Advice for Worried Pet Owners -- What's the Safest Food for Your Dog or Cat?: "I understand that people are scared," said Dr. Tony Buffington, DMV, Ph.D, a professor at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. People are upset and I appreciate that."
snip.
Another quote regarding making your own pet foods:
'These recipes are all generally fine, but certainly home-cooked diets are not created with the care that these commercial pet foods are,' he said. 'Commercial pet foods for dogs and cats are designed by Ph.D. nutritionists. There are very few humans that have diets that are designed by Ph.D. nutritionists.'"
Reeeeeeally Dr.Buffington? Methinks thou hast not read "Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Foods." By Ann N. Martin. NewSage Press (1997).
I just put an excerpt from this book on my Organic Foods Mom website here. It's one thing to measure the protein and other nutrients in the rendered meat meal, or meat and bone meal to seemingly balance the finished product. It's quite another once you understand where the meat and bone meals come from.
From the book excerpt at my site above:
"At the rendering plant, slaughterhouse material, restaurant and supermarket refuse, dead stock, road kill, and euthanized companion animals are dumped into huge containers. A machine slowly grinds the entire mess. After it is chipped or shredded, it is cooked at temperatures of between 220 degrees F. and 270 degrees F. (104.4 to 132.2 degrees C.) for twenty minutes to one hour.
The grease or tallow rises to the top, where it is removed from the mixture. This is the source of animal fat in most pet foods. The remaining material, the raw, is then put into a press where the moisture is squeezed out. We now have meat and bone meal."
Read the whole excerpt at my website. I have a recipe for dog and cat foods along with some guidlines about the specific needs of each if you'd like a copy just contact me.
Tracy
~~~
I market an organic product for people with wrist and joint pain like I had, who don't want to take drugs or have surgery. http://www.tracyaustin.com/ Similar product for pets and horses coming April 1st.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mad Cow - This is your brain on meat
This is your brain on meat: "How safe are Americans from being exposed to the human variant of mad cow disease? In France, a nation with only 5.7 million cows, 20,000 are tested each week with 153 found infected in the year 2000. Out of the nearly 40 million U.S. cattle slaughtered annually, only about 1000 are tested. You do the math.
Kirchheimer concludes: 'The growing number of British victims of 'new variant' CJD, mostly young people in their prime who contracted the brain sickness from tainted meat, is a grim precursor to an uncertain future.'"
I posted recently On my http://www.organic-foods-mom.com/organic-foods-blog.html blog about how the USDA has recently chosen to test fewer cattle, (as of March 1, 2007) not more.
Tracy
~~~
I market a product for people who have writst and joint pain like I did, but who don't want to take drugs or have surgery. http://www.tracyaustin.com
Kirchheimer concludes: 'The growing number of British victims of 'new variant' CJD, mostly young people in their prime who contracted the brain sickness from tainted meat, is a grim precursor to an uncertain future.'"
I posted recently On my http://www.organic-foods-mom.com/organic-foods-blog.html blog about how the USDA has recently chosen to test fewer cattle, (as of March 1, 2007) not more.
Tracy
~~~
I market a product for people who have writst and joint pain like I did, but who don't want to take drugs or have surgery. http://www.tracyaustin.com
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Decoding the 39 Ingredients in a Twinkie - Newsweek Health - MSNBC.com
Decoding the 39 Ingredients in a Twinkie - Newsweek Health - MSNBC.com:
"March 5, 2007 issue - As Steve Ettlinger dropped down a Wyoming mine shaft, plummeting 1,600 feet in an open-mesh cage, he wondered how many other food writers had ever donned hard hats and emergency breathing equipment in pursuit of a story. But it was too late to turn back. He'd promised his editor a book tracing the ingredients in a Hostess Twinkie to their origins—and one of them was down this shaft. "
I was just shopping for a birthday present for a friend of my daughter when I spied this title on the shelf. I used to read Stephen King for a good scare, but now this is more my kind of horror novel. I am so into this sort of thing. People have no idea what goes into processed foods. No idea...
