The True Costs of 'Cheap' Food

Ellen Gustafson for The Huffington Post:

If I had a dollar for every time someone said that they don't buy fruits and vegetables or "healthy food" because it's too expensive, I could feed a small town all organic food for years! But, of course, it's true -- when you look at the prices of so-called "conventional" junk food compared with local, organic fruits and veggies, on a calorie per dollar basis, the junk often wins. Many people assume that it's the produce or organic foods that "cost more" than highly processed, shelf-stable ubiquitous and cheap junk food, but what if the price tags that we see don't tell the whole story?

Take the very American, $1 hamburger, for example. To produce a fast food burger you need to start with growing corn -- which requires acres of corn fields, seeds, gallons of water, gas for heavy machinery, pounds of fertilizer and sprays of pesticides, and government subsidies. Then you need to fatten cows as quickly as possible, potentially give them antibiotics, deal with their waste, transport them to slaughter, power the slaughter facility, refrigerate the ground meat and then cook it! Not to mention all the costs associated with the processed wheat bun and condiments. Are economies of scale really so efficient that all of those costs amortize over tons of ground beef and fixings to make a really cheap burger, or are there parts of that whole list of "costs" that don't actually show up in the price of our fast food burgers?

There is momentum developing around answers to this question -- that the true costs of cheap food are currently hidden and making high-impact (often junk) food seem cheaper than it should be. Examples of costs not currently factored into our food supply include the environmental outcomes of chemically-intensive and petroleum-intensive agriculture, costs for soil erosion, real water and irrigation costs, pesticide and waste runoff that creates dead zones in our waterways (like the "New Jersey-sized dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico" that stems from nitrogen runoff from our Corn Belt) and then affects the livelihoods of fishermen and shrimp farmers in the Gulf region.

Hidden health costs like our global obesity epidemic and the food-related public health issues of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are certainly not included in the cost of your fast food meal. Not to mention unpaid externalities like low wages for food workers that often mean government subsidies like food assistance, which is what over 50 percent of fast food worker families are getting -- a study showed that fast food workers are getting $7 billion taxpayer dollars, which provides a huge, additional subsidy to fast food companies (on top of the corn and soy subsidies that allow them to buy cheap ingredients with government help.) Just this week, the Environmental Working Group released an analysis that showed correlation between areas where farmers have been enjoying rising farm subsidies and growing poverty, and a Walmart in Ohio is holding a food drive in its store... for its own employees!

The truth is that the "value" and "low prices" of cheap food that we see at the cash register, are not the whole story. We are paying today in our health and our taxes and our children will be paying tomorrow with a degraded environment, dirty water, decimated communities and jobs, and denigrated health.

So, what's the solution? A growing movement of farmers and scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs are gathering around the idea that we need true cost accounting in our food supply to help consumers make choices that include the real costs of the way food is grown and how it affects our health. Farmers and food producers should be rewarded for stewardship of our environment, producing nutrient-dense foods, providing decent jobs and improving their local economies. And food systems that pollute our water, destroy biodiversity, exploit workers, and produce high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that become junk food (or fuel) should be accountable for the true outcomes of their production systems.

On December 6th in London, the UK's Sustainable Food Trust is hosting a public conference on exactly this issue -- True-Cost Accounting in Food and Farming. I'll be there on behalf of Food Tank, which will be continuing to cover stories about the true costs of our consumption around the world. It's time to really put our money where our mouth SHOULD be -- eating foods that are healthy for us, our families, our communities, and the planet.

[via Food For Thought]

Designer Genes: The 7 Most Common Genetically Modified Foods

Genetically modified material sounds a little bit like science fiction territory, but in reality, much of what we eat on a daily basis is a genetically modified organism (GMO). Whether or not these modified foods are actually healthy is still up for debate -- and many times, you don't even know that you are buying something genetically modified.

It is not required to label GMOs in the U.S. and Canada, but there are substantial restrictions, and even outright bans, on GMOs in many other countries.

However, by 2018, Whole Foods Market will start labeling GMOs in the U.S. This grocery chains' locations in Britain already provide GMO labeled products, as required by the European Union. According to the EU, GMO refers to plants and animals"in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination."

1. Corn

Almost 85 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Even Whole Foods's brand of corn flakes was found to contain genetically modified corn. Many producers modify corn and soy so they are resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, which is used to kill weeds.

