o The Problem

Perhaps the greatest challenge to a healthy lifestyle in the United States today is the inclusion of carbonated soft drinks in the individual diet. This is particularly true in the diets of teenagers and younger children. Sales of carbonated soft drinks in elementary, middle and high schools are of particular concern to parents and consumer action groups.

Fueled by aggressive and effective marketing in schools and the population in general, carbonated soft drinks became a multi billion dollar business. In supermarkets, newspapers, television and radio and in printed media, soft drink companies spend aggressively to promote their message of supposed good health and refreshment.

Evidence is starting to emerge however that soft drinks are not good for the health of the individual and changes are required to ensure and establish a healthy life style for the soft drink consumer.

o Characteristics of Carbonated Soft Drinks

Carbonated soft drinks are widely consumed and present a unique problem, Although they are water based, much of their taste and appeal comes from the addition of significant amounts of sugar, sugar substitutes and other chemicals that are harmful to health. A good portion of their appeal however, comes from the promotion of the products in a way that appeals to younger customers.

Beverages containing significant of sugars stimulate the pancreas, boosting insulin levels and taking the body out of its natural fat burning state. Colas, in particular, contain caffeine, sugar, sodium and acid that are extremely destructive to human tissue…

o Effect on Youth

High levels of carbonated soft drinks have been traced to the increase in Childhood Obesity. Obesity is a major health problem for both adults and children. A surge of obesity among children is resulting in an increase in the rate of diabetes and other types of systemic health problems.

In the last two decades, the incidence of obesity among adults and children has risen nearly 50 percent. As defined by federal standards, approximately 30 percent of adults and 25 percent of children are considered obese today.

The sale of carbonated soft drink products is a major business by large corporations and advertising is a major component in the marketing mix. The messages communicated in an effective marketing campaign are powerful and subtle for all listeners particularly children and teenager who have not yet developed a frame of reference that allows understanding.

In a recent article by Susan Linn and Diane E. Levin that studied the impact of advertising on children, the authors concluded

“Children are especially vulnerable to the impact of advertising. A recent study out of Stanford University found that one 30-second commercial can influence the brand choices of children as young as 2. Repeated exposures to ads are even more effective. Very young children don’t distinguish between a commercial and television programming. And children under 8 aren’t able to understand that ads are created to convince people to buy products”. (Stop Marketing ‘Yummy Food’ to Children http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0620/p09s01-coop.html)

In the past decade, techniques for marketing unhealthy food to children have become increasingly sophisticated, subtle and effective. Marketing junk food in schools is a growth industry that includes direct advertising, sponsorship of sports teams and involvement with fundraisers that add revenue to schools for activities. The media is increasing dominated by advertising dollars from the food industry. Some estimates of total food promotional budgets exceed $30 Billion and growing.

Childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year and the annual cost to society for obesity of all forms is exceeds $90 Billion.

There are indirect effects of obesity as well. In a recent study, Dr. Ramin Alemzadeh, MD, explains that
“diabetes is not the only issue related to childhood obesity. Obese children may have greater difficulty with high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, orthopedic problems, sleeping habits, as well as self-esteem and peer relationships.”

Dr. Alemzadeh cites studies indicating that adults who were obese children also face significant health and social difficulties in later life.

o Soft Drinks in the School

Parents are often told that it is their job to promote healthy nutrition, even as corporations undermine their efforts by spending billions of dollars marketing junk food to children. This results in a barrage of food industry ads that promote unhealthy fares, from the cereal boxes and TV ads at home to the soda and snack vending machines at school. Some 10,000 food industry ads a year for unhealthy foods are aimed to children, from 3 year-old to teenage years. Ninety-five percent of these ads promote fast food, candy, sugared cereals and soft drinks.

From the school board to the statehouse, efforts to ban sugary foods and combat childhood obesity are being debated around the nation however. This increased level of awareness is beginning to take effect but continued effort is required.

Solving the problem requires efforts at all levels. Consumer protection groups are pressuring the U.S. Congress and Administration and efforts are well underway at the state level to curb aggressive advertising. In response, suppliers have increased their promotion efforts and many schools, under continued budget pressure, often supplement their incomes with proceeds from soda and candy fund raising and booster club sales. In spite of the massive promotion budgets of food manufacturers however, a focused effort by consumer groups and parents is well underway.

o What Can Parents Do?

