By Isabella Kaminski, Civil Eats:

“A 2023 investigation by the NGO Climate Rights International found vast tracts of forest being cleared for avocado plantations, water being diverted to irrigate the thirsty crop, and evidence of the mucky fingerprints of organized crime.

It concluded that virtually all deforestation for avocados in Michoacán and Jalisco over the past two decades was illegal. As a result, the report holds the industry liable for taking a serious toll on local communities, contributing to land grabs and water shortages, degrading the soil, and increasing the risks of lethal landslides and flooding.

Now, U.S. avocado growers and consumer groups are accusing major fruit firms of falsely portraying imported fruit as a sustainable option.

The non-profit Organic Consumers Association (OCA) fired the first shots, filing lawsuits in 2024 against four of the biggest avocado importers: Calavo, Mission, West Pak, and Fresh Del Monte. These companies import avocados from Mexico and supply them to major supermarket chains throughout the U.S., including Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods. OCA claims statements on these companies’ websites and social media that their avocados are sourced responsibly and sustainably are untrue.”


Read how Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director of OCA, notes that all imported avocados must be labeled with the country of origin, but that’s often the only truthful statement conveyed to the consumer. “The impact of avocado farming is a carefully guarded secret that the companies conceal with elaborate greenwashing,” she said. “That’s what we took action against.”

After being the subject of an investigation by Climate Rights International and then sued by the Organic Consumers Association, avocado importer Calavo pledged not to buy avocados grown on recently cleared land. Enforcement responsibilities fall on Mexico. Will Calavo bribe its way into compliance?

Calavo disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice on January 31, 2024, that its operations in Mexico raised potential issues under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a delicate way of suggesting it might have been bribing Mexican officials. In April 2024, the company volunteered that it had spent $5 million over six months investigating itself for FCPA violations, in anticipation of potential actions that could be taken against it by the SEC, the Department of Justice, or Mexican authorities.

Then, President Trump’s Justice Department announced it wouldn’t enforce the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and in its next SEC submission, in June 2025, Calavo said it did not “anticipate any near-term action from the government’s FCPA inquiry.”

Trump’s decision to stop enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is unleashing a corporate crime spree. This lawlessness can’t be allowed to continue. Please require Trump to enforce the FCPA.

TAKE ACTION on Illegal Deforestation: Tell Congress to Stop The Corporate Crime Spree!

Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian:

“Certain kinds of gut microbes absorb toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ and help expel them from the body via feces, new first-of-its-kind University of Cambridge research shows.

The findings are welcome news as the only options that exist for reducing the level of dangerous PFAS compounds from the body are bloodletting and a cholesterol drug that induces unpleasant side effects.

The microbes were found to remove up to 75% of some PFAS from the gut of mice. Several of the study’s authors plan to develop probiotic dietary supplements that boost levels of helpful microbes in the human gut, which would likely reduce PFAS levels.”

Read about how if this could be used in humans to create probiotics that can help remove PFAS from the body, then this would be a nicer solution in that it wouldn’t have so many side effects

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State Legislators to Ban Toxic PFAS!

Diane Bobis writes for The Take Out:

“Trader Joe’s runs an impactful food recovery program at all of its stores nationwide. This begins at the crew member level. Seven days a week, its workers actively remove any groceries that no longer meet quality standards. These could be items approaching their expiration date, misshapen produce, or products with damaged packaging. Trader Joe’s shelves are typically restocked overnight or early in the morning, donating 100% of unsold food that’s still safe to consume to local non-profit organizations through Trader Joe’s Neighborhood Shares program.



According to Trader Joe’s, each store employs a donation coordinator to oversee contributions to the community. In 2024 alone, the grocery chain donated over 98 million pounds of high-quality groceries to more than 2,000 food banks and hunger-relief organizations across the country. If the food can’t be used for human nourishment, it’s often used by local farmers for compost.

For example, a rancher known as Cowboy Max shared a TikTok in 2022 thanking his local Trader Joe’s for two bins of pumpkins that helped feed his livestock. ‘They could have just put them right in the dumpster,’ Max explained, explaining how the unsold gourds would be utilized on the farm.”

Read more to learn how these corporations are tackling the issue: Target, Whole Foods Market, Aldi, Costco, Kroger, Walmart and Sam’s Club, Publix, Amazon Fresh, Safeway and Meijer

Bayer wants Congress to relieve it of liability for the illnesses and deaths of people who got non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from Monsanto’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer. It’s spending $8.5 million a year lobbying Congress in hopes of saving billions.

Bayer is a foreign corporation and shouldn’t be able to make political contributions, but buying Monsanto in 2018 changed that. With a U.S. subsidiary, it too can buy politicians just like American companies do.

