Organic Foods

Seed savers exchanges are awesome. I used to participate when I had a large organic home garden in the 90's. I so miss that garden, I was able to raise heirlooms of many types there, in a zone 6 pocket of PA. I still have pesto and other frozen treats from everything I preserved from the bounty of that garden. I highly second the recommendation of Seed Savers from Vivre.

DeAnn, hormones is only one reason to choose organic dairy products, even if it is not a strong reason. For me, it is rather more about knowing the product is as free of pesticide as is possible in the marketplace. IIRC Diana Dyer's reasoning on that is that any toxins (gasp, toxins) or other bad stuff from the pesticides would be stored in the animal's fat and that the fat content of dairy is high. I'm probably simplifying that too much, but I believe that's the gist of her argument.

I have read an argument against the threat of BGH, and while I'm not totally convinced there is no threat, my state of alert on the issue is lessened. But I do still worry about pesticide residue.

Ellen, known carcinogens are banned or strictly controlled, for the most part. It's the devil you don't know that gets you. Once again, I'll state my belief that Teflon is going to be proved to be one of the worst toxins of our day.

EDIT: "hormones is" ... sounds funny. I mean the topic of hormones, not the plural of more than one hormone. Ok, only grammar nuts would care, but still ...

DGhoff

How do you find a CSA in your area?

Flalady

I had read about Teflon in the past - can't remember where.  I replaced some fry pans with stainless steel and use lots of EVOO. 

I have 2 pet birds, so have known about the dangers of teflon (PTFE's) for birds (and personally I think if it can kill pet birds, what is it doing to us?).  It's important to know that it's not only pots and pans that are dangerous - see list at the end.

 Here's part of an article form the Envronmental Working group that covers everything very well:

In two to five minutes on a conventional stovetop, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces can exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases linked to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesses each year, according to tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG).

In new tests conducted by a university food safety professor, a generic non-stick frying pan preheated on a conventional, electric stovetop burner reached 736°F in three minutes and 20 seconds, with temperatures still rising when the tests were terminated. A Teflon pan reached 721°F in just five minutes under the same test conditions (See Figure 1), as measured by a commercially available infrared thermometer. DuPont studies show that the Teflon offgases toxic particulates at 446°F. At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. At temperatures that DuPont scientists claim are reached on stovetop drip pans (1000°F), non-stick coatings break down to a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB, and a chemical analog of the WWII nerve gas phosgene.

For the past fifty years DuPont has claimed that their Teflon coatings do not emit hazardous chemicals through normal use. In a recent press release, DuPont wrote that "significant decomposition of the coating will occur only when temperatures exceed about 660 degrees F (340 degrees C). These temperatures alone are well above the normal cooking range." These new tests show that cookware exceeds these temperatures and turns toxic through the common act of preheating a pan, on a burner set on high. In cases of "Teflon toxicosis," as the bird poisonings are called, the lungs of exposed birds hemorrhage and fill with fluid, leading to suffocation. DuPont acknowledges that the fumes can also sicken people, a condition called "polymer fume fever." DuPont has never studied the incidence of the fever among users of the billions of non-stick pots and pans sold around the world. Neither has the company studied the long-term effects from the sickness, or the extent to which Teflon exposures lead to human illnesses believed erroneously to be the common flu.

The government has not assessed the safety of non-stick cookware. According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety scientist: "You won't find a regulation anywhere on the books that specifically addresses cookwares," although the FDA approved Teflon for contact with food in 1960 based on a food frying study that found higher levels of Teflon chemicals in hamburger cooked on heat-aged and old pans. At the time, FDA judged these levels to be of little health significance. Of the 6.9 million bird-owning households in the US that claim an estimated 19 million pet birds, many don't know know that Teflon poses an acute hazard to birds. Most non-stick cookware carries no warning label. DuPont publicly acknowledges that Teflon can kill birds, but the company-produced public service brochure on bird safety discusses the hazards of ceiling fans, mirrors, toilets, and cats before mentioning the dangers of Teflon fumes. As a result of the new data showing that non-stick surfaces reach toxic temperatures in a matter of minutes, EWG has petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to require that cookware and heated appliances bearing non-stick coatings must carry a label warning of the acute hazard the coating poses to pet birds. Additionally, we recommend that bird owners completely avoid cookware and heated appliances with non-stick coatings. Alternative cookware includes stainless steel and cast iron, neither of which offgases persistent pollutants that kill birds.

Teflon kills birds

Avian veterinarians have known for decades that Teflon-coated and other non-stick cookware can produce fumes that are highly toxic to birds. As early as 1986, a Chicago-area expert on Teflon toxicosis called the phenomenon a leading cause of death among birds, and estimated that hundreds of birds are killed by the fumes and particles emitted from Teflon-coated products each year. Although an accurate national accounting of deaths is not available, in a single year this Chicago veterinarian documented 296 bird deaths in 105 cases involving non-stick cookware.

Under ordinary cooking scenarios, Teflon kills birds. A review of the literature and bird owners' accounts of personal experience with Teflon toxicosis shows that Teflon can be lethal at normal cooking temperatures, with no human lapses in judgment or wakefulness.

