Growth of organic farmland since the year 2000 Development of organically managed land by world regions since 2000 Data: www.organic-world.net Deutsch: Entwicklung der Öko-Anbaufläche nach Weltregionen seit 2000 Daten: www.organic-world.net (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Population growth is a huge strain on the environment. Reducing family size is vital to saving the Earth, no matter how much the notion upsets some folks. Feeding the world‘s 7,013,987,392 people is a challenge and often cited as to why organic food is not as green as consumers believe.  In my opinion, this is just a myth.

Yes, we can feed the world organically!

Marc Gunther writes for GreenBiz.com:

New scientific research points to a key drawback of organic agriculture, unfortunately: It is typically less efficient and productive than conventional growing methods. That’s a problem for fans of organic because the world has a limited supply of farmland, a billion or so undernourished people, a growing population, an expanding middle class and therefore a vast appetite for affordable and nourishing food.

If, in fact, organic methods are less productive, scaling up the production of organic food at will require more land, contribute to deforestation and cost more than growing our food using conventional methods. That suggests that organic methods alone can’t feed the world in a sustainable way.

Clearly, organic farming is a more environmentally friendly “method”, as Gunther points out, reducing pollution and health risks to workers from dangerous agro-chemicals; however, when “outcomes” are examined, the smaller yields of organic farms is cited as cause for concern.

I find such concerns hogwash.  Given our current system of waste (both conventionally and organically) and consumption of meat, these lower yields of organic food production would not be a concern.  According to a 2004 study by the University of Arizona (UA), between 40 to 50 percent of food grown is wasted and never reaches consumers.  Furthermore, we waste even more food after it has left the farm.  The New York Times reports:

You’d never know it if you saw what was ending up in your landfill. As it turns out, Americans waste an astounding amount of food — an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study — and it happens at the supermarket, in restaurants and cafeterias and in your very own kitchen. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American.

US Meat Consumption (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And what about meat?

According to the UN, meat production is responsible for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.  The UK’s Food Climate Research Network cites lower estimates holding food production for livestock accountable for 10 to 15 percent of emissions.  Whatever the statistic, the impact of global meat production is significant, and meat consumption is up in the United States.  Biofuels Digest reports:

70 percent of US corn and soy production is devoted to feed, not food, and not fuel…According to the FAO and the USDA , US meat consumption has increased 137 pounds per person since the 1950s, with a resulting increase in grain usage of 375 pounds per person (the grain fed to cattle and poultry). Cheese consumption has increased faster than milk’s decline, and Americans consume 179 extra pounds of milk, which uses up another 63 pounds of grain.  In short, dietary change in the US has resulted in an additional 438 pounds of grains per capita, or 8 bushels of corn.

These statistics on food waste and meat consumption only reflect 313,562,376 of the world’s population, but other developed countries probably have similar statistics compared the US.

If we ate less meat and reduced the tremendous amount of food that is wasted currently, I do believe we could feed the world organically.  That is the sort of outcome I would like to hear discussed when talking about organic versus conventional farming.

Organic vs. Conventional: Can We Feed the World? is a post from: Eco Child's Play

Via: Just Label It

Label GMOs: Mom’s Have a Right to Know What! [video] is a post from: Eco Child's Play

Avocado fruit photographed on a white background (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week, my daughter and I made these delicious vegan chocolate cupcakes. The recipe was sent to us by her grandmother.  We modified the ingredients based upon what we have (I have included the modifications below in parentheses).

These cupcakes are very rich and moist thanks to a surprise ingredient:  avocado!  You can’t taste the avocado in the final product, so have no fear!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcake Recipe with Surprise Ingredient (Avocado!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 16 muffin cups with unbleached paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together:

• 1 1/2 cups of organic white spelt flour (we used 1 cup unbleached white flour and 1/2 cup brown spelt flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

On medium heat, whisk together in a saucepan.  Cook two minutes:

• 3/4 cup organic cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup organic coconut milk

In a food processor, puree:

•  1 cup Hass avocado (we only had one avo, so we used apple sauce in addition to make one cup)
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Add chocolate mixture and puree until smooth.

