What We Eat...And How It's Labeled

Preface: I write this little column for Roundup's local paper, the Roundup Record, each month. It is called "What We Eat....". Thought I'd post it here as well.

Natural, Certified Organic, Raised Without Antibiotics, Raised Without Added Hormones, Cage-Free, Free Range........

Have you ever stood in your grocery store aisle, wondering what all of the food packaging labels really mean? Are “natural” foods really just as good as their more expensive “certified organic” counterparts? What do the “cage-free” and “free-range” labels on industrially-produced eggs and meat really mean? Are the “raised without added hormones” and “raised without antibiotics” claims legitimate?

The questions can be as numerous as the packaging labels, and each one is important to ask. That is because some labels are regulated and do, in fact, communicate meaningful information, while others are simply tricky advertising ploys to get you, the consumer, to pick one product over another.

Not all of the answers are completely straightforward either. Take, for example, the “Raised Without Added Hormones” packaging claim. This label is essentially meaningless if it appears on a poultry or pork product, because the USDA does not permit the use of hormones in the raising of poultry or swine. If you look closely at your package of “Raised Without Added Hormones” chicken, you will likely notice an asterisk that points you to the fine print acknowledgment that “federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.” This statement is required on all poultry or pork products that proclaim that they are raised without additional hormones.

On a package of beef or lamb, however, the “Raised Without Added Hormones” label actually means something, as there are growth-enhancing hormones approved for use in the raising of cattle and sheep. The USDA states that the producer making the “Raised Without Added Hormones” claim is required to “provide the Agency with sufficient documentation showing that no hormones have been used in raising the animals.”

Cage Free Chickens

Antibiotics are currently used in the production of poultry, swine and cattle to prevent disease, promote growth and to treat diagnosed disease. If a food claims that it has been “Raised Without Antibiotics,” the USDA requires that the producer “provide the Agency with sufficient documentation that the animals were raised without antibiotics.”

“Cage-free” and “free-range” are confusing labels as well. For example, a package of “cage-free” chicken meat is probably not different from its unlabeled freezer-mate, as chickens raised for meat are not typically caged before they are transported for slaughter. The “cage-free” label on an egg carton is meaningful however, and it describes a step up from the average laying hen's life, which is spent within a tiny cage. But it does not indicate that the laying hens had access to the outdoors, or that they lived in uncrowded conditions. “Cage-free” birds are likely to live uncaged, within a large, crowded warehouse-like building with many thousands of other hens.

Badger Rock Farm Chickens - Early Spring 2010

The average industrially-raised, “free range” meat chicken's life is not very different. While the label might bring to the consumer's mind the image of a chicken roaming over a sunlit, grassy pasture, the reality is that it probably lived, uncaged, within a large, crowded building with many thousands of other birds and may or may not have ever stepped outside. This is because the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) approves “free range” labeling of poultry meat products “if the producer can demonstrate that the birds were allowed continuous, free access to the outside for over 51 percent of their lives.” It does not state that the birds must actually access this outdoor space. It also does not define what the quality of that outdoor space must be, or how much of it must be available. When “free-range” is used to reference egg products, it can mean whatever the manufacturer wants it to mean, because the USDA regulates the term for poultry meat products, but not for eggs.

How about “natural” versus “organic?” Do they mean essentially the same thing? The quick answer to that is no. Only food produced according to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards can be labeled as organic, and it must be certified by an independent, third-party. Certified organic foods may not be produced using synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or sewage sludge. They may not be genetically engineered, or irradiated. Animal products that are certified organic come from animals that were fed organic feed without animal byproducts and were raised without antibiotics or added hormones. All certified organic poultry is cage-free, but the NOP does not dictate minimum space requirements, stocking density or flock size.

The use of the word “natural” on foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means that nothing artificial or synthetic, including color additives, was added to the food product. Generally speaking, FDA regulated foods are eggs still in their shell, dairy products such as milk, cheese and ice cream, and products that do not contain meat.

The USDA regulates foods that contain meat and “egg products” (eggs that have been removed from their shells for processing). The “natural” label on foods under the USDA's jurisdiction indicates that the product does not contain any artificial flavors, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives. It also must not be more than minimally processed, and the package has to carry a statement describing what is meant by the “natural” label. Whether regulated by the FDA or the USDA, the term “natural” does not mean that the food was produced without the use of chemical herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers or sewage sludge and it says nothing about whether the food product was irradiated or made using genetically engineered ingredients. It also has no relevance whatsoever to the conditions under which animals (in the case of meat or egg products) were raised.

