In the News: Vegetarian, Vegan and Organic stories of Interest

Indian vegetarian considers lawsuit against restaurant for erroneously serving him chicken during blackout.

Chicken Bite Upsets Vegetarian

In a story out of Mumbai, India a strictly vegetarian business man, Naimesh Mishra was accidentally served a chicken sandwich during a power outage at the Maharaja Lounge, located in the Dehli Airport. Mr. Mishra is a Brahmin, and though he does not eat a vegan diet, he eats a vegetarian diet due to religious beliefs. The story sets a precedent because Mr. Mishra is actually considering taking legal action against the Maharaja Lounge for the incident. While this may not have any bearing on US policies, it may still have some influence. Only time will tell.

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Faux-meat fast food chain hits New York; plans to spread from coast to coast.

Vegetarian Fast Food Chain Launched in the US

A new “fast food” chain aimed at vegetarians and “flexitarians” has been opened in New York City. Restaurateur James Tu describes “flexitarians” as those who try eat mainly vegetarian dishes, but who occasionally eat meat.

The restaurant, called “Zen Burger” serves meat-free versions of popular fast-food fare, such as chicken nuggets, burgers, hot dogs, and even fried shrimp and tuna fish sandwiches. While Zen Burger is currently open only in New York, it plans to debut a Hollywood location next, and spreading throughout the rest of the country in the coming years.

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Illegal GM corn finds its way to Mexico farms: but not everyone is happy about it…

Mexico Farmers Quietly Plant Banned GM Corn

Farmers in Mexico have come under fire by local governments for smuggling Genetically Modified (GM) corn seeds across the US border and into Mexico. Some farmers prefer the GM corn to the over 10,000 native varieties that originated in Mexico, because the GM corn requires less pesticide and believe it or not, less water. But while GM corn may be heartier than native corn, many growers of native corn do not want GM corn anywhere near native crops or even within the Country.

Many areas in Mexico consider corn to be sacred. Ancient Mayans believed that the gods created man from maize, a variety of native corn which dates back over 10,000 years. Growers of native corn fear that pollens from GM corn may travel to native corn crops and cross pollinate, creating hybrid strains of corn which not only alter the historical native varieties of corn, but contaminate them with GM organisms, most of which have not been studied long enough to understand their effects on human and animal populations.

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Encouraged by progress in Europe, US organic advocates push for labeling of GM foods.

US Groups Urge Labels for Modified Foods

This article is from the Boston University (BU) paper.  It is impressive (and a bit sad) that student newspapers are covering the GM foods issue but mainstream papers rarely do.

Following a rash of incidents in Japan wherein consumers of dumplings made in China with GM rice became ill, the European Union is pushing for better labeling on GM foods. Stateside, any label at all would be welcome, as no GM foods are currently required to be labeled that they in fact are genetically modified in some way. It is estimated that 70% of all foods available in most mainstream supermarkets contain GM ingredients- a scary thought, when you consider that there have been no conclusive studies regarding the dangers of GM foods.

Representatives from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) insist that GM foods still must meet the same health and safety requirements as traditionally grown (non GM) foods, but this means precious little when you consider the fact that non-GM foods have plenty of data to support their safety (or lack thereof).

Because of these regulations, it is believed that more and more consumers are turning to organic produce and other food products which do not contain GM organisms in any of their ingredients. At Boston University, students groups like Slow Foods are also helping to raise awareness amongst cafeteria workers and students to help them make better educated choices about the foods they consume.

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March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month; learn how cutting out red meat can reduce your risk of developing this often-fatal disease.

Less Red Meat Means Less Colorectal Cancer Risk

Because March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, you might see a lot of articles about red meat and its link to this often preventable form of cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer, with roughly 150,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Sadly, that number could be higher if more individuals received a regular screening. Doctors recommend all persons over the age of 50 receive colorectal cancer screenings every 5-10 years depending on their results. Should they test positive for polyps, they may be required to be screened every 1-2 years. Persons under 50 do not need testing unless they have a family history of colorectal cancer, or unless they are showing some of the warning signs of colorectal cancer, which you can learn more about here.

