Consumer Buying Power Archives - Page 6 of 9

The Real Bottom Line

October 23, 2009
A Greener World
Consumer Buying Power, Family Farms

“People, planet, profit” is today’s measure of how well a company is doing. While corporate social responsibility might have once meant a nice contribution to charity at Christmas, those days are gone. A new study by the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) shows consumers are taking “people, planet, profit,” also known as triple bottom line accounting, very seriously, and companies hoping to compete will have to take a good hard look at how they produce what they hope to sell. According to the NMI study, 50% of consumers avoid brands whose practices they don’t agree with—twice as many as in 2005. Consumers have been educating themselves about the things they buy and the food they eat for years and that knowledge is impacting buying decisions.

October 16, 2009
A Greener World
Consumer Buying Power, Food Labels, Food Safety, The Big Picture

Kids can be the pickiest eaters around, rejecting anything that smells, looks, or feels “weird,” an all encompassing term with a highly flexible definition. Rather than seeing this as an obstacle to a well-rounded nutritional experience, why not harness a child’s natural tendency to be suspicious of food and use it for good? Michael Pollan is doing just that with the release of The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat. Just released in hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions, The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids uses plenty of photos, graphs and charts—and a fun format—to encourage kids, tweens and teens to think about what they are eating, how it was produced and what that means for their future and the planet.

October 8, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Family Farms, The Big Picture

With fall harvest season in full swing, there was good news from the USDA for consumers who prefer to buy their produce, meat, dairy and eggs directly from farmers: the number of farmer’s markets in the United States has grown by 13% over the past year. According to the agency, 5,274 farmer’s markets are now operating nationwide, up from 4,685 reported in 2008 (a gain of 589 markets). The USDA has just launched the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative to help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic opportunity.

October 7, 2009
A Greener World
Consumer Buying Power, Family Farms, The Big Picture

AWA staffers Emily Lancaster, Brigid Sweeney and Beth Hauptle were honored to represent Animal Welfare Approved at Farm Aid this year from October 2-4 in St. Louis Missouri. AWA farmers Mark and Patricia Whisnant, David and Lana Price and Henry and JoAnn Fudge joined us for the festivities. It was the 24th year of Farm Aid and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews continue to work hard to promote family farms.

October 3, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Environment, Family Farms, Nutrition, The Big Picture

Willie Nelson appeared on CNN yesterday, talking about Farm Aid and the struggle of America's family farms. In this clip, he also performs a new song to be premiered at Farm Aid, which he co-authored with Bob Dylan. Animal Welfare staff members and three Animal Welfare Approved farmers are on hand at Farm Aid this weekend to spread the word about the benefits of pasture-based farming and high-welfare standards. Hope to see you at the Homegrown Village and at tonight's Farm Aid Eve dinner where all of the pork and beef served will be from AWA farmers Fudge Family Farms (pork) and American Grass Fed Beef. Photo: Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. 2008 CLICK BLOG TITLE ABOVE TO SEE THE VIDEO.

October 2, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Environment, Events, Family Farms, The Big Picture

Come see Animal Welfare Approved staff members Beth, Brigid and Emily at the annual Farm Aid concert, featuring Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. Farm Aid has raised awareness about farm preservation since the first concert in 1985. One of Farm Aid's core goals is "Growing the Good Food Movement," which it defines as: "growing the number of Americans reaching for and demanding family farm-identified, local, organic or humanely-raised food." We couldn't agree more.

September 15, 2009
A Greener World
Consumer Buying Power, Family Farms, Grass-Fed Beef

Cow-Pooling - the practice of getting neighbors, family and friends together to buy meat in bulk to reduce costs and make use of the entire animal-was recently featured in Time Magazine. Time illustrates a $10-$12/lb price difference when comparing the…

September 11, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Food Safety, The Big Picture

We at Animal Welfare Approved applaud the USDA and HHS for creating an important and useful new website, www.foodsafety.gov. The site's purpose is to help consumers find consolidated up to date information on food safety and food recalls. We want to remind our readers that food safety begins at the farm and is directly related to the farming system utilized. Between January 1, 1994 and November 31, 2007, over 800 separate meat product recalls took place across the United States – equivalent to over 300 million pounds of meat and poultry products. Nearly all of the recalls were the result of the potential contamination of factory-farmed meats with two types of food-poisoning bacteria: Listeria and E. coli. We know that a safer, welfare-friendly alternative to feedlot beef already exists. Scientists have shown that meat from grassfed cattle – such as those raised by Animal Welfare Approved farmers – is less likely to harbor dangerous food-poisoning bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria.

September 9, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Chefs and Restaurants, Consumer Buying Power, Events, Family Farms, Nutrition, The Big Picture

FROM OUR FRIENDS AT SLOW FOOD Dear members, supporters and friends, On Labor Day, more than 20,000 people came together in all 50 states to tell Congress it's time to give kids real food at school. If you went to an Eat-In, we'd like to say thank you. And if you're one of the Slow Food Chapter Leaders and Eat-In Organizers who put incredible time and energy into the 300 Eat-Ins that took place nationwide, we'd like to shout thank you -- you made the day possible. The momentum helped us surpass our Labor Day petition goal - there are more than 20,000 signatures online, another 10,000 on paper, and many more still coming in. That's a huge show of support. When Congress starts debating the Child Nutrition Act this fall, we'll be able to take those signatures to legislators and make a strong case for reform.

September 4, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Events, Food Labels, Food Safety, Nutrition, The Big Picture

Last year over Labor Day, Animal Welfare Approved farmers and staff attended Slow Food Nation in San Francisco with the goal of promoting a better food system for this country. This year, Slow Food is again rallying to promote good food for all. Please read about the initiative and plan to take part. FROM AN EMAIL JUST RECEIVED FROM SLOW FOOD... In three days, people in all 50 states will sit down to share a meal and bend the direction of history just a little bit. Together, we are publicly rejecting the notion that our schools can’t afford to feed kids anything but the bad food that makes them sick. And the way we’re making this statement is by bringing neighbors together in the spirit of good will and for the joy of sharing good food. That is the heart of our movement. Attend an Eat-In on Labor Day.

September 2, 2009
A Greener World
Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Events, Family Farms, The Big Picture

Join Joan Gussow and hundreds of other leaders of the local and organic food movement in Santa Fe at this ground-breaking event. Folks from all around the U.S. and five other countries are coming. Be part of the launch of the Slow Money Alliance which is organizing a million members to begin fixing America's economy...from the ground up.

September 1, 2009
A Greener World
Consumer Buying Power, Food Labels

Will Sainsbury's be the top vote-getter? Is Marks & Spencer poised for a win? Or will The Co-operative come out victorious? It's up to the consumer in this year's RSPCA Good Business Awards, designed to encourage UK supermarkets to do more for farm animal welfare. The 2009 awards mark the first time voting has been open to the public and three finalists are vying for the title of People's Choice Supermarket--Marks & Spencer, The Co-operative and Sainsbury's.

The Real Bottom Line

Michael Pollan’s New Book Teaches the Secrets Behind What Kids Eat

A Growing Bounty of Farmer’s Markets

“Farmers are the Real Rock Stars”

Willie Nelson Shares New Nelson/Dylan Tune for Family Farmers

Headed to Farm Aid!!

Cow-Pooling: great for consumers, but what about the farmers?

Food Safety Begins at the Farm

Labor Day Eat In Spotlights Healthy School Lunches

From Our Friends at Slow Food USA

Last Week to Register: From The Ground Up

UK Consumers: Cast a Vote for Farm Animal Welfare in the 2009 RSPCA Good Business Awards

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