This is by no means a complete list of the food packaging labels that exist. Even with this abbreviated list, however, it's clear that deciphering the truth behind labeling claims is bewildering at best. As a consumer, it is wise to always remember that the bold letters on the grocery store shelf are intended to sell you something. A healthy dose of skeptical caution, and some homework can go a long way towards making sure your food is what you expect it to be.   

What We Eat......December 2010

Preface: I write this little column for Roundup's local paper, the Roundup Record, each month. It is called "What We Eat....". Thought I'd post it here as well.

WHAT WE EAT....
by Erin Janoso

         Imagine a barn confining 20,000 laying hens under the same roof. Now picture a flock of 50 small-farm-raised layers that spend their days outdoors, chasing grasshoppers. Or envision an industrial facility that bags thousands of pounds of salad greens for national distribution, and compare that with the thought of a market gardener clipping and bagging spinach leaves for the farmer's market the next day.

          For me, and probably for many, the mental images that result from the above comparisons are of two almost entirely different worlds: industrialized production facilities owned or contracted by large, multinational corporations, versus small, diversified farms, where the farmer growing the food is the one selling it to customers that he or she likely knows by name. It seems odd then, that regulations governing food production and processing sometimes does not acknowledge the drastic separation between these two very different types of operations. One-size-fits-all legislation is usually designed to regulate the huge, industrial facilities, and it can cripple small farms with exorbitant costs of compliance and/or regulatory paperwork burdens.

               This is why the Food Safety Modernization Act, or SB510 created so much fear within circles that care about the continued existence of small, family-owned farms. Spurred on by the many recent outbreaks of food-borne illness, this bill, which passed the Senate on November 30, was called the most sweeping overhaul of our nation's food system in nearly a century. It was a great relief, therefore, that the version that finally passed the Senate included a number of amendments that would help shield small farmers from the very worst of SB510's regulatory burdens. The Tester-Hagan amendment, authored by Montana's Senator Tester and co-sponsored by Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina was the subject of fierce debate and consumed much of the last two weeks of Senate action on the bill. It faced significant attacks from the large produce and meat trade associations, but enjoyed enough strong support from sustainable agriculture advocates and others that the amendment was incorporated into the final bill. In an abbreviated nutshell, this amendment provided exemptions and provisions for small farms and processing facilities that have gross sales of less than $500,000 annually, that direct market over 50% of their product directly to the consumer (for example, at a farm stand or farmer's market) or to stores or restaurants, and that sell to consumers, stores or restaurants that are within-state or within 275 miles of the farm's location.

              As I finish writing this article on Friday, Dec. 17, the Food Safety Modernization Act's future appears dim. When it moved to the House, it was attached to the omnibus spending bill that subsequently failed to pass the Senate. There are some last minute efforts being made to keep the food-safety bill alive, but if these fail, it is thought that this legislation will not be able to be successfully revived next year.

             Whether the probable death of this legislation is a good or a bad thing for small farms, farmer's markets and their like is hard to know. There will surely be another effort made to overhaul our nation's food safety laws, because there are large problems within the current food system that truly do leave consumers unprotected and vulnerable. The question remains, however....Will the next version of legislation include any language or amendments at all that protect small producers from crippling regulations and costs of compliance? Or might the market gardener picking spinach for the farmer's market end up crushed under the same regulations that control the massive multinational food corporations after all? That will remain to be seen. In the meantime, it is clear that vigilance is required to preserve the vibrancy of, and our access to, locally grown food.

Goodbye Summer's Work; Hello Winter's Rest (aka Armchair Gardening)

A lot has happened since my last, mid-September post. A season has come and gone. Jack Frost arrived, but was followed by a long, WARM first half of November. Harvests were completed, snow fell, and finally, the seed catalogs appeared in the mail. The garden has been put to sleep for the winter, the chickens have been tucked into their cold-weather coop, and I have begun the happy task of armchair gardening. Next year's garden, of course, will be perfect!





