According to a recent post at www.nursingschools.net/blog/ ”many people aren’t really aware of what they’re eating at all and don’t question where their food came from or how it got there.

And with problems of a global food source and governments that can’t afford proper food inspections, problems, such as  salmonella outbreaks, rampant obesity and the side effects of many chemical additives are becoming more frequence in the news, according to the website.

Good health is a personal responsibility and good health starts with a good diet of proper nutritional foods.  This and other information plays an important role in making those good choices that leads to a healthy diet improving your quality of life.

1. 40-50% of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten. Research done by a professor at the University of Arizona has shown that nearly half the food produced in the the United States every year goes to waste. While news of our throw-away society isn’t necessarily surprising, that so much of what we produce is wasted while millions in our own nation and those around the world go hungry should be. Additionally, this wasted food costs manufacturers billions each year.
2. Every year, over 25% of Americans get sick from what they eat. This means some 76 million food borne infections, 350,000 of which require hospitalization and 5,000 of which are deadly. Think your food is safe? While most Americans would agree with you, the reality is that food borne illnesses in the United States are fairly common, much more so than in countries like England and France. Some believe it is because they eat more locally grown and small farmed foods that leave less room for contamination on the way to consumers’ homes.
3. As few as 13 major corporations control nearly all of the slaughterhouses in the U.S. Why should you care? Because these major corporations pack a lot of political power, making them incredibly difficult to regulate and inspect. For consumers, this means meat production that could be less than healthy for them, the animals, and the workers who produce it.
4. Americans eat 31% more packaged food than fresh food. This means that Americans eat more packaged and processed food than people in any other country, according to the New York Times. Packaged foods themselves aren’t necessarily bad for us, but Americans tend to consume frozen pizzas and microwave dinners, which can be high in fats and salts.
5. The FDA tests only about 1% of food imports. We import about 15% of what we eat. This means that a good portion of the seafood and some fruits and veggies making their way to your table haven’t been inspected for quality or safety. With current scares about unsafe imported products, it can give you pause before purchasing imports over local foods.
6. A simple frozen dinner can contains ingredients from over 500 different suppliers. NPR has shown that a basic frozen prepared meal can contain up to 50 different ingredients. These ingredients come from all over the world, changing hands numerous times along the way. This means that in order to trust that your food is safe, you have to trust that all of those hundreds of companies along the way stuck to regulations about food safety.
7. 50% of tested samples of high fructose corn syrup tested for mercury. There has been a lot of debate about the safety and health of high fructose corn syrup lately, and some believe with pretty good reason. While producers insist that their products are safe, consumers have been put off by the fact that they contain any mercury at all, especially because HFCS is found in a wide range of food products from bread to catsup.
8. Americans eat about six to nine pounds of chemical food additives per year. While it may seem that the amount of chemicals you’re eating in your food is inconsequential, over the year they add up. Some may be harmless to you, but others may have effects that are yet unknown over a long period of time.
9. Food intolerance is on the rise, with as many as 30 million people in the U.S. showing symptoms. Some believe that the growth in food allergies and food intolerance may have to do with our diets. Eating yeast-based foods, preserved meats and processed foods can lead to greater levels of histamine in the body which many are incapable of processing naturally.
10. Fewer than 27% of Americans eat the correct ratio of meats to vegetables. Studies have shown that eating too much meat increases your cancer risk, a fact reinforced by the longer life span of cultures that focus more heavily on veggies than meats. By not eating enough of these vegetables, many Americans are missing out on the healthy nutrients, minerals and compounds they contain.
11. 80% of the food supply is the responsibility of the FDA yet the number of inspections has decreased while the number of producers has increased. While America’s food is relatively safe compared to some places, it still isn’t close to being the safest in the world., a fact that isn’t helped by the drop in number of inspections done by the FDA each year.
12. Keeping fields contamination-free can cost well over $250,000–a discouraging sum to smaller farmers. Recent outbreaks of salmonella and other deadly bacteria in vegetables across the nation have made it all the more necessary for farmers to be cautious about the safety of their food. Yet the costs associated with keeping crops free of any possible source of contamination can be prohibitory for those without the funds, forcing farmers to choose between making a living and gambling on food safety.

A promising outlook for a rapid increase in renewable energy worldwide will benefit Nebraska’s economy, especially as biofuel and wind energy production continues to grow.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released a report saying world marketed energy consumption will grows 49 percent between 2007 and 2035, driven by economic growth in the developing nations of the world.

