Biotech in Our Backyard
By Cindy Burda
On a gorgeous Friday this past Spring, a group of folks calling themselves the Steering Committee to Strengthen Biotechnology in Western North Carolina unveiled their plan to make WNC a tempting destination for the companies that study plant and animal molecular structure for the purposes of genetic engineering. …

Support Your Community by Buying Local
By Charlie Jackson
There are several things the consumer can do to ensure they are getting locally grown food. First is to eat seasonally as much as possible. Many whole foods nutritional systems (like macrobiotics) stress the importance of eating seasonally because of the idea(belief?) that seasonal and local food is designed by nature to best support our bodies. If someone is selling sweet corn in May you can be sure it is not local. …

How Organic is Organic?
By Deirdre Birmingham
Organics is going mainstream as evidenced by the increasing presence of organic products in major supermarkets. It comes as no surprise that the USDA now regulates commercial use of the term “organic.” What will this mean for consumers buying organics, whether at supermarkets, natural food stores, or farmers markets? This article briefly explores what organic agriculture is and its history, why the federal government is regulating it, and changes you will see in labeling this October. …