All posts filed under: Regulation

How much water was used to produce your dinner?

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Something that I’ve thought about recently is how much water was used to produce the food that I eat. One of the reasons why I eat almost no animal protein anymore is because of the statistics that I read about how much grain and water went into the production of various animal proteins (see the reason’s why page). But animal protein isn’t the only thing on our plate that’s water intensive. I’ve read a number of articles about how much water goes into the production of rice, almond milk, and avocados – but there’s not often a comparison to alternatives. For example, does rice use more milk than pasta? And, are all rice varieties the same? What about farro or some other ancient grain? Anyway, this is something I’ve always wondered about and I’m actually working on an article right now that highlights milk alternatives and how much water goes into the production of each one.

California Legislation is Changing the Way Egg Producing Chickens Live

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In 2008, CA voters passed an initiative (with 60% of the vote) which now (starting yesterday, January 1, 2015) requires all eggs sold in the state to meet new measures. The regulation, Proposition 2, requires that all eggs come from chickens who have enough room to fully extend their wings and to turn around freely. According to animal scientists at UC Davis, this means that each chicken is entitled to 116 square inches of floor space (I believe that’s at least double the amount they had). Obviously, egg produces are less than thrilled. Even though they’ve had 6 years to prepare for the regulation, some producers have decided to fight the rules rather than adapt to them. There are currently two lawsuits being appealed and there are two that have already been struck down. Read more here.

Meat Production: Animals aren’t the only ones being harmed

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Yesterday, my husband and I spent the last hours of Christmas doing parallel play (where the two of you spend time together, but are doing different things). He played video games, while I re-introduced myself to the world of twitter (that’s right!) and began reading a new book entitled “The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of our Food”, just in the prologue I read some things that are frightening, and I have to admit – something that I’ve never thought about before. When considering meat production and then the breakdown of farm animals, I’ve never thought of the employees and these factories that produce packaged meat. It’s embarrassing, but that’s never been a focus of mine, until now. Read more here.

Nutritionists and Environmentalists Should Work Together: So Why Doesn’t Congress Want Them To?

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The group of appointed nutritionist (appointed by the government) to draft new guidelines for the nation’s diet had decided to utilize data collected on the environmental implication of different food choices. Sounds great, right? And, if you think about it, makes a lot of sense. The guidelines would help individuals to move towards healthier and environmentally friendly diets. Read more here.  

LA Times Reveals Disturbing Investigative Report on the Living Conditions in Mexico’s Megafarms

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One of the increasingly difficult aspects about trying to lead a socially and environmentally conscious lifestyle is discovering articles like NPR’s “Mexican Megafarms Supply U.S. Market Are Rife with Labor Abuses” and the LA times “Product of Mexico” investigative series. After a while, it starts to feel like no foods are safe. What can one person do about the living conditions of farms in a different country? Well, I don’t know if it’ll help – but I plan to write letters to all of the companies names in this report and tell them that as a customer I demand more oversight of the companies from which they receive their produce. Read more here.

Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out Against Purdue

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A couple of days ago, a video went viral showing the inside of a Purdue run chicken farm. The farmer in the video contacted CompassionUSA because he decided that it was time people knew what was going on in these chicken farms. I have to warn you, the video is incredibly upsetting. The chickens that you see in this video are sold as “cage-free” and “hormone free”, which technically, are true – but it’s false advertising because you’re led to believe that these chickens led a life of dignity and from the video, it’s clear they don’t. More here.  

One of My Biggest Fears

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You’ll notice that I post a lot of articles from Mother Jones’ website. This is primarily because I happen to love their environment section. It’s quite honest and does a good job at describing the current state of affairs. The article, 32 Countries Where Global Warming Could Make Violence Worse, by James West adequately sums up one of my biggest fears for our future. Read more.

Pig Poop is Causing Water Pollution

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I have to admit, I originally only started reading “What to Do About Pig Poop? North Carolina Fights a Rising Tide” because it was on the page of the shrimp article I just posted about (October 31, 2014) and because I’m originally from North Carolina so the heading caught my eye. That, and I love talking about poop. The article turned out to be much more interesting than I thought. Also, turns out North Carolina has a real poop problem. 😉 Read more.  

More Than One-Third of U.S. Shrimp May be Mislabeled, Study Says

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Yesterday, an article was released on National Geographic’s webpage, titled “More Than one-Third of U.S. Shrimp May be Mislabeled, Study Says” revealing that an FDA study recently found that most shrimp advertised as farmed is usually substituted for wild shrimp. Some of you might wonder why this is significant. First, its false advertising, but more importantly, it has environmental implications. Read more.