2. Soy

Soy is the most heavily genetically modified food in the country. The largest U.S. producer of hybrid seeds for agriculture, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, created a genetically engineered soybean, which was approved in 2010. It is modified to have a high level of oleic acid, which is naturally found in olive oil. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid that may lower LDL cholesterol (traditionally thought of as "bad" cholesterol) when used to replace other fats.

3. Yellow Crookneck Squash and Zucchini

Numbers of this GMO veggie are relatively small, but genetically modified yellow squash and zucchini can be found in two different species in the U.S. The species contain protein genes that protect against viruses. Just like their other GMO counterparts, you won't be able to tell the difference between non-GMO and GMO zucchini or squash.

4. Alfalfa

Cultivation of genetically engineered alfalfa was approved in 2011, and consists of a gene that makes it resistant to the herbicide Roundup, allowing farmers to spray the chemical without damaging the alfalfa.

5. Canola

Canola is genetically engineered form was approved in 1996, and as of 2006, around 90 percent of U.S. canola crops are genetically modified.

6. Sugar Beets

A very controversial vegetable, sugar beets were approved in 2005, banned in 2010, then officially deregulated in 2012. Genetically modified sugar beets make up half of the U.S. sugar production, and 95 percent of the country's sugar beet market.

7. Milk

To increase the quantity of milk produced, cows are often given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), which is also banned in the European Union, as well as in Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Looking Forward: Do GMO Apples Give Us A Glimpse Of The Future?

GMO apples are currently under review by the USDA, and have been since 2010, when the company Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc., developed apple varieties that don't turn brown for an entire two weeks after slicing.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is an enzyme that causes the browning of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, and scientists are now able to deactivate the gene. Some studies do show stripping fruits of PPO can impact a plant's susceptibility to diseases. The creators say they simply want people to eat more apples and while activating this gene slows the process of browning, it's still a natural process.

It's clear that other parts of the world view GMOs as health threats, but it's still an ongoing debate here in America. For now, many GMOs have been deemed safe by organizations like the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

[via Food For Thought]

Why Buy a Real Christmas Tree?

Many consumers will be asking themselves that question this holiday season.

In this age of environmental awareness it's appropriate to know a favorite family holiday tradition of choosing a real Christmas tree over an artificial tree is still the environmentally sound choice.

"What could be simpler or more natural?" says Bob Scott, President of the National Christmas Tree Association. "Buying a real Christmas tree is definitely an environmentally sound choice."

"Consumers are showing their preference for real, natural products that are socially conscious. Many young families are attracted to the tradition of celebrating Christmas with a real tree in their home," explained Scott.

Christmas tree farms stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soils that could not support other crops.

A benefit to the atmosphere, real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases, emitting fresh oxygen. This helps prevent the earth-warming "greenhouse effect". One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. With approximately one million acres producing Christmas trees in the United States, that translates into oxygen for 18 million people every day. For every real Christmas tree harvested, three seedlings are planted in its place.

Real Christmas trees are an all-American, recyclable resource. Artificial trees, most of which are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan or Hong Kong, consist of plastics and metals that aren't biodegradable. When disposed of, the artificial trees will never deteriorate. Their effects on our environment are evident and will remain for countless generations.

Give a gift back to the environment!

• Real Christmas trees are an all-American product, grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
• Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and metals.
• For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
• There are about 1 million acres in production for growing Christmas trees. Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
• There are about 15,000 Christmas tree growers in the U.S., and over 100,000 people employed full or part time in the industry.
• There are approximately 5,000 choose and cut farms in the U.S.
• It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (6 feet), but the average growing time in 7 years.
• The top selling Christmas trees are: Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Noble Fir, Scotch Pine, Virginia Pine and White Pine.

It's Environmentally wrong to buy and use plastic trees!

Consider these important facts...

