Roses are red…
Posted by Gavin on February 14, 2010 in Global issues
It’s St. Valentines Day, and countless millions bouquets of flowers and single red roses are being given to wives, partners and lovers the world around. I don’t know a chrysanthemum from a cactus, so the choice is never easy, and it just got harder.
Spotting a gap in the market, flower growers have been pushing organic roses as the ‘green’ choice for this year’s St. V. So now I’ve not only to decide how many roses, but also how they were grown.
I could choose conventionally grown roses - a bouquet grown to perfection with a little help from some pesticide. They’re roses, it’s Valentines Day… they’ll not be cheap,
Or I could opt for the organic roses – a bouquet grown to organic perfection with a little less help from pesticide. They’re roses, it’s Valentines Day, they’re organic… they’ll not be cheap.
I can’t decide.
Maybe I’ll go for the organic, there’s a better chance I’ll surprise her twice…
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Comments(0)France 24: viewpoints on pesticides and related topics
Posted by Phil on August 14, 2009 in Environment, Food & health
The international news channel France 24 recently features two insightful debates in its program ‘Face-off’.
The first one, entitled ‘Organic Food: not so wholesome?’, picks up on an ongoing furore around the now famous Food Standards Agency (FSA) report on organic (see our last two posts). The debate includes some interesting comments by Olivier Andrault from the Consumer Association UFC-Que Choisir and Diego Garcia from L’Agence Bio. Read the rest of this entry »
UK Food Standards Agency: organic not healthier. Reactions from the press and blogosphere.
Posted by Phil on August 03, 2009 in Food & health
An independent review published by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) concludes that there are no differences in nutrition content or other health benefits between food produced using organic methods and that grown using scientific agriculture (read the FSA’s new release here). It will come as no surprise to anyone that the report has sparked a heated debate in the press and the blogosphere! Please find below a small selection of press articles and blog posts from across the divide discussing the report. Do feel free to comment or to recommend further articles by clicking on the tab above.
Press
Organic food is not healthier, says FSA (The Guardian)
Don’t write off organic food (The Daily Telegraph)
Organic food ‘no healthier than conventional’ (The Independent)
Organic has no health benefits (BBC)
Les bénéfices du «bio» en question (Le Figaro)
Il biologico? Fa bene solo a chi lo produce (La Stampa)
Blogs
Organic Versus Conventional Food: UK Report Flawed (Huffington Post)
News Report: Organic food no healthier, but is that all that matters… (Daily Cup of Yoga)
Organic Isn’t Healthier, But People Will Keep Buying (Humblement)
Organic Food Trash? Or Just Trashing Organic Food? (Unbossed)
Organic Versus Conventional Food: UK Report Flawed (Civil Eats)
Will you still shop organic after the publication of the FSA findings? (Ooffoo)
Joanna Blythman: Please Read the Data Appendices About Organic Food Before Conjuring ‘Cancerous Conspiracies’: Part 1 (Holford Watch)
Organic no better says FSA (Grow organic food)
Recent articles on pesticides and related topics
Posted by Phil on July 27, 2009 in Environment, European Regulation, Farming, Food & health, Global issues
Please find below some recent articles on pesticides and related topics. Do feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand colmumn.
- The Three A’s of Food Security (Sciencebase blog)
- Differing patterns in food price falls (BBC)
- French village goes organic one day a week (3News)
- EU survey reveals poor state of biodiversity (Euractiv)
- EU farm subsidies ‘inconsistent’ with global food security (Euractiv)
- Sweden introduces climate labelling for food (Euractiv)
- World food prices: Whatever happened to the food crisis? (The Economist)
- Agriculture Demand Outpacing Honeybee Increase, Researchers Say (Bloomberg)
- EFSA publishes report on pesticide residues in food (Food Production Daily)
- Forum on the Future of Agriculture goes on the road… (Blogactiv)
European Commission completes its pesticide review
Posted by Helen Dunnett on March 17, 2009 in Environment, European Regulation, Farming, Food & health
Last week the European Commission announced the completion of its review of pesticides that were on the market before 1993. The review looked at about 1000 substances used in conventional and organic agriculture. In their press statement, the Commission said that the pesticides “have undergone a detailed risk evaluation with respect to their effects on humans and on the environment”.
In the press statement the EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said: “Today represents a milestone in our effort to ensure improved protection of human health and the environment. The review of existing pesticides has lead to the removal from the market of more than two thirds of these substances. I can now say with confidence that our food has become greener.”
Of those 1000 pesticides removed from the market, the vast majority of pesticides (67%) didn’t qualify because their dossiers were either not submitted, incomplete or withdrawn by industry. 7% of dossiers submitted failed the review. 26% of substances were approved.
To promote the end of this review programme, the Commission has produced a factsheet “ EU action on pesticides”
Yesterday the Commission launched a new pesticide database listing active substances. The database is available to the general public. To access it click here.
Download a copy of their factsheet.
Recent press on pesticides
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 03, 2009 in Environment, Farming, Food & health, Global issues
Some recent articles on pesticides and related topics. Feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand colmumn.
- Agri-food sector to assess its environmental footprint (EurActiv)
- Is Local Food Better? (EurActiv)
- Vote for future of farming in EU (Farmers Guardian)
- Co-op donation creates buzz around British black bees (Guardian)
- Green Revolution Key to food Security in Africa (European Water News)
- Climate change ‘killing coral triangle’ (Telegraph)
- Threat to European biodiversity ‘as serious as climate change’ (The Optimum population trust blog)
- Pesticides: Operator Safety Is Paramount (ScienceDaily)
- Consumers are savvy about organic food (Financial Times)
- EU agricultural research to tackle food security (Euractiv)
- French organic food sales rise 25 pct in 2008 (Reuters)
- Demand for emergency food rises (BBC)
The truth about organic farming in Europe, Johnston vs Melchett
Posted by Helen Dunnett on June 16, 2008 in Environment, European Regulation, Farming, Food & health
The Independent recently published an article on organic farming by science writer and doctor, Rob Johnston. A brave man frankly; he was challenging the benefits of organic farming. However within a week I was please to see the Soil Association’s, Lord Melchett, coming back with his take on the benefits. I’ve read both articles and pulled out some points that relate to the environment and pesticides.
Is organic farming good for the environment?
Rob Johnston looks at the environmental aspects of organic farming from the increased amount of land needed to produce organic food, quoting a staggering 80% more land needed to produce one litre of organic milk compared to conventional milk. He doesn’t say why exactly but I’m assuming that the organic cows only eat grass, were as the grass diet of conventional milk cows is supplemented with a milk enhancing feed. Then added to this organic cows digestive systems are working at full speed after all that grass causing the release of 20 times more methane than the non-organic herd. 20 times sounds frightening but 20 times what exactly? This fact needs to be put into context otherwise it’s no different than the complaints made against the organics who quote a yearly increase of 20% in organic demand but don’t mention that the overall organic market only accounts for 1% of food production. Read the rest of this entry »
BBC's Prof Regan's supermarket secrets
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 03, 2008 in Farming, Food & health
On 26 February 2008, BBC’s science and nature programme Horizon explored the arguements for and against conventional and organic farming. To view clips from the programme and read more on the subject click here.