Progressive Wednesday

One Fish, Twelve Fish, Good Fish, Bad Fish.

Food & Water Watch, a socially and economically progressive non-profit organization, just recently came out with their 2010 National Smart Seafood Guide. It’s an eye-opener.

First, here’s a little more about Food & Water Watch and why this guide is legit and significant. Food & Water Watch’s goal is to ensure that our food, water, and fish are “safe, accessible and sustainable.” Common sense policies designed for the public good, not for private gain, are at the heart of what drives this organization. It is interested not only in safety, but also in the economic viability of family farmers. To read more about them, click this sentence.

This year’s National Smart Seafood Guide will probably change the way you eat (in good ways, both for you and for small fisheries). To create the guide, Food & Water Watch “analyzed over 100 different fish and shellfish to create the only guide assessing not only the human health and environmental impacts of eating certain seafood, but also the socio-economic impacts on coastal and fishing communities.”

You can peruse the guide by fishing region or by general categories of fish.

But there’s an alarming section of the guide as well. Food & Water Watch calls this list “The Dirty Dozen,” and it includes seafood to be avoided completely because each of them fails multiple criteria used by the organization to evaluate fish.

Editor’s Note: This list is in alphabetical order. This is not a ranking.

• American eel (a.k.a. yellow or silver eel). Why? They are jacked to the max with concentrations of mercury and PCBs.
• Atlantic bluefin tuna. Why? They are chocked full of mercury and PCBs. They are overfished and are reaching levels that would categorize them as facing extinction. They are listed as “critically endangered.”
• Atlantic cod. Why? This is an incredibly overfished fish, and it appears on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. As if that wasn’t disconcerting enough, they are fished using bottom trawls, which can destroy seafloors for other animals.
• Atlantic flatfish (a.k.a. flounder, sole, halibut). Why? They are overfished beyond belief, and their fishing results in a high level of bycatch, despite efforts to reduce it.
• Atlantic and farmed salmon. Why? The farmed variety can have high levels of PCBs, pesticides, and antibiotics. The method of raising farmed salmon creates an environment where diseases can flow from the farm into the wild. Editor’s Note: Farmed salmon is usually labeled “Atlantic salmon.” Fishing wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. is banned because the fish is facing extinction.
• Caviar. Why? Sturgeon, the fish responsible for the “highest quality” of caviar (I put that in quotes because I think it’s all pretty foul) are overfished because of their slow maturation and impressive lifespan (most will outlive you and me, that is, if we don’t make them extinct).
• Chilean sea bass. Why? Mercury, for one. Illegal fishing, for two. Fishing that has killed several species of endangered birds, for three.
• Imported catfish. Why? Because of how poorly regulated Southeast Asian fish is (both in terms of chemicals and antibiotics), and because the FDA only inspects less than two percent of imported fish.
• Imported King Crab. Why? This one is seriously messed up. Okay, so, even though many of these crabs live in U.S. waters, the U.S. imports a great deal of crab. Why? Get this…. Exporters will sell crab caught in the U.S. to other countries where it can fetch more money, and then we import cheaper crab. Much of this imported crab is caught illegally. (I wrote it before I’ll write it again: less than two percent of imported fish is inspected by the FDA.)
• Imported shrimp. Why? 90 percent of shrimp eaten in the U.S. (I should note that it is the most eaten seafood in the U.S.) is imported (there’s that pesky two percent inspected, again), and those countries exporting to us have poorly regulated working and production conditions.
• Orange roughy. Why? First, they can contain high levels of mercury. Second, they are overfished.
• Shark. Why? I feel like a broken record (or MP3): mercury levels in shark can pose a serious health risk.

Am I saying you shouldn’t eat fish? No. Is Food & Water Watch saying you shouldn’t eat fish? No. In fact, their guidebook will help you pick healthy, safe, and sustainable seafood.

The little “Plumpy’nut” that could.

I subscribe to more magazines than my eyes, noggin, and free time can handle, but subscribe to them I do. Often, this leads to a lot of skimming, looking for articles about topics I’m hungry to learn more about, looking for articles that might be pertinent to Progressive Wednesday.

A piece in an issue of Business 2.0 couldn’t be ignored. According to an article by Carleen Hawn, close to a billion people in the world live hungry. And then I read this:

Malnutrition kills more people annually than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, [and] the United Nations says a child dies from the complications of malnutrition every five seconds.

The average person reads 250-350 words per minute, which means that by the time you read the end of this post, approximately 30 children will have died from a lack of food.

All hope ain’t lost, though. There are many fantastic organizations out there battling this exact problem: World Food Programme, Unicef, America’s Second Harvest, Meds & Food For Kids, and Oxfam, amongst several others (all of which would graciously accept your donations).

