When shopping for food you can buy in a much more responsible and sustainable way.

Here is a start - BUT don’t forget the simple things you can do.

REMEMBER SHOPPING IS NOT A NEUTRAL ACTIVITY.

The three key questions in food shopping are:

WHAT are you buying?
WHERE are you buying it?
WHEN are you buying it?


WHAT…

• Buy things in bulk. It can be cheaper to buy in bulk. But can you use all the contents? It’s no good if it will go out of date before you use it! Buying in bulk can save on packaging, too. Often things in bulk are not packaged with all the fancy schmancy wrapping that uses so much energy and resource to create.
• Don’t buy too much. If you throw food away, you waste not just the food but also all the energy put into growing and distributing it.
  A loaf of bread has the following energy costs:
  Farming/flour milling/baking: 63 per cent
  Transport: 19 per cent
  Packaging: 10 per cent
  Shop costs: 8 per cent
• Be choosy. Buy small amounts from delicatessen counters.
  They use more packaging, but you can get just the amount you need!
• Be honest! Don’t buy stuff you aren’t going to eat. If nobody in the house likes salad, you will end up throwing it all away. Look for other healthy options.
• Look at every package. How far has the food come? Could you find an alternative? Is it cheaper?
• Buy products with the Fair Trade label on them. The farmers will get a fair proportion of the price.
• Don’t insist on perfect fruit and vegetables. Does the odd blemish really matter if the food tastes OK? To get the perfect product, fruit and vegetables have to be grown in strictly controlled ways, using a lot of chemicals. And what happens to the fruit that isn’t quite perfect - that doesn’t make the grade?

WHERE…

• Support local shops.
• Plan shopping trips to use minimum fuel. Avoid busy times, traffic jams and sitting in queues.
• Share a shopping trip with a friend or neighbour.

WHEN…

Buy food in season - for example buy strawberries in the summer and winter cabbage in the winter.

See also Our Daily Bread, What does it REALLY Cost?

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For over 40 years scientists have known that the fumes from hot non-stick surfaces can kill birds such as canaries. So just how dangerous are they to you?

Several studies have been conducted into health concerns surrounding Teflon, the coating invented and patented by DuPont. The results have been disturbing, if somewhat inconclusive.

While the lethal effect on birds is well documented and not in dispute, much of the other evidence tends to be anecdotal at best. And some of it is downright confusing.

For example, the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is usually cited as the villain of the piece and the root cause of the illnesses that have allegedly appeared in some users. However DuPont claims Teflon doesn’t contain this chemical, although it is used in the manufacturing process.

Whatever the truth of that may be, it’s certainly accurate to say that there have been a number of health issues emerging in the community immediately adjacent to the DuPont factory in Parkersburg, West Virginia; more about that later.

There also seems to be some disagreement among authorities as to the temperatures at which the bird-lethal fumes are given off. These are quoted as ranging from 285°F to 475° and more.

Since both these figures are well within the smoke points of edible oils such as avocado and safflower, keeping your budgie in or near the kitchen is definitely not good for his health.

But what about your health?

Human victims have complained of flu-like symptoms, some leading to respiratory complications, after using non-stick cookware. Some reactions have been reported as “severe”".

At least one report suggests that the fumes may be cancer inducing after prolonged exposure, although none suggest that Teflon itself is harmful if swallowed.

If the fumes are harmful to humans, then there is much more to consider than just kitchen items. Some brands of light bulb, portable heaters and even Gore Tex clothing are all produced using PFOA, the same reactive agent used in the case of Teflon.

Not surprisingly, DuPont denies there is any problem; but this hasn’t prevented the company from paying out millions of dollars in compensation, not only to their employees but to 50,000 people living in the vicinity of the Parkersburg factory. You have to ask yourself “why?”.

Complaints have included accusations of water pollution, high infant mortality rates and a greater than normal incidence of cancer among the local population. DuPont has never admitted liability in any of these cases.

While the jury still seems to be out on the safety or otherwise of Teflon in the home, even DuPont’s own experts advise caution when using non-stick items, particularly with regard to high cooking temperatures.

And this is something you can rely on: when Teflon and similar coatings are heated to a certain point, fumes are given off. These fumes will kill pet birds that inhale them. It’s therefore reasonable to suppose that other forms of life may also be at risk.

You can get more information on the Teflon debate from this address http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/es.php

For a definitive article on the effects of Teflon fumes on birds, visit this site http://www.theaviary.com/teflon.shtml

Article Source: http://www.thatarticledirectory.com @ That Article Directory

Michael Sheridan was formerly head chef of the Pierre Victoire restaurant in London’s West End, specializing in French cuisine. An Australian, he is a published author on cooking matters and runs a free membership club and cooking course for busy home cooks at thecoolcook.com

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While it may not have been hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, recent triple-digit heat proved more than enough to get the job done when it came to baking cookies.

Justus-Tiawah teacher Sherri Ladd’s seventh and eighth grade classes participated in a day-long experiment, involving cookie dough, her personal car and mother nature.

“With it being so hot — into the hundreds — we thought we’d find out if it would be hot enough inside my car, with the windows rolled up, to actually bake cookies,” Ladd said. “So, last Friday, we put in two dozen cookies — just regular raw cookie dough — onto baking sheets, put them in my car (in the JT parking lot), rolled up the windows, and let the heat do the rest.”

Throughout the day, Ladd said the temperature in her car reached 200 degrees Fahrenheit (according to an oven thermometer placed inside, near the cookies), and by day’s end, her seventh-grade science students reaped the benefits of her scientific curiosity.

“My seventh grade girls were the lucky ones that day — they got to finish off the cookies,” she said, noting the students described them as “softer and fluffier” than cookies baked in a conventional oven.

Although temperatures have cooled somewhat since last week, Ladd said she wouldn’t rule out baking another few dozen cookies for her students, were it to warm up again.

“If we have another hot day like we did last week, we might bake more cookies inside my car,” she said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

By: Tom Fink http://claremoredailyprogress.com

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