Combine the chocolate/avo mix with the flour until just mixed.  Fill the 16 muffin cups.  Cook for 25 minutes.

We used a whipped cream and chocolate chip frosting, which made our cupcakes no longer vegan, but delicious.  If you would like a suggested frosting recipe that is vegan, let me know.

No Sugar, Vegan Chocolate Cupcake Recipe with Surprise Ingredient (Avocado!) is a post from: Eco Child's Play

I don’t know why it is, but all kids love frozen food. You can sneak or fully disclose all kinds of fruits in vegetables in a smoothie or popsicle. The BellyFull Kit makes it easy!

The HopeFULL company began in order to help out a dear friend who had been diagnosed with Leukemia.

Like many people undergoing chemotherapy treatments, eating was no longer an enjoyable activity for our friend. She struggled to find foods that she could tolerate and that would give her enough calories and nutrition. Knowing we both made homemade baby food for our children, she asked us to make her meals which were small in portion, packed with nutrition and without strong flavors. We were thrilled to help and dove enthusiastically into the project.

A week later we delivered our frozen “whole-food pops” (now known as HopeFULLs) to our friend, each with a unique message of hope. The HopeFULLs satisfied her pallet, soothed her mouth sores and filled her tummy with healthy fat, protein, calories and nutrients when she needed it most. We also brought with us a message of hope and peace.

This inspiration has continued and expanded to include a line for children called BellyFull.

The BellyFULL Kit makes it easy to introduce whole foods to young children in an adventurous, playful way. BellyFULLs make eating whole foods fun for kids, and preparing them together can create memories which will last a lifetime.

It includes:

BellyFULL Recipe Book

• Twenty simple and easy to prepare recipes (detachable by ring)
• Step-by-step instructions and helpful tips
• Full color photos of recipes and ingredients
• Nutritional information included for each recipe
• “Kids Can” section, offering fun, safe ways for children 4 and older to help make BellyFULLs

HopeFULL Silicone Mold

• 100% food grade USA silicone
• BPA, PVC and Phthalate free
• Dishwasher, microwave, oven and freezer safe
• Makes 8 HopeFULLs (1.75 oz. each)
• Additional HopeFULL Freezer Trays can be purchased separately

Birch Wood Spoon Sticks

• 4.5″ long, Grade-A 100% Birch Wood
• Tasteless, odorless and very smooth
• Compost-able and biodegradable
• Perfect size to support a frozen BellyFULL or to spoon a small dish of warmed BellyFULLs
• Additional sets of 100 spoon sticks can be purchased separately

BellyFULL Chef Hat

• Heavy 7.5 oz Spun Poly Twill
• Looks, breathes and feels like 100% cotton
• Stain resistant and great washability with no shrinkage
• Velcro adjustable closure
• 8″ – 21.5″ Circumference
• embroidered BellyFULL logo and tag line “eat happily ever after”

I  can see my kids really getting into these pops!  I especially like how the little recipe book is kid-friendly.  If they make it, they are more likely to eat, and it is one less thing for me to do!

Obviously, any child would benefit from these recipes, not just picky eaters or those that are medically sensitive.  Many of the recipes include infant rice cereal, and really, I don’t know why we don’t continue to use it in recipes after our toddlers make the switch to whole foods.  Rice really is easy to digest, which is the whole point of these recipes.  I also like how the wooden spoons are used as handles for the frozen pops, and of course, you can use the silicone molds with any recipe.

Also included in the recipes are sections on “MindFULL Eating” and “Merry Berry Meditation”.  In our rushed lives, we often shovel our food in without being mindful.  It is something that we all need to practice and is important to instill in our children at an early age.

Disclosure: I was sent free samples of these products to review. No prior assurances were given as to whether the review would be positive or negative.

The HopeFULL Company’s BellyFULL Kit Designed for Sensitive Children But Good for All! is a post from: Eco Child's Play

Dates (Photo credit: DBduo Photography)

We have incorporated cooking into our homeschool curriculum.  Cooking is great for teaching fractions, life skills, healthy eating, etc.  On our first day of homeschool last week, my daughter made organic oat date bars, a recipe I have not made for almost a decade.  I forgot how delicious they are!

This recipe is easily made vegan, sugar-free, or gluten-free (options below in parentheses).