It is easy to blame large corporations who manufacture soft drinks and other fast food products but the solution to the problem ultimately rests with parents and the family. School programs are subject to public scrutiny and input from concerned parents can be particularly effective.

The American Dietetic Association and the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, offers suggestions on how you can improve your child’s nutrition at school and at home:

o Get familiar with the menu. Keep a current school lunch menu and discuss it with your child. Talk about making healthy choices. Many schools offer choices that meet guidelines for good nutrition if students make the right choices.

o Ask questions. Find out who decides what is for lunch. Who determines school policies on vending machines and snacks in the cafeteria and student store.

o Get involved. Join or start a parent advisory council for the school food service program. Learn how parents and students can participate in the decision making process.

o Support the nutrition education efforts at school. If your school has an edible garden, volunteer to help. If none exists, create one. Sustainable Table has information about how to start one.

o Encourage your child to pack his own lunch. Help him pick healthy choices that are fun to eat, such as string cheese, fruit, carrot sticks and pudding cups. If he packs it, he will be more likely to eat it.

o Make your child a savvy media consumer. Kids are bombarded with TV advertisements for sugary cereal and treats. Point out the techniques advertisers use to make their products attractive.

o Teach your child about nutritional labels. It will help her reading skills and make her a smart consumer if you make a game out of finding out how many names there are for “sugar” in a label.

o Advocate for the laws you want. Write to your representatives at the state and federal level. Express your concerns about school lunches, the placement of vending machines at your child’s school or requirements for physical education programs.

Source: (It Takes More Than An Apple a Day to Keep Your Child Healthy http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/az/253)

There is progress. In a recent report commissioned by the American Beverage Association, consumption of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) decreased in High Schools from 57.2% of the product mix in 2002 to 44.9% in 2005. Similarly, the consumption of water as a percentage of the product mix increased from 9.1% to 12.7% in the same period. Similar results were reported for Middle and Elementary Schools.

Continued effort and vigilance is required.

o School Budgets and Fund Raising

An important element to consider in the fight against junk food obesity is the role of junk food products in fundraising for schools. As a result of across the board budget pressure at all government levels, school boards have reduced many activities or look toward other non tax sources of funding., Fund raising events for direct activities or through booster clubs became an important source of funding for sporting and other activities.

An important source of revenue at fund raising events was the resale of soft drinks to spectators and the profit was considerable. A program that replaces carbonated soft drinks in the schools for health reasons also requires products that generate an equivalent source of revenue.

o The Pure Water Element

Bottled drinking water is an ideal substitute for carbonated soft drinks if the quality is high and the taste is appealing. Our bodies are estimated to be about 60 to 70% water. Blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. We need to drink water because water is needed to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all our organs. Water also transports oxygen to our cells, removes waste, and protects our joints and organs.

Water that is pure and free of minerals and bacteria is the ideal source for the hydration of our bodies and a significant contributor to a healthy lifestyle. If you consume coffee or alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can be significant.

The best source of water is plain, pure drinking water. Purified drinking water based upon filtration, distillation and ozonation techniques is readily available in the market today. This process guarantees a high quality product combined with a light refreshing taste.

o Water and Fundraising – The Private Label Program

Bottled drinking water is an ideal replacement for Soda in the fundraising process. Because of the increased demand for pure drinking water, bottled water is as saleable as soft drink sodas and many times more profitable for the fundraisers. This is because many bottled water suppliers can easily supply water that has a private label for the school and the occasion. The private label advertising feature allows the fundraiser the ability to charge a premium for the product and increase the profit on the transaction.

Soft drink or soda suppliers do not offer private labeling for their products because the strategy of these suppliers is to increase the recognition of their own brand.

By: Jon M. Stout

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The small island of Sri Lanka is found on the Indian Ocean. Its close proximity to the country of India is reflected in Sri Lankan recipes, just like the Dutch, Portuguese, and British cuisines that resulted to those countries occupations of Sri Lanka. Over the years, these Sri Lankan dishes were revised to cater more to the local appetite and that is why most of the spices are found in the island.

The book Exotic Tastes of Sri Lanka contains interesting Sri Lankan information such as spice definition, their usage and where to find them, sample menus, usual cooking styles, as well as a background of the Sri Lankan utensils used. About one hundred and fifty recipes are found in Exotic Tastes of Sri Lanka.

