"The Food Revolution" and factory farms...

**peanut** · 04-09-2006, 06:29 PM

Okay. I'm reading this book. I have to say I am totally disgusted with the American meat industry. However, does what it says apply to Canada? Are our laws any stricter? Do we have any guarantees that if some package says 'free range organic', that it actually is free range and organic?

I ask this because we notice a big difference in the taste of the 'free range organic' eggs from the average Superstore brand. And I'm also noticing big differences in how the organic white and ww flours are baking. I'm impressed with the quality for sure. So I'm thinking there must be something to this 'organic' labelling in Canada that there isn't in the U.S. Or maybe I just frequent the right health food store???

Anyone here know anything about the Canadian situation? Can you enlighten me or send me to something written by Canadians about Canada? Thanks.

Jean

guest7 · 04-09-2006, 09:48 PM

I don't have experience with Canada... but I have to tell you... I agree with the taste of free range. Oh Boy!!! Once you taste it... you'll never want anything else!

**ama** · 04-10-2006, 08:36 AM

Its rather disgusting once you look to where most of the food does come from. I know after watching Supersize me I sure don't eat McDonalds anymore.

**leezza** · 04-24-2006, 10:24 PM

I had a very good friend that lived in Mexico, when we were in Southern California that only bought her groceries in the USA.....she said she didn't care that she had to spend more money, that the quality of the food was so much better. I have also heard the same thing from other people from other countries......I think that the laws here force the manufacturers to be extremely clean and have really good quality, I don't know anything about Canada's but it makes sense that they are the same, or better than the US.

JMHO,
leezza

PS. the organic products that I have tried seem to be very good quality, I noticed it especially in organic brown eggs.

**ama** · 04-25-2006, 08:27 AM

There is a book called the book of natural pet health. They talk about how lax the US is about human food standards and pet food consists of everything that doesn't make the cut for humans. Its pretty gross actually. It did not go in depth about human food but the pet food stuff was gross!

**QuilterMom** · 04-25-2006, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by peanut

And I'm also noticing big differences in how the organic white and ww flours are baking.

I've been using organics for so long now that I had forgotten what non-organic flours were like. Ds1 and I made 'fossils' for one of his science units this year and I just bought a bag of regular flour (one of the main ingredients in the recipe) to save $. There is an enormous difference in texture! I was actually quite grossed out handling the non-organic. There was just a huge ewwwwwwwwww factor for me in the feel of it.

**miss_thrifty** · 04-25-2006, 02:06 PM

Peanut, heres some lines form Our PEI legislation about Canada's free range organics and what are laws state compare to USA. And Ill put the link below in PDF form if u want review, its pretty long, I went over and clipboarded two paragrphs, i hope this helps.

In Canada, our Novel Food Regulation creates a
mandatory requirement for notification prior to a
product entering the Canadian marketplace. In the
United States, genetically engineered plants are
covered by the Food and Drug Administration’s
1992 policy entitled “Statement of Policy: Foods
Derived From New Plant Varieties”. As a policy,
that encourages notification but does not create a
mandatory obligation as is the case in Canada.

Now in the absence of that mandatory
requirement, it must be noted that historically, the
food industry has consulted with FDA in the
pioneer stages for new technologies even in the
absence of that legal obligation and FDA has
noted in the context of its policy that it expects the
practice of consultation to continue. So while
notification is voluntary in the US, unlike in Canada
where it’s mandatory, product developers
nonetheless routinely notify FDA which permits the
undertaking of the safety assessment.

**bridge** · 04-25-2006, 05:31 PM

I agree that most organics taste a whole lot better.
But I too have been really thinking of this whole organics "RUSH" lately.
The big names are really taking over the organic market, with more to come now that Wal-mart has jumped on board.
Here is a wonderful chart of who owns which organic brands
http://certifiedorganic.bc.ca/rcbtoa...ownership.html
This all makes me wonder how organic is organic???
I am trying to use my dollars in the correct manner and feed my family the best foods, but is it all really a marketing thing?

Just last night I was opening a can of Hunts Organic diced tomatoes, I flipped the can around and read the Ingredients, all was well there. And the can does have the green/white USDA Organic label. But right under the ConAgra logo it states "Product of Israel" If my diced tomatoes came from Israel, how many miles did they travel????

I truly believe local Fresh organic, from scratch is the best and I really am starting to question some of the organic foods available at the market.

After all I want true organics with no chemicals,hormones and other scary stuff that hasn't been trucked or flown across the world and adding to our pollution and ozone problems.

**cthy1954** · 04-26-2006, 09:44 AM

It is for this reason, that I really push for an organic garden. I am trying to put up as much as I can of the staples. I am an oddity in this area of the country, but my husband and I have been eating this way for 30 years and our health is as good as it can be.
Just an aside: With the canned tomatoes as an example. I would rather have a can of organic tomatoes from Israel, than from the US. The laws on growing food outside the US, with exceptions of course, are more toward natural food than chemicals and pestisides. Some countries will not even let our food/produce in. Says a lot.

**peanut** · 04-26-2006, 04:40 PM

About those tomatoes...I actually prefer to buy local as much as possible. Last fall I bought a 20 lb. case of local tomatoes and froze them for winter use. I usually run out about February. Still, it gets me partly through the winter.

I live in a home with a shady backyard. Makes it hard to grow things. However we do have patches of sunlight in certain locations - like our patio. I was just given some big pots the other day. I'm going to add them to my already existing container garden. Nothing like home grown tomatoes and cucumbers! And beans.

Jean