Also from an article from a Pet Bird web site:

PTFE is commonly found in:

• Nonstick Cookware. (This includes non-stick coatings known as Teflon, Silverstone, T-Fal, Supra, Resistal, etc.)
• Irons with Nonstick Sole Plates
• Portable Heaters
• Stir Fryers/Woks
• Pizza Pans
• Non-stick Stainless Steel
• Self-Cleaning Ovens
• Heat Lamps and Bulbs
• Breadmakers
• Curling Irons
• Hair Dryers
• Cookie Sheets
• Griddle Pans and Skillets
• Stovetop Burners
• Wafflers
• Deep Fryers
• Crock Pots
• Roasting Pans
• Cake Pans and Molds
• Coffee Makers

Wow, Wendy ~ That is some list!  Guess I'll have to make time to review what we use around here.  As far as the pots & pans go, we have a handsome collection (assembled 1 @ a time) of All-Clad.  But then, when we remodelled our older kitchen a couple of years ago, we made the mistake of putting in a smooth top electic range, because running a new gas line was going to cost something like $12,000 due to updated codes, etc.  Anyhoo.... all my All-Clad pans stick like crazy on this type of stove (which I recommend you never buy), so we've had to pick up a few lined pans.  I don't think any of them are Teflon, but now, on top of everything else, I have to go and figure that out, to be sure we're not being poisoned by an omelet pan.  Oh, my ... it's so ludicrous, it's kind of funny...        Deanna

Deglazing -- another good reason to keep a bottle of wine on the counter at all times!!

barbe ~ It's like leaving a pot of lentil soup on very low heat, only to come back to a 1/2" of burned on mess stuck to the bottom.  My DH & I both enjoy cooking, and this Frigidaire Professional Series range has been a disappointment.  We had an old 48" range, and when we redid our kitchen, anything that large was quite pricey.  Besides, I was happy to gain a foot of counter space by going to a 36" flat top.  But it's the electric cooktop that's the problem, not the All Clad, and I've read comments in cooking magazines noting the same thing -- you have to use lined pans on this type of range because the heat is very intense. 

Linda ~  Your comment cracked me up!     Deanna

A way to have hormone-free dairy and meat is to buy from very small, local farms that treat their animals humanely and allow them to feed on grass. You don't even have to drive to the farm physically, many of them have delivery networks. I buy all my meat from a few local farms. I had no idea about this option until I started to look carefully. A good place to start is eatwild.com, or the Weston A. Price Foundation (westonaprice.org).

Howard Hughes, good point. He doesn't have cancer does he? 

Just saw on the news that Michelle Obama is creating an organic garden at the White House.  What a great idea and good example.  I've been planning to grow my own tomatoes this summer.  Nothing like fresh, organic vegetables!

Please take action and protect Organic Standards! 

Alert Update of the Week:

HR 875 Update: Will the Real "Monsanto Bill" Please Stand Up?

News of a "Monsanto Bill to Criminalize Organic Farming" has been speeding around the internet. The Organic Consumers Fund, OCA's lobbying partner in Washington, DC, analyzed the bill and determined that we could not support food safety legislation like this that could be applied in a one-size-fits-all manner to all farms, including organic and farm-to-consumer operations -- especially a bill that references the National Animal Identification System (a voluntary USDA animal tagging program that some influential members of Congress are trying to make mandatory for every owner of even a single farm animal). With these concerns, we put out the following alert: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17194.cfm

Nevertheless, we were alarmed by the misleading headlines attached to anti-HR 875 alerts. Even if this bill were passed as is today, it wouldn't criminalize organic farming. The bill would require farms to have a food safety plan, allow their records to be inspected, and comply with food safety regulations. To say this is tantamount to criminalization doesn't give organic farmers enough credit.

from the Organic Consumers Association.

This is the letter that is sent to members of the senate and congress if you click on the above link:

Dear [recipient name was inserted here],

I am writing in regards to the Food Safety Modernization Act. I agree with

the Pew Food Safety Initiative, which supports the bill, that:

"The FSMA contains key improvements that will enable federal authorities

to better ensure the safety of the food supply by requiring food companies

to implement preventive plans and meet performance standards for

contaminants in food; creating a system for certifying the safety of

imported foods; establishing a strong risk-based inspection regime for

food companies; and granting the government explicit authority over all

food-production facilities. The legislation also provides essential

enforcement tools such as mandatory recall and civil penalties."

However, I share the concerns of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

which opposes the bill because it could be interpreted to impose onerous

regulations on small farms, especially raw milk producers who are already

unfairly targeted by state food-safety regulators. The bill should be

amended to protect local and organic producers from burdensome

one-size-fits-all legislation. We need a food safety system that is

scale-appropriate and compatible with organic system plans. Organic and

local food advocates like the Northeast Organic Farming Association's

Leafy Greens Working Group and the Community Alliance with Family Farm's

Family Farm Food Safety Campaign should have a seat at the table whenever

food safety issues are discussed.

Hopefully, this bill will enhance the public debate over why the

industrial food production system is so unsafe. The number one thing we

could do to increase food safety among large-scale producers is to stop

the factory farming of animals:

1. Animals should never be fed blood, manure or slaughterhouse waste.

2. Cows need to eat grass.

3. Animals need to be spread out on enough land to absorb their waste.

The dangers to food safety of factory farms, also known as Confined Animal

Feeding Operations, are well documented by the Organic Consumers

Association, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, the

Union of Concerned Scientists, and Food & Water Watch.

Thank you for your attention to the important matter of food safety.