Starbucks, contrary to popular belief, does not pays less for their coffee than other coffee buyers, using their size to bully their suppliers into meeting extremely low prices (like one here-unnamed major retailer does). In the past year, Starbucks paid about 36% more than the average price per pound of coffee beans, shelling out $1.42 for every pound of beans they bought.

Does this definitively prove that Starbucks is making the world a better place for all coffee growers and that there will be no starving farmers working coffee plantations in the world? Of course not. The latter problem can't be helped because that low average price means that there are companies paying far, far less for their products. What this does mean is that Starbucks is making positive policies that will benefit growers in the long run, setting a higher standard that other buyers will, hopefully, meet at some point.

Last night I was reading the latest issue of Vanity Fair (the one with Dreamgirls on the cover and a really stupid "women aren't funny" article by Christopher Hitchens inside), and I suddenly got a really strong scent of pomegranates. I had no idea where it was coming from until I flipped through the magazine and saw an ad for a pomegranate drink, and it had one of those "lift and smell" flaps that you usually see in cologne ads. Now they're doing it with food and drink. Interesting. Anyway, the smell was overwhelming (in a good way), even when I finished reading the mag and threw it out. I smelled it all last night when I was in bed.

Pomegranates are all the rage now. They're amazingly good for you, they taste good, and there are lots of things you can do with them. The Boston Globe explores the phenomenon.

• Some gift ideas for people you work with, including Chocolate Crinkles, Toasted Mixed Nuts, and Cheese Crackers.
• How to make pomanders for the holidays, and how to make the change from a gas stove to an electric one.
• Chef Marcus Samuelsson returns to his roots.
• Everybody loves Amy Sedaris!
• A recipe that combines smoked salmon and cheesecake?! Yup.
• Why farmers eat better in the winter.
• One reason why you should stop bashing Rachael Ray.
• Sassy Sips & Nibbles: a self-published book about snacks and drinks.
• This week's recipes: White Beans, Sausage, and Escarole; 'Lil Smoky Cheese Ball; Piri Piri; Mango Couscous; and Carnitas.

At the moment, there is no federal standard for labeling fish as "organic." While cows, pigs, chickens and all sorts of other animals can easily meet existing standards by being fed specific types of food and not getting any hormones or antibiotics added to them, fish are much harder to pin down. Part of the problem lies in the fact that many fish are carnivorous and because there are currently no organic fish, they cannot eat organic feed. Additionally, to ensure that fish are only eating organically, which is not a problem for herbivorous fish, they must be supervised and receive specific feed. If fish have to be supervised to get the "organic" designation, that means that wild fish will not qualify, which is a sticking point for those who actually fish wild fish.

Scientists and environmentalists, however, agree that the organic label should not be applied to wild fish, reminding people that "organic" refers to a type of agriculture and the catching of wild fish is not agriculture.

The debate on both sides has been ongoing for years now and, even when a consensus is reached, it will probably take a couple more years for fisheries to meet the chosen USDA standards and get their products in the market.

Canada does not have a country-wide organic certification system - not yet, anyway. Organic farming and ranching is an almost $1 billion dollar industry in the country, but currently, the farmers cannot seek certification from a central source. Some are certified by the US Department of Agriculture, which would be required for export to the US anyway, and farms in Quebec and British Colombia are regulated by rules put in place by the individual provinces.

A new system would allow for a "Canada Organic" label, increasing awareness of the farmers nationally and internationally and the country has been working on developing a standard set of guidelines and regulations since 2004. Recently, the process was sped up to meet a deadline set by the EU that would prohibit uncertified organics from trade after December 31st. Such a ban could cost Canada millions of dollars, so after much deliberation, a draft of the new rules was published on September 2. It will be up for discussion and revision for 75 days, at which point it will become law.

If you read a lot of personal food blogs, you will occasionally here someone refer to CSA or a delivery from CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, a cooperative system in which goods from a farm are delivered directly to a consumer. The way it works is that people purchase the rights to part of a farmer's crop prior to the beginning of the season. Once the crops start coming in - and some farmers provide everything from vegetables and herbs to fresh eggs and meat, though most primarily provide produce - a portion of the harvest is delivered to each subscriber each week, either directly or to a central location where it can be picked up. The farmers benefit from having a direct sale, and the consumers benefit because they are getting ultra-fresh produce and supporting their community.