 ”Renewables are the fastest-growing source of world energy supply, but fossil fuels are still set to meet more than three-fourths of total energy needs in 2035 assuming current policies are unchanged,” said EIA Administrator Richard Newell.

According to EIA, the global economic recession that began in 2007 and continued into 2009 has had a profound impact on near-term prospects for world energy demand.

Total marketed energy consumption contracted by 1.2 percent in 2008 and by an estimated 2.2 percent in 2009, as manufacturing and consumer demand for goods and services declined, the report said. EIA reported that as the economic situation improves, most nations are expected to return to the economic growth rates that were projected prior to the downturn.

EIA said that total world energy use could rise 49 percent, from 495 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2007 to 739 quadrillion Btu in 2035.

The report said that China and India were among the nations least impacted by the global recession, and they will continue to lead the world’s economic and energy demand growth into the future.

In 2007, China and India together accounted for about 20 percent of total world energy consumption. With strong economic growth in both countries over the projection period, their combined energy use more than doubles by 2035, when they account for 30 percent of world energy use.

In contrast, EIA said the projected U.S. share of world energy consumption falls from 21 percent in 2007 to about 16 percent in 2035.

Average world oil prices increased strongly from 2003 to mid-July 2008, then declined sharply over the rest of 2008. In 2009, oil prices again trended upward and this trend continues with prices rising to $108 per barrel by 2020 (in real 2008 dollars) and $133 per barrel by 2035.

Total liquid fuels consumption projected for 2035 is 28 percent or 24.5 million barrels per day higher than the 2007 level of 86.1 million barrels per day.

Conventional oil supplies from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) contribute 11.5 million barrels per day to the total increase in world liquid fuels production, and conventional supplies from non-OPEC countries add another 4.8 million barrels per day, according to EIA.

World production of unconventional resources (including biofuels, oil sands, extra-heavy oil, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids), which totaled 3.4 million barrels per day in 2007, increases nearly fourfold to 12.9 million barrels per day in 2035. the report said.

 Other report highlights include:

From 2007 to 2035, total world energy consumption rises by an average annual 1.4 percent.

.Strong economic growth among the non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations drives the increase. Non-OECD energy use increases by 2.2 percent per year; in the OECD countries energy use grows by only 0.5 percent per year.

Petroleum and other liquid fuels remain the largest energy source worldwide through 2035, though projected higher oil prices erode their share of total energy use from 35 percent in 2007 to 30 percent in 2035.

World natural gas consumption increases 1.3 percent per year, from 108 trillion cubic feet in 2007 to 156 trillion cubic feet in 2035. Tight gas, shale gas, and coalbed methane supplies increase substantially especially from the United States, but also from Canada and China.

In the absence of additional national policies and/or binding international agreements that would limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, world coal consumption is projected to increase from 132 quadrillion Btu in 2007 to 206 quadrillion Btu in 2035, at an average annual rate of 1.6 percent.

China alone accounts for 78 percent of the total net increase in world coal use from 2007 to 2035.

World net electricity generation increases by 87 percent, from 18.8 trillion kilowatthours in 2007 to 35.2 trillion kilowatthours in 2035.

Renewables are the fastest growing source of new electricity generation, increasing by 3.0 percent per year; followed by coal-fired generation, which increases by 2.3 percent per year.

World industrial energy consumption grows 66 percent, from 184 quadrillion Btu in 2007 to 262 quadrillion Btu in 2035. The non-OECD economies account for about 95 percent of the world increase in industrial sector energy consumption.

Almost 20 percent of the world’s total delivered energy is used for transportation, most of it in the form of liquid fuels. The transportation share of world total liquids consumption increases from 53 percent in 2007 to 61 percent in 2035, accounting for 87 percent of the total increase in world liquids consumption.

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rise from 29.7 billion metric tons in 2007 to 42.4 billion metric tons in 2035–an increase of 43 percent. Much of the increase in carbon dioxide emissions is projected to occur among the developing nations of the world, especially in Asia.

Highlights can be found on EIA’s web site.

By Robert Pore

A Minnesota tar sands oil pipeline spill Wednesday has alarmed conservationists who are protesting construction of a much bigger and riskier pipeline planned to cross six states, including Nebraska, said Duane Hovorka, Executive Director of the Nebraska Wildlife Federation.

