livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink

IMPORTANT: Take Action to Protect Organic Food in the Very Important Farm Bill

Written by Max Goldberg on May 23, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Every five years, Congress votes on the Farm Bill, which dictates food and agriculture policy for many years to come.

Unless we get involved and demand that our representatives pass pro-organic policies, they will continue to give large bailouts to agribusiness companies and the country’s largest industrial farms at the expense of consumers, family farms, and the environment.

Needless to say, there is A LOT at stake here.

Yet, all that is required from you is signing an electronic form and making a few simple phone calls to your Senators in Washington D.C.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

A number of amendments to the Senate version of the 2013 Farm Bill have been offered that would support the labeling of genetically-engineered food, support organic farmers, repeal the “Monsanto Protection Act,” protect honey bees, and numerous others. Read More »

Oprah Winfrey Reveals Her First Move into the Organic Food Business

Written by Max Goldberg on May 20, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Courtesy of People Magazine

Last year, there was a ton of buzz about Oprah Winfrey’s rumored entrance into the organic food industry when she filed for the trademarks “Oprah’s Organics” and “Oprah’s Harvest”.

Speculation was swirling about exactly what she was up to – would it be salad dressings, prepared foods, personal care products. No one really knew, and I wondered if she would be making a cameo appearance at Natural Products Expo West this past March at the Anaheim Convention Center. (She never showed up.)

Well, now we are getting the first bit of confirmed information about Oprah’s foray into organics.

In the June issue of O Magazine, the media superstar is giving readers an inside look at her organic farm in Hawaii. And on People magazine’s website, there is a video where Oprah and her good friend Bob Greene discuss the importance of growing organic fruit and vegetables, especially in Hawaii where 90% of the island’s food is imported. Read More »

A National GMO-Labeling Bill Gets Introduced in Washington – Now What?

Written by Max Goldberg on May 13, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Several weeks ago, a very important piece of legislation got introduced in Washington, D.C. – a national GMO-labeling bill.

Sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), this piece of legislation is the first time that any GMO-labeling bill has been put forth in the Senate.

And to be honest, it is way overdue.

More than 60 countries around the world require GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) to be labeled, such as China, Brazil, India, Japan, Australia, Russia, and all nations in the EU, but the U.S. does not.

26 states around the country have taken action on this matter and have GMO-labeling bills at different stages of the legislative process. The most noteworthy of these states is Vermont, where a bill just got approved in the House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate in January 2014, and Washington state, where some type of vote is expected to take place later this year.

Additionally, polls show that more than 90% of Americans believe that GMOs should be labeled. Read More »

Sealand Birk is the The Next Coconut Water, FREE Giveaway

Written by Max Goldberg on May 5, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

sealand-birk

When I was at Natural Products Expo West recently, I came across a drink that wowed me in a major, major way.

It easily would have made my Top 5 Organic Food Products of the show, but I knew that I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it, given how special it is.

Never seen before on U.S. supermarket shelves, Sealand Birk comes from Denmark, where it has been a beverage for thousands of years.

So, what exactly is Sealand Birk?

It is the juice that is tapped from a birch tree, and harvesting takes place only once a year, from April to May.

The birch tree naturally purifies over 100 liters of water per day through its roots system, and in this process it adds minerals and nutrients.

The end result is a fluid which is slightly “syrupy”, light, refreshing, and naturally sweet.

I can’t compare it to any other drink that I have had in the past because it is so unique and different.

What I can tell you is that I absolutely LOVE Sealand Birk, have had a lot of trouble putting it down, and believe that it is going to be a massive hit in the U.S. beverage market. If marketed correctly, this drink has the potential to be the next coconut water. Read More »

Are You Consuming This Very Controversial Organic Ingredient?

Written by Max Goldberg on May 2, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

choc-milk-carrageenan

There is an incredibly controversial ingredient in the organic industry called carrageenan.

If you’re not familiar with it, carrageenan is a common food additive extracted from red seaweed that is often used as a thickening agent (chocolate milk, soy milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream), a substitute for fat, and a stabilizer for beverages that separate and must be stirred or shaken (the carrageenan makes stirring or shaking no longer necessary). It can also be found in deli meats and prepared poultry items.

Carrageenan adds no nutritional value or flavor to foods or beverages but carries very, very serious health risks. What are they?

Animal studies have repeatedly shown that food-grade carrageenan causes gastrointestinal inflammation and higher rates of intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumors.

And for the past four decades, scientists have repeatedly warned that carrageenan is not safe.

It is bad enough that the FDA allows carrageenan in our food supply, but the fact that it is approved for organics is even worse. Read More »