A wide selection of curry dishes, rice meals and even desserts are available to the readers of Exotic Tastes of Sri Lanka wherein the ingredients are not hard to find for they are all in your local Asian delis. For those who are not familiar or are just beginners in Sri Lankan cooking, the book Exotic Tastes of Sri Lanka is a great reading material to start with. Take note that the simple recipes that the book contains also have lots of spices and chili that is characteristic of Sri Lankan cuisine. To people who are not that fond of spicy food, it is up to them to tone down a bit when it comes to sprinkling the spices.

The recipes in Exotic Tastes of Sri Lanka are quick to do recipes and easy to prepare. The book also gives substitute ingredients that the readers could use in case some special ingredients are not found within their area. Although the book doesn’t have pictures of the dishes, overall it is a great buy and one will surely get value for the money used in its purchase.

By: Nalini Ranasingha

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Currently, there is a food shortage of massive proportions sweeping the globe. This food shortage will affect residents of poor and less-developed countries first, but the effects will trickle down to even the most highly developed countries quickly. The food shortage is not as much of a shortage due to decreased production as a shortage caused by price increases.

Residents of countries that consume a higher proportion of processed foods to unprocessed foods can weather the storm more easily than people whose diets consist mostly of unprocessed basics. That is because people consuming many processes foods can switch to buying basics, saving money and remaining able to pay for their food. Those whose diet consists of basics such as fresh fruits, vegetables and grains, have nowhere to go, except hungry.

This food shortage is the result of many different factors-including the aforementioned price increases. There are five main factors contributing to the global food shortage which is rapidly devolving into a global food crisis

Five Factors Contributing to the Global Food Crisis

1) Rising Fertilizer Costs

Farmers in the poorest nations cannot afford fertilizer for their crops. Their land is so depleted of nutrients that they cannot effectively raise food without fertilizer. Fertilizer prices are rising because synthetic fertilizer is produced using oil-based energy sources, the price of which is rising steadily and quickly.

2) Subsidies for Production of Bio-fuels

Biofuels are produced with the same ingredients of food. Agricultural subsidies spent toward biofuel production are monies not spent on food production and distribution. While not the only cause, biofuel subsidies are a concern because they take money away from food production subsidies and biofuel production still requires use of fertilizers, which are produced using energy from conventional fossil fuels.

3) Poor Distribution Systems

Donating food to developing countries is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it provides necessary nutrients to sometimes starving populations. On the other hand, free food delivered to hungry countries contributes to price collapses for local food producers, taking away the incentive to produce food locally.

4) Unchecked Population Growth

Population growth is a vicious cycle-especially in developing nations. Families need help farming crops, so they have more children, translating into more bodies to help-and more mouths to feed. Additionally, birth control measures are less available in developing countries, contributing to the fast population growth.

5) Drought

All over the world, drought in top-food producing regions is reducing food production and driving prices higher. Drought across major food producing regions of the United States, including the southeast, Midwest and western regions is increasing food prices. Drought in regions of the African continent and in Australia is making it impossible to grow food-because there is no water to buy and no money to buy it.

Other factors, including political relationships, are contributing to the global food emergency. The five listed above are the main factors, in large part because they are either factors out of control of humans (we can’t control the weather), or because they are due to lack of research into energy and alternative fuel sources.

By: Christopher A. Williams

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Are you a fan of chocolate and enjoy the flavor and taste of dark chocolate? There are a lot of varieties of sweet that you can choose from and one of the healthiest kinds of sweet to eat is dark chocolate. The best kind of dark sweet to find is organic dark chocolate. When you have organic sweet you know that it is made with all natural ingredients and can be good for you. If you want to surprise someone with a show of gratitude who is a fan of sweet, you can give them dark sweet gift baskets full of their favorites.

You can go online to find the best deals and varieties of dark sweet and gift boxes. This web site has all of the varieties of dark chocolates and organic dark sweet that you can choose to create a unique gift box for yourself or for someone else. When you are selecting your sweets, you may want to find out what kind of cocoa beans is used in making the sweet and where they came from. The quality of sweet can come from the type of beans that are used in making it. They are what give dark sweets the unique flavor that is rich and full.