Including me for that matter. What the heck goes into Twikies from down that mine shaft?? I gotta know!
Tracy
www.OrganicFoodsMom.com
"March 5, 2007 issue - As Steve Ettlinger dropped down a Wyoming mine shaft, plummeting 1,600 feet in an open-mesh cage, he wondered how many other food writers had ever donned hard hats and emergency breathing equipment in pursuit of a story. But it was too late to turn back. He'd promised his editor a book tracing the ingredients in a Hostess Twinkie to their origins—and one of them was down this shaft. "
I was just shopping for a birthday present for a friend of my daughter when I spied this title on the shelf. I used to read Stephen King for a good scare, but now this is more my kind of horror novel. I am so into this sort of thing. People have no idea what goes into processed foods. No idea...
Including me for that matter. What the heck goes into Twikies from down that mine shaft?? I gotta know!
Tracy
www.OrganicFoodsMom.com
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Honeybees Dying
Weekly Reader Lead Story Honeybee Woes:
"'One third of the food you and I eat every day can be traced back to honeybees,' says Hayes. 'If the honeybees aren't there, the grower doesn't have any options. If you don't have honeybees to carry pollen from one crop to another, you get zero crops.' "
Here's a map of the states reporting honeybee loses so far:
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/pressReleases/CCDMap07FebRev1-.jpg
"Every third bite you take is backed up by a honeybee," Webb points out. "Without bees, we wouldn't eat very well."
"If we didn't have honeybees, we wouldn't have any fruit or hardly any veggies," adds local beekeeper Jo Haugland, one of Webb's former students.
"Until you corner her, step on her or grab her, she's not going to sting," Cochran says. "She's busy doing her job."
In fact, says Webb, the sting is a suicidal last act that only about one in 10,000 honeybees will ever commit. Most stings, he notes, are not from bees at all; wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are the usual culprits.
"People blame everything on bees, but they do so much good," Webb says.
"Honeybees take a bad rap," Haugland adds. "They're industrious, clean, organized and interesting. They're completely focused. You can even walk up to a honeybee that's collecting pollen and pet it on the back, they're that intent."
'Tis true. Try it. Reach out to the honeybee sipping nectar from a bud and ever so gently, stroke her furry back just between the resting, lacy wings. She may startle and move to another flower. Or, she may continue suckling, sides heaving gently, as she communes with her flower and you with your bee.
Read more here.
From the American Beekeeping Federation, ABF:
Reports on their losses coming from beekeepers vary widely. Some commercial beekeepers are reporting their losses as about the same as the last several years. Others report losing thousands of colonies: one lost 11,000 of his 13,000 colonies; another 700 of 900; another 2500 of 3500; another virtually all of his 10,000.
“Beekeepers overwintering in the north many not know the status of their colonies until they are able to make early spring inspections. This should occur in late February or early March but is dependent on weather conditions. Regardless, there is little doubt that honey bees are going to be in short supply this spring and possibly into the summer."
Please visit www.OrganicFoodsmom.com/honeybees.html for more info.
"'One third of the food you and I eat every day can be traced back to honeybees,' says Hayes. 'If the honeybees aren't there, the grower doesn't have any options. If you don't have honeybees to carry pollen from one crop to another, you get zero crops.' "
Here's a map of the states reporting honeybee loses so far:
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/pressReleases/CCDMap07FebRev1-.jpg
"Every third bite you take is backed up by a honeybee," Webb points out. "Without bees, we wouldn't eat very well."
"If we didn't have honeybees, we wouldn't have any fruit or hardly any veggies," adds local beekeeper Jo Haugland, one of Webb's former students.
"Until you corner her, step on her or grab her, she's not going to sting," Cochran says. "She's busy doing her job."
