Newsletter - October 5th, 2005

Addressing the Effects of Factory Farming on the Environment, Human Health, and Communities

Happier Meals Cover Washington, D.C. — Since the latest outbreak of avian flu began in southeast Asia in 2003, public health officials, farmers, veterinarians, government officials, and the media have referred to the threat as a “natural” disaster. However, avian flu, mad cow disease, and other emerging diseases that can jump from animals to humans are symptoms of a larger change taking place in agriculture: the spread of factory farming. In the latest release from the Worldwatch Institute, Happier Meals: Rethinking the Global Meat Industry, Research Associate Danielle Nierenberg describes how factory farms are breaking the cycle between small farmers, their animals, and the environment, with collateral damage to human health and local communities. Mitigating the fallout will require a new approach to the way animals are raised, concludes Nierenberg.

Research has shown that the more fat you consume, the greater your chances of developing prostate cancer. However, fat isn't the only factor. The types of food a person eats, along with the amount and frequency of food, can also contribute to an increased prostate cancer risk.

In this Canadian study, scientists explored the link between diet and prostate cancer in more than 400 men ages 50 to 80, using questionnaires that detailed the men's dietary habits in the previous two years. After reviewing the questionnaires, each of the men fell into one of four dietary patterns: "healthy living" (high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and poultry); "traditional Western" (red meat, processed meats, sweets, and hard liquor), "processed" (processed meats, red meat, organ meats, refined grains, vegetable oils, and soft drinks), and "beverages" (high intake of tap water, soft drinks, fruit juices, poultry, and potatoes).

Roughly 100 pharmaceuticals have now been identified in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters throughout Europe and the United States in concentrations of parts per billion to parts per trillion. The first major European studies on this topic--in journals such as volume 67, issue 1-4 (1997) of the International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry and the November 1998 issue of Water Research--examined German ground and surfaces waters, and found occurrences of drugs including cholesterol regulators, analgesics, and antiseizure medications. Since that time, numerous other studies have documented the presence of pharmaceuticals, including potential endocrine disruptors, in other locales as well.

Not since the oil crisis of 1973 have bicycles sold in such big numbers, according to Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, an industry association.

"Bicycle sales are near an all-time high with 19 million sold last year -- close to the 20 million sold during the oil embargo in the early 1970s," said Blumenthal, whose association is based in Boulder in the western state of Colorado.

The US Chamber of Commerce says more bicycles have been sold than cars over the past 12 months.

In a country where most of the population still relies heavily on cars, some 87 million people have climbed on a bike in the past 12 months, Blumenthal said.

Laurie Budgar

Children who eat an organic diet are protected from exposure to at least two of the most common agricultural pesticides, according to a report published last week.

In a study conducted in 2003, a group of 23 children aged 3-11 ate their normal diets for the first three days. During the next five days, they ate organic replacements of the fresh fruit and vegetables, juices, processed foods and corn-based foods in their usual diet. In the final week of the study, the children resumed their conventional diets. Researchers examined the children’s daily urine output and found that all 23 had metabolites of malathion and chlorpyrifos when they enrolled in the study. However, as soon as they switched to organic diets, these metabolites were not detectable in their urine, and remained at zero levels until conventional foods were reintroduced.

O Brother, Where Artificial Thou?

By Amanda Griscom Little, Grist Magazine

29 Sep 2005

What do xanthan gum, an artificial thickener, ammonium bicarbonate, a synthetic leavening agent, and ethylene, a chemical that accelerates the ripening of fruit, have in common? These and other synthetic additives commonly lurk behind that "USDA Organic" stamp of approval you see on the organic products increasingly crowding the shelves of big-box stores and boutique food shops alike.

Controversy over the use of these artificial substances in certified-organic products has been simmering within the organics community for at least three years, since the feds put national organic standards into effect in 2002, and now it's finally coming to a boil.

Last week, the Organic Trade Association, which represents mainstream producers of organic products, including Dole, Kraft, and Horizon, as well as hundreds of smaller-scale farmers and producers, provoked protest among community activists when it lobbied the Senate to attach an amendment to the 2006 agriculture appropriations bill that would make it legal for certain synthetic substances to continue to be used in the preparation, processing, and packaging of organic products that get the USDA seal. The OTA's proposed amendment would effectively cancel out a recent federal court ruling that determined synthetics shouldn't be permitted in the processing of certified-organic products -- a ruling that industry reps argue could deal a huge blow to their bottom lines.