This informative article explains that persons consuming more than 18 ounces of red meat (beef, pork, lamb and goat) a week actually increase their chances of developing colorectal cancer by “a significant amount”. This increase is directly caused by a chemical found in red meat called heme iron. Those who eat more than 18 ounces of red meat a week increase their risk yet another 15% for every ounce! Experts recommend that if you must consume red meat, to strictly limit your intake, and when planning your meals, treat your “side” dishes (like starches and vegetables) as the meal and any meats you may consume as sides. This will take the focus off the meat and focus instead on healthier, vegetarian alternatives.

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Tap water is dealt another blow, as scientists find medication residue in drinking water supplies.

There are Drugs in Drinking Water. Now What?

Recent studies have shown that even in water which has been purified several times before arriving at your faucet, there are still trace elements of many popular prescription and OTC drugs. Drugs for epilepsy, anti-anxiety, naproxen and even sedatives have been found in water supplies all around the country. With such a huge push to stop drinking bottled water, news like this could be devastating to the environment and tap water advocates. But is bottled water really better?  Not really, says the article. In fact, many so called “spring” waters are nothing more than tap water with a fancy label. So by purchasing bottled water you may not be avoiding anything you might get from your kitchen faucet.

The bad news is, there’s not much you can do about eliminating these drugs from your drinking water. Water treatment facilities have not yet found a way to eliminate all elements of drugs from the drinking water supply, and home purification systems like Pur and Brita don’t filter drugs, either- just trace metals and minerals that local purification systems might have missed. Still, many water purification experts believe that these trace elements are so minor that they pose no real risk to you. So to answer the question in the articles title, (“now what”) your choices are to find bottled water that is regulated and definitely comes from a spring which has thus far been uncorrupted by man and deal with the effects of that water’s packaging on the environment, or drink tap water with trace elements of drugs and hope that the experts who say these elements are harmless are correct. In the meantime, write your local government and express your dissatisfaction with the possibility of drinking contaminated water, and push for more testing and filtering at your local water treatment facility.

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GM corn causes peasant uprising in Brazil

Brazil Peasant Women Invade GM Monsanto Facilities

In a movement similar to the Bread and Roses strike of 1912, peasant women from Santa Cruz das Palmeiras, Brazil stormed the local Monsanto factory and destroyed GM trees and a field of experimental corn crops, in an effort to protest the Brazilian government’s position to allow US based Monsanto introduce GM corn to Brazilian soil. As in many other Latin American countries, many natives fear that the introduction of GM corn will not only hurt consumers of the corn and the farmers that grow it, but could cross pollinate with ancient breeds of local corn, forever changing and contaminating the local corn’s DNA.

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Study finds that many consumers still don’t know what “organic” means.

Consumers Generally Confused about Organic, Natural Labeling

A recent study published by Power of Meat shows that most consumers still don’t understand the difference between organic and non-organic products. The study also found that amongst the age groups buying organic foods, the 25-39 age group tends to buy the most, while elderly consumers buy the least. Preventing most consumers from purchasing organics is most commonly the price. The survey found that if more consumers understood the difference between organic and regular products, and if organic products were closer in price to non-organics, consumers might be more likely to consider organics first.

The study also found that organics were more popular amongst consumers with children, with organic baby food being one of the most popular organic products purchased.

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Organic Health and Beauty Products get a new method for certification

Oasis Creates First US Organic Beauty Standard

The governing body for organic personal care products, Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards (OASIS) recently released a set of organic product standards for the organic personal care industry. Until now, organic personal care products (such as shampoo, cosmetics, toothpaste, etc.) were governed under rules set forth by Ecocert (from the UK) or the USDA, whose organic guidelines are for food and do not allow for personal care products to use certain types of “green chemistry” to still be considered organic.

Organic personal care products have gained in popularity annually, with a 15% increase in sales in 2007. Companies like Aveda, Origins Organics and Pureology are just a few lines that boast totally organic personal care products.

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