Make Eggs, Not Salmonella.
In the past week, nearly 400 million eggs have been recalled in the US. This of course, is due to a scary little bacteria called salmonella. Salmonella is a nasty little, preventable motile enterobacteria that infects about 142,000 Americans each year, primarily from the eggs of chickens. Unfortunately, about 30 of these people die from the contamination. So how does this salmonella get into the egg? Well, that’s when we must turn our attention to the sad practice of factory farming poultry. Wikipedia states that: “The shell of the egg may be contaminated with salmonella by feces or a stale environment, or its interior (yolk).” So if the egg can become contaminated by feces or a stale environment, how do you prevent this from happening? We’ll first off, you don’t stack chickens on top of chickens on top of chickens in cages where they can’t even open their wings and the light of day is non-existant. Read the rest of this post »
The Gulf Sea: Open for Fishing
Commercial crabbing along sections of the oil-tarnished Gulf Coast were re-opened today, with shrimping and recreational fishing kicking into gear earlier this week. The media buzz is about whether the seafood coming out of the Gulf is safe to consume, but you’d never know there were health concerns when you sit down to eat with the locals.
“This is the safest seafood in the world. It’s like flying after 9-11,” remarked the Lafourche Parish President’s husband over dinner with Expedition Blue Planet last Friday night. His reasoning: The catch coming into shore here is probably more thoroughly tested than anything being imported into the state. Click here to read the rest of the great article from National Geographic.
The Ugly Truth About Cosmetics
Just found this very informative and well composed video done by The Stuff Project. We support and stand by the videos message to keep toxins out of cosmetics! It’s really that simple! Here at Ellwoods we have a very strict checklist for every single product that comes in the door, especially our cosmetics and body care department. You can read more about cosmetics and the project by click here.
A Brief History of Carbon Footprint Labeling
National Geographic just put up a really nice piece on the history of Carbon Footprint Labeling. “We’re all told to lower our carbon footprint. But as far food goes, it’s not always that simple.” Click here to read the article and become informed!
Child Nutrition Act in Action!
On Thursday, August 5th, the Senate unanimously passed the Child Nutrition Act, the federal legislation that stipulates the policy and funding for school meals. New policies include additional meal training and strengthened nutrition and fitness standards. To fund all of this, the bill allocates $4.5 billion, including an additional 6 cents per meal—the first non-inflationary revenue increase since 1973. And this is a wonderful thing! Now everything that passes through those school doors will have to be approved by strict government guidelines. This makeover will reduce student exposure to junk food and high fat and sugary items. Read the rest of this post »
Tell ‘Em Judge!
The genetically modified organism debate continues this week after a federal judge in California ruled today that the government must conduct a more thorough Environmental Impact Statement before genetically engineered sugar beet seeds can be planted. Read the rest of this post »
Truck Farm Wins!
We posted on the Truck Farm a while ago, and we just found out that Truck Farm is the winner of Nau’s annual Grant for Change. $10,000 was rewarded to Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney. Their project, Truck Farm, is exactly what it sounds like—a 1986 Dodge pickup truck converted to house a traveling farm that boasts heirloom seeds and green-roof technology. Click here to read the rest of this story.
5 Items NOT to include in your Beauty Products
At Ellwood Thompson’s, we always tell our customers that if it’s on your skin, it goes in. That goes for a lot of things too, creams, make-up, soaps, lotions, etc. So making sure you’re aware of what those ingredients are and what to look for is part of our job that we take seriously. Three years ago we took the steps to completely ban any products containing parabens from our store, and we’ve kept it that way since. The following list shows you 5 more pollutants that your body just doesn’t need, often found in beauty and skin products.
New Chapter Voluntary Recall
New Chapter has announced a voluntary recall of their “Probiotic Colon” supplement, 90 count sized bottle (Lot Code: 01210350A, Expiration Date: 2/29/2012). We value the health and safety of our customers, and if you have purchased this item recently, Ellwood’s would like to offer a refund or exchange for this product. Thank you.