Say It, Don’t Spray It

Say It, Don’t Spray It

A friend of mine is a farmer out in Montana. She’s also eight months pregnant with her first child. Recently she looked out her window and saw a worker spraying pesticides on her neighbor’s farm. Concerned for the health of her baby, she called the...
The Good Food Movement Needs Science, Too

The Good Food Movement Needs Science, Too

Perhaps you’ve heard some organic food advocates say, “We should just roll back the clock and farm the way we used to” — before modern science gave us factory farms and genetically modified ingredients. Others disagree, saying that we’d all...
That ‘Natural’ Label Doesn’t Mean Much

That ‘Natural’ Label Doesn’t Mean Much

Scenario: You’re at the store, trying to make healthy yet frugal choices. You see several products labeled “organic” and others labeled “natural.” You’re trying to buy good food and household products for less, and those organic...
What’s ‘Processed’ Food?

What’s ‘Processed’ Food?

If you’ve read any nutritional advice lately, you’ve probably encountered one hard-and-fast rule: Avoid processed foods. But what does “processed” mean? On one level, anything humans do to food — slicing fruit, cooking beans, fermenting cabbage...
Eating in the Dark

Eating in the Dark

I’m sick of writing about labeling genetically engineered foods. I’m sick of it because there’s really one thing to say, and I’ve said it before: Americans have a right to know how their food is produced. Period. The fact is that most processed...