It started out as: “United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 75,000 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E…. “The problem was discovered through sampling done by the California Department of Health Services and the Colorado Department of Health, in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the course of an investigation into illnesses.”… coli 0157:H7, produces a potent toxin, or poison, and can cause severe illness, kidney failure and even death…. coli 0157:H7, produces a potent toxin, or poison, and can cause severe illness, kidney failure and even death…. coli 0157:H7, produces a potent toxin, or poison, and can cause severe illness, kidney failure and even death.

The FTC is seeking to halt the merger between Whole Foods and Wild Oats. Everyone’s blogging about this Reuters story reporting on the Dutch researchers who’re trying to grow pork meat in a lab, hoping to feed millions without the need to raise and slaughter animals. Coca-Cola is pledging to reduce the amount of water is uses to make its drinks.

June 5 is Hunger Awareness Day, an education and action project of America’s Second Harvest and many other organizations. America’s Second Harvest is a network of more than 200 food banks and food-rescue organizations. Already, there’s a lot of information available, such as a press release from America’s Second Harvest with basic details, and […]

NEWSFEATURES & COMMENTARYON THE BLOGS, ETC.Not-so-clean energy: Biofuel plants in Iowa — many of them recently commissioned — have been violating laws protecting water, land and air with alarming frequency…. Among the violations reported is this doozy: “Siouxland Energy & Livestock in Sioux Center, was cited for releasing contaminated wastewater in an attempt to dilute a manure spill from a neighboring cattle operation.” Since monitoring of water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions is lacking, Iowans do not yet know the full impact of this new industry. (Des Moines Register via http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/IRJCI/blog.htm”>The Rural Blog): A study of food costs by students at Seattle University found that farmers market produce was slightly less expensive than comparable produce in the grocery store. Students surveyed 15 different items from the Broadway Farmers Market during the project.

We were, in blog parlance, first “tagged” for the meme “Blogs That Make You Think” many moons ago by our friend Cookiecrumb, and then we got poked again and again. Thanks to all those kind enough to credit us with being thought-worthy, as we — OK, I — more often feel like a news-synthesizing robot incapable of making an original observation. That’s why we read the blogs below.

NEWSFEATURES & COMMENTARYON THE BLOGS, ETC.An update on organic farming issues in the 2007 Food and Farm Bill in PDF format (Organic Farming Research Foundation)Americans clueless about nutrition (MSNBC via Reuters)Exports vs. clean air: The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are among the largest sources of air pollution in Southern California, causing uncounted ailments among residents (asthma, respiratory and cardiac problems)…. (Los Angeles Times)House Oversight Committee to investigate federal crop insurance program (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)Challenges of always saying yes: The executive director of the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank explains some of the challenges faced by food banks that vow to accept any food donation, no matter how junky it is…. (http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070527/OPINION0106/705250349/1058/OPINION03 “>Shreveport Times)Show us the number: In the famous http://www.ethicurean.com/2007/02/28/mackey-report/ “>Mackey-Pollan conversation, John Mackey complained that simply sticking a label that says “organic” on a package of meat wasn’t good enough…. But if no one is testing, how do we know it is BSE free?), pushing for permanent repeal of the Estate Tax ( a.k.a. the “Paris Hilton tax”, which applies to approximately the richest 2% of estates each year each valued at many millions of dollars, with extra exemptions for family farms. See this article for info on the myth of the estate tax and family farms), seeking to keep livestock manure out of the Superfund program (even when in quantities large enough to drown a small village).