Danielle Nierenberg's blog

Meat and cancer: not all animal products are created equal

by Danielle Nierenberg on November 2, 2007

Earlier this week, the World Cancer Research Fund released its global report on diet and cancer. The last time they released this report-—in 1997—it stirred up more than a little controversy. A decade later, the complaints are even louder.

Of course "grass-fed" beef doesn’'t mean "grain-fed"!

by Danielle Nierenberg on October 18, 2007

The food blogs have been buzzing this week with the news that a new "grass-fed" standard for meat was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But why all the hooplah and controversy over labeling?

Real organic agriculture: Using human waste as fertilizer

by Danielle Nierenberg on October 11, 2007

The other day, I got some funny looks from a journalist who was interviewing me for an upcoming series on World Food Day. She asked me to list some of the ways I thought world hunger could be reduced. In addition to pointing to the need for better distribution of food and other resources, I gave my standard spiel about growing more food in cities. But what made the journalist look askance was my description of how exactly urban farmers in some parts of the world are fertilizing their crops: with human manure and urine.

Nutrient pollution from farms and livestock hurts amphibians

by Danielle Nierenberg on September 27, 2007

Remember the uproar in 1995 when school kids in Minnesota began finding frogs with extra limbs? Speculation centered on pesticides, increased UV radiation, and infection from parasites—which ultimately turned out to be the “villain.”

Bigger farms, more disease, says FAO

by Danielle Nierenberg on September 20, 2007

On Monday, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization predicted—in a surprising move for them—that the links between factory farming and disease are likely to worsen as human and livestock populations increase and our appetite for meat grows.

Want to slow global warming? Cut back on red meat.

by Danielle Nierenberg on September 13, 2007

It’s been an interesting month for folks like me who write about farm animals. First, the American Journal of Public Health printed an editorial saying our appetite for meat products can contribute to the spread of diseases like avian flu. Then today, The Lancet published a study declaring that eating less red meat can help curb climate change.

Farm animal diversity: Forgotten in Interlaken?

by Danielle Nierenberg on September 11, 2007

The first international technical conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held last week in Interlaken, Switzerland, didn’t get much coverage from the mainstream mediaunfortunately.

Can vegetarianism prevent bird flu?

by Danielle Nierenberg on September 6, 2007

Earlier this week, an MD I have long admired sent me an e-mail with the subject line, “I never thought I’d live to see the day.” When I opened his message, I found an excerpt from an editorial about zoonotic diseases in the current issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

A Look Back at Summer: rBGH, Climate, and Animal Diseases

by Danielle Nierenberg on August 29, 2007

As summer draws to a close here in DC, it seems like an appropriate time to give a few updates on some of the issues we’ve previously covered in this blog.

Got an addiction? Milk and oil prices rise, but demand remains strong

by Danielle Nierenberg on August 22, 2007

As prices for gasoline and milk rise, consumers have balked at—but still paid for—gas that hovers at around $3 a gallon and milk that costs anywhere from $3 to $5 a carton. But the question isn't whether these prices are too high—it's whether we're paying enough for our penchant for cheap dairy and fossil fuels.

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