Because everything is so seasonal, consumers don't have a say in what they get each week. It is based strictly on the harvest, so it is possible that you will end up with some foods you don't care for in addition to ones you love.

The season lasts from April or May through October, although it may start a bit later depending on what area of the country you are from. Some farms offer year-round programs. Generally, the subscription is paid in advance, meaning that a subscriber will pay a few hundred dollars at the beginning of the season instead of paying weekly as they might at a grocery store or farmer's market. An average cost seems to be about $22 per week. Use the CSA Finder at Local Harvest to help locate a program in your area.

More dairies may be going organic, but the demand for organic milk is close to exceeding the supply. Dean Foods, a Texas-based company that is the nation's largest producer of dairy and the owner of Horizon Organics, has even gone so far as to say that the sale of organic milk to stores could be rationed this winter. Part of the reason is that the production of organic dairy drops in winter, when cows in some parts of the country must be sheltered and protected from the cold.

One other problem facing the industry is an increased interest, from the customer,s into where the milk specifically comes from. Dean Foods has already dropped some of their larger suppliers and is focusing on mid-sized herds and smaller family farms. In fact, in trying to meet the current demand, Dean Foods is planning for the long term, hoping to avoid situations like this in the future, by spending $20 million in the next 5 years, helping small farmers transition to organic.

Doubtless, the transition will be easier for farmers to make when they are assured of a strong market for their product. For the rest of the year and until spring, however, consumers would be wise just to buy organic milk when it is available and not expect to see any price cuts or special deals on dairy.

A group of farmers from North Dakota opened Agraria Restaurant, a high end restaurant in Washington DC, to show "urban diners" exactly who is raising their food. The restaurant cost $4 million to open and was a big risk for the co-op, which has approximately 40,000 members and almost no experience in the restaurant industry. They felt strongly that there was too much of a disconnect between people and their food, and wanted to bring the two closer together.

The menu uses seasonal produce from family farm suppliers, purchased directly from the farmers and/or their co-ops. For example, most of the their produce comes from Tuscarora Organic Growers, an organic farm co-op in Pennsylvania, flour and beef come from North Dakota, and their seafood is from places like Louisiana and Alaska. The ultimate goal is to expand the "limited bistro menu" of the newly opened restaurant to one that varies widely and changes daily, letting diners know how dependent meals can be on the seasons and how much higher quality the food is when the restaurant stocks don't come from Sysco.

There are so many food issues to think about when you hit the market to do grocery shopping.  Store brand versus national brand. Sale versus regular. Organic vs conventional. Locally grown vs imported. Every company is promoting at least one thing (sometimes all things) at a time.With organics going mainstream, and organic farms getting larger and more efficient/industrial, more community and eco-conscious people are turning towards supporting local growers and patronizing farmers markets, rather than blindly opting for organics of unknown origin.

Following this trend and keeping itself ahead of the curve, Whole Foods has just pledged to spend an additional $10 million each year to further support locally grown foods. John Mackey one of the co-founders of Whole Foods said that some stores "would use parts of their parking lots on Sundays to host open-air markets for nearby farms and [all] would redouble efforts to buy from local producers."

The question is, will this move encourage you to shop at Whole Foods, knowing that you are more likely to be supporting local growers/producers that you might not otherwise have access to?

Sarah mentioned that some studies show that British shoppers are clueless about seasonal produce. I think it's a fair bet that many people, in many countries are similarly unaware of the prime season for at least one fruit or vegetable.  Without getting into the various issues surrounding why it is or is not best to buy seasonal (local) produce, there are two ways to figure out what's in season quickly.

First, you can visit a local farmer's market. You'll be able to find fruits and veggies at the peak of their season without too much problem. Stock up on things that freeze well, like berries, so you don't have to worry about seasonality when you get a craving.

The second way is a little more fun.

They would be sending most of their stuff to wholesalers, who would in turn send it to processors, or ship it overseas, or... who knows. A few decades ago, many of them were near bankrupt. Until New Seasons market happened along, with its commitment to sourcing locally. New Seasons is just part of a movement among those flamingly liberal Portland folk to buy local, organic, sustainable. And according to this article in the New York Times, it's working. And most ironically? Those farmers, they're conservative and straight-laced. But they're supplying the liberals.