Facts

40% of all Cancer is diet related
– Fierro, Michael. “Cancer Prevention and Control Information” National Governor’s Association:Best Practices, April, 13, 2001

70% of all antibiotics consumed in this country are utilized in animal husbandry
– Benbrook, Charles, et al., ” Hogging It: Estimates of Antimicrobial Abuse in Livestock”. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2001

A typical fast food hamburger may come from over 1,000 cows from 5 different countries
– Schlosser, Eric, Fast Food Nation: The Dark side of the All-American Meal (Harper Collins,2002)

Blood pressure has increased over the past decade among children and adolescents, in part because of increasing rates of overweight
– American Medical Association

Corn-fed beef is less healthy because it contains more saturated fat and fewer Omega 3 fatty acids than the meat of grass-fed cattle
– The Omnivores’ Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Every day, one in four Americans eats in a fast food restaurant
– “Super Size Me”

Food additives have been scientifically and conclusively linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
– New York Times, September 6, 2007, citing University of Southhampton study

In 1970, Americans spent $6.2 billion at fast food restaurants; in 2004, the amount was $124 billion. Twenty times as much!
– “Don’t Eat This Book” by Morgan Spurlock

In 2001, Americans consumed 15 billion gallons of soft drinks, twice as much as in 1974 and the equivalent to 587 12-ounce servings per year for every man, woman, and child
– Center for Science in the Public Interest

More than 25 percent of nineteen- to twenty-four-month-olds eat French fries or fried potatoes on any given day
– The Future of Children, Princeton-Brookings

Most children can recognize over 1,700 products but do not know what’s grown and produced locally
– Cloud, Jaimie. The Sustainability Education Center, New York, 2002

One in three U.S. children born in the year 2000 could develop Type 2 Diabetes during their lifetimes
– Centers for Disease Control

Organic diets significantly lower children’s dietary exposure to pesticides
– Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

Our food travels an average of 1500 miles before we eat it
– Gussow, Joan-Dye. “What is Sustainable Cuisine- and Why Does it Matter So Much?” (Presentation to the 5th Annual Chef’s Collaborative 2000 Retreat), Phoenix, Ariz., 7-9 June 1998

The American Dietetic Associations’ funders have included Kellog, Kraft Foods, Campbell Soup, Nestle USA, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Nabisco, ConAgra and Sunkist
– ADA’s Donor Report Lists

The generation of Americans born in the year 2000 is the first in history to have a shorter life expectancy than its parents
– Centers for Disease Control

The rate of obesity among children today is twice as high as it was in the late 1970s
– Schlosser, Eric, Fast Food Nation: The Dark side of the All-American Meal (Harper Collins,2002)

The United States exports 1.1 million tons of potatoes a year, and imports 1.4 million tons of potatoes a year
– Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

US Agriculture uses 1.2 billion lbs of pesticides each year; roughly 5 lbs for every American
– Curtis, Jennifer “Fields of Change: A New Crop of American Farmers Finds Alternatives to Pesticides.” (Natural Resources Defense Council, July 1998)