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Stonyfield Farm (www.stonyfield.com), the world's leading organic yogurt company, introduces the first yogurt cup made from plants, giving consumers a cup they can feel as good about as the organic yogurt inside.

Did you know that October is the first official Non-GMO Month? This month, retail stores nationwide will celebrate the consumer's right to be informed of foods and products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

What exactly are GMOs again?

GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, are products of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE), which creates new combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes by combining DNA from one species with DNA from another. The result: new organisms that do not occur in nature.

Could the Southwest Side be quietly hosting the healthiest school in the Midwest?

If you judge by a prestigious federal award program, it very well might.

Tuesday morning the Academy of Global Citizenship, nestled in the shadow of Midway Airport, received the U.S. Department of Agriculture's highest honor in its HealthierUS Schools Challenge — the first ever awarded in the Midwest.

To read the full article, click here.

The state of Ohio attempted to go even further, prohibiting the claim rbST free. So the Organic Trade Association and International Dairy Foods Association sued the state.

The appeals courts disagreed with a lower court decision that said that there is no significant measurable compositional difference between milk from untreated cows and cows treated with the hormone. Relying on information provided by the winning side, the judge disagreed with the lower court, and noted these differences:

I live in Vermont. I have cows and goats as neighbors. I buy chickens from the farm a mile down my road. I’m the editor of EatingWell Magazine, for pete’s sake, which champions wholesome, local food and healthy eating.

So you would think I’d know what terms like “all natural” mean. Especially when “All Natural” appears on a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which is made exactly 10.3 miles away from my house.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct a free webinar on Oct. 7, featuring information about starting or expanding Farm to School efforts in your community.

“This webinar will serve as a powerful resource by helping participants find the supporting materials they need to assist them in their Farm to School efforts,” said Robert Keeney, Deputy Administrator of the Fruit and Vegetable Programs.

Some people think we’re shaped primarily by genes. Others believe that the environment we grow up in is most important. But now evidence is mounting that a third factor is also critical: our uterine environment before we’re even born.

Researchers are finding indications that obesity, diabetes and mental illness among adults are all related in part to what happened in the womb decades earlier.

To read the full article, click here.

In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto's GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.

According to the study, which was summarized by Rady Ananda at Food Freedom, "Three varieties of Monsanto's GM corn - Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup® herbicide-absorbing NK 603 - were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities."

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 30, 2010)—The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit today ruled in favor of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in a landmark case that would have prevented consumers in Ohio from knowing whether products on grocery store shelves were produced without synthetic growth hormones.

By Barbara Haumann
Fall 2009 issue of The Organic Report (Organic Trade Association)

As the debate continues on U.S. health care reform, health care facilities are taking proactive steps to offer healthier options. One result? More and more hospitals and health-related operations are incorporating organic food as part of their offerings.