But, once again, there’s a way to make money and make the lives of those suffering better. Nutriset, a French business that describes itself as a “company fully dedicated to humanitarian and social programs,” has developed a new product called “Plumpy’nut” (I gotta say, I would have come up with a less, I don’t know, goofy name). They doled out 500,000 of these über-nutritious bars last year. Each bar contains 500 calories, ground peanuts, whey protein, vitamins, and minerals. One of the most important features of this product is that it isn’t perishable.

Plumpy’nut succeeds where powdered milk fails because it doesn’t require clean drinking water. In Darfur alone, this product has cut malnutrition in half. And according a piece in the N.Y. Times, Plumpy’nut can even be fed to babies to help jump-start growth.

Here’s the amazing part for the company: they sold $25 million last year alone by saving people’s lives. And what do they do with that money? They reinvest 80 percent of their profits into research and development.

So here’s a business with a heart the size of a home, making money while helping to end malnutrition. I believe this drives home the point (without making a quick pit stop at 7-Eleven for a Big Gulp) we’re always trying to make at Progressive Wednesday: Baby, the end of big problems starts with small solutions.

Do you dig wine? Well, here’s today’s good news.

Science suggests that moderate consumption of wine may help out your heart. And according to the National Cancer Institute, “research on the antioxidants found in red wine has shown that they may help inhibit the development of certain cancers.” And yes, you scatologists out there, wine can help put the kibosh on diarrhea. But here’s the new news:

Research now shows [wine is] also good for your teeth and throat. According to a new study, a cocktail of compounds found in both red and white wine fights germs that can cause dental plaque as well as sore throats.

Red wines have stronger bacteria-fighting effects than white wine, although not by much. Curiously, the acidity and alcohol isn't responsible for wine's germ-fighting properties– ”instead, it's a collection of organic (carbon-containing) compounds found in the drink.

The study does not, and I repeat does not, recommend adding wine to your pre- and post-snooze dental hygiene routines. Why? Well, the acids in wine can eat away at your enamel. The remedy? Just hold off brushing for 20 minutes after you sip a fine Chianti.

And if you’re looking for wine that might be both better for your body and the planet, you might check out some of the booze-infused grape juices (a.k.a. wines) made organically by the following producers:

• Frey Vineyards
  
• Bonterra Vineyards
• China Bend Winery
• The Organic Wine Company

And to learn more about organic wine, click here, here, here, or here.

Photo clicked by this potential sommelier.

A “grrrrreat!” move by Kellogg’s for kids.

Here’s a problem, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic:

The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. In total, about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight.

So what’s the big deal? Well, one of them is, of course, diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health:

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in school-aged children. About 75 percent of all newly diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes occur in individuals younger than 18 years of age. Most children and adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

But today’s good news goes like this:

Kellogg Co., the world’s largest cereal maker, has agreed to raise the nutritional value of cereals and snacks it markets to children. The company said it won’t promote foods in TV, radio, print or Web site ads that reach audiences at least half of whom are under age 12 unless a single serving of the product meets these standards:

• No more than 200 calories.
• No trans fat and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat.
• No more than 230 milligrams of sodium, except for Eggo frozen waffles.
• No more than 12 grams of sugar, not counting sugar from fruit, dairy and vegetables.

Kellogg said it would reformulate products to meet these criteria or stop marketing them to children under 12 by the end of 2008. A third of the cereals it markets to children in the U.S. fall outside standards.

At Progressive Wednesday, we often fall on the side of libertarianism (particularly socially), but there’s always a caveat: the protection of children. If adults (and adults includes companies) are harming children, the culture as a whole has an obligation to protect the liberty and welfare of these children. This protection also includes, to a degree, protecting children from their parents and guardians. Now, we don’t believe the cops should show up at someone’s door if parents serve their kids caramel apples and Twinkies for dinner.

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Continue reading ‘A “grrrrreat!” move by Kellogg’s for kids.’

Organics for the poor (w/seven-second action).

Right now, organic food seems, at times, like a pricey luxury. Thankfully, more and more the price of this produce is coming down (thanks to increased demand, and therefore, production), and processed organic food is often similarly priced, and at times, cheaper than their genetically-modified and potentially pesticide-coated counterparts (I find this particularly true with foodstuffs like cereals, mac and cheese, and salsa).

But a new United Nations study plainly states that a shift to organic farming could, besides helping that not-so-little thing called the “environment,” also help curb world hunger. The previously held knock on such an idea was that organic farming can reduce crop yields significantly, but over time this levels off.

And according to the Associated Press:

Researchers in Denmark found… that food security for sub-Saharan Africa would not be seriously harmed if 50 percent of agricultural land in the food exporting regions of Europe and North America were converted to organic by 2020.

While total food production would fall, the amount per crop would be much smaller than previously assumed, and the resulting rise in world food prices could be mitigated by improvements in the land and other benefits, the study found.

