Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I've written several posts about the toxic chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) leacheing from plastic baby bottles, but a new investigation by Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveals that BPA is also used to line nearly all infant formula cans. BPA levels found in liquid formula are likely to be far higher than those that leach from bottles under normal use.

EWG contacted company officials at Nestlé, Ross-Abbot (Similac), MeadJohnson (Enfamil), Hain-Celestial (Earth's Best), and PBM (sold under various names at Walmart, Kroger, Target and other stores). Each company's policy was documented a minimum of three times; twice through detailed phone interviews, and once by an e-mail questionnaire. The results reveal that all manufacturers use BPA to line the metal portions of all infant formula containers, including powdered varieties.

"There is mounting scientific evidence that BPA is toxic, especially to children," said Aaron Freeman, Policy Director with Environmental Defence. "Governments should be acting quickly, starting with a ban on BPA in food and beverage containers."

Previous formula testing by EWG and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has shown that BPA leaches from the plastic lining of metal cans into liquid formula, exposing formula-fed babies to potentially harmful concentrations that are higher than levels leaching from the bottles. BPA levels in powdered formula sold in the United States haven't been tested, but this formula is diluted with water before being fed to babies, and thus poses less risk to babies.
In light of these findings, EWG has created an online guide for parents to help them make the most informed decisions about how they feed their babies.http://www.ewg.org/babysafe

McDonalds advertising on report cards!

Last week, elementary school students in Seminole County, Florida received their report cards in envelopes adorned with Ronald McDonald promising a free Happy Meal to students in kindergarten through fifth grade with good grades, behavior, or attendance.

Targeting children directly with the message that doing well in school should be rewarded by a Happy Meal undermines parents’ efforts to encourage healthy eating. If parents want to reward their kids for getting good grades, they should be able to decide what is appropriate. They don't need any help from a corporation whose real concern is its bottom line.

Visit http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/t/4886/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21959 and tell McDonald's to stop advertising on report cards.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

vegan holiday baking

There are two great new books out of scrumptious vegan desserts.

"The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has tons of great recipes for everything from cookies to cakes to pies and more. The Strawberry Cupcakes were amazing!. Check out my full review at http://www.vegfamily.com/book-reviews/joy-of-vegan-baking.htm

Another great book just off the press is:

"My Sweet Vegan" by Hannah Kaminsky

Not only are the recipes amazing but each dessert has a full color photograph. This is a beautiful book and would make a wonderful holiday gift (but be sure to get one for yourself as well!)

Saturday, December 01, 2007

More on GE sugar

A new article in the New York Times (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_8656.cfm ) calls attention to the pending controversy of unlabeled, under-tested, genetically engineered sugar being laced into breakfast cereals, chocolates, and a wide variety of non-organic processed foods and beverages next year. In September, OCA posted an alert to pressure major buyers of sugar beets to boycott Monsanto's latest herbicide-resistant crop. The American Crystal company, the #1 white sugar provider in the U.S., along with Kellogg, have publicly announced they will welcome the biotech sweetener in early 2008.

American Crystal's CEO responded to the deluge of consumer emails asking him to not to go GE by turning off his email. If American Crystal won't listen, perhaps some of its major customers will. Send a letter to Hershey's, Mars, and Kellogg demanding they keep their sugar additives GE-free. Here's a link with more info and email address for those companies: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12700

And of course keep in mind that your only real protection against GE sugar or any Genetically Modified Organism is to buy organic.

Safe todder sippy cups

I've posted a lot of info about the dangers of drinking from plastic - here's a great link to reviews of BPA-free sippy cups for your toddler:

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/sippy-cup-showdown-safer-bpa-free-sippy.html