U.S. not respecting WTO ruling on meat labeling: Mexico

The United States is not respecting a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on meat labeling, Mexico's Agriculture Minister Enrique Martinez said on Tuesday, saying it was hurting local industry.

The WTO ruled in late June last year that a U.S. program for labeling imported meat unfairly discriminated against Mexico and Canada, putting pressure on the United States to bring the scheme in line with global country-of-origin meat-labeling rules.

"We can't understand why once the very WTO ... issues a ruling, the government of the United States does not respect it," Martinez said.

"We have talked with beef producers in the United States and Canada, and totally agree this is an arbitrary decision and means discrimination against Mexican beef, which we will never agree with and as a government will defend against.

Meat exporters in Canada and Mexico say the new rules would cut even deeper into cattle and hog shipments that have already slumped by as much as half in the last four years.

The Canadian government has threatened a possible retaliatory strike against U.S. imports, and is hoping Mexico will join it.

The WTO Appellate Body said last year that U.S. country-of-origin labeling rules, commonly known as COOL, were wrong because they gave less favorable treatment to beef and pork imported from Mexico and Canada than to U.S. meat.

Meat labels became mandatory in March 2009 after years of debate. U.S. consumer and some farm groups supported the requirement, saying consumers should have information to distinguish between U.S. and foreign products.

 

Tips for avoiding Lyme disease

20 years ago you hardly anyone knew anyone who had Lyme disease, today everybody seems to know somebody who has it. Why is there an increase? For this edition of Healthy Living, Marcie Fraser has more.

 "Because of increase testing, there are a lot of different theories,” said Dr. Liza Whalen, Public Health and Preventative Medicine Specialist.

While the reasons why Lyme disease is on the rise, isn't clear, what is clear is where ticks can be found. They love damp, shady areas, shrubs, leaves, and tall grass.

“You want to stick to trails and areas that are well cleared and cover up to where you could get tick bites,” said Dr. Whalen.

If you are bitten by a tick, you may not get Lyme disease; but, do look out for symptoms.

"The bull’s-eye rash sometimes can be accompanied by flu-like illness and later on as the disease progresses it can cause other symptoms,” said Dr. Whalen.

When the infection is caught in the early stage, oral antibiotics are given. Treatment for later stages of the disease is still under investigation.

"So far, the literature doesn't really show that very long, prolonged courses of IV antibiotics is helpful for people,” said Dr. Whalen.

Not all ticks are infected, and your risk of acquiring Lyme disease is greatly reduced if the tick is removed within the first 36 hours after attachment.

The disease causing bacterium is in the gut of a tick. If you agitate the tick by attempting to remove it several times, the tick will release the bacterium from in his gut into you. So, remove the tick swiftly on the first try. Using tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Gently pull the tick in a steady, upward motion.

If the tick's mouth parts break off and remain in your skin, don't worry. The mouth parts alone cannot transmit Lyme disease; they will dry up and fall off. If you are concerned about your risk of Lyme disease, call your doctor.

 

STUDY, PISTACHIOS PROVIDE ALL ANTIOXIDANTS DURING DIGESTION

Pistachios provide almost all of their polyphenols and antioxidants during digestion making them readily available to the body, according to a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

The study, conducted by the Model Gut Group at the Institute of Food Research (IFR) in the United Kingdom in association with the University of Messina, Italy, used an experimental model that mimics digestion. The study looked at polyphenols and antioxidants like gamma-tocopherol (vitamin E) found in pistachios and in fruits and vegetables. Results showed these polyphenols and antioxidants are released during digestion making them available to the body.

 

Findings are significant because they suggest that the body may be able to absorb the polyphenols and antioxidants which are nutrients that are not always readily accessible by the body. For example, iron in spinach is naturally harder for the human body to absorb however, iron can be made more readily available by the body when combined with vitamin C.

Findings from this study, along with previous research suggesting that not all dietary fat content may be absorbed, published in the January 2012 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, further emphasizes pistachios as a nutrient-rich snack for a healthy diet. In this randomized controlled-feeding study, conducted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it's suggested we may consume less calories per serving that originally thought at 160 calories per 30 gram serving, about 1 ounce. The colorful, green, yellow and purple-red pistachio nut offers polyphenols, antioxidants, protein, and fiber making a good-tasting and healthy snack. Pistachios also recently gained Heart-Check approval, deeming it as a heart-healthy food.

 

Organic Food is $63 Billion Global Industry

2011 is the most recent year for statistics on the growth of the organic industry worldwide, but here's an update.

Organic food is a $63 billion industry globally, according to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).

From 2002- 2011, the industry grew 170%, or about 19% a year.

Interestingly, the US is the largest single market for organic food (and beverages), but developing countries are the biggest producers of the food we eat.

In the US, the organic industry reached $31.5 billion in sales, rising 9.5% from the previous year.

Approximately a third of the world's agricultural land and more than 80% of the producers are in developing countries and emerging markets.

Germany and France are the other dominant markets for organic food and Switzerland, Denmark and Luxemburg consume the most organic food per capita.

Organic agriculture still makes up less than 1% of the world's farming acreage (0.9%) with 37.2 million hectares planted worldwide across 162 countries.

You might be surprised to learn that Australia leads the world in organic acreage with 12 million hectares, followed by Argentina with 3.8 million hectares. The US comes in third with 1.9 million hectares.

Organic's share of total agricultural land is highest in the Falkland Islands (35.9%), Liechtenstein (27.3%), and Austria (19.7%).

Although the Oceania region has a third of the world's organic acreage - 12.2 million hectares - it accounts for just 2.9% of farmland there. Europe, with 10.6 million hectares, has 29% of the world's acreage, taking up 5.4 percent of the land.

Latin America has 6.9 million hectares (18.4%), North America has 2.8 million hectares (7.5%), and Africa has 1.1 million hectares (3%).