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Whole Health News Roundup: Non-GMO Certification

Environmental advocates were successfully able to put the cap on bottled water sales for several years as part of their campaigns against plastic. However, Canadean finds bottled water is back, and poised for a flood of growth. The market research firm predicts global consumption will surpass that of carbonated soft drinks by 2016. In the U.S., Beverage Marketing Corp. said the category may exceed 10 billion gallons in volume for the first time in 2013. Per capita consumption reached nearly 31 gallons in 2012, up more than 5% from the previous year.

Non-GMO certification is quickly becoming almost mandatory for any manufacturer looking to sell in the natural foods channel. The rate of certification requests has increased dramatically after Whole Foods Market announced this spring it would require GMO labeling on all products by 2018. The move has inspired others: A certification agency specializing in natural kosher foods will stop accepting applications for products with genetically modified organisms. “While according to the strict letter of Kosher food law a GMO food ingredient is not prohibited, in our view it is not natural,” said Rabbi Reuven Flamer, director of Natural Food Certifiers.

Hens arriving at the Cobble Hill Sanctuary in Canada without feathers or fluff are loaned sweaters hand-knitted by volunteers. The birds are brought to the farm from battery-cage operations, where crowded conditions and constant chafing against wire mesh and other hens often cause them to shed their plumage. The hens get to wear the brightly-colored sweaters until their feathers grow back.

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