Dark chocolates are said to be healthy and good for you and of the different varieties of sweets that you can eat, dark sweets are the healthiest. You can find a variety of all of your favorite kinds of sweets from rich and smooth to sweet that are filled with some of your favorite flavors. You can find the dark sweet gifts that you are looking for and know that you are getting organic products. Organic chocolates are healthy and delicious and you can find all of the varieties that you are looking for at the web site.

If you are looking for a certain kind of sweet that is made with organic ingredients, you can discover that they are all on the web site online. You can choose the sweets that you want or try a variety of them to find the ones that you like the best. If you want to surprise someone with a special gift that they will enjoy, you can create a gift box of dark sweets on the web site and show them that you are grateful for them. You can also find a variety of other chocolates on the web site and organic chocolates that are made with natural ingredients. Go online and find the kind that you like the best and try new ones to find new flavors.

By: Justin Helan

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Chinese Food used to be exotic in itself but with takeaways everywhere this isn’t the case nowadays. If you want really exotic food though, China is the place to come, and there’s nowhere better to start your tasting experiences than right in the heart of the nation’s capital. Beijing’s Wangfujing Dajie is a popular shopping street for visitors. It can be found just East of Tiananmen Square and is easily reached by taxi or the efficient metro system.

During the daytime, you will find some exotic foods on display in Snack Street, a side alley off to the west side of Wangfujing Dajie. For a more interesting atmosphere, go in the evening. A whole series of stalls set up each day at the north end of the pedestrian section. It’s more fun to walk up and down these, taking photos and trying as many items as you feel brave enough to try.

So, what’s on offer?

To name just a few …

Squid: If you are a fan of Calamari then you will know that squid is in fact very tasty. It should never be cooked for too long else it does become a bit rubbery. Scorpion: Yes, the real thing, with the nasty tail clear to see. Don’t worry about the poison; cooking breaks this down. Scorpions are a warming food and good for when the weather changes to cold, or to correct an imbalance in your system. Cicada: The large and noisy bugs look frightening and completely unpalatable. Only the truly brave will eat this down, though there really is nothing to fear. I suspect that these are a recent addition to the menagerie as no-one seems able to explain the supposed benefit of eating Cicada. Starfish: You have seen them on the beach. Now you can see them on sticks. I know which I prefer. Again, purely for novelty, as far as I can tell. Seahorse: Strangely, the shape of the seahorses tail has given rise to the belief that eating seahorses assists with men’s sexual prowess. Strange – but here’s your chance to find out.

Wangfujing Snacks are exotic but not distressing. You will not see dogs or cats, nor any other ‘cute’ animals. Most of what you see has been eaten in China for generations, often in the belief that there are health benefits. You can treat the experience as a bit of fun.

If you do want to try gou rou (dog meat) then find a Korean restaurant. There are plenty to choose from. They are easily distinguished by the extractor fans sitting over each table. The meat is served ready for your BBQ and is hard to distinguish from any other red meat. It is a warming food and therefore not typically eaten in summer.

Whatever you get up to in Beijing, don’t forget to go to Wangfujing Dajie and check out the exotic food. You don’t have to eat it all but you should take lots of photos whenever you do, and impress your friends and family back home.

By: Ian Ford

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There is a food crisis sweeping the globe. This crisis is caused by rising food prices, rising prices of synthetic fertilizer, poor food distribution and adverse weather conditions in areas of high food production. Residents in poor nations who subsist mostly upon unprocessed foods are being hit the hardest, but effects can be felt in highly developed nations such as the United States. The price of fresh produce is increasing quickly. Tomatoes, in particular have experienced price increases over the past few years.

One way to help decrease the effects of food price increases and be self-supporting in the event of a catastrophic food shortage is to start a kitchen garden, or vegetable garden. There are ways that producing your own food can be much more costly, but it is possible to raise food cost-effectively. Preparing the garden, using resistant varieties and natural fertilizer will help you grow more produce than you thought you could produce!

Preparing the Garden

The key to preparing a garden that will produce fruits and vegetables in a cost effective manner is quality preparation before planting. A garden of 15 feet by 15 feet can provide enough produce for a family of four to eat while in season, plus produce enough for canning.

Soil Preparation

For plants to grow well, they need to have good soil. If building a new garden, prepare the area by mixing a compost/topsoil blend with your existing soil. While this might seem like a large expense in the beginning, it will pay off in the long run because you will not spend as much money on soil amendments in the future.

