Distavores

Thanks to Cincinnati Locavore for this Time article about a "distavore" meal. It was, the author says, Chris Dodd's references to the 100-mile diet as a new American dream that was his tipping point. All foods were from at least 3,000 miles away and purchased from Whole Foods.
I've been reading Marion Nestle's "What to Eat," and she very simply breaks down local vs. organic vs. conventional. If you worry about consuming pesticides, antibiotics and hormones entering your body, eat organic. If you worry about the carbon footprint of your dinner, eat local. Sure, you can eat both local and organic, but could one infer that eating organic is selfish while eating local is altruistic and better for society as a whole? Sigh. Let's just Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

Thanks, Valereee for this great point about country of origin labeling:*

Not long ago, he would have had a hard time even knowing where most of his
produce came from. Now when he wants to eat Peruvian asparagus, at least he can.
Thank a locavore, Joel.

*Not that all foods are labeled, as we well know.

good news, bad news

I'll have a venti skinny latte with an extra shot, but, oh, could you hold the recombinant bovine growth hormone? Thanks...
Starbucks will stop offering organic milk, which it said accounts for a small percentage of drinks, because has switched to rbgh-free milk. Starbucks has completed the switch and now only serves milk without the artificial growth hormone, which increases cows' output.
The Wall Street Journal and MSNBC had very different takes on the story.

Sticker shock

Ever notice those stickers on your tomatoes, apples or onions? Me, too. But did you ever wonder what those numbers mean? Me, neither. I thought the codes were randomly assigned by the supermarket.

Nope, it turns out that those codes can tell you a lot about your food, according to this great book I spent four hours reading yesterday! (The book is a little old, so I've been cross-referencing the information. I'm fascinated by what I've learned, and I took notes. I'll share more this week!)

Conventionally grown produce bears a four-digit number beginning with a 4 or sometimes a 3.
GMO (genetically modified organisms) produce is labeled with a five-digit code beginning with an 8. (Now you know how to avoid the icky stuff!)
Organic produce also has a five-digit code, but organic codes begin with a 9.
Look before you buy!
Example:
4011= conventional bananas
84011=genetically modified bananas
94011=organic bananas