I think we can all agree that the demand for organic fruits, veggies, and other food products has been through the roof the past couple of years and shows no signs of stopping. Some people are genuinely concerned about where their food is coming from while others have adverse side effects of pesticides and chemicals used on crops while in the fields, orchards, greenhouse, etc. So what is the hype all about? Let's tackle some of the more common questions regarding organic products in the U.S.

What...

·      Study: Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not http://bit.ly/VR1dWu

o   Rich Countries Trash Up To Half Of All Food: Report http://huff.to/13lrQY6

o   The Independent: Letters: End the scandal of edible food going to waste http://ind.pn/ZT48Uk

o   Dumpster Diver TV: Austrians Cook Up Food Waste Reality Show http://n.pr/ULzlVb

o   Fine dining’s trash-to-table movement http://wapo.st/13eWsM0

·      Food produced globally is enough to feed almost double the existing population http://bit.ly/XtkMp6

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·      Insecticide ‘unacceptable’ danger to bees, report finds http://bit.ly/13CGhHo

Campaigners say the conclusion by the European Food Safety Authority is a ‘death knell’ for neonicotinoid pesticides

o   EFSA identifies risks to bees from neonicotinoids http://bit.ly/VZPY0k

·      Farmers hope to plow the way for sustainable US hemp http://bit.ly/13AVs44

·      The Edible House in the Netherlands http://bit.ly/ZLXmzI

·      20-foot Urban Farms: Compact, Versatile, Aquaponic Systems http://bit.l...

This post is available online here: http://local.farmersmarket.com/blog/chef-jenny-hustons-blog and here http://fertilegroundusa.com/index.php/organic-matter

Twitter: @chefjennyhuston

·      Food as Weapon http://bit.ly/Y0ZNu4

Dr. Vandana Shiva Brings Earth Democracy to Hawai’i

·      Peasant Leaders Stage Hunger Strike Against Genetically Modified Corn http://bit.ly/Wgepa4

Planting of GM corn would be ‘coup de grace to food sovereignty for the Mexican people.’

·      McDonald’s Sustainable Fish:...

·      4 Lessons for Growing a Family Farm Across Generations http://bit.ly/WNPsTg

Breaking our families into nuclear units has an ecological and emotional cost. Could the multigenerational farm remind us where to turn for a viable future?

·      Iceland’s Mass Herring Deaths Prompt Investigation By Government Officials http://huff.to/TKKNBX

·      Healthy Restaurant Meals Boost Chain Sales, New Study Says http://huff.to/V1I5Y6

o   Hudson Institute: Lower-Calorie Foods: It’s Just Good Business ht...

·      Fewer bees in US a threat to world’s almond supply http://yhoo.it/Z5MIjM

·      Tuna’s Last Stand http://bit.ly/WiWsI3

In early January, scientists released jaw-dropping data showing that bluefin tuna in the North Pacific to be “functionally extinct.”

·      US Food Industry Battles Against Regulation http://bit.ly/Y9xRnn

·      Quinoa: To Buy or Not to Buy… Is This the Right Question? http://bit.ly/Wu4H2Q

·      Swedes Consuming Low-Fat Dairy Products Gain More Weight http://bit.ly/12KQx...

Twitter: @chefjennyhuston

·      Create a Fruit Map of Your Neighborhood http://bit.ly/W1viSR

·      Are Young Native Americans Changing the State of Food in Indian Country? http://bit.ly/W2uvRC

Diabetes and food insecurity are rife in native communities, but research suggests tribes are now turning to sustain able agriculture.

·      Report: Farmers Markets as a Strategy to Improve Access to Healthy Food for Low-Income Families and Communities http://bit.ly/Vx5yRa

·      Shiitake DIY: How to...

·      India’s rice revolution http://bit.ly/Yo0Nbq

In a village in India’s poorest state, Bihar, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice (22.4 tonnes per hectare)  – with no GM, and no herbicide. Is this one solution to world food shortages?

Using a system called System of Rice (or root) Intensification (SRI)

o   Miracle grow: Indian farmers smash crop yields records without GMOs http://bit.ly/15ApQgO

·      Baltimore Food Hub: $10M campus for food related businesses, job training...

·      Indian man single-handedly plants a 1,360-acre forest http://bit.ly/UrpfG3

·      UN Report: Women’s rights and the right to food http://bit.ly/13A1tR2

·      Domesticated and wild bees are both in trouble http://bit.ly/Zsb5rl

o   “Promiscuous” Bees and Vanishing Insects Mean Less Food For Us http://bit.ly/108EyLL

·      Fixing Food: Seed Solution Models for a New Agricultural Paradigm http://bit.ly/Y4D29M

·      Sorry, Michelle, but cheerleading isn’t enough to make Big Food Change http:...

·      Arizona charity’s Wal-Mart snub may have paid off http://bit.ly/VAa6SK

·      Worldwatch Institute: Climate Friendly Food Production http://goo.gl/geDED and here is the Report: Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture: Supporting Climate Friendly Food Production http://goo.gl/sGm53

·      What does obesity have to do with climate change? Plenty, say some scientists http://bit.ly/Uiqo2A

o   Obesity in Young Is Seen as Falling in Several Cities http://nyti.ms/Xd697M

·      Vandana Shiva:...