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In the News: Even Fruit Flies Know Organic is Better Than Conventional, Meat Contains Bacteria Resistant to Antibiotics, Americans Skeptical of Organic Food

Even Fruit Flies Know Organic is Better

A 16 year old’s science fair project that explores fruit flies and organic foods has raised some provocative questions about the health benefits of organic eating. The research, titled ?Organically Grown Food Provides Health Benefits to Drosophila melanogaster,? tracked the effects of organic and conventional? diets on the health of fruit flies. By nearly every measure, including fertility, stress resistance and longevity, flies that fed on organic bananas and potatoes fared better than those who dined on conventionally raised produce. While the results can?t be directly extrapolated to human health, the research nonetheless paves the way for additional studies on the relative health benefits of organic versus conventionally grown foods. Fruit fly models are often used in research because their short life span allows scientists to evaluate a number of basic biological effects over a relatively brief period of time, and the results provide clues for better understanding disease and biological processes in humans.

Report on U.S. Meat Sounds Alarm on Resistant Bacteria

More than half of samples of ground turkey, pork chops and ground beef collected from supermarkets for testing by the federal government contained a bacteria resistant to antibiotics, according to a new report highlighting the findings. The data, collected in 2011 by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System ? a joint program of the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ? show a sizable increase in the amount of meat contaminated with antibiotic-resistant forms of bacteria, known as superbugs, like salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter. ?Many animals grown for meat are fed diets containing antibiotics to promote growth and reduce costs, as well as to prevent and control illness. Public health officials in the United States and in Europe, however, are warning that the consumption of meat containing antibiotics contributes to resistance in humans. The Agriculture Department has confirmed that almost 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the United States are used in animal agriculture, and public health authorities around the world increasingly are warning that antibiotic resistance is reaching alarming levels.? These findings go to show how important it is to purchase meat free of hormones and antibiotics.

Americans Still Wary of Organic Labels

Concern for the environment may be increasing among Americans, but suspicion of corporate ?greenwashing? may be slowing their willingness to pay extra for ?green? products, including organic, suggests a new survey of 2,276 adults. According to a March 2013 Harris Poll, nearly 60% of respondents agreed that labeling food or other products as organic is just an excuse to charge more. Although the poll found that Americans are showing an increased concern for the environment, they are not willing to pay for food that directly benefits the environment. There seems to a real disconnect between our food choices and how that effects the planet. Only through increased educate will this change. Thankfully that is what iEat Green is here to do! In the hopes, that people learn that their food choices really do matter. Help us spread the word!

 

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