What does it mean to be organic? If the USDA’s proposed new regulations are approved, maybe a little bit less than it used to.

If you've been buying organic in the belief that it's better for you, you're right. But if you're buying organic because you think it's better for the environment, the picture's a bit murkier. I've been harping on the importance of buying organic for years, but lately I'm starting to wonder whether where our food comes from is just as important as how it's grown, if not more so.

Wal-Mart, the nation's leading food retailer, announced plans on Monday to double its organic offerings in the next two weeks. DeDe Priest, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of dry grocery, told Reuters that Wal-Mart hopes to prove that organic foods aren't “just for the rich.”

You know organic has truly gone mainstream when a conventional supermarket chain launches its own store brand. I’m talking about Stop & Shop’s “Nature’s Promise a line of “natural and organic foods” which the multibillion-dollar corporation, with more than 360 stores in New England, New York, and New Jersey, launched last October. Stop & Shop is promoting its Nature’s Promise brand with the slogan “Wallet-Friendly Organics.”

Horizon's eggnog is about as good as any low-fat eggnog could be; with only 3 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving, it's got less than half the fat of most standard eggnogs. and