Results tagged “organic” from iVillage - Supermarket Guru
Everyone loves to save money, and since the average American goes grocery shopping a little more than twice a week, there is no better place to start looking for those extra dollars. You already know that you should have a list prepared before you head to the store (those shoppers save an estimated 25% on their shopping bill by eliminating impulse purchases) and bring those coupons (which now have an average face value of almost a dollar), but what you may not know is that WHERE in the store you shop may also make a difference.
Today every retailer seems to be selling groceries, and why not? We buy foodstuffs more often than any other category of goods and therefore so is the likelihood of us visiting a particular store more often. And when we are there...if the merchandising is doing its job, we will buy more items than we planned to and that leads to extra profits for the store. As a result, there is a battle going on between warehouse clubs, supercenters, drug chains and our traditional supermarkets to entice us to their stores and purchase our groceries at their check stand.
Here are a few tips that can turn your next shopping trip into a windfall.
Each week we will post the latest reviews and I hope you will log in to see what's hot...and what's not!
When Kermit first uttered this now famous line, he didn’t even imagine the implications for supermarket shopping. But now, as more of us want to do our fair share to protect the planet and ease the impact of products’ global footprint by choosing wiser, we need a bit of help to really understand what these labels do (and don’t) mean.
USDA Certified Organic – organic foods seem to be everywhere, but did you know there are different designations?
100 percent organic - Organic standards require that the land used to grow organic crops go through a three-year "transition period" to make sure the crops are free of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. All organic agriculture prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge, and growth hormones, and no genetically modified organisms can be contained in anything labeled organic.
Organic— is defined by the USDA as containing 95 percent organic ingredients.
Made with organic— may be used on the front of the product label that contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients. Note: products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients are only allowed to list the organic items in the ingredient panel.
Oregon Tilth – you may have seen in addition to the USDA seal, another one for Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO). This seal is an internationally recognized symbol of organic integrity which some organic producers feel has even stricter standers than the federal rules. OTCO provides a system that combines strict production standards, on-site inspections, and legally binding contracts to protect the producers and buyers of organic products, to ensure that the agreed upon conventions of organic agricultural systems are being practiced not only by the growers or producers, but also by all the people who handle and process organic food, feed and fiber on its journey to the consumer.
You may have noticed that many products are now touting the fact that they are “local”.
Local – while there is no legal definition for what is and isn’t “local”, the general consensus seems to be that these foods are grown or processed within approximately 200 miles of your location – typically, somewhere you can drive to and from in one day.
One of the most overused, and confusing terms that first appeared on foods back in the 1940s is “all natural”
Natural/ All Natural - the phrase "all natural" can mean just about anything; it actually has no nutritional meaning whatsoever and isn't truly regulated by the FDA. Natural in most cases means unprocessed food that has undergone no or minimal processing and contains no additives such as preservatives or artificial coloring.
Labels, labels and more labels:
Cage-Free or Free-Range – is not a health claim — this just means that the chickens are not locked in cages, and are "free" to roam. "Free-range" means the chickens are allowed to roam outdoors. Read the label carefully and look for more detail; sometimes "cage-free" eggs come from hens packed side by side in massive sheds with access to the outdoors.
Grass Fed - The Department of Agriculture has announced standards that would for the first time allow meat to be labeled as grass fed only if it came from animals that ate nothing but grass after being 
weaned. But the trade association representing many raisers of grass-fed livestock, which has long sought regulation of labeling, criticized the standards, because they do not restrict the use of antibiotics and hormones and do not require grass-fed animals to live on pastures year round. The rules, which take effect November 15, 2007 would require animals to eat nothing but grass and stored grasses like hay, and to have access to pasture during the growing season, which is defined as the time from last frost to first frost. In some places that could mean from as late as May to as early as October. The new standards require growers to have their farm and records inspected by the Agriculture Department before they could use a “U.S.D.A. Process Verified” seal. Meat could also be labeled as grass-fed, but without the seal, if the growers submit documents showing their animals were raised according to the standards.
Fair Trade - Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based model of international trade which promotes the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. The movement focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit etc. Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency.
Food allergies are on the rise, with almost ten million people now suffering from some reaction!
As of January 2006, all food products must clearly say on the package if they contain any of the foods that are responsible for most allergies: milk, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, wheat, egg, crustacean shellfish or fish. And with more than 170 foods already identified as allergens, it's critical to read not only the front of the label carefully, but also each of the ingredients. One troubling designation is when you see the words “may contain” which is an unregulated label which is little more than a safety net for what's called unintentional "cross-contamination" of a food product. That is, a chocolate bar may not be made with peanuts, but it may have been contaminated with a trace amount of peanut because it was produced on the same manufacturing line as a peanut candy bar.
Gluten Free - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending that voluntary standards be established for the first time that would govern how gluten-free products are sold and labeled. The first draft of the FDA proposal suggests that "companies may label foods ‘gluten-free’ if they don't contain wheat, barley, rye or their hybrids, or if they contain fewer than 20 parts per million gluten." Currently, some companies use the label to describe products that are naturally gluten-free, such as fruits or meat — which fuels the deepening nutrition confusion taking place in our grocer’s aisles. Under the FDA's proposal, that would be misbranding. There is also confusion about cross-contamination, the gluten contained in oats, and also that modified food starch often contains gluten. A food with a "gluten-free" label may not be gluten free at all. Such products may contain trace amounts of the wheat protein — enough to trigger a reaction in some people.
