Organic Food and Products

Agricultural Marketing Service - National Organic Program

Organic production is a system that is managed in accordance with the Organic ... The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national ...

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop

Organic Certification

USDA's National Organic Program regulates the standards for any farm, ... U.S. producers are turning to certified organic farming systems as a potential way to ...

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navid=ORGANIC_CERTIFICATIO&navtype=RT&parentnav=AGRICULTURE

Volatile Organic Compounds | Indoor Air Quality | US EPA

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have ...

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

Graphene's the right stuff for organic LEDs, says Stanford team

A Stanford team is claiming successful demonstration of an inexpensive, solution-based spin-coating dispersion technique for fabricating graphene anodes for organic LED displays, promising to sidestep indium tin oxide electrode shortages and clear the way for development of flexible OLEDs.

EETimes

Graphene's the right stuff for organic LEDs, says Stanford team

A Stanford team is claiming successful demonstration of an inexpensive, solution-based spin-coating dispersion technique for fabricating graphene anodes for organic LED displays, promising to sidestep indium tin oxide electrode shortages and clear the way for development of flexible OLEDs. Indium tin oxide - Organic light-emitting diode - Light-emitting diode - Business - Anode

EETimes

Last Chance for USDA Organic Initiative Applications

Lyons, Nebraska - Less than two weeks remain for organic producers as well as farmers and ranchers transitioning their operations to organic to apply for a special USDA initiative to encourage conservation practices. The 2010 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative will provide $50 million nationally to farmers and ranchers who qualify for the program.

Arizona Range News

FDA Warns Consumers in Puerto Rico of Harmful Bacteria in Hand Sanitizers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers in Puerto Rico that two hand sanitizers Bee-Shield Hand Sanitizer with Aloe Vera (10 fl. oz. or 1 gallon bottles) and MD Quality Hand Sanitizer with Aloe Vera (10 fl oz. bottles) contain high levels of a bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia, that can cause serious infections in humans. The hand sanitizers are distributed only in Puerto Rico. Although no adverse effects with these products have been reported to the FDA, the agency is recommending that consumers not use them and throw them away. Read more...

Guard Your Health Insurance Card

You may want to make sure you know where your health insurance card is. According to a new study, 7 percent of identity fraud victims this year reported identity thieves stole their health insurance information, up from just 3 percent last year. Such health insurance identity theft occurs when someone impersonates someone else at a hospital or doctor’s office using a stolen health insurance card or account number or even just personal information learn they are victims of such fraud when they get a medical bill or a notice about what will be covered from their health insurance company. The rise of this relatively new area of identity fraud is mainly because of two factors : medical providers’ putting more records in more easily accessible electronic form, and the large numbers of people unable to get health care coverage. Read more...

Frugal Ways to Stay Healthy

Medical costs are a big issue on everyone’s mind these days with the ongoing debate about health care. February is National Wise Health Care Consumer Month, a time to raise awareness about how you spend money on your health.

Check out these tips from the Federal Citizen Information Center for easy ways you can trim the cost of medicine, fitness and more:

Switch to generic. Because of legal restrictions, a generic drug might not look exactly the same as the brand name choice, but it contains the same active ingredients and is just as effective. Brand name drugs cost more than their generic counterparts because the makers of the original, brand name versions had to pay for the research, development and marketing of the medications. Learn more from the Generic Drugs publication from the Food and Drug Administration.

Watch out for scams. They keep coming back in different forms on TV and the internet but one thing stays the same: health scams charge you lots of money for “miracle” cures. And the diet pills and enhancement products they push could be dangerous or have harmful interactions with your other medicines. Save your money for tried-and-true methods or doctor prescribed medicines. Read about common ploys in Health Scams from the Food and Drug Administration.

Reconsider the gym. Gym memberships can be costly, and if you aren’t using your membership regularly, it could be one place where you could save some money. If you’re worried about how you’ll fit your exercise in without the gym, Be Active Your Way from the Department of Health and Human Services suggests several alternate forms of exercise that you can fit into your everyday life.

In tough economic times, we’re all looking to pinch pennies wherever we can. Try out some of these simple suggestions from the Federal Citizen Information Center to help you save money and stay healthy.

There are two ways to get copies of these publications:

1. Read or download them online:

• Generic Drugs (http://go.usa.gov/lWk)
• Health Scams (http://go.usa.gov/l5x)
• Be Active Your Way (http://go.usa.gov/lWB)

2. Order printed copies of Health Scams, Be Active Your Way and Generic Drugs (subject to availability) by:

• Visiting www.pueblo.gsa.gov to place your order online
• Calling toll-free 1 (888) 8 PUEBLO. That’s 1 (888) 878-3256, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST and asking for Item 576V, Health Scams, Item 116V, Be Active Your Way or Item 555V, Generic Drugs.