’Tis the Season: 5 ‘Food, Inc.’-Approved Foods That Give Back

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Foods that give back!

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hannukah or a Festivus for the Rest of Us, odds are you’re planning to feast, snack and sip your way through the holidays. You’ll have plenty of chances to indulge, but you can still do it mindfully by choosing items that are organic, free-range or unprocessed.

And because this is the season to be generous, make your choices charitable by buying from companies that give back year-round. When you’re writing up your grocery list, include these healthy foods; not only are they aligned with Food, Inc. standards—from using cage-free eggs to sourcing organic ingredients—but they also help communities at home and abroad.

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Savannah Bee Company

Make your morning toast taste twice as nice on Christmas Day with honey from Savannah Bee Company. Three dollars of each bottle sold goes to Heifer International, a nonprofit that provides families in developing countries with sustainable ways to improve their nutrition and generate their own income.

Annie’s Homegrown Snack Mix

Annie’s Homegrown snack mixes are an organic, trans-fat free alternative to the chips and dips between big holiday meals. Annie’s products fund an impressive group of nonprofits like Food Corps, which teaches kids how to farm sustainably while providing their school cafeterias with organic produce.

Equal Exchange Candy Bars

Skip the Hershey’s bars and their notoriously unethical sourcing practices and instead opt for Equal Exchange Candy Bars. These ethically sourced bars are made from whole ingredients like organic chocolate, berries and peanut butter. Your purchase means that the small-scale farmers who source and produce these bars can continue to maintain their businesses this holiday season.

Full Bloom Baking Company

Made with “pure butter, cage-free eggs, and as much good stuff as we can get direct from the farm," Full Bloom pastries and loaves make for easy breakfasts when the in-laws are in town this holiday. These rich treats support the Smart Cookies Scholarship Program, a fund that helps deserving kids prepare for college, most of whom are the first in their families ever to attend.

Newman’s Own Organics

An easy way to work fruit into your diet, even during the snack-prone holidays, is by eating dried fruit. Newman’s Own Organic dried raisins, cranberries, apricots, prunes and apples are GMO-free and are made without sulfates. Like all of the company's products, 100 percent of the proceeds go to Newman's Own Foundation, a broad-based charity that funds causes such as children's medical care and human rights.

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A sucker for sustainable agriculture and a good farmers market, Megan likes writing about food almost as much as eating it. If you don't want to know what's in your fruit/milk/meat, don't invite her to lunch. @babybokchoy | TakePart.com