organic news stories on Newser

Organic Egg Farm Accused of Factory Farm Conditions

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:12:44 CDT

Organic eggs: The phrase brings to mind chickens roaming in a pasture, foraging for food, and scratching the ground. But at California's Petaluma Egg Farm, which provides eggs under the Organic Valley label, hens are confined to screened porches with a roof and a floor. Technically, the eggs meet the...

Organic Eggs No Healthier

John Johnson — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:35:32 CDT

Organics eggs cost a pretty penny more than so-called factory eggs, but the nutritional value is about the same, says a new USDA study. The research, however, focused narrowly on the eggs themselves, not on the environs of the hens laying them. Given that organic eggs come from chickens living...

7 Lessons From Going Vegan

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 07:06:56 CDT

Instead of a trendy juice cleanse to start the New Year, Heather Wood Rudúlph went with a different detox diet: going vegan for a month. She shares seven lessons she learned from the experience in Sirens Magazine : She can cook : And so can you. Forced to stop making your staple...

Healthy Food Obsession Is Latest Eating Disorder Trend

Mary Papenfuss — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:45:36 CDT

A neurotic fixation on eating only healthy food is the latest eating disorder trend, reports the Guardian . Orthorexia nervosa affects both men and women. Othorexics are so obsessed with "pure" foods that they can become malnourished, say experts. They tend to be extremely proud of their "virtuous" behavior, though constantly...

'Organic' Foods May Not Be as Pure as You Think

Jason Farago — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:45:01 CDT

Demand for organic food has boomed into a $23 billion-a-year industry, but consumers who often pay twice as much for food with the coveted label aren't always getting what they expect. The criteria for obtaining a "USDA Organic" certification have been relaxed in recent years, with ostensibly organic products from...

The New Gourmet Greens: Weeds

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:30:01 CDT

One man’s weeds are another man’s delicacy. The bane of American gardeners has a new home on gourmet dinner plates, the Wall Street Journal reports. “These are as good a yuppie green as you can get,” said one buyer who paid $9 a pound for dandelion greens, a very common...

How to Shop, and Save, Green

Drew Nelles — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:27:01 CDT

Want to green your grocery list while keeping more green in your wallet? Grist lists a few ways to buy eco-cheap: Make a list: Buying only what you need keeps costs and waste down. Avoid GMOs: Genetically modified crops reduce agricultural biodiversity and raise serious health questions. Buy organic: Organic...

How to Keep Bugs, DEET Away

Lev Weinstein — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:25:32 CDT

Looking to keep the mosquitos away but not crazy about slathering yourself in a chemical such as DEET? Grist slapped on five DEET-free alternatives, with varying results: All Terrain Herbal Armor: This spray might be eco-friendly, but a medicine smell and filmy skin coating make that $4.99 better spent...

Organic Food is Overhyped

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:55:28 CDT

Don’t believe the hype about organic food, writes Abigail Haddad in the American . While foodies and environmentalists may croon over produce grown locally or on small farms, the truth is that small farms aren’t very efficient, locally grown produce doesn’t help the environment, and organic food is produced much the...