I still have to read the Omnivore’s Dilemma. My mental list of books-to-read grows ever longer.

Thanks for the link on the Barbie thing. I’ll definitely check that out. That sort of thing is usually a lot of fun to research.

Then, they have the locally grown line. All of that stuff is from local producers and is not necessarily organic. It is for consumers who want to leave less of a carbon footprint. Also, a lot of those farmers are organic, but do not comply completely with the FDA’s standards or do not want to spend the cash to get the organic designation from the government. The locally grown line seems to be a response to Michael Pollen’s Omnivore’s Dilemma.

The Barbie thing was called the Barbie Liberation Organization. It was mostly done by a group called Rtmark. Unfortunately, I cannot find the newfeeds from the project, which were really funny.

http://www.rtmark.com/history.html

There really isn’t that much to tell. Or, rather, I guess there is, but not any more so than anyone else you’ll meet. If there’s anything I’ve learned. it’s that even the most “boring” person in the world has some really fascinating anecdotes to share, whether they know it or not.

As for the food bank concern, yeah, that’s definitely a concern of mine, too. I’m hoping that if someone else has the time and inclination, they’ll devise a better infant formula label than the one I have so that that won’t happen. The thing is, though, if it says “infant formula” on it, I think people will figure out what it is. It’s actually really funny you should mention that because just today I noticed the Wal-Mart brand (”Parents’ Choice,” I believe it’s called) of ready-to-feed infant formula has a lot less B.S. on it than the more aggressively marketed brands. Take a look sometime, if you ever step foot in Wal-Mart.

I would LOVE to know more about the reworked Barbie dolls…

Wow, thanks for the information! I did not know that (obviously :)). The main reason why I was upset about the sugar thing is ’cause I “fell for” the marketing. In other words, I went in with the intention of buying organic cane sugar, regardless of it being vegan or not (since I assumed — incorrectly — that all cane sugar was vegan). I saw the word “vegan” and let my guard down… And then came home and realized that nowhere on the packaging did it say it was organic. Which of course, makes me go, “Hm, ya think a person who is conscientious about getting cane sugar that’s vegan would want pesticides in their cane sugar? I think not.” Which is why Whole Foods disappointed me there. If they’re going to go through the trouble of processing it in a vegan way, why not start out with an organic product to begin with? Eh.

And, wow, I’d love to hear your story some time.

Apparently, cane sugar is not always vegan/ vegetarian because animal bones are used in the processing. Something new to remember to look for when I am buying stuff in the store for Ryan.

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qasugar.htm

About the label: thanks.

I hear you about the General Mills “whole grain” marketing, and marketing in general. The point of marketing is to sell more products, and this could either be a good thing (if the marketing is honest and seeks just to inform the consumer about the product(s) in question) or it could be a bad thing (if the marketing seeks to actively deceive the consumer about the danger or natural inferiority of a product). It’s a really fine line to draw, since whoever is selling will want to paint their product in as favorable a light as possible.

I saw some conventionally grown (not organic, meaning, pesticides were used in its production) sugar for sale at Whole Foods the other day. It was labeled: “Vegan Cane Sugar.” Is there ever a time when cane sugar isn’t vegan? I’m sure the word “vegan” was deliberately, consciously added in the name because it would subtly play on consumers’ feelings of healthfulness and wholesomeness, and thus, move that conventionally grown, pesticide-laden sugar faster off the Whole Foods shelves than if they’d labeled it, truthfully, “conventionally grown sugar.” Ah, but that is unfortunately the way the world works. As consumers, we have to constantly be one step ahead, or we get sucked in by the undercurrent of deception.

Thanks for your comment, Jennifer.