After five years of topping the list, apples have officially been dethroned as the most pesticide-loaded produce. The new fruit that tops the Environmental Working Group’s list of the “Dirty Dozen” — strawberries. One of Nature’s most potent packages of health-defending antioxidants, this sad news is not only maddening, it demonstrates, once again, the danger …
The European Commission has ordered a ground-breaking moratorium on two endocrine-disrupting weedkillers that have been linked to thyroid cancer, infertility, reproductive problems and foetal malformations. Use of Amitrole and Isoproturon will now be banned from September 30 across Europe, after an EU committee voted unanimously for the first ever ban on endocrine-disrupting herbicides. Endocrine disruptors …
A very common practice to coat fresh fruits and veges – including organic varieties with what the food industry calls A very common practice to coat fresh fruits and veges – including organic varieties with what the food industry calls edible plastic coatings. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) involves controlling or modifying the atmosphere surrounding the …
Food is the single largest contributor to U.S. landfills today. In Canada, the stats are no different. An estimated $27 billion in Canadian food annually finds its way to landfill and composting, creating unnecessarily high levels of carbon and methane. That’s approximately 40% of all the food we produce. As consumers, we are responsible for …
The line between genetically engineered fodder and natural food is once again being blurred thanks to the Canadian government. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency rammed through approval of genetically modified salmon without public consultation or assessment of the potential effects of GM fish escaping into the wild. And, once the transgenic fish …
Food Safety Magazine published an interesting study on food recalls. The publication tallied recalls from 2015 data from three different agencies—the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS), and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The results produced some interesting and disturbing insights. According to the …
Next time you chow down on that juicy burger grilled on your trusty barby or when ordering your fave from a local drive-thru, better make sure that burger is well-done — really well done. For decades, Health Canada advised consumers to cook ground beef to 71 °C (159.8 °F). That was suppose to be the …
A 2016 study suggests Canada’s freshwater birds, just like their ocean-dwelling counterparts, are at risk from our plastic-saturated lifestyles. Scientists are finding bottle caps, coffee cup lids, packing tape wire, foil, Styrofoam pellets in the stomachs of freshwater birds across the country. While much research has looked at plastic pollution in ocean birds, little is …
Finally world leaders are listening — let’s hope it’s not too late. This week France was the first country to ban disposable plastic cups and plates in an attempt to curb the obscene amounts of plastic waste that’s accumulating in the oceans. The new French law will require all disposable tableware to be made from …
Giant Nestle is playing hardball with common heritage resources again. Last week the multinational outbid a small, but growing community in Ontario for a well near Elora. The community needed a safe source of clean drinking water; the corporation needed a “supplemental well for future business growth”. Nestle already extracts up to 3.6 million litres …