most disturbing part about this is that many yogurts are marketed to children as a “healthy” alternative.

Many non-organic yogurts use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which has been attributed to brain tumors and neurological disease in laboratory animals, and sucralose, which has actually been shown to kill beneficial gut microflora. There’s also a strong correlation between non-caloric artificial sweeteners and obesity.

“What is most egregious about our findings,” said Mark A. Kastel, codirector of the research group, “is the marketing employed by many of the largest agribusinesses selling junk food masquerading as health food, mostly aimed at moms, who are hoping to provide their children an alternative, a more nutritious snack. In some cases, they might as well be serving their children soda pop or a candy bar with a glass of milk on the side.”

Research group asks FDA to enforce legal definition of “yogurt” on product labeling

Based on its recent findings, Cornucopia filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration asking the agency to investigate whether or not store brands like Walmart’s Great Value violate the legal standard of identity for products labeled as “yogurt.”

“The reason that Kraft has to call Velveeta® ‘processed cheese-food’ is that some of the ingredients used, like vegetable oil, cannot legally be in a product marketed as ‘cheese,'” Kastel explained.

Another controversial ingredient being used in Big Food-branded yogurts is milk protein concentrate (MPC), an ingredient used to increase protein levels and improve texture. Cornucopia alleges that some manufacturers are importing MPC from countries like India, which do not meet yogurt’s current legal standard of identity.

The healthiest choices on Cornucopia’s Buyer’s Guide include yogurts with a short list of ingredients, including organic milk and live cultures — with limited amounts of added organic fruit or unrefined sweeteners like maple syrup.

Sources:
http://www.cornucopia.org
http://www.cornucopia.org
http://www.cornucopia.org[PDF]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov[PDF]
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.cornucopia.org[PDF]

Looking For Safe Cookware? Try Cast Iron

(NaturalNews – Jonathan Benson) With so many different types of cookware on the market today, making the best and safest choices for our families can be a challenge. But tried-and-true cast iron is still among the most durable and non-toxic types of cookware available — and if you know how to use it properly, it can be just as easy to use and clean as the much more convenient but chemical-laden varieties branded as “non-stick.”

Cast iron is about as classic as it gets when it comes to durable cookware. And if properly cared for, it can last a lifetime and be passed down from generation to generation. But a common complaint is that food tends to stick to pure cast iron since it hasn’t been layered with Teflon or other non-stick surfaces, which often contain perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, that release noxious fumes into the air and leach toxic substances into food.

Stainless steel cookware is one safer option, but if scratched it, too, can leach nickel and other undesired substances into food. For pots and pans, stainless steel is still an excellent choice, as is copper, but when it comes to frying pans and griddles, cast iron is probably your best bet, and here’s why.

Cast iron gets better over time

On his blog, permaculture aficionado Paul Wheaton explains how to select quality cast iron cookware, how to properly care for it, and how to make it not only last but thrive. Unlike most other types of cookware, cast iron actually gets better over time when it is regularly scraped and seasoned. Individuals with anemia or iron deficiencies can also benefit from the iron found in cast iron.

According to Wheaton, the best types of cast iron are older pieces found at garage sales and online trading sites like Craigslist and eBay. Many older cast iron pieces were machine surfaced to be smooth, as opposed to the rough surfaces found on newer cast iron cookware. Older skillets have also typically been seasoned over many years of use, meaning they have already been “broken in.”

“Many of the experienced cast iron folk [recommend] buying a heavily used skillet,” he wrote. But if a new skillet is your only option, he recommends using a stainless steel spatula with a flat edge to “take the ‘peaks’ off as the ‘valleys’ fill with ‘seasoning.'”

More on this is available here:
RichSoil.com.

Bacon grease, palm oil excellent for seasoning cast iron cookware

Properly “seasoning” a cast iron skillet involves allowing natural cooking oils to permeate the cooking surface without washing them off after each use. This process is unique to cast iron, and it allows a smooth polymerized fat surface to form, making the cooking surface slick and easier to clean.

In Wheaton’s experience, saturated fats like bacon grease and “organic shortening” (palm oil) that remain solid at room temperature tend to work best at creating the ideal cast iron cooking surface (though we don’t recommend pal oil for anything). Hydrogenated oils are toxic and should thus be avoided, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats tend to leave the cooking surface sticky.

Seasoning cast iron with saturated fats also helps protect the surface against rust, which can form when pans aren’t properly dried after use. Wheaton recommends heating cast iron pans on the stovetop to remove excess water, as towel drying typically won’t get it dry enough. If rust, pitting, or caked-on gunk is already present, Wheaton advises using the self-cleaning option on your oven to literally bake off the crud.

You can learn more about that here:
RichSoil.com.

Sources:
http://www.ewg.org
http://www.richsoil.com
http://www.thekitchn.com