organic food news stories on Newser

Buying Organic Turns You Into a Jerk

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:31:17 CDT

Ever encountered a snotty attitude at an organic food stand? It makes sense psychologically, according to a new study that analyzed how people reacted after looking at different kinds of foods, MSNBC reports. "There's something about being exposed to organic food that made them feel better about themselves," says study...

Whole Foods Bets on Detroit

Matt Cantor — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:34:22 CST

Whole Foods is planning a location in Detroit—and the move is raising eyebrows given the chain's arugula-eating clientele and the city's economic struggles. Detroit has lost more than half its population since the 1950s and continues to struggle financially, prompting the Wall Street Journal to wonder if this is...

Study Finds Arsenic in Baby Formula, Cereal Bars

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:02:05 CST

A new study has found troubling levels of a kind of arsenic known to cause cancer in infant formulas and cereal bars that contain organic brown rice syrup. Arsenic is often found in rice, because rice absorbs the toxin from the soil, the LA Times explains. The study tested 17...

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...

Pesticides Linked to ADHD

Sarah Quinn — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:57:20 CDT

ADHD diagnoses rose a staggering 3% a year in the US between 1997 and 2006, and a new study suggests that pesticides may be part of the reason why. Researchers analyzed more than 1,100 kids ages 8 to 15 and discovered that those with detectable, above-average levels of toxic...

Cancer Risk From Chemicals 'Grossly' Understated

Kevin Spak — Thu, 06 May 2010 10:09:41 CDT

Environmental factors play a much bigger role in causing cancer than currently acknowledged, and President Obama needs to do something about it, the President's Cancer Panel concluded today. “The true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated,” the authors found after two years of testimony and research. The...

Hipster Defends Using Food Stamps

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:43:57 CDT

There's been quite the backlash against hipsters buying fancy organic fare with their food stamps, but one such hipster argues that “cheap food is the real extravagance.” Gerry Mak—a subject of the recent Salon article —points out that "a whole rabbit at Lexington Market is $10, feeds at least...

Minister Skewers 'Stalinist' Journo Over McItaly Rip

Will McCahill — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:09:00 CST

After a British writer ripped into the Italian government for not only allowing but wholeheartedly endorsing a new line of McDonald’s burgers linked to the Italy’s famous cuisine, the country’s agriculture minister fired right back, attacking the writer as “Stalinist” and for “baying at the moon.” The Guardian ’s Matthew...

Green Buying Leads to Bad Behavior

Harry Kimball — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:52:00 CST

The satisfaction people get from purchasing environmentally friendly products is apt to lead to other selfish, even morally repugnant decisions later, writes Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow on Slate . It's not just the complacency that comes from thinking you've done your part for the planet, however insignificant. It's something researchers call "moral licensing"—...