Joe Buley, Jr., Owner of Screamin' Ridge Farm and Joe's Soups Joe's Soups from Screamin' Ridge Farm • East Montpelier, VT Screamin' Ridge Farm™ produces sustainably grown vegetables and a growing selection of flavorfully crafted food, like soups, pesto, salsa, and tomato sauce. Joe Buley, Jr. and his staff run the farm year-round ...

2012 is a special year for Hunger Mountain Coop.  In September we will turn 40, celebrating four decades of commitment to our community and local food producers. 2012 also holds a special significance for our co-op and cooperative businesses around the world, as the United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed it the International Yea ...

Barth Anderson's musings on the question...

  Peanut crops experienced one of the worst crop failures in recent history due to last summer's extremely hot temperatures. Producers of peanut-centric items, peanut butter companies in particular, are compensating for this by raising their prices. The Huffington Post ran an article recently that has alerted peanut-butter-loving people to be aware that prices are about to increase.

  At The Coop we are already seeing price increases from our distributors and that price increase will also be reflected on the shelf. According to the Huffington Post, prices may jump from 24-40 percent.

Recently, National Public Radio broadcast a story regarding the microscopic presence of arsenic in brown rice. There is no recall for the product. Here is what you need to know:

• arsenic is naturally present in water and soils to some degree, based on geography
• all rice, traditionally grown in flooded paddies, has a natural affinity to attract arsenic 
• The FDA has not determined standards for the presence of arsenic in brown rice
• organic rice is not immune to the presence of arsenic, though white rice may contain lower levels
• studies have yet to determine the effect microscopic levels from brown rice may have on the body

Still concerned? Try Fair Trade rice that is not paddy grown, like Madagascar pink rice or Volcano rice.  Both are available by special order at The Coop. White rice (which is essentially brown rice with the outer surface buffed off) is another option that may contain lower levels of arsenic.

 

Lundberg, the company that supplies us with many of our rice products, has posted some great information on their website, that may be helpful in your search for more information.