Sound Consumer
June 2013
Food ingredients
How do we know what's safe?
Mainstream supermarkets carry an average of more than 38,000 different items with more than 10,000 chemicals sprinkled among them. The majority of ingredients are not tested by the government but instead are deemed safe by the food manufacturers themselves.
Choose organic, fair labor sugar: for the health of workers
By Joe Sherman, M.D.
A puzzling disease has affected hundreds of thousands of workers in sugarcane, rice and cotton fields around the world. It has killed tens of thousands of people in the Pacific coastal regions of Central America over the past 20 years.
What shrimp is sustainable?
by Eli Penberthy, editor
Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States — Americans collectively consume more than 1 billion pounds of it every year. About 90 percent is imported from overseas, primarily Asia and Latin America.
City opposes GE salmon
Seattle's City Council has passed a resolution opposing any action to approve genetically engineered (GE) salmon.
Organic standards decisions
Read about NOSB decisions regarding allowance of antibiotic sprays used in organic apple and pear production, seed purity standard and rejection of several petitions asking that certain materials be allowed in organic foods.
In praise of pastured eggs
PCC is pleased to say we now sell pastured eggs at all our nine stores, depending on availability. They come from a variety of Washington farms where the chickens run free and feast on fresh pasture year-round.
Recipes from the June 2013 issue
Summer salads
Between spring and summer here in the Northwest, June is a month of culinary delight. Here we offer some salads that make the most of this delectable season.
Letters to editor
Colony Collapse Disorder · Eden Foods healthcare position · Food Waste · Arsenic in rice · Grass-fed cows · Helpful staff · Mineral makeup
News bites
Fruit flies choose organic · EU bans bee-killing pesticides · Consumers reject GE salmon · Fruit not cigarettes? · Lower pesticide levels · GMO protest: FDA "eat-in" · Conflict of interest · Calories equal miles · Antibiotics in agriculture · Arsenic in animal feed
What's new in store — June 2013
Local, organic strawberries, kale, blueberries and onions make their debut this month, along with organic stone fruit from California. Also look for new flavors of PCC Bakery muffins, raw foods, brown rice spring roll wrappers and more!
Soil & Sea: reports from our producers
The cherry crop could be smaller this year, food prices continue to rise, and bluefin tuna are functionally exctinct. But not all food news is bad this month: Seafood Watch has upgraded the sustainability status of several species of fish.
Your co-op community
Edmonds Waterfront Festival · Issaquah Triathlon · PCC Cooks · Summer food drive · Fremont's 1st BBQ competition and neighborhood party · Fremont Briefcase relay and run · Budget eating: send your tips! · Edmonds Arts Festival · I-522 events
PCC Board of Trustees report
A loss in the family · Election, board and member meetings