Dairy Free - "Free" labels, such as "peanut free" and "gluten free," aren't regulated by the FDA. "Dairy free" can be particularly tricky. On the front, a product may say "dairy free," but on the back, casein/milk may be listed under ingredients. Examples of food advertised as "dairy free" that may contain milk: coffee whiteners, whipped toppings, imitation cheeses and some soft-serve ice creams.
And one of our favorite supermarket secrets is in the produce department!
The "PLU" label is that annoying little numbered sticker that is now on every piece of produce you buy. That’s called a “produce look up” (PLU) number that is designed to help the cashier properly identify the item. But it also has a secret code: Organic adds a '9' in front of the four digit PLU code. Example: an organically grown standard yellow banana would be '94011' and genetically engineered foods add an '8' in front of the four digit PLU code. Example: a genetically engineered standard yellow banana would be '84011'.
Capitalizing on the recent concerns about food products from China, a whole food nutritional supplement and emergency disaster kit company is adding "China-Free" labels to all its products and noting it in all its promotional literature.
Food for Health International is the first company to actively promote its "China-Free" ingredients and products. It has always used organic and natural ingredients in their vitamin and health shake products but President Frank Davis wants the world to know that none of these ingredients come from China. He is so adamant about this, he's ordered a "China Free" sticker for all its pet and human supplements and whole food shakes.
The company has taken this stance as a direct result of the recent headlines which have listed more than 100 brands of pet products and fruits and vegetables which have dangerous ingredients in them, including unhealthful chemicals which have caused illness and some deaths. Chinese-made tires were made by eliminating essential gum strips for tread integrity and toothpastes included chemicals more common to antifreeze than the harmless glycerin. Although the Chinese government has shut down thousands of food processors, the problem continues by its own admission.
Food for Health International, based in Orem, Utah, makes all its supplements and shakes from organically grown fruits and vegetables processed and packaged in an all-vegetarian formula without chemical additives. No herbicides, pesticides, or harmful chemicals are used in the production of any ingredients, the company literature states, and all its products are made in the U.S.A.
The company also makes emergency and disaster products that include emergency food supplies, survival kits for two people with food and water filtration system which can last for up to six days, and survivor cooking kits for hot meal preparation. The company's kits provide pollution and chemical free water that is particularly welcome during disaster relief in areas stricken with fires or floods.
The company's nutritional products for children, adults, and pets and whole food shakes are shown on their website, www.foodforhealthint.com. The company also offers a nutritional product for pre-stage and active stage diabetes.
If you do – now’s the time that we need your voice as the Farm Bill is about to be renewed.
Maybe it's because of the almost daily headlines about food recalls, food safety issues or the latest food and health report that more of us are waking up and starting to care about how our food is grown, delivered and sold in our supermarkets. Or maybe it's being led by those 76 million baby boomers, who as they start to turn 65 in 2010 have decided it's time to start worrying a bit more about our world’s sustainability. But it really doesn’t make much difference as to “why”!
The Farm Bill, one of the most complicated (and some might argue outdated) pieces of legislature, has a huge effect on all of us – it's all about health, hunger, rural communities, the environment, food safety, labor practices, childhood obesity and immigration.
As we feverishly debate “local vs. organic” over a cup of fair trade coffee at our local Starbucks it's time for a reality check and time to take an active role to help our small farmers, clean up our air and water and use this legislation to spur a new generation’s eating habits and get our diabetes, cancers, heart disease and obesity under control.
Log on to Farm Bill 2007 Official Comments to learn about the proposal and budgets. Although the time for public comments is closed, if you want to urge your Congressional representatives to support farm and food polices toward an equitable and sustainable food system, go to healthyfarmbill.org.
Just imagine spending three days walking up and down the aisles in McCormick Place in Chicago where four of the major food trade association’s members convened to offer samples of their newest products, with the hope that retailers from all over the globe would make room on their shelves.
Topline? Gained 6 pounds and tasted a few noteworthy offerings—but for the most part kinda boring.
This is upsetting!
Last year, according to Nielsen, there were 49,118 new food and beverage items introduced, but only 2,561 (less that 3%) actually achieved more than $1 million in sales.
What were the standouts?
Just about everything organic, as mainstream companies led by food giant Kraft, introduced new organic versions of some favorite brands including Yuban coffee, Planters Cashews, Balance Bars, and even Kraft Salad Dressings. Other less known brands like El Bravo introduced three varieties of organic tamales (my favorite was the chicken mole) which frankly were among the best packaged Mexican food I’ve ever tasted.
Birdseye’s Steamfresh and Green Giant’s Freshtables will be without a doubt on my top ten foods of the year list. We’ve been trying to get Americans to eat more veggies – and the new microwave steam packaging will finally make that happen.
And to make you smile—Sipahh is a straw that’s packed with “unibeads” or flavorings that may well prove to be a formidable competitor to Nesquik and Hershey’s (although I must admit I was a Bosco kid myself).
And for more new foods along with my ratings…check back every Wednesday.
