The Fair Trade initiative is a market-based approach that empowers small growers and craftspeople by organizing them into co-operatives.  Fair Trade’s strategic intent is to work with marginalized producers and workers to achieve economic self-sufficiency and environmental standards.

According to Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO), as of 2007 almost 8 million producers and their families have benefited from Fair Trade projects.¹ The global market for Fair Trade goods experienced significant growth in 2008 and in the face of a global recession, realized sales of about $4.08 billion worldwide, a 22% annual increase.²  An impressive feat that can be attributed to the outstanding partnerships that have evolved between Fair Trade companies such as Alter Eco and the producer communities nurtured by international Fair Trade organizations. …read more of Purple Jasmine Rice Pudding: Fair Trade and Gluten-Free. Sweet! here

A new government study revealed widespread mercury contamination of fish tested in streams across the U.S.¹ In the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey tested more than 1,000 fish from nearly 300 streams across the nation from 1998 to 2005.

Every fish tested showed traces of mercury and a quarter of the fish tested had higher amounts of mercury than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems safe to eat. Fetuses, infants, and young children are at greatest risk for harm from mercury, which can damage developing brains and nervous systems.

“This study shows just how widespread mercury pollution has become in our air, watersheds and many of our fish in freshwater streams,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement. “This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation’s waterways and protect the public from potential health dangers.” …read more of New Studies Find Mercury Levels Increasing in U.S. here

According to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published July 2009 in the journal Gastroenterology¹, Celiac disease (CD) is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago. The study also found that subjects who did not know they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.

When people with celiac disease eat gluten, a response is triggered by the body’s immune system that damages the lining of the small intestine. Over time, this interferes with the absorption of nutrients and can lead to a wide range of serious problems.

Because of this, people with celiac disease must avoid eating any food that contains gluten. Even small amounts of gluten can affect those with CD and damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present. …read more of Mayo Clinic Study: Celiac disease 4 times more common than 1950s here

Image: Global Trade

Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils are found in commercial cakes, cookies and snack foods. These tropical oils are solid at room temperature and contain a great deal of saturated fat: coconut oil, 92 percent, palm kernel oil, 82 percent and palm oil, 50 percent.

The American Heart Association recommends substantially reducing intake of saturated fat because it tends to raise cholesterol levels.¹ High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD)² and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that more than 34 million adults in the U.S. have high cholesterol (over 240 mg/dL). Palm oil has long been known to promote heart disease, however there are other reasons to avoid products made with palm oil.

In Cruel Oil: How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rainforest, & Wildlife,³ the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) reports that production of palm oil also promotes the destruction of rainforests. More than 80 percent of the world’s palm oil comes from Malaysia and Indonesia, largely grown on land that was once rainforest. When forests are cleared the habitat for endangered species is destroyed, threatening orangutans and other wildlife. …read more of Palm Oil Harmful? here

Soyfoods are hot – or not – depending on whom you believe. Soy, superstar of healthy alternatives, has been under attack. The Internet is a great resource for news and information about health and science and 87 percent of online users have researched a scientific topic at one time or another.¹ The Internet is also where sensationalistic claims based on half-truths and junk science, are legion.

There’s no denying that the mighty soybean is a nutrition powerhouse, containing high quality protein, complex carbohydrates and a virtual pharmacopeia of phytochemicals credited with the prevention of coronary heart disease, hypertension and many forms of cancer.²

Soyfoods’ appeal was once limited to the counter-culture. In recent years, interest in the health benefits of soy intensified in the research community and the popularity of soyfoods skyrocketed. …read more of The Skinny on Soy here