Big Food cashing in on “health at every size”
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Imidacloprid every or every other year for aphids?
Comments (3)It might be of interest to US gardeners to know that Imidacloprid (as well as Thiomethoxam) has just been withdrawn from use in the European Union for 2 years while more research is carried out into the effects of neonicotinoids on bee populations. This in response to a report by the European Food Safety Authority which identified potential risks to bee health from the chemicals. Lindens are bee magnets when in bloom. Lindens get very large and attempting to keep them aphid free is going to be an enormous and never ending job. They just get aphids - that is their nature. If that is a real problem to you I would be inclined to choose a different tree. Have you tried just pointing the hose at the tree and spraying it forcefully every so often? Also I don't think there is any point in fertilising an established 24 year old tree. Here is a link that might be useful: Imidacloprid...See MoreDebit Card vs. Cash - Small Merchants
Comments (6)Thanks guys. I've checked with the credit union, and due to my previous bad habit of overdrafts, I'm stuck with that lower limit. That's basically just my "mad money" anyways, so it's not important. The debit card that I signed up for from our household bank account has a very high limit ($1000 per day), so no problems there. Small merchants often have higher prices already, so I'm not going to contribute to making those prices even worse by using a form of payment that costs more when I can help it (if they raise their prices, I'm still the one that ends up paying the fee, & more people will choose to shop elsewhere). So I'll use cash for anything under $10 or so, and the debit card for everything else. That should work fine, I think. I'm not worried about the big chains, just the very small local businesses. Thanks Ed - I'll try to stop by the KT later. Not sure if I still know anyone over there or not!...See MoreBeing Broke isn't just about cash flow
Comments (51)I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was a discussion about organic vs. non-organic foods. Well, it is and it isn't. :-) I'm using "organic" as an oversimplified term to mean "locally-produced foods which are grown sustainably and processed minimally". I'm aware that there are many producers who do most of that and who have not undertaken organic certification. They're OK in my book. The beef I have (pardon the pun) is with people who think they're driving the cost of their food way down by buying pork that is injected with up to 15% of its weight with water, salt, and preservatives; buying eggs from hens kept in cages so small they can't move and fed a diet that no chicken would ever select for itself; farmers who use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides to combat monocultural farming; and all of the corporate agricultural subsidies -- paying farmers to not grow crops; subsidizing the cost of transportation by keeping gas cheap and taking the cost of fighting wars off the books; and charging all of us road taxes to repair the damage done by trucking produce halfway across the country and the environmental damage done by runoff from manure pools and insecticides and by top-soil erosion. There are costs associated with all of that, but conventional farmers typically don't pay them. We all do. I do not strictly purchase organic, whole grain type foods. I purchase the best I can with my monthly food budget and go from there. I understand that if you live with such high standards, you probably can't prepare lunches for $1-2 each. What I don't understand is this: where are you able to eat lunch out for $4 and eat purely organic? I couldn't go anywhere in my town and spend $4 and eat to your standards. It just isn't possible. I don't always eat organic. If I'm invited to a friend's birthday party, I won't refuse to attend because they don't buy organic. It is, however, a strong preference of mine (and it's what I feed my guests). It is cheaper to bring organic from home. Beans and rice or some soups and stews can be relatively inexpensive organic meals. I would be hard-pressed to eat out organically for $4, though my food co-op comes close with a mix-and-match hot-food bar for $6. My point (apparently not made very well) is that many people on the Internet claim to make a meal that costs only a couple of bucks. Well, if that's done by purchasing heavily-processed non-sustainably-produced food that is grown, gathered, and sold by people half a country (or half a world) away who don't make a living wage, then someone else (actually, everyone else) is picking up the associated costs. I don't consider a slice or two of "baloney" on Wunder Bread and a banana a balanced, healthful meal, even if they don't come much cheaper than that. It's ironic that the most-heavily-processed food available in the U.S. is often the very cheapest. The "boutique" aspect of organic food aside (I won't deny it exists), organic food costs what food should cost. I don't look upon it as "such high standards" so much as I consider it the standard. If you were to add in the costs of trucking food halfway across the country, providing working wages and basic health and educational coverage to the people growing and harvesting the crops, and the costs of epidemic high blood pressure and diabetes brought on by the heavily-processed American diet and lifestyle, people wouldn't be saying, "I can make a full meal for $1 or $2." It really costs us more than that....See MoreSprouts? Whole Foods? Health Natural stores??
Comments (13)I like Whole Foods but if I shopped there regularly, I'd have to choose between paying the mortgage or buying groceries. LOL That store is just too expensive. Sprouts has an awesome bakery section. The apple pull apart sticky bread is my favorite but they are also pretty expensive overall. I go to Trader Joe's every once in a while and find them to be cheaper. Most of my grocery shopping is done at Fresh and Easy. I like their products and the prices on produce. I only buy meat from Costco. I go once a month and I divide and freeze my meat for the month. We also have some Sunflower health food store but I haven't been in there. They advertised organic milk for $8.00 a gallon on sale so I knew I wouldn't like their prices....See Morecarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
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