On Tuesday, the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee passed a spending bill with a provision, Sec. 453, that prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from allowing states to require warnings on pesticide labels. This would protect Bayer from California’s efforts to label Roundup carcinogenic.

Sec. 453 says the EPA can’t spend any of the money Congress gives it next year on pesticide labels unless it makes a formal determination of carcinogenicity or other human health harms under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.

This provision is aimed at limiting lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers based on state-mandated warnings and prioritizes industry interests over public health and safety and undermines states’ ability to protect their residents from harmful pesticides.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Ban Roundup, Not Bail Out Bayer!

After being chased off the market in 2022 by the legal eagles at the Center for Food Safety, BASF’s trifludimoxazin-based Tirexor weed killer is being given another chance by Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA wants to approve this dangerous pesticide with human health risks including cancer, as well as non-cancerous damage to the liver, thyroid, epididymis (where sperm mature and are stored), spinal cord, and brain.

TAKE ACTION BY JULY 26: Stop EPA Approval of Trifludimoxazin!

Maggie Ryan, SheKnows:

“The ice bucket challenge resurfaced at the University of South Carolina, where students in the Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club began using it to raise money for Active Minds, a nonprofit organization focused on mobilizing youth and addressing mental health stigma. That was back in March. As of late April, the #SpeakYourMIND hashtag has over 200,000 posts and has garnered support from celebrities like James Charles and the hosts of the Today show, who did it live on-air. To date, the new ice bucket challenge has raised over $340,000 for Active Minds, far surpassing the initial $500 goal set by USC students, per NBC.

And while that’s a major accomplishment, the ice bucket challenge is also helping to raise awareness around mental health and chip away at the stigma that still surrounds it. Because of that, experts believe this kind of movement can make a real difference. ‘I actually just saw it yesterday on my own social media feed,’ Heather Hagen, MS, LMFT, Executive Director of Clinical Outpatient Services at Newport Healthcare tells SheKnows. ‘I’m personally thrilled. Anything that we can do to call awareness to the mental health struggle is a good thing.’”



Read how social media movements like this can also remind people who are dealing with mental health struggles that they’re not alone

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is on the frontlines, battling corporate giants and advocating for your right to healthy, safe food.

Recently, we took on Calavo, a major avocado importer accused of sourcing avocados from deforested land in Mexico. Calavo and other big U.S. companies are contributing to devastating deforestation, water scarcity, Monarch and biodiversity loss in Mexico. While Calavo pledged to change its ways, the real challenge lies in ensuring compliance and holding corporations accountable for their actions.

Can you help support our mission?

Your donation will help us investigate and expose corporate misconduct.

We’ll continue to shine a light on companies that prioritize profits over people and the planet.

We will advocate for policy change by pushing for stronger regulations and laws that protect our food system, environment, and health.

We work hard to stay on top of current issues and empower citizens like you by providing the information and tools you need to make informed choices about the food you eat and the companies you support.

Our track record is proven: we’ve successfully taken on corporate giants like Monsanto, Tyson, and General Mills, we have a strong network: with over 2.4 million people and a weekly newsletter reaching 310,000 subscribers, we’re a force to be reckoned with in the fight for a healthier food system.

Please donate now to support our mission of holding corporate giants accountable.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Have you considered making a grant request from your Donor-Advised Fund?

by Barbara Twitchell, Edible Reno-Tahoe:

“Synthetic food dyes beautify our food, but at what price to our health?

The Food and Drug Administration has approved 28 natural and eight synthetic food dyes (a ninth, Red 3, was recently banned). The concern is that most of the synthetic dyes were tested and approved 35 to 70 years ago, when standards were far less stringent than today, and none were designed to detect behavioral anomalies in children. Also, the amount of synthetic dyes we consume per capita has increased more than fivefold since 1955, prompting the need to reformulate safe consumption levels, especially for children.

The three most frequently used FDA-approved dyes, comprising 90 percent of all food dyes used in the United States, are Red 40 (used in more than 36,000 American food products!), Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. The products most often containing these dyes are beverages, candies, baked goods, gelatins, cereals, gummies, snack foods, and even vitamins … you get the idea.

Recently, the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services announced an initiative to ban the dyes. Unfortunately, that’s an overstatement. Red 3 was previously banned and is being phased out. Two others are already obsolete. For the six remaining dyes, FDA and HHS are asking companies to voluntarily remove them from their products. Will a request really be enough?”

Read more

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Pass the “Do or Dye” Act!

Society for Experimental Biology, Science Daily:

“Climate change is silently sapping the nutrients from our food. A pioneering study finds that rising CO2 and higher temperatures are not only reshaping how crops grow but are also degrading their nutritional value especially in vital leafy greens like kale and spinach. This shift could spell trouble for global health, particularly in communities already facing nutritional stress.