In fact, says Webb, the sting is a suicidal last act that only about one in 10,000 honeybees will ever commit. Most stings, he notes, are not from bees at all; wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are the usual culprits.
"People blame everything on bees, but they do so much good," Webb says.
"Honeybees take a bad rap," Haugland adds. "They're industrious, clean, organized and interesting. They're completely focused. You can even walk up to a honeybee that's collecting pollen and pet it on the back, they're that intent."
'Tis true. Try it. Reach out to the honeybee sipping nectar from a bud and ever so gently, stroke her furry back just between the resting, lacy wings. She may startle and move to another flower. Or, she may continue suckling, sides heaving gently, as she communes with her flower and you with your bee.
Read more here.
From the American Beekeeping Federation, ABF:
Reports on their losses coming from beekeepers vary widely. Some commercial beekeepers are reporting their losses as about the same as the last several years. Others report losing thousands of colonies: one lost 11,000 of his 13,000 colonies; another 700 of 900; another 2500 of 3500; another virtually all of his 10,000.
“Beekeepers overwintering in the north many not know the status of their colonies until they are able to make early spring inspections. This should occur in late February or early March but is dependent on weather conditions. Regardless, there is little doubt that honey bees are going to be in short supply this spring and possibly into the summer."
Please visit www.OrganicFoodsmom.com/honeybees.html for more info.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
DIRLINE National Library of Medicine
DIRLINE National Library of Medicine
The National Library of Medicine's DIRLINE (Directory of Health Organizations) now offers an A to Z list of 8,500+ organizations concerned with health and biomedicine.
DIRLINE can also be searched for specific topics:http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/
Y0u'll find contacnt info and websites for both conventional and alternative therapies.
Tracy
~~~
www.OrganicFoodsMom.com
The National Library of Medicine's DIRLINE (Directory of Health Organizations) now offers an A to Z list of 8,500+ organizations concerned with health and biomedicine.
DIRLINE can also be searched for specific topics:http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/
Y0u'll find contacnt info and websites for both conventional and alternative therapies.
Tracy
~~~
www.OrganicFoodsMom.com
Thursday, March 08, 2007
The Case Against Cloning
How do you feel about the cloning of animals for human consumption? I'm with Jerry Greenfield. I think it's weird and want no part of the experiment that it will become if this stuff makes it into the supermarkets. Or worse, into the supermarkets unlabeled. Aren't we already being covertly sold enough food that's been messed with? (irradiated, genetically modified...)
Tracy
The Case Against Cloning
While the FDA says food from clones is safe, politicians and activists are waging a battle to stop or restrict government approval
by Pallavi Gogoi
Ben & Jerry's Homemade has built a reputation not only for selling quality ice cream, but also for championing environmental and social causes. So it's hardly a surprise that one of its founders, Jerry Greenfield, is leading the charge against cloning. He says that Ben & Jerry's, owned by Unilever (UL), may soon put labels on its ice cream guaranteeing that it comes from clone-free herds. "Putting cloned animals and their milk in our food supply is just weird, and people don't want it," says Greenfield.
It's a topic of much debate these days. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is in the midst of a public-comment period on whether to allow meat and milk from cloned animals into the country's food supply. The FDA has said that its preliminary conclusion is that such products are safe for consumption, though it is accepting outside comment on the issue through Apr. 2.
"Based on FDA's analysis of hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring, the draft risk assessment has determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day," says Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
Enter the Legislators
Many agricultural companies are enthusiastic about the promise of cloning (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/7/07, "The Man Behind the Cloning Movement"). But plenty of other companies are scrambling to distance themselves from the controversy. Organic and natural food retailers like Whole Foods Market (WFMI) and Wild Oats Markets (OATS), milk processors Dean Foods (DF) and Organic Valley, and other companies have said they will reject any meat and milk that comes from cloned animals.
