Non-GMO

I just noticed that Larabar has introduced a new line called Maya. The Maya bars seem to start off with a similar base to their regular Larabars - meaning all natural, organic dried fruits and nuts, with no added sugars - but they have Fair Trade Certified cocoa and cacao nibs added to them, along with a combination of natural flavorings. The Maya bars, like regular Larabars, are also completely vegan. There are four flavors in the new line: Maya Chocolate, Maya Orange, Maya Coffee and Maya Mint. I love the idea of a snack version of a Larabar, a healthy stand-in for a chocolate bar. I already love the Coca Mole Larabar, which is flavored with cocoa powder, cinnamon and chilies, and expect the new bars to be a bit more chocolaty, given that they include the cacao nibs.

Has anyone seen these in stores? I've been looking, but haven't found them yet. You can buy them by the boxful online, which might be a good idea for those who are already fans of the bars.

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This week, the Chronicle focuses on organic farming, featuring several farms around the Bay Area: Swanton Berry Farms, whose owner is proud to be the first certified organic berry farmer in California almost 20 years ago; Blue Moon Organics, berry farmres who learned from Swanton; Earthbound Farm, one of the largest organic producers in the country, and Clover Stornetta Farms, which produces organic dairy. Grilla Bites provides an organic alternative to traditional fast food chains in Chico.

On the other hand, Knoll Farms, which produces figs, has willingly dropped their organic certification in protest of the lowered organic standards by the USDA, and many critics of "mega-producers" claim that the spirit of organic is being lost.

Buying organic may cost more, but the Chronicle offers some tips to help defray the higher costs, along with a few recipes: Grilled Lettuces, Spring Onion Risotto, and Creamy Tarragon Chicken.

[photo: SF Gate]

News about another new eatery in southern California? Ho hum? Not really. Eaturna is actually a line of all-natural foods that uses organic ingredients, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and poultry, and has zero trans fats. Everything is made fresh daily. The company sells sandwiches, pre-packaged foods, and foods that can be re-heated out of a case from a small outlet inside the Burbank Pavilions Market. But the best part is that they have also opened a kiosk at LAX (Terminal 1). That means good, healthy food is available to travelers in the airport instead of dry, tasteless protein bars or worse yet, a bag of Cheetos.

I had a chance to try some of the items from Eaturna's 80-item menu which includes such things like a Southwest Chicken Enchilada, Crispy Chicken Strips, Organic Mac and Cheese, Turkey Meatloaf, and desserts like Vanilla Bean Cheesecake and Belgian Chocolate Brownies, and various types of cookies.

Last weekend, my family and I visited Portland. This added a new twist to my vegan challenge: how was I going find tasty things to eat in airports and hotels? Because I was traveling with my children, I didn't have the luxury of scouting out the hottest vegan restaurants in Portland.  I had to be able to eat where my kids ate. Thank goodness for Gardenburgers.  I ate a lot of them this past weekend.

In the airport I was able to track down places that sold veggie sandwiches, lentil soup, vegan pastries, and fruit cups. Granted, I was traveling from San Francisco to Portland, Ore., two vegan-friendly cities.  I don't know how I would have fared if I had traveled elsewhere. (I did keep an apple and some pretzels with me, just in case.)

Once we arrived in Portland,  the brew pubs (O, how we love the Portland microbrews!) we chose for dinner both had Gardenburgers as vegan options. One of the restaurants also had a veggie pasta, but unless I'm makin' it, I just don't trust it.  Soggy vegetables and over-cooked pasta?  No thanks.  I stuck to the known quantity: the Gardenburger.

We ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant and there were also plenty of choices from home fries to cereals with milk alternatives. No problem there.

Talkin' 'bout snacks after the jump!