1. Fake trees and wreaths are made from nonrenewable petroleum.
   REAL Christmas trees and wreaths do not harm our environment and our resources... they are produced as an agricultural crop. Each year Christmas tree growers replace cut trees with a new crop of seedlings.
2. When a fake tree catches fire, it puts dangerous toxic fumes into the air.
   A properly cared-for REAL Christmas tree will not catch fire easily. If and when it does, its fumes will certainly not be as toxic. In addition, one acre of REAL Christmas trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produces enough oxygen for 18 people.
3. Fake trees cannot be recycled. When they are disposed of in a sanitary landfill, they will not disintegrate, but will remain there forever, taking up increasingly scarce landfill space.
   Our cities today are faced with a critical shortage of sanitary land fill space. Many of them, and states as well, have passed laws prohibiting disposal of REAL Christmas trees in a landfill. REAL trees are thus being used in various helpful ways when disposed of...such as ground-up mulch to replenish the soil, fish habitat and other useful methods.
   
   But, what about disposal of fake Christmas trees? No legislation has yet been passed to prohibit their disposal in a landfill. A fake Christmas tree has no use whatsoever when disposed of, except to continue taking up space in critically-needed landfill space.
4. Fake trees are manufactured mainly outside of the United States.
   We hear much today about our economy being faced with a loss of jobs. Why do we continue to promote loss of jobs in the Christmas tree industry by buying and using fake Christmas trees and wreaths when very few fake trees and wreaths are made in the United States by American Labor.
   
   Thousands of jobs have already been lost in the Christmas tree industry because continued sale and use of fake trees and wreaths continues to be encouraged.
   
   Over the years, the Christmas tree has come to symbolize the faith and hope of harmony among all mankind. This spirit is REAL and a REAL Christmas tree, when brought inside our homes, projects this feeling through its pleasant scent and natural warm beauty.

Wake Up, America!

Celebrate Christmas with a REAL Christmas tree and wreath, while helping protect our valuable nonrenewable environment.

[via Christmas-Tree.org]

How to Find Great Organic Wine

It was the late 1990s when “organic wine” began appearing on store shelves. Many consumers, including this writer, were thrilled to finally discover organic wine options. But according to Adam Morganstern, wine expert and editor of the Organic Wine Journal, many wines that aren’t labeled organic actually are. “Some of the best organic wines in the world have always been organic; they just don’t put it on their label,” he says. A deeper look into the labeling of organic wine offers the full story.

So what is organic wine anyway? It depends on the country that it comes from, but for the most part organic wine is defined as being made from grapes grown without pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals. In the US, there are two categories for organic wine: wine made from organic grapes, and organic wine that is made from organic grapes and does not contain any added sulfites.

What is Organic Wine?

Most winemakers add very small amounts of sulfites (“We’re talking parts per million,” Morganstern says) to help preserve wine. There is a spirited debate among winemakers whether the addition of sulfites is necessary or not. Wine naturally contains small levels of sulfites, which are a byproduct of yeast fermentation. In the European Union, wine can have added sulfites and still be organic.

If you prefer wine that is made from organic grapes and doesn’t contain added sulfites, your best bet is to buy wine labeled “organic.” Many stores now have organic wine sections with at least five or so varieties of organic wine. Asking your local wine merchant for more organic varieties is also a good way to increase offerings, Morganstern advises.

If you are okay with wine made with grapes that are grown organically and has added sulfites, the world of organic wine options opens up significantly.

“A lot of the best wines in the world may be made with organic grapes, but those manufacturers never felt the need to say anything. They felt they were growing their grapes the best way and want to be known for making great wine; they don’t want to be known for making organic wine,” explains Morganstern. Sometimes it comes down to placement on the shelf. “Many wines labeled organic get placed in the organic wine sections at the back of the shop; a good Bordeaux maker wants his wine in the Bordeaux section, even if it’s organic.”

You also have a growing number of wine manufacturers that have switched to organic farming methods. “I can’t tell you how many winemakers I’ve spoken with who have taken a corner of their vineyard and grown it organically,” Morganstern says. “Then at harvest time they taste a conventional grape and it’s just kind of dull; and then they take a bite of an organic grape and it’s bursting with flavor and they say, ‘Well, there’s no question about what’s going to make better wine.’”

So, how can you spot the wines grown with organic grapes if they’re not always labeled? Get to know your local wine merchant. The more you show interest in what’s important to you, the more they will be able to help you and meet your needs, Morganstern recommends.

He also suggests using websites like Organic Wine Journal. Here you’ll find lists of organic wineries by country. These days many restaurants indicate organic wines on the menu and some have sommeliers on staff who can walk you through their wine list. “The important thing is to let the merchant know that you want organic. That indicates to them a demand for it and then they can work on getting you the best organic options,” Morganstern says.