Legislation has already been proposed in Congress to demand that the food be labeled as coming from clones and to bar them from ever entering the organic food stream. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced one such bill in the House. And on Jan. 31, Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) proposed her Cloned Food Labeling Act, a similar bill. "The American people don't want this. They find it repugnant," says Mikulski.
Mikulski has the majority of Americans on her side. A 2005 Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans believe it is morally wrong to clone animals, and the Pew Initiative on Food & Biotechnology found that 66% of Americans are uncomfortable with animal cloning.
FDA Hears It From Citizens
While the FDA says the science behind cloning is sound, people's trust in the administration has dwindled in recent years. A Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll conducted in May reveals that 70% of U.S. adults are skeptical of the FDA's ability to ensure the safety and efficacy of new prescription drugs, especially after the Vioxx and Celebrex recalls. "The FDA has told us this before," says Mikulski. "We were told DDT was safe, we were told Thalidomide was safe, we were told Vioxx was safe. What if the FDA has made a mistake and finds out a few years from now there is a problem (with cloned food)?"
In the two months since the FDA's preliminary conclusion on cloning, consumers have filed more than 3,000 comments on the subject. Most say the FDA should not allow the meat and milk into the market without labeling. "The risk to citizens forced to consume products from cloned animals is unknown and should not be approved," says consumer Stephen Ziffer. Jenny Bunch says: "I do not want to be a testing lab and will not knowingly buy cloned products for my family." And Ledia Elraheb doesn't like the idea of scientists trying to bestow life. "God is the only creator," she says.
Cloning technology isn't perfect, something biotech companies are the first to admit. The most common early defect is a condition known as large-offspring syndrome. Those clones are born larger than normal, leading to difficult births for the mother cows. Also, the calves have trouble breathing in their first few weeks. These problems, however, are typically not passed on to the next generation when clones have their own offspring through natural reproduction.
"Don't Mess with Bessie"
The science is very new. The first cow, Amy, was cloned in 1999. In 2001 just 2% to 4% of the cows implanted with cloned embryos gave birth to calves. Today, the rate of success has risen to as much as 17% to 20%, says Steve Mower, director of marketing at Cyagra in Elizabethtown, Pa.
Organic foods almost certainly won't include any milk or meat from cloned animals, because the animals don't meet the organic labeling guidelines set by the government. To ensure that's the case, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Feb. 8 introduced legislation to bar products that are produced from cloned livestock from receiving an organic food label.
Jerry Greenfield and other activists are determined to do what they can to stop the advance of cloning. Last month, he led a rally of 100 people in Washington, D.C., protesting against the technology. Some people dressed up as cows "mooing" to show their "udder" disapproval of cloned products. Others held up signs that read "Got MLIK?" and "Don't Mess With Bessie." Says Greenfield, "Cloning is a very frightening idea to many Americans."
Tracy
The Case Against Cloning
While the FDA says food from clones is safe, politicians and activists are waging a battle to stop or restrict government approval
by Pallavi Gogoi
Ben & Jerry's Homemade has built a reputation not only for selling quality ice cream, but also for championing environmental and social causes. So it's hardly a surprise that one of its founders, Jerry Greenfield, is leading the charge against cloning. He says that Ben & Jerry's, owned by Unilever (UL), may soon put labels on its ice cream guaranteeing that it comes from clone-free herds. "Putting cloned animals and their milk in our food supply is just weird, and people don't want it," says Greenfield.
It's a topic of much debate these days. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is in the midst of a public-comment period on whether to allow meat and milk from cloned animals into the country's food supply. The FDA has said that its preliminary conclusion is that such products are safe for consumption, though it is accepting outside comment on the issue through Apr. 2.
"Based on FDA's analysis of hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring, the draft risk assessment has determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day," says Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
Enter the Legislators
Many agricultural companies are enthusiastic about the promise of cloning (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/7/07, "The Man Behind the Cloning Movement"). But plenty of other companies are scrambling to distance themselves from the controversy. Organic and natural food retailers like Whole Foods Market (WFMI) and Wild Oats Markets (OATS), milk processors Dean Foods (DF) and Organic Valley, and other companies have said they will reject any meat and milk that comes from cloned animals.