Garden Fencing

If you live in an area with deer and rodent problems, put up a minimum ten foot tall fence that is angled slightly outward. If possible, bury the fence at least 18 inches into the ground. A fence is the cheapest, and easiest method of large pest control.

Water Source

Drip irrigation is the most cost-effective, time-conservative type of plant watering. Drip irrigation puts the water where the plant needs it. It is less wasteful than regular sprinklers because it waters only near the plant. It also helps some weed prevention because bare soil with lots of weed seeds is not watered-thus preventing some sprouting issues. If drip irrigation is cost-prohibitive, install hose hookup points around the garden so that you can easily hand-water the plants.

Selecting the Plants

After the garden plot is prepared, select plants that are well adapted to your growing climate. If your goal is affordable produce, this is essential.

Disease Resistance

Heirloom vegetables are yummy. Disease resistant vegetables are cost-effective because you will spend less money on pest control mechanisms. Whenever possible, buy varieties that are resistant to common insects, viruses, bacterial and fungal problems in your area.

Companion Plants

Select plants that help each other. Planting tomatoes next to cabbage works well because the same insects are not attracted to each. A colorful border of marigolds helps keep many pests away and adds color to the garden. Planting peas next to plants requiring a lot of nitrogen, such as corn, provides natural fertilizer. Onions and leeks are good companions for potatoes because the onions are not tasty to potato bugs.

Following these helpful steps will allow you to produce literally tons of food to feed your family and preserve for the winter, or for use if food prices rise beyond your reach.

By: Christopher A. Williams

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From the time the first coca beans were harvested by the Mayans, there has been the belief that chocolate has a euphoric impact on the body’s senses. The conquistadores saw the Emperor Montezuma of the Aztecs consuming a large quantity of cocoa in the form of a beverage called chocolatl before entering his harem. The invading Spaniards spread the Emperor’s belief that cocoa was an aphrodisiac and brought it to Europe. This belief was also shared by one of history’s most famous lovers, Giacomo Casanova.

Since then, the use of chocolate as part of the mating ritual has been firmly established. . More recently it has been shown that not only does chocolate increase the sexual appetite but also produces a sense of elation similar to an orgasm.

It has only been in recent times that scientists have unravelled chocolate’s psychotropic properties and the effects it has on us. Chocolate has been found to contain modest amounts of the stimulants caffeine and theo-bromine, (much less than in coffee or tea) Chocolate is also known to generate increased levels of serotonin, a chemical naturally produced by the brain, which is known to reduce anxiety. Serotonin is most commonly associated with the effects of marijuana or getting ’stoned’ (you would have to eat 25lbs of dark chocolate at once to achieve the same effect).

Neither of these properties by themselves provides the connection between eating chocolates and heightened sexual pleasure. It is in fact the rush of endorphins produced by eating chocolates, particularly dark chocolates, which is most similar to the bliss associated with a healthy sexual relationship. Chocolate also contains phenyl-ethylamine which is known to stimulate the release of dopamine into the pleasure centers commonly associated with an orgasm.

In addition to this scientific evidence, a great deal of behavioral research has been done to study the sexual behavior of women who eat a lot of chocolate and those who don’t. The conclusion of this is that women who consume large quantities of chocolate have more satisfying sex lives. However the reverse correlation could also be assumed where women with satisfying sex lives tend to eat more chocolate.

Despite the fact that the relationship between sex and chocolate can’t be proven with 100% certainty, the scientific evidence combined with behavioral studies provides a compelling argument for cocoa’s impact on our sexual drive – it is convincing enough for chocolate to have become a part of my daily diet!

I recommend that you buy chocolate with a high cocoa content which taste better and do not contain extra sugars and oils like candy bars found in most shops. My personal favorite, Neuhaus chocolates, is an example of where you can get dark chocolate with a high cocoa content and a resulting surfeit of pleasure. To paraphrase the Song of Solomon, ‘Stay me with flagons and comfort me with chocolates, for I am sick with love’.

By: Shalin Popat

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The energy drinks of today rely on extreme amounts of caffeine and sugar to shock our central nervous system into giving us a boost. This is very unhealthy. If you are a person who needs to reduce stress or often relies on the typical energy drinks to get you through, you need to know there are other choices that are natural, that can greatly improve your wellbeing.

