It is madness that the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) is risking New Zealand's meat and dairy exports by continuing to allow the use of a highly toxic insecticide which is banned or heavily restricted in more than 50 countries, the Green Party says.
Endosulfan, an environmentally persistent chemical linked to breast cancer, has turned up for a second time in New Zealand beef
Starting this month, IKEA will only sell and serve certified coffee at all its stores and offices globally. To ensure that all coffee sold and served at IKEA is produced under socially and environmentally responsible conditions, IKEA has decided to strictly use UTZ Certified coffee. UTZ Certified is an independent not-for-profit organization that sets a standard for responsible coffee growing and
Did you know that food costing more when you shop? Here's why -- we're plunging headlong into a world food crisis. Rocketing prices are squeezing billions and triggering food riots from Bangladesh to South Africa. Aid agencies say 100 million more people are at risk of starvation right now[1].
In Sierra Leone alone the price of a bag of rice has doubled, becoming unaffordable for 90% of
Ah May: the leaves are opening, flowers blooming, your eyes are a watery haze and your nose is running like a faucet. Allergy season is here!
In its Spring edition, Allergic Living magazine looks at the hidden toll of spring allergies and finds a lot more than cases of the sniffles. In fact, there is widespread "presenteeism" on the job - in which allergic employees show up but are too irritable, congested and sleep-deprived to do a proper day's work. And the costs? One study puts it at a staggering $593 per employee a year - ahead of high stress.
Speaking of stress, Allergic Living for Spring also reveals the growing level of anxiety among children with food allergies. The problem, according to experts, starts with well-meaning parents who talk too openly with young children about the risk of death from anaphylaxis. Rather than preparing their children to manage the condition, the kids become scared, and by school age are mistrustful and anxious.
For excerpts from the issue, see www.allergicliving.com
A national magazine picked Planet Organic Markets as the top organic food retailer across Canada.
The survey of 14 major grocery retailers by Corporate Knights magazine gave Planet Organic an overall "Excellent" rating or an 'A', while Planet's most direct competitor, Whole Foods, garnered second spot with a 'B+'.
Other major retailers such as Loblaws, Safeway and Sobeys came in with distant 'C' ratings, meaning they were either "showing potential" with their organic food retail sections or were "average."
Corporate Knights magazine is distributed in a variety of ways across the country and specifically through the May 1st edition of the Globe and Mail. The magazine rated all of the 14 food retailers in five categories, ranging from the amount of local organic foods they carried, to consumer education and in-store conservation initiatives.
Visit: www.planetorganic.ca
The Indian Government considers proper management of plant and animal genetic resources integral to sustainable development of agriculture. A number of steps have been taken to conserve the country’s rich genetic diversity and many more are in the offing.
This came out in the discussions in the Indian Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting held earlier this week. Parliamentarians and Government officials discussed the issues relating to genetic resource management in the changing global context.
Introducing the subject to the Members of Parliament, Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar emphaised that it was imperative to conserve the vast genetic diversity available in the country for sustainable development of crop production and animal husbandry, phyto-pharmaceuticals and overall human well being.
On the importance of genetic resources in addressing ecological issues, Shri Pawar said: ‘Today, global climate change and loss of natural habitats through human activities have become solemn issues world wide. Ecological implications of climate change and of agricultural intensification are major constraints to sustainable development of agriculture-based systems. So far, there is little awareness among professionals of the close relationship between climate change and food security and the role genetic resource has to play. It is imperative to manage these resources in a sustainable way. Climate change-induced environmental stress may in fact go beyond the reach of adaptation and in situ approach of genetic resource conservation offers a great chance to shape a future worth living.’
Shri Pawar also highlighted the role of traditional farming practices in conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in India. He advocated a judicious mix of traditional wisdom and modern technologies to harness the genetic wealth. He elaborated: ‘Deployment of greater genetic diversity in traditional production systems is expected to take care of both their sustainable use and conservation. Conservation of traditional crops and animal breeds could succeed when these are linked with the economic development of farmers/rural poor. Pragmatic multi-disciplinary research and policy support are needed to evolve farming systems which can provide enough quality food and economic security to the local people. In situ conservation on-farm and crop and breed improvement can complement one another in traditional production systems. Breeding programmes that evaluate farmers’ landraces and breeds and use them in local improvement efforts are expected to produce material of direct value for marginal agroclimatic zones as well as achieve significant local conservation. By including decentralized breeding as part of an in situ programme, farmers and scientists can become partners in local improvement efforts. This ‘grassroot breeding’ can build upon existing knowledge and skills of farmers and link farmers from different regions through the exchange of information and genetic resources.
‘Further, a blend of modern science and indigenous knowledge will be required to face the challenges of increasing agricultural production in decades ahead. We should be especially concerned with incorporating greater diversity within agricultural production systems. New approaches to agricultural research and development are being tried in various places around the world, and virtually all of them emphasize a much better harnessing and management of biological resources than has prevailed in the past.’
India is one of the twelve world mega-biodiversity centers. Three of the 34 hot-spots of biodiversity are present in India. Of the world’s total known species, 8.25% belong to India. Interestingly, over 10% of the world’s microbial bio-diversity exists in this country.
India has set up four Bureaus for conservation of genetic resources relating to plants, animals, fish and micro-organisms. The national seed gene bank has over 3.6 lakh accessions. Besides other things, the Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources maintains frozen semen, somatic cells and DNA samples of indigenous animal breeds. ICAR is establishing a Genomic Resource Centre to conserve DNA of indigenous life forms, especially the rare and endangered species. A Bureau for Conservation of Genetic Resources of Agriculturally Important Insects is also being established.
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There are bananas, and there are bananas. The banana market is controlled by five large corporations - Chiquita (25%), Dole (25%), Del Monte (15%), Noboa (11%) and Fyffes (8%). When you shop at the supermarket, how often do you think about where the food you eat comes from or how it was grown? Supermarkets today contain food from all over the world. But how does a banana get to our table?
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Many parents need to clean up the food and physical activity environment at home to help children be fit and healthy.
Here are 6 tips that you can start with.
1. Stock up on good food
Fill your house with foods that are both delicious and nutritious (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish, lean protein, reduced-fat dairy products) and don't bring home junk food such as cookies, cakes,
