Archive for July, 2009
Checking in on the agricultural check-off programs
Standing in front of a 50-foot tall display of potatoes, mushrooms, beef jerky, and other agricultural products at the 2009 All-American Farm Expo in Modesto, CA recently, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recalled his recent trip to Idaho — America's land of potatoes — and his shock at hearing that many people thought that the Potato Board
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SF chef pulls corn from his menu
Souring on sweet corn: Daniel Patterson, the chef at the award-winning restaurant Coi in San Francisco, has renounced corn, saying that relentless breeding to find sweeter and sweeter hybrids that play to America's sweet palate has led to corn that "... is so sweet that it overpowers or undermines everything
A full plate of obesity news
The fat of the land has turned us into the land of the fat: It's small surprise to learn that obese Americans spend more on their health care than others (New York Times), but it's truly disturbing to find that the rates of
Converting food waste to electricity and compost
From waste to watts: The East Bay Municipal Water District, which provides water to a portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, has launched a food-waste-to-energy-and-compost program at its wastewater treatment plant. Food waste collected from restaurants and grocery stores is digested by bacteria that
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When making Americans fat is part of the business plan
Smoking out the free-choice BS: Tables are turning on Big Food, write columnist Ellen Goodman. "We are beginning to see that Overweight America is not some collective collapse of national willpower, but a business plan.…maybe this will be the year when an entree of chicken quesadillas with bacon, mixed
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Slow but steady growth: Building the Local Roots market in Ohio
This summer has been a cool one so far here in northeastern Ohio. The sweltering heat and humidity has so far failed to materialize, and while I personally am not complaining about being less uncomfortable, I do sometimes worry about the gardens. The mild days and cool nights are keeping tomatoes from
Marion Nestle on labeling processed food as ‘better’
Label it conflicted: Today's Food Matters column by Marion Nestle looks at the 'better/smarter/healthier choice' labels being used by big food companies to (theoretically) help shoppers eat a healthier diet. Not surprisingly, Nestle sees it as a marketing effort, not a serious nutritional effort. For
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GAO report questions selection of Kansas lab site
Darn those GAO bean-counters! Analysts in the Government Accountability Office are questioning the selection process of a site in Kansas for the planned new National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), which will study some of the most virulent animal and plant diseases known to man. We're sincerely
“Food, Inc.” the book: Picking up where the documentary left off
By Joshua J. Biggley Summer blockbusters are often contrived, schlocky representations of the books on which they are
A roundup of pesticide drift coverage: Who should pay for unruly spray?
Chemical standoff: Farm country residents mostly "grin and bear it" when pesticides from neighboring farms drift onto their property, but some are speaking out. In Illinois, a vineyard owner tires of watching clouds of 2,4-D engulf (and kill) his grapes when a nearby farm sprays. A retired minister gives
High food costs for the poor in California’s farm country
The poor pay more: If you're poor in California's San Joaquin Valley farm country, it's hard to find reasonably priced nutritious food. Full-service grocery stores steer clear of low-income areas, leaving the residents reliant on convenience stores with huge mark-ups or long trips to far-away grocery
Bills in Michigan would legislate industrial animal rearing
Meddling in Michigan: The meat, dairy and egg industry in Michigan is trying to push a package of bills through the state legislature that will make their businesses much easier to run by reducing the public's ability to oppose agricultural projects, weaken animal welfare protections, impose industrial
California’s tree crops are screwed, says new report
Things heat up in the nation's produce basket: Tree crops like apples, cherries, pears, walnuts and almonds rely on a chilly winter to set the stage for a productive spring and summer. But in a study released today, UC Davis scientists report
Memo to raw-milk advocates: Improve information, or get sued
Fifty veterinarians and others concerned with food safety gathered at a raw milk symposium last Sunday in Seattle. Sponsored by the American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA), “The Raw Milk Conundrum” featured speakers from nearly
Memo to raw-milk advocates: Improve information, or get sued
Fifty veterinarians and others concerned with food safety gathered at a raw milk symposium last Sunday in Seattle. Sponsored by the American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA), “The Raw Milk Conundrum” featured speakers from nearly
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