Climate Food and Agriculture

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  • If We Weren’t Already Fireproof, This Would Burn Us Up

    Flame Retardants Found in Many Grocery-Store Foods A new study of grocery items like fish, meat, and dairy products revealed that virtually all of them contain detectable levels of PBDEs, human-made chemical fire retardants used in carpeting, electronics, and furniture that may or may not cause cancer. (We’ll get to the “may or may not” […]

    Grist staff Food

  • Yes, We Have Mo’ Bananas

    Australians Kick Some Renewable-Energy Butt Those Australians are busy bees these days! One team of Aussie researchers has announced that within seven years it will be able to produce hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water, in a process that has no moving parts and produces no pollutants. “This is potentially huge, with a market the […]

    Grist staff Food

  • Umbra on organic syrup

    Dear Umbra, I saw at the store there is “organic” maple syrup. Is there really a difference between organic and non-organic maple syrup? Do conventional farms spray the trees with massive amounts of pesticides? I don’t have much money (poor college student) so I was just trying to buy organic for things like apples and […]

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  • Biopharming Is Phat!

    Suzy Becker Food

  • Umbra on hydroponic farming

    Dear Umbra, What are the advantages of hydroponics, and if it is so good, why isn’t it used more? LukeMitchellville, Iowa Dearest Luke, Plants take up most of their nutrients through their roots, despite all we learned in elementary school about leaves making food from the sun. Soil is a complex conglomeration of minerals, nutrients, […]

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  • Umbra on genetically modified foods

    Dear Umbra, Is most of the genetically modified food that makes its way into our grocery aisles really that harmful? It seems to me that the process of genetic modification is not that far from hybridizing and other tinkering processes that we’ve come to accept. Judi Boston, Mass. Dearest Judi, We don’t know, and that’s […]

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  • Atomic Fusion Cuisine

    Suzy Becker Food

  • Michelle Nijhuis reviews Against the Grain by Richard Manning

    What's for dinner at your house? Unless you're a strict Atkins adherent, chances are you've got at least one of the world's four top crops on your plate. Corn, wheat, rice, and potatoes account for about two-thirds of the world's nourishment; from French fries to brown rice, these familiar starches dominate humanity's diet.

    Michelle Nijhuis Food

  • Family Farm: The Next Generation

    Suzy Becker Food

  • A safe-food crusader answers questions

    What environmental organization are you affiliated with? Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Chapter. What does it do? PSR is a nonprofit educational organization committed to the elimination of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, the achievement of a healthy and sustainable environment, and the reduction of violence and its causes. PSR has programs on […]

    Grist staff Food