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iEat Green Encourages Consumers to Demand Transparency in Their Food; Interviews Michel Nischan, Founder, CEO and President of Wholesome Wave

Hi Everyone,

With food manufacturers knowing that consumers are becoming more aware of the foods they eat and choices they make, their marketing strategies are becoming trickier than ever. I just read an article in the NY Times about Perdue Chicken being raised without antibiotics, only to find out that they are using ionophores, which are still antibiotics, they are just not used in human medicine. It is true that more than half of the chicken Perdue sells is sold under the brand name, Harvestland, which is antibiotic free, but their other chicken is still given ionophores. Other competitors like Tyson and Foster Farms are also moving to eliminate the use of antibiotics “important to humans” from their chicken operations, but as of now, they still use ionophores, which are not required to be reported to regulators. As customers like McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A demand antibiotic free chicken, I won’t be surprised if they lobby for a new bill allowing labels to say “Free of Human Antibiotic,” as opposed to “Antibiotic Free.” Last year, a video was released showing birds raised for Perdue, living in tight quarters on top of their own feces with raw, inflamed bellies. These birds are called “cage free” but the whole factory is one big cage. Another new marketing campaign is to label High Fructose Corn Syrup, as just Fructose, which people think of as fruit, and not a bad choice. Most of us know by now, that the label “All Natural” really means nothing, (7-Up was able to market their soda as “all natural”) and that even the label “Organic” only means that 95% of the ingredients are organic. But the final blow that has me livid, is the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, which passed the House last week. It has been nicknamed the DARK Act, which stands for “Deny Americans the Right to Know” because it would allow food manufacturers the choice to voluntarily label their foods, and would take precedent over states creating their own laws mandating GMO labeling. We need your help in letting Congress know that we oppose this new bill, by signing the petition.

My guest this week on the Progressive Radio Network is Michel Nischan, the Founder, CEO and President of Wholesome Wave, a non profit organization advocating for a more sustainable food system. Michel is a michel-nischanthree-time James Beard Foundation award-winning chef with over 30 years of leadership experience, and is also co-founder of the Chefs Action Network. Nischan and his team at Wholesome Wave have been at the forefront of advocating for a healthful, just, and sustainable food system. Working through a network of partners, Wholesome Wave has been successful in increasing access to affordable, local produce in guy1underserved communities, improving the health of individuals, and increasing revenue for small and mid-sized farm businesses. Please join me on Thursday, at 10am, to learn more about Michel and his organization, Wholesome Wave.

Remember, my show is recorded live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in, navigate to PRN.fm and click the “Listen Live” button on the left. Also try downloading the PRN mobile app, and take the station with you wherever you go! If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call in number is 888-874-4888.

If you can’t tune in at that time, you can listen to the show in the PRN archives, or on my website, or through iTunes.  Please “like” iEat Green’s Facebook page and feel free to rate the show and leave comments on iTunes and on my website. Thank you all for your support.

With love and gratitude,

Bhavani

 

 

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