Researchers warn that while crops may grow faster, they may also become less nourishing, with fewer minerals, proteins, and antioxidants raising concerns about obesity, weakened immunity, and chronic diseases.

Most research into the impact of climate change on food production has focused on crop yield, but the size of the harvest means little if the nutritional value is poor. ‘Our work looks beyond quantity to the quality of what we eat,’ says Jiata Ugwah Ekele, a PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, UK.

‘It’s important to connect plant science with broader issues of human well-being. As the climate continues to change, we must think holistically about the kind of food system we’re building – one that not only produces enough food, but also promotes health, equity, and resilience,’ says Ms Ekele.”

Read how food is more than just calories; it’s a foundation for human development and climate adaptation

Katie Landeck, The Providence Journal:

“Seven native plants to grow in your garden- here’s the list:

* Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca: This flowering plant blooms in a sphere of pink flowers in the summer, but what it’s best known for is being the host plant for Monarch butterflies. It does have a competitive root system, so consider that when you place it.

* Common Yarrow, Achillea millefolium: Often seen in vacant lots, this plant’s flower heads consist of dainty florets that look just right in a wildflower bouquet. It has many color variations.

* Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis: With little orange, trumpet-shaped flowers, this annual often attracts hummingbirds.

* Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum: This tall roadside grass can make a dramatic statement in a garden.

* Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium: Another roadside grass, as the name suggests this one has a blue color that makes it striking in a garden and is on the short side at 2 to 3 feet tall.

* Self heal, Prunella vulgaris: In the mint family, this plant is one of the few natives that grows around the world, and it has medicinal uses.

* Woolly blue violet, Viola sororia: The state flower of Rhode Island (and Illinois and New Jersey), this little flower blooms from April until June.”

Read more

Learn how to forage for Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris) and how to use it, including tincture, tea, and salve recipes

by Jackson Dircks, SDPB:

“USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says mass deportations of undocumented immigrants will be done everywhere, including farm country. She says the plan is to have a 100% American workforce.
‘When you think about it, there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program,’ Rollins said. ‘There are plenty of workers in America.’

Doug Sombke is the President of the South Dakota Farmers Union. He said filling jobs in this way isn’t possible in the agriculture industry.

‘It’s unrealistic. Just, I mean if anybody thinks that that’s the case, that we’re going to put these recipients of SNAP and Medicaid into the workforce, let’s be real. Especially in South Dakota, that just isn’t the case. We are not going to make that happen,’ Sombke said. ‘It’s going to be devastation if that’s the case. I mean the level of unemployment that we have in the state is lowest it’s ever going to get. The reason is certain people, some people just don’t have the ability, whether it’s physical or mental. They just don’t have the capacity to do the work.’”

Read more

By Kylie Mohr, Big Sky Country Contributing Parks Editor, SF Gate

“The Donald Trump administration offered new details about how it wants to cut $1.2 billion from the National Park Service in a proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 that the White House released Friday night. The suggested cuts in an over 1,000-page document are yet another blow to the beleaguered National Park Service and its staff, who are tasked with protecting iconic landscapes for current and future generations amid dramatic staffing reductions and record-breaking visitation.

The cuts include sweeping reductions to funding park management, from an estimated $2.67 billion in 2025 to $1.8 billion in 2026, an almost $900 million loss that represents a third of the budget. 

It also includes slashing funds for numerous national recreation and preservation programs within the park service. Natural resource programs would see almost 95% of their funding cut from current totals. Meanwhile, cultural programs would lose 60% of their funding. The National Heritage Areas Program, which supports 62 national heritage areas, would lose all of its funding, with the fate of those places unclear.”

Read how the budget proposal also eliminates other sources of funding used to help projects in national parks, national wildlife refuges and national forests through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and more

With Social Prescribing, Hanging Out, Movement and Arts Are Doctor’s Order

In Legal First, Court Rules Spain Pig Farm Megapollution Breached Residents’ Human Rights

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Remembering What the Parks Forgot

What I Pack in My Go Bag to Stay Ready for Any Natural Disaster

Frequent Egg Consumption Linked To Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Dementia, Study Finds

Texas Floods Devastate Farms and Ranches, Farmers Face Massive Cleanup

Reports of U.S. Children Ingesting Nicotine Pouches Surge, Study Says

Archaeologists Discover That Parties 11,000 Years Ago Were BYOB — Bring Your Own Boar

Scientists Reveal Implications of Microplastics on the Human Brain

25% of Young Americans Aged 18 to 24 Eat Every Meal Alone—‘a Virtual Doubling of What It Was Two Decades Ago,’ Expert Says

People in Nordic Region Are More Satisfied Than Other EU Citizens With Big City Life

This New Tomato Tariff Could Change the Way You Cook This Summer