tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post2058410371719619064..comments2012-11-01T15:00:45.923-07:00Comments on FacingYourFood: Animals Were Harmed in the Making of Chocolate? Talk about a moral dilemma!LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-27812027622483652362011-11-20T16:47:24.626-08:002011-11-20T16:47:24.626-08:00I'll put together a list of resources, but her...I'll put together a list of resources, but here's one to start with<br />http://thehumanetouch.org/<br /><br />Also, the name of that chicken producer is Springer Mountain Farms, located here in Georgia.LeeAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-67435126252687043812011-11-20T13:59:16.729-08:002011-11-20T13:59:16.729-08:00Well, the sour cream is a Horizon Farms product wh...Well, the sour cream is a Horizon Farms product which is SUPPOSED to be organic, and even though it is a company that produces in large volumes, it claims to be a network of smaller farms with anywhere from 20 to either about 1,000 (I think was the top number) cows per facility. They also claim to not use hormones and allow cows plenty of access to pasture. This is what I would consider a BETTER option than tradition milk, but not the best option (since it's a little hard to verify their claims). The best option, of course, would be to milk the cow yourself or know the person who does... but not a lot of us can that.<br /><br />One of the big problems right now is that there is a growing trend for organic and humane products, so it's difficult to take a company's word for it and the FDA does not very clear strict or clear guidelines (nor do they really enforce the ones they do have), so you really have to do some digging around. Regarding Horizon, I did see quite a bit of negative claim, that they aren't all they're cracked up to be. But a lot of those claims are coming from groups that pretty much oppose the idea of dairies period. So, again, it is something to be taken with a grain of salt.<br /><br />The best thing we can do as consumers is make the most well-informed choices possible and then be active communicators with the companies that produce our food, so that they know that we have concerns and they know that we are paying attention. I plan to get start some letter writing started soon and will post sample letters that could be easily modified and used to help make concerns known to those who are making the decisions about what we eat.<br /><br />You can't trust FDA guidelines to protect your interests. They do not even require the use of CLONED meat products to be labeled.<br /><br />Good news is Ben & jerry's (again, as far as I can tell!) have converted all but one of their plants to the use of cage-free eggs, do not use milk products with hormones, and use dairies that practice sustainable farming. I'm not sure what that means for the unwanted calves of the industry, but I'm pretty sure that they don't dispose of them by tossing them aside to starve.<br /><br />Like I said... I don't have a lot of answers, but that's what this process is about. Learning together how to make things better for our own health, the planet, and the animals.<br /><br />Thanks for asking! (Good thing no one else knows you are my sister, they might think that was a planted question!!!)LeeAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-48974074085728619312011-11-20T11:04:08.305-08:002011-11-20T11:04:08.305-08:00Uh oh. What about that sour cream?? So are there d...Uh oh. What about that sour cream?? So are there dairy products out there that specify (like the chicken you buy) that the animals are humanely treated? How do we know what we are getting when purchasing things like dairy and chocolate, etc?Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04094111733988891289noreply@blogger.com