Some of the best beauty products are easy on the planet as well as our skin. Claire Spreadbury selects her favourites.

Renowned TV chef, cook and cookbook author whose latest book is Rachel’s Everyday Kitchen.

If you want to guarantee you are getting the real deal then watch out for products that are certified.

A small but increasing number of farmers have started to grow seed crops, to produce oils for consumer use.

Massage oils come out of the shadows to ease everyday aches and leave your skin peachy soft.

IT feels like spring is on the way — at last. But my skin is a long way off from feeling the effects of the marginally warmer weather. It has never been as dry. And this is no surprise.

OIL BE BACK

CONSUMER-LED organic food group purchasing initiatives are growing at a rapid rate in many countries in Europe and beyond.

The Burren Perfumery

A NEW strain of the MRSA “superbug” has been found in the milk of British cows as well as swab samples taken from humans.

Meat from the offspring of a cloned cow entered the UK food chain last year and was eaten, the Food Standards Agency revealed.

THIS WEEK we feature lots and lots of salads, just what we all yearn for during this unexpected spell of beautiful weather. Recently chef and cookery teacher Barny Haughton from Bristol came to Ballymaloe Cookery School to do a whole morning on salads.

British organic diary products firm Rachel’s Organic is set to be put on the market with a £20m price tag, it was reported today.

I HAVEN’T been to Wales for so long, I’d forgotten how easy it is to get there. Just throw a few things into the car, pack a picnic and head for Rosslare.

Eating organic food does not provide any significant nutritional or health benefits, according to a study published in the UK today.

FOR those who have an interest in food and a concern about food issues, the last Thursday of every month is worth marking in your diary – Cork Free Choice Consumer Group will have a speaker at the Crawford Art Gallery from 7.30pm to 10pm.

THE Irish Organic Farmers and Growers’ Association has established a formal co-operative link with the Soil Association — Britain’s largest organic body.

JUNIOR Minister Trevor Sargent has pledged to stand by organic farming in tough pre-budget negotiations.

Fears of “enormous economic consequences” for the livestock industry have been raised as tests indicate the virus strain in the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak is the same as that which infected two herds last month.

US drinks giant Coca-Cola is in talks regarding a possible buy-out of bottled water firm Highland Spring in Scotland, it was reported today.

COILLTE refutes the allegations made by Dr Roderick O’Sullivan (The Irish Examiner Letters, March 5).

Actress Elizabeth Hurley is putting her acting career behind her to plant organic food on her English estate.

British consumers were today urged to keep eating poultry after a wild swan was feared to have died from the deadly strain of bird flu.

REGULAR readers of this column will know that I am deeply concerned about the deterioration in the national diet.

THE Japanese who visit Ireland are frequently baffled that we eat so little seaweed. When they walk along the seashore, they recognise seaweed and sea vegetables they seek out and relish in Japan.

Children and people with heart conditions are being warned to limit the number of eggs they eat.

Sales of organic food in the UK have topped £1bn (€1.46bn) for the first time, according to a report by the Soil Association published today.

EAST CORK Slow Food Convivium was established in August 2002 and its latest event was a Slow Food dinner at Café Paradiso in Cork on August 21.

GENETICALLY modified crops could offer some cost and convenience advantages to British farmers, Downing Street said yesterday.

British milkmen today vowed to fight back against the growing dominance of supermarkets which has seen the number of doorstep deliveries fall dramatically in the past 20 years.

A leading campaign group has welcomed a decision to withdraw controversial GM crop trials which had been planned to take place only two miles from Europe’s biggest organic research centre.

More than 200 people gathered outside a farm today to protest against plans to plant genetically modified crops on the land.

The British Government should authorise voluntary, targeted vaccination in the effort to combat foot-and-mouth, a coalition of groups has urged.