While access to fresh, local produce and other products is increasing in the U.S., so is the variety of labels on our food. What does the cage-free, grass-fed, or free-range mean and why should we care? Here is your cheat sheet for some of those fancy labels in an effort to make us more educated, healthy shoppers.

• Free-Range is used in reference to poultry. All birds have unlimited access to food, fresh water, and the ability to go outdoors. Free range chickens are not confined to overcrowded...

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Twitter: @chefjennyhuston

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Dr. Vandana Shiva Brings Earth Democracy to Hawai’i

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

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·      This 15-year-old helped convince PepsiCo to stop putting flame retardant in chemical in Gatorade http://bit.ly/XN2X2M

Now can we get the stuff banned and off the GRAS list?

·      26 States to Consider Toxic Chemicals Legislation in 2013 http://bit.ly/145p8r0

Despite intense industry opposition and Congressional inaction, state governments continue to defend the vulnerable...

·      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?

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·      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...

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·      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

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

Twitter: @chefjennyhuston

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·      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

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·      Bill and Lou: A Parable for Saving Our Broken Food System http://goo.gl/C9d9e

·      These guerrilla cartographers are mapping the edible world http://goo.gl/KBDgG

·      20 Food Heroes http://goo.gl/QtYyr

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·      Michael Pollan: From GMOs to NYC’s Soda Ban, Local Efforts Challenge Agri-Giants’ National Control http://goo.gl/bhztL

Among the nation’s leading writers and thinkers on food and food policy, Michael Pollan talks...

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10 year seeks path to more sustainable local food system

·      Scenes of ‘Dust Bowl Days’ Return As Oklahoma Storm Causes Highway Pileup http://goo.gl/zGVd6

Year of high temps and record drought portends climate future for once fertile croplands

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How do we make sure...

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·      Fresh produce to reach more families in Sunnyvale, California http://goo.gl/1Lrnq

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·      Choose the Right Apple http://goo.gl/RfMBT

A flow chart to aid in your pomaceous decision-making.

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·      A bad harvest, rising...

What is an omnivore to do?

With technological advancements in cultivation, transportation, and preservation, we are no longer confined by the season nor which region of the planet we live in.  Food is plentiful and available in a plethora of choices, at least in the Western hemisphere.

The problem with this overabundance of food choices (mostly of the nutritionally inferior variety) is that it presents a societal dilemma.  The conventional food industry, driven by commercial gain, has taken food...