NEWS

Time to hunger strike for COOL?: The Feds are working on a proposal to allow chickens raised, slaughtered, and cooked in China to be sold in the United States. Under current regulations, store labels do not have to indicate the origin of the poultry, because the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) act passed years ago has not yet been enforced. If the latest melamine and antifreeze fluid scandals don’t have you wary of Chinese food-safety standards, well, you’ve got a stronger stomach than we do. Fun fact: It’s common practice in China to feed chicken feces to farmed shrimp. (International Herald Tribune)

Subtract those additives: U.K. food safety experts have advised parents to eliminate certain additives from their children’s diet while they await the publication of a new study. Researchers at Southampton University tested combinations of synthetic colorings and a preservative that an average child might consume in a day. All are legal and widely used in England. The results supported previous findings that they increased behavioral problems such as temper tantrums, poor concentration and hyperactivity, and allergic reactions. (Guardian Unlimited)

Dam nation: 200 chefs from 33 states are launching a campaign to increase awareness of the crisis in wild salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. Their catchy but well-worn slogan: “Vote with your fork.” (Los Angeles Times)

Indian court allows GMO field trials to proceed (Reuters)

FEATURES & COMMENTARY

Biofoolishness: In the wake of the latest IPCC release on Climate Change, a United Nations consortium has issued recommendations for sustainable biofuel production. Biofuels offer an opportunity for a renewable fuel resource, but extreme care is needed to avoid depleting soils, worsening hunger, and slashing biodiversity. (Guardian (AP))

A chip off the old stalk: Under the regulatory system that determines which crops qualify for inclusion in Department of Agriculture support programs, blue corn is an orphan. Only the yellow or white versions are eligible for federal agricultural loans and crop payments. (Washington Post)

“Food for dogs, not dog food”: A year ago, FreshPet was a tiny upstart in the mass dog-chow market, albeit the only one with a line of all-natural, U.S.-grown, refrigerated dog food. But the tainted pet-food scare changed all that. (Newsweek)

Biodiversity code: The world’s scientists plan to compile everything they know about all of Earth’s 1.8 million known species and put it all on one website, open to everyone. The effort, called the Encyclopedia of Life, will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to entire genomes and scientific journal papers. Will there be a ticker crawl charting which species are disappearing every minute? (Associated Press)

Oh what a beautiful co-op!: The Oklahoma Food Cooperative (OFC) is an “old is new again” way of bringing Oklahoma eaters and Oklahoma farmers together. The OFC allows participants to partake in local foods and goods without having to drive all over the state through an online system: farmers list what they have available and consumers place orders. The club has over a thousand members and is growing rapidly. It’s even attracting attention from other states and cities. (Plenty Magazine)

We can’t resist: Someone we admire said that bloggers explode around certain topics like a “flock of startled birds,” commenting, say, on everything ever written by Harold McGee or Michael Pollan. Guilty as charged. McGee writes today about the “five-second rule,” in which you can eat anything that hits the ground as long as it doesn’t sit there that long. He finds that quick retrieval does mean fewer bacteria, but it’s no guarantee of safety. Alas, he doesn’t mention that overall gut health also has a lot to do with how vulnerable a person is to microbes, else why would some travelers always fall prey to the dreaded “Montezuma’s revenge,” while others swig merrily, and invulnerably, from tap-water glasses? (New York Times)

Eating out, locally: The Chronicle visits two of the Bay Area’s burgeoning restaurant gardens. (San Francisco Chronicle)

ON THE BLOGS

“Faith-based Dining Administration”: At last someone has come up with the acronym we’ve all been searching for. Ours have been somewhat more obscene. Check out Goldy’s list of supporting statements. (Horses Ass)

Wonks rejoice: Keith Good has a brief but comprehensive list of helpful Farm Bill resources and recent papers. (FarmPolicy.com)