Eggland's Best Eggs have been around for more than a decade, but consumers' ever-increasing awareness of health issues and interest in specialty products is giving the company that produces them a definite sales boost. The reason that the interest in Eggland's Best is growing is that their eggs have some impressive nutritional statistics. They contain 25% less saturated fat, almost 20% less cholesterol and seven times more vitamin E than there is in an ordinary egg. They also have triple the amount of the heart-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, at 100 mg per egg. These differences from ordinary eggs start by feeding Eggland chickens, which are antibiotic and hormone-free, a patented, natural, all-vegetarian feed.

Eggland's eggs can be used in recipes just like ordinary eggs and are recognizable by an "EB" stamped on each egg. If you want to give them a try, check to see if there is a retailer near you.

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The British supermarket chain Tesco has launched a new product into its stores. Their Healthy Living Tomatoes are supposed to contain twice as much lycopene as an ordinary tomato. Lycopene is an antioxidant found in tomatoes that is believed to help prevent or decrease the risk of getting cancer, though some recent research suggests that it may also help to lower blood pressure.

The Healthy Living Tomatoes are bred naturally and are sold on the vine. A spokesperson for Tesco said that the tomato is the first product in a line of naturally super-functional foods that they hope to introduce. Though a varied diet is important to overall health, says the market, they are hoping to target consumers who want to get more bang for their nutritional buck - in addition to getting more nutrition for their actual buck.

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China has officially given all 43 varieties of Heinz baby food products the clear from GM influence.

Greenpeace had claimed that Heinz baby cereal products designed, I think, specifically for the Chinese market, contained genetically modified ingredients. Heinz denied the claim but the Ministry of Agriculture in China decided to put the products through a series of tests to find out.

The official Xinhua News Agency has reported that the products and their raw ingredients were not made from genetically modified crops. Such foods are not yet approved for consumption in China as they continue researching the effect of modifications on agriculture in general.

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Despite the title of Is Whole Foods Wholesome?, the Slate article is not about Whole Foods as much as it is about the organic movement. Essentially, the article treats the increased demand for organic goods as an overly cynical teenager would treat their once favorite band after it "sells out." The band, having joined up with a major record label and making more money, reaching a wider audience and popularizing their brand of music, is no longer appealing to the teen who feels that if it isn't small and under-recognized, it isn't worth his or her recognition.

Organic foods have had a following for a long time, though their potential value was largely unappreciated by the mainstream population of grocery shoppers. As Whole Foods picked up and popularized the organic foods market, neatly filling a growing consumer demand with smart store layouts and good timing, they had to look further to find the organic foods to fit the demand. The question that posed by the Slate is whether it is appropriate to purchase these goods when they are not grown locally. In California, this is not a problem because most of the organic produce in the country comes from the state, but New York has a more limited production of those types of goods.

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Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream just signed a licensing agreement with PepsiCo to release a line of Ben & Jerry's brand milkshakes to stores this summer. The milkshakes will be found in the refrigerated section of grocery and convenience stores, not the frozen foods section, and will uphold the high standards that Ben & Jerry's applies to their premium ice cream products, like their refusal to use milk and cream from hormone treated cows. The milkshakes are slated to debut in three as-yet-unnamed flavors, though it is likely that they will be versions of some of the Ben & Jerry's popular ice cream flavors, such as Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey or Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Their number 5 best selling flavor is Vanilla, making it also a possibility for a milkshake flavor.

Pepsi already licenses bottled Frappuccinos and canned DoubleShots from Starbucks and, according to a spokesperson, is looking to increase their non-carbonated offerings.

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Last summer, Reader's Digest published an article listing the 50 cleanest metropolitan cities in America. They scored cities based on air and water qualities, pollution by industrial toxics, and sanitation. There's no big surprise that Portland scored the highest for cleanliness overall, but what did surprise (me, at least), was that several cities that I would never have guessed, scored a perfect 50 for the quality of their tap water. Riverside? Las Vegas? The list of perfect scoring cities are below:

• Buffalo, NY 
• Columbus, OH
• Denver, CO
• Las Vegas, NV
• Portland, OR
• Riverside, CA
• Sacramento, CA
• Salt Lake City, UT 
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• San Jose, CA