Ideal Bite

While I think it's great that COOL labels indicate the country, I'm disappointed that much produce now eliminates any information about the state of origin. My store now produly boasts "Local" produce signs and everything under them is from "USA." That's not accurate. Local is w/in 100 miles of my home. I think it's permissable Localwashing and produce companies should have to lable state (if USA) or country (if not USA).

The concept of one's water footprint (similar to carbon footprint) is gaining ground as water becomes more scarce the world over. This article lays out the problem in a good way even though it desperately complicates things for all of us in trying to do the right thing: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/07/whats-your-water-footprin.... It turns out that "local" is not so good if your cucumber (for example) was grown in an arid location that uses scarce and precious water for irrigation. In terms of water, it would be better to buy a cucumber that was grown far away in a rainy location than to buy one that was grown locally, but which causes rivers to be dammed and diverted, aquatic species to become endangered, etc. For carbon output, local is better (and for many other reasons), but I think it's good that water is becoming more a part of these conversations. It's never simple. How about an Ideal Bite tip dealing with this somehow? And of course, I'd like to see the Biter tips deal with reducing and reusing. Buying new products, even if they're eco, is never the best option. Reducing our consumption of everything across the board solves so many problems (carbon, water, waste) so let's have a mind shift in that direction.

I have been opting for made in USA since I can remember. The Menstrual Cup, when I was doing my research, was mostly made overseas. I refused to buy them! I went with Keeper, because it was made in Ohio, only two states away from me. Made me very proud to have done my homework! But as for the USA Flag being made in China.... I think it's wrong and morally degrading to our country! It's OUR flag, OUR pride and joy to live here. OURS! I have never bought a flag myself, brand new. I get most of my stuff second-hand... a sure fire way to make sure my money stays here. I can see why Heather had the reaction she did.

Locally grown has another advantage of completing the food chain locally which is much better for us...to eat food grown on the land we live on. Here in Ontario, there are many farmer's markets, which give us the option to buy directly from the farmer. Many supermarkets also highlight Ontario grown food. Dr. David Suzuki's advise(for those of you not familiar with him, he is a major environmentalist scientist based in the Vancouver area)...shop for local and organic but if you can't get local organic, you're better to buy local food than to buy organic food from far away.

I just found out that the canned mushrooms you buy at the store..the ones called "Pennsylvia Dutch " brand ( and more brands) comes from China and India!!! AND frozen fish is from China..makes me mad...I try and buy from local farmers during the summer here in MI..then freeze/can so we are eating American during the winter.

I also want to speak up for Farmers Markets -- especially the local, seasonal markets. Talk to the folks who are actually growing your food -- make connections, get recipe ideas, confirm organic (if it matters to you). And if something seems to be out of season for your area, find out where it comes from. Chances are it is still regional (as required by some markets).

I am so happy to see how many people are paying attention to where their food is comeing from. Thankfully we have local farmers markets that our household uses often. When I am not shopping at Ever'mans our local Co-op, I have found Pubix offers organic at a reasonable price. They also use the Cool labels, so I can decide if I should buy the produce or not. Perhaps we can make a list of grocery stores that use the country of origin labels and then let them know how important it is to us. Biters can join together and change the world, one grocery store at a time!

@cecilia - great link!

Reading the August 5th Ideal Bite page was very frustrating. Even if it is advertized as “a sassier shade of green” I considered it a serious publication, not just a trendy flare. If eco-living is taken seriously, it should be aimed at sustainable living, which includes not only environmental concerns, but social concerns as well. This is very well described in the comments of Fred Pearce about the green beans from Kenya, in particular, and throughout his book in general. Eco-living implies changing habits and commitment. Buying food grown closer to where you live is a very big step in making a difference. Not only because you are actively reducing your ecological footprint: you are participating in changing the market forces toward sustainability, which roughly translates as achieving economic development only by assuring environmental protection and social benefit. The references to COOL are focused on health risks rather than in promoting local and sustainable consumption and lowering the ecological footprint. Furthermore, the information about health risks and food imported to the US is incorrect or, at the very least, incomplete. Since 1985, nine salmonellosis outbreaks have been reported in the US, besides the 2008 Salmonella enterica outbreak traced to fresh jalapeño peppers imported from Mexico -not really to tomatoes. This outbreak caused at least 1,017 cases of salmonellosis food poisoning in 41 states throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada. What about the latest reported outbreak dated this year (2009), which source was identified as peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America? This outbreak has been described as one of the nation’s worst known outbreaks of food-borne disease in recent years; it caused at least 22,500 cases and nine deaths. The product was used by dozens of other manufacturers in hundreds of other products which have had to be recalled. Why mentioning products imported from Mexico –twice –and not the case of, for example, food products from China contaminated with the toxic industrial chemical melamine? Could it be because the Food and Drug Administration Agency merely reported that a nationwide sampling of products for melamine was carried out as necessary? The New York Times article on this subject added that Asian food safety experts warned consumers not to grow too alarmed over the finding of melamine in eggs because they contained much lower concentrations [of melamine] than the powdered baby formula that caused such widespread problems in China…! Furthermore, it stated that melamine was banned as an animal feed additive in China in July 2007, and last year, United States regulators put tough restrictions on the amount of melamine allowed in food products… Sciencebase presented a succinct list of melamine contaminated food list culled from the most recent news results on the subject. The list, considered by the source as neither exhaustive nor a condemnation of any particular product, had the purpose to raise awareness of what was happening with regard to the melamine in milk scandal. It included powdered baby milk and ceral, chinese-made cheesecake, sweets and cookies, Mr Brown coffee products, tea, and other products from Ritz, Lipton, Glico and Cadbury. In addition, Sciencebase that US bloggers have gone so far as to uncover dozens of products recalled in China that were still on the shelves of their local supermarkets. One of the main tools for achieving sustainable development, globally as well as locally, is raising public awareness and commitment, and reliable information is a key factor. The Ideal Bite page of August 5th, 2009, leads the reader toward health risks –which absolute importance cannot be denied in any way –taking the focus from a simple way of making a real commitment for changing toward a greener way of life –sassier or otherwise.

The fact that the tomatos were infected with salmonella was only because of a nearby runoff caused by an animal farm. Salmonella in the environment can contaminate tomatoes and other fruits and veggies. Salmonella can be found in the feces of many animals (e.g., food animals, reptiles, humans). Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals....not in veggies or fruits.