"standards" news and stories

EatingWell magazine ran a feature article about Niman Ranch, which works with a network of family farmers that adhere to strict standards to produce high quality beef, pork and lamb. Their guidelines include treating animals humanely, feeding them all-natural feeds, and allowing them to mature naturally, rather than in an unnatural, forced way. Niman Ranch is often regarded as an excellent example of a company that goes above and beyond the bare minimum standards set by the USDA for "natural" meat production. In addition to Niman Ranch, EatingWell included a list of other companies that pride themselves on the quality of their meats and the treatment of the animals in their care. Check out their whole list for more information on the individual companies, but the brands whose cuts made the cut are:

• Coleman Natural Foods
• Dakota Beef 
• Laura's Lean Beef
• Maverick Ranch Natural Meats
• Niman Ranch 
• U.S. Wellness Meats 

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Two fairly common wine terms are "varietal" and "blend." A varietal wine is one made primarily of one type of grape, like Chardonnay, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir. A blended wine is a combination of different types of wine, designed to enhance certain flavors, rather than a certain grape. Another word that gets thrown around a lot is "vintage," which refers to the year that the grapes were produced. Judging from the location of the winery and the vintage, wine connoisseurs can pinpoint their favorite wines based upon the quality of the harvest that year.

Since 1972, winemakers in the US have been allowed to add up to 5% of one vintage to another vintage wine and still tag it the the year of the latter. Under this standard, a 2004 wine could have up to 5% of 2001 added to it, for example. This standard was increased to 15% a few weeks ago. It was done to "give greater flexibility to domestic winemakers in blending wine to better suit consumer tastes" and the Wine Institute noted that adding older, more mature wines to younger wines would help in "improving taste appeal and quality perception." Countries in the EU, as well as Australia and New Zealand, already have this 15% standard, while countries like Chile and South Africa allow up to 25%.

Some areas in the US, prestigious American Viticultural Areas, will still be using the 95% standard, if they blend with older vintages at all. 

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Brewers in Europe may soon have to provide complete lists off ingredients on their beer bottles, according to a recent BBC News story. The European Commission hopes to have reworked many labeling standards, including those for alcoholic beverages, by the end of the year. While this might not be a big deal to breweries in Germany, where beer can legally only contain water, hops (right), yeast and malted barley or wheat, plenty of other breweries use chemicals that, while safe, may sound less than appealing to consumers. Propylene glycol alginate, for example, is a chemical derived from algae, used to maintain a thicker head on a beer. Personally, I'd be glad to know a little more about what else is in my beer. I'm sure others would too.

According to consumer groups, the beer industry's standards for advertising are not high enough. And they're not talking about their propensity to appeal to the lowest common denominator by showing belching contests and bikini-clad women. The New York Times reports that critics are upset because they do not feel the industry is abiding by their own standards and is still producing ads which are seen by children.

The industry self regulates via the Beer Institute, which creates guidelines and monitors advertising content. Their standard is to only air beer ads when no more than 30 percent of the audience is under the legal drinking age. Steven Rowe, attorney general of Maine and vocal critic, stands firm in his believe that the standard should be lowered to 15 percent. Critics also feel that the Beer Institute's advertising code, which state ads "should not portray beer drinking before or during activities, which for safety reasons, require a high degree of alertness or coordination," is being violated in ads. To support their "unsafe activities" claim, fingers are pointed at the ad aired during the Olympics that showed men drinking beer while pretending to be fixing their roofs, though beer companies stated that commercials obviously meant as parody were exceptions to the "unsafe activities" code, not violating any standards.

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Wal-Mart is already the number one seller of organic milk, but in the next few weeks, the retail giant plans to increase its selection of organic products, according to a recent Reuters article. Wal-Mart's head of dry grocery told Reuters that customers can expect the amount of organic offerings at Wal-Mart to soon double. While the stated goal is to offer organic products at a low price, some worry that the enormous quantities required by a retailer like Wal-Mart may continue to push organic suppliers and lawmakers to weaken organic standards. A New York Times article explains, citing both the Organic Trade Association and the Organic Consumers Association.