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Father, daughter seek to make and wrap a better bean

Hannah Kullberg proudly calls herself the "bean queen."

Her orange business card says so, right under the cheery bean logo and company slogan, "rethought beans."

The Better Bean Company, which she started with her dad three years ago, has indeed rethought the way people buy and eat beans.

It's a vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, locally sourced artisan product that is Food Alliance-certified and, as of this month, certifiably free of genetically modified organisms.

Portland-area farmers markets and grocery store shelves are chock full of such all-natural artisan products boasting of being sustainably produced — at least on the inside. But there isn't such a frenzy over what's on the outside — the packaging.

That's where Kullberg and her dad, Keith, decided to be pioneers.

Last year they had a revelation, switching over from the bulky plastic deli tubs they'd been using to little plastic tubs that are fully recyclable, free of Bisphenol A (BPA) and result in 30 percent lower carbon emissions.

Source: Portland Tribune

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( EMAILWIRE.COM , May 05, 2012 ) San Diego, Ca — Recently, many news stories have focused on the increasing prevalence of genetically modified foods, which are made with genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO. The idea of eating fruits, vegetables and other foods that have been altered in this way is both creepy and concerning to many people.

As a result of this disturbing trend, many consumers are looking into the idea of growing some of their own produce. As a bonus, planting fruits and vegetables at home can also help save people a lot of money on their grocery bills.

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Since 2011, Green Horizons Hydroponics has offered its customers the best hydroponics equipment at discounted prices. Their store includes everything that people need to start growing their own fruits and vegetables....

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I grew up in a family of gardeners and fishermen, and most of the food that we consumed was either grown in our garden or caught in the ocean or local steams and rivers. When my parents would go grocery shopping they came home with ingredients such as butter, flour, and corn meal. They did not buy many packaged items. Meat was purchased from a butcher who purchased his products from local ranchers. There were no huge warehouse grocery stores, and grocery shopping often meant several stops. As an adult, I have pretty much followed the lessons I have learned from my parents in respects to food. I grow about 70% of what I consume each year in my own organic garden. I buy meat from organic , local sources, and rarely buy a packaged food item. My sister is very much into packaged foods, and though, she is a vegetarian her diet is about 60% packaged foods.

This year I have stepped up production in my garden. I would like to be able to consume 80-95% of food from my own garden and not have to buy vegetables at the grocery store. The reason for my increased production comes directly from the supermarket. Not only have the cost of produce increased over the years, but the confusion over product labelling has also become very complex. One would assume that an organic food item is organic, but that is not the way it is. There are different levels of organic food, and their instructions for figuring out what you are eating are not readily available. For instance the word Organic on a food label only means that the food item must contain 95% organic ingredients. To me, it is either organic or it is not organic. A statement on a food label that says “ made with organic ingredients” means that the product must contain a minimum of 70% of organic ingredients. If it is not 100% organic, then it is not organic. It is much like being pregnant. You are either pregnant, or you are not pregnant. Can you be 70% pregnant?

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