The USDA is Set to Approve a GM-Corn Resistant to 2,4-D, a Primary Ingredient in Agent Orange

Written by Max Goldberg on January 9, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Does our government have any interest in putting the health of its citizens ahead of corporate profits of the chemical industry?

Based on recent news, it doesn’t appear that this is the case.

The USDA is poised to approve Dow Chemical’s genetically-modified corn that is resistant to 2,4-D, a primary ingredient in Agent Orange.

In case you’re not familiar with Agent Orange, it was the code name for one of the chemicals used in Vietnam as part of a broad herbicidal warfare program.

Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children were born with birth defects as a result of this lethal strategy.

But it wasn’t just the Vietnamese who suffered greatly. U.S. soldiers came back from the war and realized that exposure to Agent Orange had greatly impacted them as well. Read More »

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My Response to the NYT’s “Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing Its Ideals”

Written by Max Goldberg on January 2, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

On Friday in the New York Times, there was an interesting article titled “Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing its Ideals“.

Given the number of emails I received about it, I wanted to address this piece and talk about what I see going forward.

The article points to the the ideal nature of organic – small farms, local farms, an environmental steward of the land, etc. – which has been lost in many parts of the organic industry.

While these are aspects of the organic food industry that everyone would like to hold onto, we live in a capitalist society and market forces have changed the dynamic of the industry, for better and for worse.

FOR BETTER

More people are eating organic food and as a result, they are becoming healthier and fewer pesticides are poisoning workers, the land, and our water supply. Read More »

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Consumer Reports Vindicates Dr. Oz, Says Conventional Apple Juice Contains Very High Levels of Arsensic – Make Sure You Buy Organic

Written by Max Goldberg on December 1, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

A few months ago I reported on a study that Dr. Oz did where he found excessive levels of arsenic in non-organic apple juice.

Needless to say, it got a lot of national media attention, and much of it was not positive.

In fact, ABC News’ Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser, a former classmate of Dr. Oz, called his report “fearmongering”.

This is nothing but standard operating procedure for organizations that make money from Big Ag and major consumer packaged goods companies (ABC sells A LOT of advertising to them).

Well, Consumer Reports just came out with their own report about arsenic in apple juice (PDF) and what did they find? Read More »

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Top 5 Non-Food Organic Products of Expo East 2011

Written by Max Goldberg on September 29, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

For the most part, I only cover organic food products here on livingmaxwell, yet I fully understand that living well incorporates a lot more than just food.

While organic food is the primary motivation for me attending the Natural Products Expo East and Natural Products Expo West Trade Shows, I also come across many non-food products that organic consumers ought to know about.

These five really captured my attention at last week’s Expo East in Baltimore. Read More »

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Flow – A Documentary That Highlights The Very Serious Water Issues We Face in the World

Written by Max Goldberg on August 30, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

If you read my blog frequently, you know that I am a water fanatic. But there is a good reason for this.

I know that eating organic food, food grown without pesticides and GMOs, is imperative to good health.

But I also know that drinking very high quality water and using a filter in the shower/bath are just as, if not more, important than eating organic food.

Since our bodies are approximately 70% water, it is essential that people put great effort into making sure that the water they drink and are exposed to is as clean as possible.

In the U.S., our tap water is filled with chemicals, gases, rust, fluoride, chlorine, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants. (Read this fantastic exposé in The New York Times about our unhealthy drinking water.) Read More »

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