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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The Best Night Ever at Organic Avenue with David Wolfe

Written by Max Goldberg on June 17, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

David Wolfe, the most well-known person in the raw food world, is famous for saying “have the best day ever.”

Well, I can tell you that it was indeed the best lecture and after-party ever at Organic Avenue on Wednesday night. Read More »

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