Organic Food is Overhyped

Petaluma Egg Farm is a top producer for Organic Valley label

(NEWSER) - Organic eggs: The phrase brings to mind chickens roaming in a pasture, foraging for food, and scratching the ground. But at California's Petaluma Egg Farm, which provides eggs under the Organic Valley label, hens are confined to screened porches with a roof and a floor. Technically, the eggs meet the organic standards' requirement of allowing hens outdoor access, but a watchdog group says the farm is misleading consumers. More»

(NEWSER) - Organic food has no health benefits compared to ordinary food, according to a report commissioned by the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Reseachers looked at 55 studies on the subject from the past 50 years, and concluded that the differences, where they existed, weren’t particularly significant from a public-health standpoint. But sustainable-food advocates say the research is faulty, the BBC reports. More»

USDA's label increasingly meaningless as agri-business pushes in

(NEWSER) - Demand for organic food has boomed into a $23 billion-a-year industry, but consumers who often pay twice as much for food with the coveted label aren't always getting what they expect. The criteria for obtaining a "USDA Organic" certification have been relaxed in recent years, with ostensibly organic products from cheese to beer containing synthetic elements, non-organic ingredients, and even pesticides, reports the Washington Post. More»

Economy slams cow tenders

(NEWSER) - Dairy farmers are struggling to survive in the face of huge drops in the price they get for milk, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Though grocery store prices have stayed relatively constant, farmers are now getting just $10 for each hundred pounds of milk they sell, down from $20 in June. It costs the farmers $19.20 to produce that amount. More»

Volatile prices, uncertain demand push some farmers into the red

(NEWSER) - Volatile commodity prices and uncertainty about future demand are nurturing growing concern among American farmers as revenues sink—even as demand sprouts in emerging energy markets, the Wall Street Journal reports. Costs of doing business—namely seed, machinery, and fertilizer—are riding high alongside transportation costs, and commodity prices are fluctuating faster than farmers can figure out what, and how much, to grow. More»