 Hovorka said the Minnesota pipeline, owned by Enbridge Energy, carries tar sands crude from Canada, through Minnesota to Wisconsin. He said an unknown amount of crude oil leaked out of a 1-inch crack into a wetland area where the pipe is located.

The leak, Hovorka said, was first discovered and reported by local fire fighters. Enbridge Energy reportedly did not know of the leak until the fire crews called and notified them. Though oil transportation companies like Enbridge claim to have safety regulations and mechanisms in place to immediately detect problems, Hovorka said leaks like this can occur and not be noticed for days.

 ”Concerns about potential leaks like this are mounting in regard to a new tar sands oil pipeline that has been proposed to cut through Montana, crossing the Missouri River as it travels south to Nebraska where it will cross the Niobrara River and carve up the Nebraska Sandhills region on its way to Texas refineries,” Hovorka said.  ”The Sandhills region is particularly vulnerable to pipeline spills because of the porous soil and the fact that the Ogallala Aquifer lies beneath its surface.”

 He said the idea of having a pipeline running through the state, putting wildlife habitats, farm lands and public water resources at risk of leaks similar to what has occurred in Minnesota makes one question the value of this fuel source, “…especially when we can be investing in clean energy and conservation instead.”

“When also taking into consideration the environmental destruction that is required to produce tar sands oil to begin with – an energy intensive process that emits three times more greenhouse gases than conventional oil, requires two barrels of water for every barrel of oil, and the clearing of boreal forest for wastelands of tailing ponds, it becomes clear that tar sands is the wrong energy choice for Americans,” said Jenny Pelej, Field Coordinator with National Wildlife Federation.

 The  state is accepting comments on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Public hearings will be held at three locations in Nebraska where verbal comments will be accepted. In addition, written comments will be accepted through the end of May, unless a comment period extension is given. The hearings will be held:

May 6, 7 – 9 p.m. Fairbury, Nebraska, Rock Island Railroad Depot, 910 Second St., Fairbury, NE

May 10, 7 – 9 p.m., York, Nebraska, York Auditorium, 211 E. 7th Street, York, NE

May 11, 7- 9 p.m., Atkinson, Nebraska, Atkinson Community Center, 206 W. 5th Street, Atkinson, NE

The draft EIS can be reviewed and written comments submitted by visiting www.keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov

Both Sens. Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns are co-sponsors of legislation that would extend tax credits that incentivize ethanol production  through 2015, which are set to expire at the end of 2010, including the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC).

 ”Encouraging the development and use of ethanol in our energy supply will lessen our dependence on foreign oil and strengthen rural economies,” Johanns said. “This bill is especially important for Nebraska, the nation’s second largest producer of ethanol. Incentivizing ethanol production moves us closer to energy independence and strengthens Nebraska’s leading role in ethanol production.”

 The Grow Renewable Energy from Ethanol Naturally (GREEN) Jobs Act, drafted by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), would extend the following provisions:

*VEETC, a 45-cent-per-gallon payment to gasoline refiners for blending ethanol into gasoline.

* A ten-cent-per gallon tax credit for small ethanol producers.

* The $1.01-per-gallon Cellulosic Biofuel Producer Tax Credit.

* The ethanol import tariff.

 * Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Nelson said the legislation would strengthen America’s energy independence and create jobs through the production of domestically produced biofuels.

  Nelson said that extension of these policies is the right thing to do because biofuels offer an alternative to foreign oil and generate economic activity in the United States.  Today, he said, ethanol comprises nearly 10 percent of the U.S. fuel supply. 

He said ethanol produced in the Midwest replaces oil from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Nigeria.  Ethanol is good for rural economies, Nelson said, and a recent study found that the failure to extend the VEETC credit and the secondary tariff would result in the loss of 112,000 jobs nationwide and reduce ethanol production by nearly 40 percent. 

 Nelson said the expiration of the tax credit would have a negative impact on the 25 Nebraska ethanol production plants that have a combined annual production capacity of more than 1.8 billion gallons of ethanol. Studies show, he said, that expiration of the credit would “ripple throughout Nebraska” resulting in the loss of more than 13,700 jobs.

 “Nebraska’s ethanol production is helping with one of America’s toughest problems today, our dependence on foreign sources of energy,” Nelson said. ”We shouldn’t play games with this home-grown, clean-burning energy supply, especially when more than 13,700 Nebraska jobs are involved. We should extend this triple-duty tax credit that helps our national security, environment and jobs.”