NEWS
Brand aids: In a research study, preschoolers were given identical foods for a taste test, one set in a plain wrapper, the other in a McDonald’s wrapper. The children overwhelmingly preferred the latter, even though it was identical. (MSNBC via AP)
Hard times: Britain’s farmers are holding their breaths, waiting to see if the hoof-and-mouth disease travels beyond a few infected herds. (Telegraph)
No safety net here: The FDA failed to screen at least 1 million pounds of suspect Chinese seafood that ended up on U.S. dinner plates, an Associated Press examination found. (AP)
CO has to go: After receiving pressure from consumers and watchdog groups, Safeway has stopped selling meat treated with carbon monoxide gas, which is an FDA-approved procedure to extend the rosy hue of fresh beef, even as the meat spoils. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
Federal advisory panel finds "no strong evidence" of health hazards from bisphenol A (Washington Post)
Organic candy the future of confectionery, says new report (Food Production Daily)
Woodstock’s famous farm up for sale for $8 million (San Francisco Chronicle)
COMMENTARY
Stop whining, feedlot operators: Are the days of cheap food are over because of the corn-fueled ethanol boom? Not really, say two university researchers. A 30% increase in the price of corn would cause an overall rise in food prices of 1.1%. The article finds that larger forces — like the drought in Australia — are more to blame for the steep rises. (Iowa Ag Review, via FarmPolicy.com)
Silver lining in Farm Bill cloud?: Matthew Blake argues that the current Farm Bill actually has more to commend than to complain about, those pesky subsidies aside. (The Nation)
The New York City perspective on the House Food and Farm Bill (NYC Farm Bill Workgroup)
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
Humor:
August 10th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
A much longer piece in the LA Times about the report on bisphenol A tells a less optimistic story: