Bye-bye, fruit cocktail: The USDA is proposing to bring school lunches more in line with the federally recommended dietary guidelines — more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, less full-fat meat and dairy. Since the government saves money on school lunches by taking excess commodities (such as meat and cheese) off the hands of large agribusiness, shifting to more fruit and veggies could prove difficult, politically. Washington Post
Modern version of lead?: Extrapolating from the results of animal experiments, researchers suspect bisphenol A (a chemical used in plastics and canned food) has its fingerprints all over the unexplained human health trends emerging in recent decades hinting at something going haywire with sex hormones, including the early onset of puberty, declining sperm counts, and the huge increase in breast and prostate cancer, among other ailments. (Globe and Mail) Even a science experiment by teen girls has confirmed some of its effects, reports the Billings-Gazette.
Casualties of the revolution: Krishan Bir Chaudhary, executive chairman of India’s largest farmer organization, describes how and why Indian farming is in crisis, and why so many farmers are killing themselves. New Agriculturist
Starved by red tape: U.S. law requires that virtually all its donated food be grown in America and shipped at great expense across oceans, which typically takes four to six months. Meanwhile, in Zambia, there’s plenty of food available for purchase, even as thousands of Zambians are dying of hunger. New York Times
Heads should roll: An op-ed calls for the resignation of the FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach over the still-unsolved pet food controversy and takes aim at the agency’s confusing and misleading statements around the case. (San Jose Mercury News) Note: 22 more brands of dog biscuits have been added to the recall, says the New York Times.
The race to the bottom: Citing increased competition, the Scottish farmed-salmon industry wants the government to ease up on strict regulations. (Sunday Herald) Meanwhile, Alaska’s governor wants safeguards built into proposed federal guidelines for open-ocean fish farms.
Changing flavors: Examining the case for allowing food scientists to use genetically modified fish protein in ice cream without labeling it — from a European perspective. Also includes a roundup of some other fishy-sounding proposed additives and nutritional enhancements. The Times (UK)
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
Humor:
April 9th, 2007 at 10:37 am
The Changing Flavors article is pretty cool. As a vegetarian, it would be nice to have some options, such as glucosamine produced in yeast.
Growing bacteria is far more environmentally friendly than any animal source. Why not harvest proteins such as gelatin from bacteria or yeast than taken from already depleted stocks of fish?