Center for Consumer Freedom

Pesticides Are Pesticides, Even if They’re “Organic”

After the recent Stanford analysis finding that organic foods are not more nutritious than “conventional” foods, the refrain from the organic crowd was cliché. The real benefits of organic, they said, was reducing pesticide exposure. It might come as a surprise to some readers, then, to learn that organic farmers also use pesticides. These pesticides just happen to be “certified organic.”

Remember, B.S. is Organic

For those of us who prefer to go with facts over feelings when it comes to our food choices, we can save a few dollars at the grocery store. The Associated Press reports:

Right to Know” Gimmick Becomes “Right to Sue” Trial Lawyer Payday

California now sits in the number two spot of Judicial Hellholes in the nation, but they’re making a play to top that list very soon.

Evidence Mounts: Organic Crops Underperform

A few months ago, researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands found unsurprisingly that conventionally produced crops out-yielded organic crops. More research has confirmed this finding: Researchers from McGill University in Canada writing in Nature found that “organic yields are typically lower than conventional yields.”

Shock: Organic Farmers Use Chemicals Too

Despite considerable evidence that the “health halo” surrounding organic foods is just hype, many activists still claim that organic produce is healthier than conventionally grown produce. One of the reasons that organic evangelists propose to justify the cost of eating expensive “heirloom” tomatoes is that conventional products may contain chemical residue. The Environmental Working (Worrying) Group (EWG) even puts out a “Dirty Dozen” report that encourages people to substitute organic food for supposedly pesticide-laden conventional produce.

A Comeback for Cupcake Cops?

It's been a few years since overzealous regulators first stepped in to halt the tradition of sharing cupcakes and other sweets at school, but a new study might give these blowhards new ammo. Researchers found that schoolchildren celebrating birthdays by eating sweets ate up to 450 calories during the party, or about one-third of their daily energy need.

Fish and Coffee: The Perfect Match?

There may already be overwhelming scientific evidence the health benefits from eating fish (all those omega-3s) outweigh the concerns about minor mercury exposure (the EPA’s Reference Dose includes a ten-fold safety cushion against levels of mercury consumption that will cause possible health risks), but scientists at the University of Montreal have found even more reasons not to worry.

Time to Boycott Mark Bittman?

In his latest New York Times column, professional food alarmist Mark Bittman asks whether it's time to boycott tuna, depending on the success or failure of a new Greenpeace campaign asking companies to reduce by-catch from their operations. Greenpeace is a fringe group described by its own cofounder as "anti-science" and "basically anti-civilization," and Bittman's piece seems to do little but parrot talking points from these environmental radicals. Now, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation is hitting back.

Greenpeace: 40 Years of “Anti-Science”

Everybody's (least) favorite environmental zealot group Greenpeace turns 40 this month. The organization, which started out as a bunch of hippies protesting nuclear weapons testing, has expanded its scope (and budget) in the decades since, starting scare campaign after scare campaign in pursuit of its radical philosophy.

Al Gore: Meat = Global Warming

Former Vice President Al Gore is well known for his advocacy work on climate-change issues. But a new interview with Gore is making waves—and not just for his comparison of climate-change skeptics to racists. Politico reports on Gore’s super-serial indictment of farming:

A Vegan Manifesto Wearing a Weight-Loss Halo

Neal Barnard, president of the deceptively named "Physicians Committee" for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), is hitting the road this month on a book tour to promote his 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart program. The casual observer might think this is yet another hardcover to fill up the self-help section. But if you know a thing or two about PCRM (or weight loss, for that matter), you'll quickly realize that-- much like Barnard's group-- this book is not what it seems.

News Roundup: A Phony “Watchdog” and Fishy Food Fears

August may be a traditionally slow news cycle, but we're lighting up the media. In Roll Call, a popular publication among the Capitol Hill crowd and DC policy wonks, we expose an inside-the-beltway organization called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) that masquerades as a nonpartisan watchdog. In reality, CREW is a partisan lapdog, taking money from the left-wing fringe and disproportionately attacking right-leaning groups and politicians. Could CREW get a smack on the snout from the authorities? It's possible:

First Lady Makes Much Ado About Produce

First Lady Michelle Obama made a splashy announcement yesterday with Wal-Mart and other supermarket executives regarding a planned expansion of fresh produce and healthy food offerings in 1,500 stores over the next five years. She lauded the idea, telling White House reporters, "Make no mistake about it. This is a big deal." But is it?

Who to Believe About Obesity? Use Your Noggin

Another day, another headline-grabbing study that claims to end the obesity debate. Today's newsmaker: Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health are claiming that meat, soft drinks, potatoes, and – oh right – sedentary lifestyles are responsible for the country's obesity problem. But this new study contradicts years of nutrition research that has come before.

BMI Report Cards Get Another “A” in Humiliation

One emerging feel-good policy for fighting childhood obesity involves schools sending Body Mass Index (BMI) "reports" to parents in hopes of educating them about their kids' weight. But like many heavy-handed instruments used by nanny-state bureaucrats to suggest lifestyle modifications, this one has unintended consequences.

Biotech Crops Could Crush Global Hunger

A founding director of the Office of Biotechnology at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the global food crisis could be more readily averted -- if only bureaucrats in the United Nations (UN) stopped tying farmers’ hands with red tape. Farmers, biotechnology expert Henry Miller says, need access to a tool that’s proven itself safe and effective time and again. He’s talking about genetically modified food crops.

Runners Outpace Obesity Hype at L.A. Marathon

What do a svelte marathon veteran and a 400-pound sumo wrestler have in common? Both completed the Los Angeles Marathon yesterday, and their personal stories are testaments against the conventional “wisdom” of anti-obesity crusaders.

Poll: Americans Oppose Big-Government Regulation of Plastic Bags

A large majority of American consumers opposes efforts by big-government bureaucrats to regulate the type of bags they use to carry groceries home. These poll numbers arrive at a critical time when cash-strapped states and municipalities are trying to plug budget holes with burdensome plastic-bag taxes.

Vegan Doctor Has a Beef with FLOTUS and Exercise

The leader of a fanatical animal rights group has singled out First Lady Michelle Obama for emphasizing the important role exercise plays in kids maintaining a healthy weight. Neal Barnard, president of the PETA-linked Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), implies that kids wouldn't need to move their bodies if they'd just stop eating meat. We can't help but wonder what a genuinely mainstream medical organization would have to say about that.

Pulling the Curtains on Another CSPI Scare Campaign

Better seventeen years late than never. The New York Times on Tuesday pulled the curtains on Center for Science in the Public Interest's (CSPI) 1994 scare campaign that caused movie-theater popcorn sales to instantly plummet by as much as 50 percent. It wasn't the popcorn itself that CSPI demonized; its target was the saturated fat content that resulted from the coconut oil theaters used to pop it.