There’s an abundance of Ethicurean-related news today, so we’ve sorted the buffet into stations for you: Must-reads, Government watch, Spinach update, New recruits in the food revolt, and Related (which is mostly dessert). Bon appetit!
Must-reads:
Grist: Tom Philpott explains why climate change could throw America’s food system into chaos — and gives us yet another good reason to buy from the farmers markets.
New Yorker: Bill Buford describes the rise of food television and why “personalities” like Rachael Ray are displacing actual chefs. The subtext: things you can buy prepackaged and assemble, versus actual cooking of ingredients with dirt on them, sell a lot more commercials.
Government watch:
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio is closing the legal loophole that a few dairies had exploited to sell raw milk.
Consumers Union: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that lets California public health officers release the names of retailers that receive USDA-recalled meat and poultry. Previously, the meat industry had successfully lobbied to keep retailers’ names private during recalls.
AP/Boston Globe: President Bush has bowed to pressure from conservationists, key Republican senators, and US allies by calling for a ban on destructive fishing practices. (MoLM editorializes: No word yet whether “sustainable” will be interpreted to mean “destructive fish farm.”)
Spinach update:
San Francisco Chronicle: Federal search warrants were executed this morning at two Salinas Valley produce companies (Natural Selection and a General Mills subsidiary), looking for quality assurance documents connected to the E. coli spinach outbreak.
AP/Excite: The FDA has lifted its consumer warning against eating fresh spinach, but one grandstanding Congressman found that spinach still isn’t available in some stores.
New recruits in the food revolt:
Richmond Times Dispatch: Virginia Tech ran a small study of whether the 100-Mile Diet is feasible for this area, while UVa now has a sustainability expert. Times are changing in the tobacco state.
Daily Princetonian: A Princeton senior reflects on adding sustainably raised meat back into his diet.
Related news:
New York Times*: NY Times veteran news reporter, food critic, and gastronome par excellence R.W. Apple has died at 71.
Grist: Alaskan fisherman and Native Aleut George Pletnikoff responds to claims, by the Marine Conservation Alliance’s David Benton, of Alaska’a status as a model of sustainable fishing. Pletnikoff points to cases of severe overfishing that refute Benton’s claims.
New York Times*: Some artisanal cheese makers are aging their cheeses in “caves” open to the earth and air around them.
Seattle P-I: Although the owners of the warehouse destroyed by the Yakima hop fire have suffered financial losses, an ongoing hop surplus will keep brewers and consumers from feeling a financial impact. No word on whether the loss will financially impact area hop farmers.
San Francisco Chronicle: A funny story we missed last week about the new prevalence of camera-toting fine diners. Includes etiquette tips for photographing your meal.
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