There are a few new energy drinks on the market that are gaining national attention, and they are all natural. These healthy drinks could be your newest solution for handling the excess pressures and problems of modern life. Most of the products available to us today, use less than desirable ingredients, that are actually deleterious to our bodies and health. It’s about time we had a truly natural health and energy drink alternative that we could look forward to using daily.

One of the natural energy drinks, utilizes specialized herbs classified as adaptogens. Like most herbs they have healing properties, but are unique in the respect that they specifically give your body what is needs. They help to balance and relieve stress. They also naturally stimulate your body to produce more ATP or cellular energy and keep cortisol levels in balance. Keep reading for more on these fantastic herbals that might be in some of the healthy beverages out there.

An adaptogen, known in China as Wu wei zi, or the Schizandra herb, is a climbing vine which produces unique looking red berries. Schizandra is used in many high quality supplements to promote balance. Studies on the schizandra berries suggest that they have antibacterial properties. These berries are used in the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as an herbal treatment for a wide range of conditions. They may also be effective for certain heart conditions. The plant also appears to give antioxidant protection when taken, it is a youth preserving herb, historically consumed by Chinese royalty. Schizandra can sooth irritation, including irritating skin conditions. The herb is also prescribed for insomnia, night terrors, coughs, lung problems, depression, and liver disorders.

Another not so widely know herb, Rhodiola Rosea, is added to many of the brain support and adrenal formulas of today. This herb is considered a powerful adaptogenic which means it helps your body adjust to what it needs at the time. It can be used as a brain health supplement to promote healthy cognitive functions such as focus, attention, concentration, memory and mental focus. So if your life is such that you need to fight fatigue, combat stress, ease depression and improve poor memory, you might want to look for a health and energy drink product that contains both of these incredible herbs.

By: Charise Princeton

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“Food Miles”, the distance our food travels between the farm that produced it and our table. Preliminary estimates in some areas suggest that less than 8.5% of our diet is produced on local farms. While fifteen years ago it was almost double. The environmental pressure that our food transportation produces is enormous. Food that has been locally produced and traveled less “food miles” not only is better for the environment but often tastes better too, Food has to be harvested in a much less mature state so it can “ripen” in transit while locally grown food can “ripen” on the plant. Fortunately people are becoming more aware of the source of their food.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames Iowa reported in July 2003, that the weighted average source distance (WASD) for locally locally grown produce to reach institutional markets was 56 miles, while the conventional WASD for the produce to reach those same institutional points of sale was 1,494 miles, nearly 27 times further.

According to Statistics Canada’s, Food Consumption in Canada, imports of food as a percentage of net supply are going up. Between 1964 and 2001, imports of fruits (and fruit products) have gone from 67% to 97% of supply. Imports of vegetables (and vegetable products) have gone from 20% to 48% in the same time period. While dairy products, poultry, and eggs have remained relatively stable, imports of red meat have risen from 4.2% in 1964 to 24% in 2002

Critics tell us that this debate risks turning consumers off imported products from the developing world and fails to take into account the emissions produced by farmers who would fill the market gap.

We know the booming aviation market is also very good for farmers and consumers. The millions of tonnes of flowers, fruit and fish flown around the world every day is staggering. BUT, complex chemical reactions that occur when aviation fuel is burnt at high altitude make aircraft emissions nearly three times as damaging as the carbon dioxide to our environment over ground transport, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The British Government has the right line of thinking because they would like to reduce the environmental and social costs of food transport by 20 per cent by 2012. The country’s supermarkets are considering labeling produce with “food miles” showing the distance goods have traveled. Some of the large retailers like the US Wal-Mart, has started favoring suppliers that aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The ideal would be to have a system of labeling that would enable us to compare a product’s carbon footprint just as we currently compare price or nutritional value.

Take a minute to think of how many shopping carts are passing through supermarket checkouts each and every minute of every day in your country. How much precious fossil fuel is being burned up and added to the critical state of our atmosphere every single day to get this food to the shopping carts. Buying locally grown food, or taking the responsibility of growing some of your own food is no longer just a lifestyle option, it’s becoming a necessity for life itself. We all need to do our part if our children and grandchildren are going to have a safe place to live.

By: Carm Paynter

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