Showing posts with label organic free trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic free trade. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Salmonella in eggs...what you don't know!


Free Range or Bust!
Did you know that 1 in 6 Americans contract a food borne illness..that's.over 48 million people every year!

According to the CDC, there are 31 known food borne pathogens the most common deaths are from SalmonellaToxoplasmaListeria, and the norovirus…that's over 1,300 a year.  

Salmonella and eggs...what else is new?
No big surprise, we've heard this before... Salmonella is found on the outside and inside of eggs. To avoid exposure from the eggs, do not eat them or raw or cook eggs lightly. Hollandaise sauce, caeser salad dressing, cold souffles, chiffon  mousses, mayonnaise and contain raw eggs. Experts claim that less than 1% of the eggs tested contain Salmonella but it's possible it could be higher.

Buy eggs from a farmers market and ask questions and visit the farm (it's fun) so you can see how they treat the animals. If you don't have access to a farmers market, look for the Certified Humane label, Free Farmed, Certified Organic, cage-free, or free-range on the egg carton. Don't be fooled by the UEP Certified logo. 

Fresh eggs sinks and stale eggs float
 If you are wondering how salmonella is passed to the egg…it is stated in multiple findings that chickens carry the bacteria in their own bodies, and pass Salmonella to the yolk and white while the egg is forming in the ovaries. Chickens can be carriers for Salmonella without being sick themselves. Hens locked in cages are not safe and are more likely to contract diseases.

You can check if your egg is fresh by looking at the yolk or put the egg in a pan of plain water. If it sinks and rests horizontally, it's good. As the egg ages, the air cell gets bigger so it will either start to rise or float. Avoid eating old eggs.

Click here for Bad eggs: 10 ways to cut your salmonella risk

by Katy Green
www.shoptobegreen.com

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Primo Organic Dark Chocolates - Fair and Earth Friendly!

by Katy Green
www.shoptobegreen.com


Chocolate Love
mambosprouts.com
We all love chocolate...well some of us do...there are people who don't like chocolate and for those that don't.

If you don't like chocolate, I suggest you read Shoptobegreen's 7 Earth Friendly Changes for the Future, you will improve you green lifestyle score.

Organic dark chocolate or better yet organic dark truffles sound so earth friendly and divine - I'm lost in a haze of chocolate organic delight.


Theo's Confection Chocolates

According to Greenerchoices.org, the best chocolate is organic fair trade chocolate and it seems that their top pick is Theo Confection Chocolate! The taste testers at Consumer Reports conducted an organic dark chocolate test and the testers noted that Theo’s had outstanding pieces and variety such as "lemon ganache, fig, mint, and ginger enrobed in flavorful dark chocolate." In addition, Theo’s products are kosher, gluten-free, and soy-free...wow now that is truly dark chocolate organic heaven.

]For more on the Greenerchoices.org article: Best Chocolates for Your Valentine, click here. 

If your chocolate tastes are more sophisticated try Fran's Chocolate Truffles, according to Fran's site, all ingredients are local and organic like Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy in Washington, fresh-roasted hazelnuts from the Willamette Valley in Oregon and other farms and growers they have used for over 20 years.


Dark Chocolate Truffles
If you would rather immerse yourself in organic chocolate hedonism (sans calories) we suggest you try Shoptobegreen's Chocolate Body and Bath products, including our NEW Chocolate and Strawberry Lovers Soap.