5@5: US banks are dropping hemp farmers | Monsanto pleads guilty to spraying banned pesticide5@5: US banks are dropping hemp farmers | Monsanto pleads guilty to spraying banned pesticide

Across the country, farmers say banks are dropping them for growing hemp

Law-abiding hemp farmers and producers are being dropped left and right by financial institutions that regard such businesses as overly risky. While a wide range of politicians are working with regulatory agencies to advise nervous banks, farmers are effectively caught in a bind until federal legislation kicks in sometime over the next year. Read more at The New Food Economy…

Monsanto to plead guilty to criminal count of spraying banned pesticide

The U.S. Justice Department has announced that Monsanto wrongfully used a prohibited pesticide called methyl parathion on research crops in Maui. The company additionally "told employees to go back into the fields seven days after the crops were sprayed" even though the recommended timeframe would have been around 31 days. Read more at Hawaii News Now…

Investors back global online marketplace for ethical, green farmers

Thanks to online marketplace Tridge, which just raised more than $10 million from investors, green and ethical farmers in developing countries can link up directly with food buyers on an international scale. Manufacturers, restaurants and many other businesses are finding that consumers are more willing to purchase products that are eco-friendly and ethically made. Read more at Reuters…

Sustainability drives food brands to embrace earth-friendly practices

Big Food is following in the successful footsteps of smaller brands by integrating more sustainable practices into their supply chains. In line with other research regarding consumer behavior, companies are finding that consumers are voting with their dollars against unsustainable brands. Read more at U.S. Chamber of Commerce…

The hidden forces driving the alternative meat labeling war

Meat companies that argue that plant-based meat products are misleading consumers likely aren't very concerned about the public's wellbeing, given that they themselves don't alert shoppers to the significant health risks that food products like raw chicken and highly processed meat pose. The difference now is that the newest wave of meat and dairy alternatives actually give consumers the experience of eating those products sans animal cruelty, which has led to a rise in flexitarianism and is putting Big Meat and Big Dairy in defensive mode. Read more at The Spinoff…