Is beef fed growth hormones safe to eat? Likely not.

Did you know Canadian beef cattle are fed growth hormones? Six growth hormones approved by Health Canada are used by the beef industry to help beef cattle grow bigger faster. Administering hormones (three natural and three synthetic) allows the beef industry to raise beef more cheaply and helps to keep beef prices low for consumers.

But is cheap beef worth it?

Raising the bar - why fair trade organic chocolate is good for you and the planet



Chocolate certified fair trade and organic has environmental and social benefits.

I love good chocolate, intensely-flavoured dark bars in particular. I keep the cupboard stocked with what my kids call “Mommy chocolate” and dole it out a couple of squares at a time. I buy 70 percent or higher cocoa content and consider it a health food as much as I do a treat since there is a lot about dark chocolate that is good for you, and a little bit goes a long way.

I do wonder about what makes chocolate “good.” There is a social and environmental cost to cocoa bean farming and those effects are worsening as the world’s appetite for chocolate continues to grow. According to Mars Chocolate, the demand for cocoa will outstrip global supply (by one million tons) by 2012. Canadians eat, on average, 5.5 kg of chocolate per person each year (Source: Fair Trade Canada).