Naturally Sweet Organic Oat & Spelt Date Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare filling. Cook until very soft and water evaporated, stirring often:

• 3 cups organic dates (date pieces work well but if gluten-free, be sure they are not dusted with flour)
• 2 cups water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Let cool.

To prepare crust, combine:

• 3 cups rolled oats (certified gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup organic spelt flour (if sugar-free, increase to one cup; if gluten-free, use quinoa flour)
• 1/2 cup organic sucanat or other sugar (omit if sugar-free and substitute with flour)
• 1/2 cup melted butter (oil if vegan)
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla (be sure gluten-free)
• 3 Tablespoons soymilk, nutmilk, or water

Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of a large glass pan (about 9″ x 13″).  Place date mixture filling on top, then press the other half the oat mixture on top.  Bake 35 minutes.  Let cool before serving.

This recipe was adapted from Ecological Cooking

Homeschool Recipes: Naturally Sweet Organic Oat & Spelt Date Bars is a post from: Eco Child's Play

by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff
Executive Director & C.E.O
Healthy Child Healthy World

www.healthychild.org

Potential Autism Causes Identified

What causes autism? Dr. Phil Landrigan, professor and chair of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York and Honorary Board member of Healthy Child Healthy World, recently released a comprehensive list of environmental triggers, published in Environmental Health Perspectives and concisely presented in a slideshow on Rodale News. This powerful research looks at environmental factors—including lead, mercury and pesticides—and connects the dots on early exposures to problems in childhood, with the goal of informing the medical community and changing chemical regulation to better protect kids.

Approval Sought for GE Corn

According to the Just Label It! campaign, of which Healthy Child is a member, the USDA may approve corn that is genetically engineered to withstand 2,4-D, a potent herbicide that may be linked to major health problems including reproductive abnormalities, birth defects, and several forms of cancer. The FDA is currently considering approval of genetically engineered salmon, which is engineered to produce growth hormones year-round to make the fish grow at twice its natural rate, and would be the first genetically engineered animal on supermarket shelves in the United States. If these “foods” are approved, we won’t know they’re on our shelves because GE foods are not required to be labeled in the U.S.—as they are in 40 other countries. 90% of Americans are against unlabeled GE foods. Healthy Child is, too!

House Hearing on Cancer

Information from the House assessment of the “Report on Carcinogens” continues to trickle down. The report, which recently classified formaldehyde as a “known carcinogen” and styrene as a “reasonably anticipated” human carcinogen, was under attack, most notably by Dow Chemical, for being “bad for business,” according to Andy Igrejas of the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families coalition in the Huffington Post.

Honorary Board Kudos

Last week, we told you about the study published in Pedriatrics about Dr. Harvey Karp’s “Happiest Baby” methods to soothe infants experiencing pain.  This week, Scholastic named the doctor the second most important person in American family life —after moms and before Steve Jobs.

Also this week, fellow Healthy Child Healthy World Honorary Board member Olivia Newton-John’s new “Livwise” book shot to the top of the bestseller list.

Congratulations to these amazing visionaries; we are so grateful for their support and thankful as they continue to expand the healthy parenting movement!

May is Pregnancy Awareness Month!

Pregnancy Awareness Month (P.A.M.) is an organization dedicated to inspiring women during pregnancy with educational initiatives spotlighting nutrition, wellness, and all around nurturing.  If you’re in Los Angeles on Sunday May 6, be sure to join P.A.M.’s annual flagship free event at the Skirball Center that features features a variety of brands, specialists and experts in the field of pregnancy, motherhood and kids.  Click here for more information.

P.A.M. was established in 2008 by Healthy Child Healthy World Board Member, author & holistic lifestyle expert Anna Getty and producer & mompreneur Alisa Donner.

Autism and Chemicals, Cancer Report Under Fire, and Kudos! is a post from: Eco Child's Play

Honesty has been on my mind lately.  My dashboard dictionary defines “honest” as “free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere”.   For a company to use such an adjective in their name, they better mean it!

As parents, we notice when our very young children try to lie to us for the first time.  It is so clearly evident.  As our children age, they become more devious in their untruths unless those early attempts at fibbing were dealt with honestly.

