food safety regulations

Shifting from Industrial Agriculture to Diversified Agroecological Systems in China

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Ecological agriculture – food production following the ecological principles with reduced or no use of chemicals – is being increasingly adopted by an emerging group of agricultural entrepreneurs. Driven by consumer interest in safe and healthy food, various ecological food initiatives such as organic and “green” food companies, farmers’ cooperatives, community supported agriculture, and ecological farmers’ markets have been taking root in China in the past decade.

Wash your Hands the Cool Way

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This story is my effort to softsoap you with the idea that practices, not policies, are where the action is in food. Nursing is a practice, law is a practice, and food and fitness must be seen primarily as a practice. We don’t attach enough importance to practices, and underestimate their importance, especially relative to policies and technologies. In my book, practices can claim pride of place, ahead of policy and technology.

Glyphosate: Unsafe On Any Plate?

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In November, a very concerning report — Glyphosate: Unsafe On Any Plate — was released by The Detox Project and Food Democracy Now!, raising the alarm of the high levels of glyphosate in the US food supply and the (deliberate?) low levels of awareness of its associated health risks. Dave Murphy, executive director of Food Democracy Now!, joins us this week to explain the finding of this new report on the world’s most-used herbicide (more commonly known by its retail brand: Roundup).

Food Safety Modernization Act – An Assault on Sustainable Agriculture?

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We are not ready to be again a nation of farmers, each growing our own, but we are potentially on the edge of a major shift in public consciousness in favor of sustainable local food chains, moving us toward independence from corporate agriculture, and that much less dependent on fossil fuels.