Stories about the toxicity of our food supply just keep rolling in.

As I wrote about recently, numerous samples of conventional apple juice were found to have unsafe and illegal levels of arsenic. And now orange juice is having its own set of problems.

Coca-Cola, which makes Minute Maid and Simply Orange, reported to the FDA on December 28th that some Brazilian growers of oranges that are used in the company’s juices and those of its competitors had sprayed their trees with carbendazim, a toxic fungicide.

As a result, the FDA has temporarily halted (PDF) all shipments of imported orange juice while it conducts field tests. Products already on supermarket shelves that have “low levels” of carbendazim (80 parts per billion) may still be sold. Read more »

A while ago I did a story on gold nugget mandarins and when I saw this unknown fruit above, I couldn’t help but think of them because of the similarity of the rind.

And just as I had never seen gold nugget mandarins before, the same was true with these organic kaffir limes.

When I started asking the woman at my local organic market about kaffir limes, she quickly asked “Do you want to try one?”

With a bit of reluctance, I said “Ok, I guess.” After all, eating limes isn’t something that I normally do. Read more »

When I was in my local organic market the other day, a handful of unconventionally-looking oranges were sitting in a back shelf.

I had never seen anything that look like these and then asked the guy working there a question.

“Do you these come like this?” Read more »

At the recent 2010 Natural Products Expo East Trade Show in Boston, I spoke with Larry Plesent, the founder of Vermont Soap Organics.

Vermont Soap Organics makes my absolute favorite fruit and vegetable wash. Yes, washing with water is just not enough. It is important to use a produce wash but not just any one.

In this video, Larry explains the benefits of using a produce wash and discusses the main ingredients in his product.

Please be aware that not all produce washes are created equally. Many contain an ingredient called grapefruit seed extract. There is a good deal of controversy around grapefruit seed extract and it is something that I try to avoid.

If you want to order this fanastic produce wash, click HERE.

Last week, I went to the Natural Products Expo East Trade Show in Boston. I just absolutely love these shows. Not only do I get to meet some fantastic people but I have the opportunity to see the newest products on the market.

These are the best organic food products that I came across.

SIPP – GINGER BLOSSOM SODA

I can only describe Sipp’s ginger blossom soda in one word – WOW.

When I first took a sip, I experienced the ginger. Then literally within one second, the ginger vanished and vanilla poured in. It was like Houdini played a trick on me.

The aftertaste was where things calmed down and I could reflect on what was in my mouth. If I could compare it to anything, I’d say this drink tastes like a cream soda. The few ingredients include ginger, lime, vanilla and agave nectar.

I am not a huge organic soda drinker but this beverage was simply outstanding. It was very, very hard to put down. Read more »

I just love reading announcements like this. Researchers at Washington State University just released the results of their study of strawberries and concluded that organic is superior to conventional in several different categories.

Not that this is any great surprise to me but having empirical evidence is always beneficial.

The study, which was published in PLoS One, came to the following conclusions about organic strawberries:

– Longer shelf life and greater dry matter.

– Higher antioxidant activity and concentrations of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds.

– Sweeter taste, better flavor and appearance. Read more »

Even though my website has been up for only a very short period of time, several people have left comments on the blog that they like to look their local farmer in the eye before they purchase their food.

Why is this?  Well, they want some reassurance that the food they are buying is truly organic and free of pesticides.

In essence, they want to know where their food is coming from.

Dole Organic has recognized this desire of many consumers and has actually done something about it.

At the top of the label, you will see a farm number.  If you go to doleorganic.com and search for the corresponding number, in this case #633, you will be able to get information about and pictures of the farm where the bananas were produced, including PDFs of the organic certification papers.  The content and pictures may vary slightly from farm to farm.

According to Frans Wielemaker, Director of Sourcing and Development of the Organic and Exotics Program at Dole, “this program was started two years ago.  It was initially something that our organic certifier wanted us to have but once all the hard work and logistics were implemented, we decided to use the system as a way to connect with the consumer.” Read more »