The House of Representatives’ version of the 2007 Farm Bill (HR2419) passed by a vote of 231 to 191 with significant appropriations for the organic industry that will now be reviewed in the U.S. Senate. The future is brighter with the likely possibility of increased organic transition support, research grants, and certification cost share, plus crop insurance program improvements and expanded USDA organic data collection.

Source: 2007 Organic Consumer Reports

“There is no safe level of pesticides, only those with an acceptable level of risk.”

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

In order for foods to be certified organic they must meet a series of strict criteria that include:

* No synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides were used on the crop (or land) for at least three years.

* No GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

* In the case of meat, no growth hormones or antibiotics are given to the animals and all feed is vegetarian and certified organic.

Source: USDA

“Modern scientists are rapidly discovering new molecules in food that have medicinal properties and enhance health through improving the function of genes and metabolism. The ancient Chinese have incorporated this knowledge into their cuisine for thousands of years. There is no distinction between food and medicine in Asia. People there eat their medicine. In America, I spend most of my efforts educating people that food is medicine. I encourage my patients to eat their medicine and heal through food. The notion that food provides anything other than calories for energy and sustaining life is foreign to most Westerners. Food contains information that speaks to our genes.”

Mark Hyman, M.D., author of The Ultra Simple Diet

From Eating Medicine: Food as Pharmacology

“In the 1970s, obesity rates hovered around 15 percent, and Americans were spending about 15 percent of their incomes on food. By 2004, obesity rates had risen to 32 percent, while money spent on food fell to about 10 percent. Coincidence? The experts don’t think so.”

Sally Wadyka

MSN Health & Fitness

“Even people who are healthy can make a few tweaks and the impact will be amazing,. I’d say that 50% to 70% of suffering could be eliminated by what people eat and how they move: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension can all be impacted.”

Elizabeth Somer, Nutrtionist and Author

Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy, Food & Mood,

and The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals

Americans weigh more than Mexicans, Australians, Greeks, New Zealanders and the British.

U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 Statistical Abstract

“Treat the whole person — mind, body, spirit, and environment. Look first for the deepest root problems beneath anysymptoms. Apply a continuum of treatments, always beginning with the safest, most natural, and most benign.”

Dr Hyla Cass, M.D.,

author of Natural Highs, Feel Good All the Time

Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight or obese; 14 percent of adolescents (12-19) were considered overweight and 13 percent of children (6-11) were overweight.

Source: The National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)