My children are not liars.  I know it.  They have other faults, but fortunately, they have retained the obviousness of toddlerhood when attempting to fool us, thus they have given up even trying (at least my ten-year-old has).

Honest Tea’s motto is “Real Tea.  Real Taste.  Honest.”  Some people might argue with Honest Tea’s honesty claims since they are partially owned by Coca-Cola:

Last year, Honest Tea sold 7,998,654 bottles of tea. This the same amount of Coke sold in 9 minutes.

…Honest Tea was only launched in 1998, and it somewhat ironic they would include such a quote when in 2008, “The Coca-Cola Company purchased 40 percent of Honest Tea“.

This information is not hidden, thus it is honest, yet it may hint at the sincerity to being committed to pureness by being part of a larger corporation that uses artificial ingredients. In these times when a majority of health food companies are actually owned by companies that do not hold these ideas, it is not that unusual.  But honestly, I’d rather support an independent health food company.

We were sent two flavors of Honest Kids drink pouches.

• Honest Kids Berry Berry Good Lemonade USDA Organic Thirst Quenchers 8pk Box
• Honest Kids Goodness Grapeness USDA Organic Grape Juice Thirst Quencher Pouches 8 Pk

These convenient drink pouches are organic, contain no high fructose corn syrup, 5 % juice, non-GMO, and half the sugar of other kids’ drinks.  My son preferred the grape flavor, whereas my daughter preferred the berry.

I am not a big fan of juice boxes or pouches.  The convenience is great for packing school lunches or traveling, but honestly, and we are being honest here, I want my kids to drink water.  The other concern for me is disposing of the packaging.

Honest Tea has partnered with Terracycle to solve this problem or at least alleviate it:

Every year millions of drink pouches end up in garbage and landfills. Honest Kids and TerraCycle are working together to change that. As eco-friendly innovator, TerraCycle converts the drink pouches into unique fashion bags, tote bags, pencil cases, and other fun items for kids and adults. 

This a great idea, but you need to collect 500 pouches before you turn them in, and Terracycle will compensate $0.02 per pouch to your organization.  That’s a lot of pouches!

Honesty is an important value, perhaps the most important.  It defines our personal integrity.  As a marketing term, I don’t have a problem with it’s use by Honest Tea.  The fact Coca-Cola owns part of the company makes it easy to find it in convenience stores and other places reaching a larger audience.  There’s always balance when it comes to honesty.

Disclosure: I was sent free samples of these products to review. No prior assurances were given as to whether the review would be positive or negative.

Honest Kids Deserve Honest Tea is a post from: Eco Child's Play

Frying pan (Photo credit: JPC24)

99%!  That is a rather convincing number when it comes to chemical contamination in the human population.  I have never heard of such a large percentage with any other household chemical before.

What is this abundant toxic chemical? PFOA found in non-stick cookware and stain resistant products.

Early in my blogging days, I wrote about my concerns with nonstick cookware and my search to find muffin pans that were safe.  Pet bird owners have known what the public has not about the safety of cooking with non-stick cookware.  It is deadly.

Once thought of as a great invention to prevent the scouring of pots and pans, non-stick cookware is poisoning our environment.  It’s not just nonstick cookware that utilizes toxic PFOA.  It is also found in food packaging (including candy wrappers), carpeting, and other products designed to be resist staining.

The abundance of PFOA in our bodies is not entirely due from our use of household products but from its manufacturing and subsequent environmental contamination.

The Environmental Working Group (via EcoWatch) explains:

“Widespread pollution by PFOA should be a wake-up call that our chemical regulation system is severely broken,” said Olga V. Naidenko, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “It is particularly urgent for the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a legal limit for drinking water pollution by PFOA, which is currently unregulated and never should have come to market.”…

Emissions of PFOA, once manufactured by DuPont to produce non-stick coatings, have polluted the water of at least nine states and the District of Columbia. As a result of widespread pollution, PFOA and related chemicals are now found in the bodies of more than 99 percent of Americans. Pollution has been particularly pronounced around Parkersburg, W.Va., where a DuPont plant emitted PFOA into the air and Ohio River from the 1950s until recently. Emissions from the plant have been largely eliminated over the past several years under a phase-out agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and DuPont.