[via New Hope 360]

How To Heal Cavities Naturally

The world is slowly waking up to the fact that, when you give the body what it needs, it can heal things we previously thought were impossible. A fine example of what is often deemed as an incurable health problem is dental cavities, but extensive research is now becoming more public about the true nature of tooth decay and the fact that there are proven remedies that can remedy it.

The Lies Perpetrated About Tooth Decay

According to the American Dental Association, the reason we have tooth decay is as follows:
“[Tooth decay] occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) such as milk, pop, raisins, cakes or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay.”

There are a few problems with this theory, including:

• Groups of indigenous people who had fermentable carbohydrates stuck on their teeth all the time that did not brush or floss were mostly or completely free of tooth decay.
• Bacteria do not consume processed sugar or flour because of the lack of nutrients in them.
• Foods that bacteria like to eat, such as milk, vegetables, meat, fish and fruit, are not commonly implicated in causes of tooth decay.

So if the modern explanation of tooth decay is not accurate, what is actually the cause of tooth decay?

What Actually Causes Tooth Decay

Tooth decay, as researched by Dr. Weston Price and other dental pioneers, boiled down to three factors:

• Not enough minerals in the diet.
• Not enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in the diet.
• Nutrients not being readily bioavailable, and your intestinal system not properly absorbing them. The presence of phytic acid largely influences this factor.

Over a period of time, if your diet lacks vitamins and minerals from a poor diet and/or contains high levels of phytates (from grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes), the blood chemistry and the ratio of calcium and phosphorous become out of balance, which results in minerals being pulled from bones, causing tooth and bone loss.

So, the long-standing belief that sugar causes tooth decay is true, but as a result of it depleting nutrients from the body, not because bacteria eat it and produce acid that ruins your teeth.

The Food Remedies That Can Heal Cavities and Tooth Decay

In order to restore the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood, and to enable minerals to bond to our teeth, it is not enough to just avoid eating too many sweet or processed foods. We must also eat health-building foods, containing copious amounts of minerals and vitamins that will build a glassy hard tooth structure.

Foods to focus on are:

• Coconut oil, grass-fed organic dairy (especially butter), grass-fed meats, seafood and bone broths.
• Organic cooked vegetables (soups with bone broth are ideal).
• Organ and gland meats, like liver.

Limit foods that are high in phytic acid, like grains, beans, nuts and seeds, as well as limiting processed food intake full of processed flours and sugars that upset blood sugar balance.

Supplements to consider are:

• Fermented cod liver oil – very high in fat soluble vitamins A, D and K.
• Magnesium – required to use calcium and phosphorous effectively.
• Gelatin – if you don’t have time to make bone broth, this is a good alternative and is great for gums and digestion.

[via Real Farmacy]

10 Tips for the Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Creamy, pumpkin-y goodness and a buttery, flaky crust all topped with whipped cream. If there is one dessert that you can't have Thanksgiving without, it's pumpkin pie. With these 10 tips you will have no problem perfecting this holiday staple!

1. Use freshly grated nutmeg

The little jar of "Pumpkin Pie Spice" is easy and convenient, but a few extra moments of measuring fresh spices will make all the difference. Cinnamon, all spice, ginger and cloves are all key, but the real secret is freshly grated nutmeg.

2. Make your own crust

You can't rival a homemade crust. Find a trusted recipe (like this vegan one here) and get our your pastry cutter.

3. Don't forget the egg wash

To get a golden brown shine on your pumpkin pie crust, don't forget the egg wash. Whisk an egg with a pinch of salt and lightly brush the crust with it for a perfect crust.

4. Pre-bake the crust

Before pouring in the pie filling, bake the crust for a few minutes in a pre-heated oven. This will help avoid ending up with a soggy crust.

5. Use part dark brown sugar

Brown sugar has a more intense flavor than white sugar, so if you like a richer pie try using half white and half brown sugar.

6. Roast and puree your own pumpkin

Making your own pumpkin puree is a little time consuming, but totally worth it. Some recipes call for steaming or baking the pumpkin, but we prefer roasting. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of vegetables and leaves the pumpkin with less water content - making a concentrated and flavorful puree.