The last Billings Yellowstone Valley Farmer's Market took place on October 2nd. We enjoyed beautiful weather on that fall Saturday, and market patrons came out in droves to bid the season adieu. I couldn't believe that, after 2009's early and extreme cold snap, I was still picking tomatoes almost into mid-October.








A killing frost finally did arrive on the night of October 12.










But weather that was generally warm (read: tshirts and shorts into the 11th month of the year!) continued, giving me a much needed chance to play catch-up on all of the fall chores that seemed so impossible to get done while the market was still going. Cover-crop seeding, root crop harvesting, the collection of leaves for compost and so much more.

(And yes, I do work too. Jim just never takes pictures, so he's always the one IN them, working...:-D).
























The second half of November finally brought with it the sub-zero temps that we all knew were eventually inevitable. The chickens appreciated getting to clean up the immature corn off the old stalks, and a few even got into a game of shadow puppets once I got their heat lamp plugged in!














Now, the garden sleeps under its white blanket, and I get to enjoy the woodstove's heat while I plan 2011's perfect garden. To quote Pam Gerwe, one of my favorite fellow gardeners: "Next year, I'm not going to start saying "next year...." until at least July." That sounds like a good plan. Cheers 2010.....you taught me more than I could have (or would have wanted to) imagine. Here's to 2011.....

Spin Those Salad Greens Round and Round!

When preparing my salad mix, one of my perennial problems has been the removal of the water that's used to rinse and cool the greens. In years past, I'd tried all sorts of methods: draining in a big colander (too much of the water remains on the leaves), swinging them in a mesh laundry bag (more effective than the colander, but hard on the ole shoulder), processing teensy batches in a kitchen-sized salad spinner (waaaaay too time-consuming for farmer's market prep), etc.

I am happy to report that I've finally arrived at a solution that works almost like magic.....drying large batches of salad thoroughly and efficiently. The answer? A washer machine!! Set on the spin cycle, with the agitator removed, the mix is cooled, rinsed and ready to be bagged for market in no time!!

Help = One of the Best Things Ever!

Meet Reed, my 15 yr old helper. He is passionate about the outdoors and gardens, and he has been spending a couple days of most of his late summer weeks weeding, harvesting, and helping me accomplish the things that are just so much easier with more than one set of hands. This summer has been an education on just how important willing help really is. So much less gets accomplished when I insist on doing things alone. (Sometimes, though, I keep trying....). It is almost like a miracle to go run unavoidable errands, and come back to find fed animals and weeded beds (there was broccoli hiding in that grass???). Reed is my first employee. I am his first employer. We are both learning and it is working out well.

Farm Tour of America Bicyclists Arrive at Badger Rock Farm!

Farm Tour of America: 3000 Miles, 11 Riders, 1 Cause. On July 14, 11 bicyclists, a van and a puppy arrived at Badger Rock Farm. Traveling across country to raise money for global food sovereignty via a sustainable agriculture project in Bolivia, they'd bicycled out of Portland, OR at the end of June. As they make their way across the United States, they are staying at small farms and other key players in local food culture, hoping to learn as well as bring attention to food sovereignty.

After rolling in during the late afternoon, we shared a pot of chili made (mostly) from things harvested here at the farm, and they pitched their tents for the night. In the morning, I arrived to a number of thoroughly weeded beds. What a welcome surprise!! I never would have accomplished all of that on my own. It is beautiful what 11 pairs of hands can get done in a short period of time.

After that, they were on their way. Their goal on July 15 was Ingomar, MT and the Jersey Lilly Campground, approx. 60 miles away.

If you would like to read more about this group of bicyclists, you can check out their blog here:

http://bikeacrossamerica.wordpress.com/

New "Replacement" Chicks are Growing Gangbusters!

30 chicks arrived on July 23. Hatched on July 21 at Ideal Hatchery, they include 10 Araucanas ("Easter egg" chickens, lay light green eggs), 10 Welsummers (chocolate brown eggs) and 10 Rhode Island Reds (brown egg layers). When they are big enough, they will join the flock that remains after the end-June coyote predation incidents that caused my daily gathering tally to go from 18-24, down to 4-6 eggs. The good news is that everyone is now happy and healthy, and the egg production is climbing again as the now 5 month old Rhode Island Red and Araucana pullets begin to lay. They're joining the ranks of my Dominique hens that have made up the laying flock since last year.