As a result of a class action lawsuit, an independent scientific panel has linked PFOA to “kidney and testicular cancer and possibly thyroid cancer.”  This information was just released on Monday.

It’s not just cancer that is a concern.  Ohio Citizen Action explains:

“Children living near DuPont’s plant in West Virginia are exposed to much higher concentrations of an industrial chemical than their mothers, according to a newly published study.

Children under 5, who are exposed from drinking water as well as their mothers’ breast milk, had 44 percent more of the chemical in their blood than their moms. The study was undertaken by a court-approved panel of three scientists who have spent seven years trying to determine whether the DuPont chemical is making people sick in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The chemical is perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA, also known as C8, and it is used in the manufacture of Teflon nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging and other products.

Nearly everyone worldwide has traces of perfluorinated chemical in their bodies. But people near the DuPont plant have extraordinary levels of PFOA – about seven times more than the U.S. average – because the compound, used at the plant since 1951, has contaminated drinking water supplies.

It is fortunate this cancer causing chemical will be entirely phased out by 2015, yet it’s effects will remain pervasive as much of the contamination still infecting Americans is over sixty years old.

PFOA will still manufactured around the globe, thus we will never be immune to the negative health effects unless it is banned globally.

I’d rather spend a few more minutes scrubbing cookware and stains in carpeting than contribute to the demand for products containing toxic chemicals.  Repeatedly, our health becomes compromised for the sake of convenience.

99% of American’s Contaminated with Toxic PFOA from Nonstick and Stain Resistant Products is a post from: Eco Child's Play

When I was a full time elementary school teacher, I remember receiving curriculum from companies.  Bic lighters would send writing workbooks. PG&E would send power safety coloring books.  I would always toss this marketing propaganda into the recycling bin.  Although some of the content was not bad, the company logos all over the curriculum screamed of commercial advertising in education.

The Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI) has joined this “educational” marketing strategy attempting to brainwash our kids in favor of their genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Look Closer at Biotechnology is a coloring book that let’s our kids know how wonderful GMOs are!

Hi Kids,

Welcome to the Biotechnology Basics Activity Book. This is an activity book for young people like you about biotechnology — a really neat topic. Why is it such a neat topic? Because biotech- nology is helping to improve the health of the Earth and the people who call it home. In this book, you will take a closer look at biotechnology. You will see that biotechnology is being used to figure out how to: 1) grow more food; 2) help the environment; and 3) grow more nutritious food that improves our health. As you work through the puzzles in this book, you will learn more about biotechnology and all of the wonderful ways it can help people live better lives in a healthier world.

Have fun!

The Council for Biotechnology Information is a non-profit 501c6 organization that communicates science-based information about the benefits and safety of agricultural biotechnology and its contributions to sustainable development…

CBI members are the leading agricultural biotechnology companies.

The Council for Biotechnology’s GMO Coloring Book for Kids is a post from: Eco Child's Play

A few years ago, one of the pastoral pastures in our remote valley was planted with grapes.  Although I missed seeing the black angus cows grazing, I didn’t really mind the carefully planned rows of vines thinking they would look pretty once they matured.  I did not think of the environmental consequences of this new vineyard beyond increased water usage until they started spraying Roundup.

We live in a county that has an ordinance against the use of pesticides and herbicides.  When rumors of the Roundup plans began, I called the district attorney to see what our options were.  Other than worker safety, the ordinance cannot tell a private landowner what to do.  I felt frustrated and wondered what good is such an ordinance. It had stopped the United States Forest Service and the California Department of Transportation from using these products, but private landowners could do as they wished.

Recently, I visited a friend who is a vineyard manager in Napa.  We had the Roundup discussion.  Unfortunately, the wine industry views Roundup as a necessity and believes it quite safe, as they claim to use very little and feel it is not harmful.

NO amount of Roundup safe, in my opinion, and I asked why not use cover crops to control weeds and improve soil? What about mulching?  Do you really trust Monsanto?

This conversation was a huge wake up call for me.  I love wine!  Most evenings I have one glass of red. It’s mama’s treat, but what is my wine habit doing to our health and the planet?