7. Strain your filling

For a creamy and smooth texture, run the filling through a fine mesh strainer.

8. Don't Use Pumpkin

Let's be honest, on its own, pumpkin isn't the most flavorful vegetable out there. Try substituting a third to half of the pumpkin for candied yams, butternut squash, or sweet potato for a sweeter and more flavorful pie.

9. Always preheat the oven

For an evenly cooked pie with a flaky crust and good texture, always preheat your oven before baking!

10. Use real whipped cream

Do you know what the ingredients are in non-dairy whipped cream? Water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream, sodium caseinate, polysorbate 60 and sorbitan monostearate are all ingredients in store-bought whipped topping. The ingredients in homemade whipped cream? Cream, sugar.

Just do it.

[via Plated]

9 Reasons to Think Twice About Your Holiday Turkey

With Thanksgiving days away, U.S. turkey growers are probably relieved that no arsenic, salmonella or cruelty stories have surfaced like they have other years. But that doesn't mean the turkey on your holiday table is exactly wholesome. In fact, the chemicals, food additives and extreme production methods used to deliver the nation's plump, affordable turkeys just in time for Thanksgiving are enough to make you lose your appetite.

Resistant Salmonella and Other Superbugs

Two years ago, huge recalls of salmonella-contaminated ground turkey from Cargill and Jennie-O/Hormel sickened many, and one person died. While the food giants say they have cleaned up their acts, that's not what Consumer Reports found in March. Five percent of 257 samples of raw ground turkey that was bought at grocery stores around the country and tested harbored salmonella, 67 percent of which was resistant to more than one antibiotic. The government itself admitted that 81 percent of ground turkey it tested is contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The superbugs result from the routine use of human antibiotics on commercial U.S. farms so operators can grow the animals faster and with less feed. Seventy percent of the farm antibiotics are not for sick animals but to maximize profits and prevent infections.

Antibiotics

The U.S. turkey industry doesn't try to hide the stew of antibiotics it depends on for cheap turkeys -- it brags about them. "The increased costs to raise turkeys without antibiotics is real," said the National Turkey Federation's Michael Rybolt at Capitol Hill antibiotics hearings in 2008. "Today at retail outlets here in the D.C. market, a conventionally-raised turkey costs $1.29 per pound. A similar whole turkey that was produced without antibiotics costs $2.29 per pound. With the average consumer purchasing a 15-pound whole turkey, that would mean there would be $15 tacked on to their grocery bill." Antibiotics are also green. Without them, more land would be needed to grow crops because the birds would eat more -- requiring 175,550 more tons of feed and causing "an increase in manure," said Rybolt. More land would also be required from the "decrease in density" because the birds couldn't be squeezed together the way they are now.

Clostridium difficile or "C Diff"

Have you ever heard of C. difficile? If not, you're lucky. It is an intestinal bacteria that it increasingly antibiotic-resistant, consigning thousands of Americans in health care settings and the community to a life or chronic pain, diarrhea and expensive treatments. (C. Diff is why "fecal transplants" are in the news these days. They are thought to replenish intestinal bacteria.) Glenn Songer, Ph.D., of Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, says 40 percent of beef, pork and turkey products tested had the C. diff strains found in humans, raising the possibility of a food-borne source for human illnesses. C. Diff "has been isolated from retail pork, turkey and beef products and reported associated with human illness," says an February article in the Journal of Food Protection. It was found in 44 percent of U.S. turkey products tested, says Food Poison Journal.

Human Drugs... and Drinks

This month the Associated Press reported that some U.S. turkeys are being fed beer to make them "fatter, more flavorful and juicier." After drinking the alcohol, one bird "appeared rather dazed, with eyes narrowed to slits and beer dribbling out of its beak," reported AP. Imbibing birds may sound innocuous or funny, but other human fare turkeys are given is not as amusing. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University examined feather meal from U.S. chickens and turkeys and found traces of the pain reliever acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol), the antihistamine diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) and the antidepressant fluoxetine (the active ingredient in Prozac). Turkey producers are even looking at giving turkeys statins like Zocor.