Legislation has already been proposed in Congress to demand that the food be labeled as coming from clones and to bar them from ever entering the organic food stream. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced one such bill in the House. And on Jan. 31, Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) proposed her Cloned Food Labeling Act, a similar bill. "The American people don't want this. They find it repugnant," says Mikulski.
Mikulski has the majority of Americans on her side. A 2005 Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans believe it is morally wrong to clone animals, and the Pew Initiative on Food & Biotechnology found that 66% of Americans are uncomfortable with animal cloning.
FDA Hears It From Citizens
While the FDA says the science behind cloning is sound, people's trust in the administration has dwindled in recent years. A Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll conducted in May reveals that 70% of U.S. adults are skeptical of the FDA's ability to ensure the safety and efficacy of new prescription drugs, especially after the Vioxx and Celebrex recalls. "The FDA has told us this before," says Mikulski. "We were told DDT was safe, we were told Thalidomide was safe, we were told Vioxx was safe. What if the FDA has made a mistake and finds out a few years from now there is a problem (with cloned food)?"
In the two months since the FDA's preliminary conclusion on cloning, consumers have filed more than 3,000 comments on the subject. Most say the FDA should not allow the meat and milk into the market without labeling. "The risk to citizens forced to consume products from cloned animals is unknown and should not be approved," says consumer Stephen Ziffer. Jenny Bunch says: "I do not want to be a testing lab and will not knowingly buy cloned products for my family." And Ledia Elraheb doesn't like the idea of scientists trying to bestow life. "God is the only creator," she says.
Cloning technology isn't perfect, something biotech companies are the first to admit. The most common early defect is a condition known as large-offspring syndrome. Those clones are born larger than normal, leading to difficult births for the mother cows. Also, the calves have trouble breathing in their first few weeks. These problems, however, are typically not passed on to the next generation when clones have their own offspring through natural reproduction.
"Don't Mess with Bessie"
The science is very new. The first cow, Amy, was cloned in 1999. In 2001 just 2% to 4% of the cows implanted with cloned embryos gave birth to calves. Today, the rate of success has risen to as much as 17% to 20%, says Steve Mower, director of marketing at Cyagra in Elizabethtown, Pa.
Organic foods almost certainly won't include any milk or meat from cloned animals, because the animals don't meet the organic labeling guidelines set by the government. To ensure that's the case, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Feb. 8 introduced legislation to bar products that are produced from cloned livestock from receiving an organic food label.
Jerry Greenfield and other activists are determined to do what they can to stop the advance of cloning. Last month, he led a rally of 100 people in Washington, D.C., protesting against the technology. Some people dressed up as cows "mooing" to show their "udder" disapproval of cloned products. Others held up signs that read "Got MLIK?" and "Don't Mess With Bessie." Says Greenfield, "Cloning is a very frightening idea to many Americans."
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Join Mission Organic 2010. Pledge Now to Buy Organic.
Mission Organic 2010 is the coolest thing to happen to food since some wonderful person opened the first natural foods co-op. Read on for more.
~~~
Even though the market for organic products has experienced tremendous growth in the last decade, only three percent of the food now purchased in the U.S. is organic.
But you can change that. Join Mission Organic and pledge to buy at least one organic item for every ten purchased.
~~~
Even though the market for organic products has experienced tremendous growth in the last decade, only three percent of the food now purchased in the U.S. is organic.
But you can change that. Join Mission Organic and pledge to buy at least one organic item for every ten purchased.
With support from you and others, the amount of organic food consumed will skyrocket to 10% by 2010. As sales of organic products increase, more and more farmland will be converted to organic agriculture. And more households will be introduced to organic alternatives.
The day is approaching where organic food choices will no longer be the exception. They’ll be the norm.
~~~
Tracy
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