Are You Keeping Score?

You Should Be.

We keep score in sports. Our credit has a score. Couples sometimes keep score to see who contributes more to the relationship. Even music has a score. But what about our food – shouldn’t it also have a score? If we allow food manufacturers to “keep score” for us, we might end up in trouble! Enter the watchdogs…

 

Who’s Minding the Store?

Find out which retailer has a failing score with this report card on 30 or so retail giants, regarding what their actions have been and what their intentions are when it comes to eliminating toxic chemicals from their food supply chain. For example, Starbucks received an F for failing to address BPA, phthalates and PFAS. Who else is failing?

The Cereal Scorecard.

Cornucopia offers a full report on 51 different cereal manufacturers. At a glance, this chart clearly shows which brands you should support with your grocery dollars – from organic cereal products to “natural” products. In addition, take three minutes to view the video, “Cereal Crimes.”

An Olive Oil Scorecard.

First there was fake news and now there is fake olive oil? Yep. Due to bad weather and diseased olive trees, 2018 was a tough year. Some producers are cutting pure olive oil with canola, palm or sunflower oils. Luckily, Epicurious instructs us on 7 ways to know if our olive oil is pure or not.

Omega-3 DHA Needs a Scorecard.

Babies need DHA for brain and eye development, at a minimum, and adults need it too. But there is inadequate safety testing being done on Martek’s DHA. So much so that the FDA is expressing concerns regarding the safety of adding it to infant formulas. However, pass this on – Cornucopia Institute has developed a DHA Guide to baby food, dairy, dairy alternatives and baby formula that’s at your fingertips right now by clicking here.

Oats and Roundup Weed Killer Scorecard.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, is found in most samples of oat-based foods. Thankfully, the Environmental Working Group has once again done the work for us! If you are going to eat whole oats, the safest brand to eat is Whole Foods 365 Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats. The safest granola snack bar is Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry. For instant oats Simple Truth Organic Instant Oatmeal – Original is the best and Nature’s Path Organic Honey Almond is the cleanest granola. Please visit this link from EWG to see which brands you should absolutely avoid when it comes to oats and Roundup!

Plant Milks Scorecard.

Cornucopia Institute just updated their plant-based beverage list for “milk” made from cashew, almond, soy, coconut, rice, pecan, banana, oats, and others. How does your preferred beverage rate?

A Closing Note on Cow’s Milk.

A study published in June of 2019 from the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine concluded that antibiotics and pesticides were undetectable in organic milk samples but prevalent in conventional milk, with some samples even exceeding federal limits. Conventional milk also showed higher levels of growth hormones. So, be aware of what your child is drinking.