Arsenic and Other Feed Additives

Like antibiotics, arsenic has been routinely used in turkey and other livestock feed to prevent disease, increase feed efficiency and promote growth. Last month, the FDA announced it was rescinding three of four arsenic products that few knew were used in turkey production anyway. One drug, Nitarsone, is still in use, though, for the "first six weeks of a turkey's 20-week life span" says the National Turkey Federation, to treat a disease called histomoniasis. In fact, the Code of Federal Regulations for turkey drugs reveals a long list of permitted drugs with long names that don't make you want to reach for the cranberry sauce. Halofuginone, given to turkeys to kill pathogens, "is toxic to fish and aquatic life" and "an irritant to eyes and skin," says the Federal Code. "Avoid contact with skin, eyes, or clothing" and "Keep out of lakes, ponds, and streams." Bon appetit.

Diseases From Fast Growth Production

Food risks in turkey don't just happen. They come from drugs and contaminants used by turkey growers to produce the maximum amount of fat turkeys with as little feed as possible in as little time as possible. The chemically-induced fast growth puts turkeys at risk for "sudden death from cardiac problems and aortic rupture," (diagnosed by the presence of large clots of blood around the turkey's lungs) hypertensive angiopathy and pulmonary edema. Growth drugs in turkeys may also "result in leg weakness or paralysis," says the Federal Code, a side effect that a turkey slaughterhouse worker at the House of Raeford, in Raeford, NC reported firsthand. Turkeys arrive with legs broken, dislocated and limp, he told the press. Slowing the rapid growth by reducing the excessive energy and protein in the turkeys' diets strengthens their bones, say poultry scientists -- something most turkey growers don't want to hear or do.

More Diseases From Fast Growth Production

Turkeys do not just arrive at the slaughterhouse with broken legs. According to veterinary journals, they are also likely to arrive with painful footpad lesions, swelling and dermatitis, deviated toes, arthritis, feathering picking and breast blisters. "Overcrowding, aggressive birds, poor-wet litter, decreased down time, a contaminated environment including feed and water, poor hygienic conditions, and contaminated vaccines and vaccine equipment" also produce the new emerging turkey diseases of Clostridial dermatitis and cellulitis.

"The disease is characterized by reddish to dark or greenish discoloration of the skin around the thighs, abdomen, keel, tail region, back, and wings," says another veterinary journal.

"The lesions can extend into the underlying muscles, and there can be gas bubbles under the skin which result in crepitation. Some cases present with dead birds having 'bubbly tail,' fluid-filled blisters associated with broken feather follicles around the base of the tail."

Pass the gravy.

Degraded Meat Quality From Fast Growth Production

"In response to high consumer demand, turkeys have been intensively selected for rapid growth rate and breast muscle mass and conformation," begins another disturbing article in a veterinary journal. "The success in breeding selection has coincided with an increasing incidence of pale, soft and exudative (PSE) meat defect, especially in response to heat stress." (A similar defect called PSE, Pale, Soft, Exudative, is seen in mass produced pork which affects marketability.) Ractopamine, the asthma-like growth enhancer marketed as Topmax in turkey, also changes the quality of meat, according to its manufacturer's own data. Turkey meat produced with ractopamine has "alterations" in muscle such as a "mononuclear cell infiltrate and myofiber degeneration," says drug information from Elanco, on which the drug was approved. There was "an increase in the incidence of cysts," and differences, some "significant," in the weight of organs like hearts, kidneys and livers. Yum.

Cruelty

If you think of Butterball as a trusted name that operates a help line for Thanksgiving Day cooks, then the turkey giant has succeeded at its PR job. Less than a year ago, workers at Butterball turkey operations in North Carolina were videotaped kicking and stomping birds, dragging them by their wings and necks and slamming them into tiny transport crates. It was a year after Butterball workers were charged with criminal cruelty for the same actions! Who can say incorrigible? Butterball is "taking steps to help ensure that all new and existing associates have a clear understanding of our animal well-being policies," said Butterball CEO Rod Brenneman after the first offenses. Maybe employees don't know they aren't supposed to kick, drag and bash birds. After the second offenses, Butterball launched a audacious radio campaign about its convenient holiday help line with no mention of the criminal abuse. Twenty percent of U.S. turkeys on the Thanksgiving table come from Butterball, but it is hardly the only abuser. Shocking cruelty has also been documented at Aviagen Turkeys in West Virginia and House of Raeford in North Carolina.

[via Food for Thought]