But here’s the real perk: if farmers in sub-Saharan Africa made the switch, “it could reduce their need to import foods.” And here’s another plus: these farmers would save precious money by not needing to purchase chemicals, and earn money by exporting any extras.

Another study conducted by the University of Michigan found that:

A global shift to organic agriculture would yield at least 2,641 kilocalories per person per day, just under the world’s current production of 2,786, and as many as 4,381 kilocalories per person per day.

So why are these new findings so significant? Well, here are the facts, Jack:

• 850 million people are chronically undernourished. That’s nearly three times the population of the United States.
• Since 1996, the number of undernourished people in the developing world has gone up by 20 million. But here’s the more upsetting fact: the number of undernourished people is continuing to rise by four million per year.
• 30% of the world’s population suffers from malnutrition.
• Nearly 24,000 people die each day as a direct result of hunger. And here’s a chilling statistic: 18,000 of those daily deaths are of children under the age of five.

So while you might not be able to start an organic farm in Africa, there is something incredibly simple you can do. Just click this sentence to be taken to The Hunger Site. Then click the button on that page labeled “HELP FEED THE HUNGRY.” There — you’ve just helped feed someone.

If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of this, you needn’t: just click here or here or here. The second link includes a citation from The New York Times.

If you just give a few clicks, you can help feed the hungry, and we know you can easily spend 7 seconds every day doing this. So give a little with your mouse button, baby, give a little.

Produce photo by this food lover.

Clean out your cupboards and stamp out hunger

According to HelpStampOutHunger.com, 96 trillion pounds of food is thrown away each year in this country by the food service industry alone. That's roughly the weight of 240,000 blue whales, the largest animal on the planet (that's 20 times the number of blue whales that exist today). Yet nearly 10% of Americans live with the threat of hunger each day.

The National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service will be hosting their fifteenth annual NALC National Food Drive to help reverse this problem. Here it is from the NALC website:

The nation's largest food drive to combat hunger will be conducted this year on Saturday, May 12 in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions. On that day, letter carriers will collect non-perishable donations as they deliver mail along their postal routes.

This one's as easy as it gets. Tonight or tomorrow morning (May 12) go through those cupboards and reach all the way to the back. Take out those canned beans or tomatoes or that box of pasta that never seems to get eaten. Then grab a bag and fill it up. Before the mail comes on Saturday put that bag of non-perishables by the mailbox and your mailman will do the rest.

The best part is that the food is delivered to a local bank, so you're helping families right there in your own community. Let's help bring the total food collected to over 70 million pounds for the fourth straight year. And bravo to our hometown of Buffalo for leading the pack in each of those years.

Oh, I don't want to be a beggar and a chooser, but please, no expired food or glass. Thanks.

Corn, from Ascorbates to Zein: Learn

With most issues, progressive or otherwise, people usually realize that a problem exists or at least that improvements can be made. We squabble over whether or not it's worth fixing, how to go about doing that, how important the issue is, what side effects our actions might have, etc. But at least we know that there is a problem. Not so with corn. Here are some of the impacts the over subsidizing and overproduction of corn has on our society, in bullet form for your convenience:

• Corn is the most subsidized crop in our country. From 1995-2005, over 51 billion dollars were given to farmers in the US of A, more than twice that of the next closest crop.
• Cows are ruminants whose stomachs are designed to eat grass, not corn. They are given antibiotics to stave off infection until they go off to slaughter. This promotes antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can be transmitted to humans that eat corn-fed beef.
• Corn strips the soil of more nutrients than any other mainstream crop and therefore requires much more fertilizer and pesticides, and consequently, more gas and oil to produce.
• Hormones and antibiotics given to cows to make them grow faster and bigger end up in our meat, soil, and water.
• Corn acidifies a cow's stomach, providing a haven for bacteria like E. Coli. Most of these animals are raised in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) where these diseases are easily spread.
• Compared to 1970, farms (which grow corn) today produce 500 more calories per person each day. We pack away an average of 200 of those calories.
• By many formulas, ethanol made from corn burns nearly as much fossil fuel, if not more to produce the crop as it would to just burn it in our car. Ethanol made from other plants such as sugar beets is much more efficient. Making ethanol is good; making it good is better.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is the most common sweetener in the country. It is cheaper and easier to make than sugar from beets or sugar cane. But (there's always a “but– ), it doesn't stimulate the pancreas to make insulin or leptin to let us know when we are satisfied. The result? We crave more, eat more, get fatter, and get sicker. We are literally subsidizing obesity.
• Many scientists are now attributing the latest honeybee die-off to chemical pesticides used in fields of sweet corn.
• Corn is Iowa’s number one crop. Iowa has the earliest Presidential Primary. Need I say more?