globalbriefs
Farm Relief FDA Wakens to Local Needs
S
mall farms, farmers’ markets, local food processors and community food banks have been given a
reprieve, because on December 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to take a second look at proposed new laws that would have put many of them out of business. The new rules, proposed under the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), came under fire from consumers, farmers and others with voices that were heard. The FDA said its “thinking has evolved,” and “…significant changes will be needed in key
provisions of the two proposed rules affecting small and large farmers. These provisions include water quality standards and testing, standards for using raw manure and compost, certain provisions affecting mixed-use facilities and procedures for withdrawing the qualified exemption for certain farms.”
Source:
TheDailyGreen.com
Mercury Mystery How Sinking Organic Matter Plagues Fish
U
niversity of Michigan and University of Hawaii researchers claim to have solved a long- standing scientific mystery of how mercury gets into open-water fish. Based on their study findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, they also project that mercury levels in Pacific fish will rise in the coming years. The researchers discovered that up to 80 percent of the toxic form of
mercury, methylmercury, is generated deep in the ocean, most likely by bacteria attached to sinking pieces of organic matter. Mercury found in Pacific fish near Hawaii likely traveled thousands of miles through the air before being deposited in the ocean, the team concludes, blaming industrial nations such as China and India that rely on coal-burning power plants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that large fish have the highest levels of methylmercury because they live longer and have more time to accumulate it.
Homegrown Access Creative Paths for Local Food Sourcing
E
ntrepreneurs are creating novel ways to circumvent the commercial
food system that ships food, in or out of season, for hundreds or thousands of miles at the cost of quality and too often, accountability. For example, Re:farm Denver, in Colorado, supplies families with everything they need for backyard gardens, from irrigation systems to seeds. In 2013, 200 families participated. Cottage food laws allow artisans
to sell breads, jams, candy and other foods made in home kitchens. While specific restrictions vary, 42 states have some type of cottage law. Beth-Ann Betz, who bakes sweets in her New Hampshire kitchen, says, “It gives me the option to be independent and self- employed at 66.” At the Community Thanksgiving
Potluck, in Laguna Beach, California, dinner is shared, not served. For 25 years, those with homes and without, single people, families, city council members and the jobless have gathered to share food and community for the holiday. “It’s a wonderful chaos,” says Dawn Price, executive director of the nonprofit Friendship Shelter. At Bottles Liquor, in West
Oakland, California, a banner reads “Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Available Here.” Bottles is a member of the Healthy Neighborhood Store Alliance, an effort of the nonprofit Mandela Marketplace to bring pesticide-free produce to corner stores throughout the neighborhood.
Source: Yes magazine
NaturalAwakeningsSA.com March 2014 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48