I pledge to only drink organic wine!

I will no longer support an industry that thinks Roundup is a necessity.

What wrong with Roundup?  Besides being manufactured by the evil corporation Monsanto, the harmful effects to nature and the human body are countless.  Roundup is proven to cause birth defects, amongst many other problems.  The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) explains:

Monsano’s advertising campaigns have convinced many people that Roundup is safe, but the facts just don’t support this. Independent scientific studies have shown that Roundup is toxic to earthworms, beneficial insects, birds and mammals, plus it destroys the vegetation on which they depend for food and shelter. Although Monsanto claims that Roundup breaks down into harmless substances, it has been found to be extremely persistent, with residue absorbed by subsequent crops over a year after application. Roundup shows adverse effects in all standard categories of toxicological testing, including medium-term toxicity, long-term toxicity, genetic damage, effects on reproduction, and carcinogenicity…

A recent study by eminent oncologists Dr. Leonard Hardell and Dr. Mikael Eriksson of Sweden, has revealed clear links between one of the world’s biggest selling herbicide, glyphosate (commonly known as Roundup, marketed by Monsanto), to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer – NHL…

The Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) and CHOSE (Coalition for a Healthy Oakland School Environment), showed that chemicals such as Round-Up (glyphosate) can result in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidney and liver, and some studies show a link between the chemical and cancer.
(Chemical Injury Network, June 2001)

Glyphosate (Roundup) is one of the most toxic herbicides, and is the third most commonly reported cause of pesticide related illness among agricultural workers. Products containing glyphosate also contain other compounds, which can be toxic. Glyphosate is technically extremely difficult to measure in environmental samples, which means that data is often lacking on residue levels in food and the environment, and existent data may not be reliable.
(“Greenpeace Report – Not ready for Roundup: Glyphosate Fact Sheet,” greenpeace.org – April 1997)

The idea that Roundup is harmless is common in viticulture, even amongst those that are mostly organic.  Consider this quote from Living on Earth:  Vineyards Going Organic:

MUSIKER: Vineyard Director Mitchell Klug and wine maker Tim Mondavi are explaining how the winery has developed a new 400-acre vineyard and worked with other growers to restore neighboring Wichika Creek. Tim Mondavi says the winery takes seriously its responsibilities as stewards of the land, but they have no plans to register any vineyards as organic. The winery sometimes uses the mild herbicide Round-Up for weed control. Sustainable methods have meant higher costs, but Mondavi says they’ve been worth the investment.

It’s really quite hypocritical that I have not made the organic wine pledge before now since the only food we grow and purchase is organic and has been for twenty years.  I don’t know why I was slow to make the organic wine commitment other than perhaps I have been swayed by public opinion that organic wine is not as good as conventional. This is certainly not true!

I have two good friends that make wine. Both of them grow their grapes organically; however, they do not market their wine as organic. Living on Earth:  Vineyards Going Organic explains this conundrum:

MUSIKER: Corturri uses only organic grapes for his 3,500 cases of wine a year, and he doesn’t add any sulfur beyond what’s used to control mildew in the vineyards. This is organic wine. But Corturri doesn’t use his wine’s all-organic status as a selling point.

CORTURRI: Because the problem being, it’s real easy to get stuck into a niche. In any food industry, and especially in the wine business, if you make a big claim organically grown, no sulfites added, it starts looking like a health food as opposed to a wine. And our position is that number one, it’s a fine wine. And oh by the way, and if you’re interested, the grapes are grown organically, nothing’ s added to the wine.

MUSIKER: This ambivalence runs through much of the wine industry’s natural farming movement because, among other things, organic wines, especially whites, have had a poor reputation for quality. Even at Fetzer, which pays a premium to its organic growers, Paul Dolan says he isn’t convinced consumers care.

I do care!  I will only buy wine that is labeled organic or I personally know the vinters to ensure no Roundup is used. I will not support Monsanto!  Now I just need to convince the winemaking coop I am part of to make the same pledge when purchasing grapes.

Image:  License Some rights reserved by stefano lubiana wines

I Will Only Drink Organic Wine: Wine’s Dirty Little Secret is Roundup is a post from: Eco Child's Play