There will be two Digests today — one for all the food sections (below) and one later this afternoon for other news.
I’m Glad and I Eat Frugally: Carol Ness at the Chronicle heads a great feature package about the upcoming Pennywise Eat Local Challenge, in which participants set out to prove that eating locally (and […]

What’s the buzz, tell me what’s happening: The wires and the blogs are swarming with speculation over yesterday’s Independent story suggesting a link between the unexplained bee plague known as “colony collapse disorder” and cell phone signals. Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit collects the chatter in one place, including links to those skeptical of CCD […]

Department of WTF (!?!): Roxarsone and other arsenic-based additives — known carcinogens — are used in the feed of about 70% of America’s 9 billion broiler chickens to promote growth, kill parasites that cause diarrhea, and improve pigmentation of chicken meat. Huh? Even Ethicureans can’t escape it: detectable arsenic levels were also found in a […]

The Ethicurean’s Dilemma: Sara Deseran has a great feature in 7×7 magazine about the head-spinning choices posed by eating in the Bay Area. She quotes Patricia Unterman, the food writer and co-owner of Hayes Street Grill, who agonizes over what to put on her menu: “It’s a constant battle: what I can serve, what I […]

Bye-bye, organic coffee, sugar, chocolate?: Sam Fromartz reports on a new ruling by the USDA that dramatically changes how non-U.S. farms are certified organic. Previously, only a small percentage of farms in “grower groups” would be randomly inspected, and the group would then police the remainder’s practices. Writes Fromartz: “The staggered inspection method has been […]

Fuel for the fire: Tom Philpott flames corn-based ethanol boosterism for what it is — an agribusiness boondoggle and an economic and environmental disaster in the making. (Gristmill) Related headline: Farmers to plant largest amount of corn since ’44
And now for some good news: The National Organic Standards Board has banned cloned progeny from being […]

Walking the talk: Reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan inspired us to start this blog. That’s nothing. It inspired a group of suburban moms and one dad in Davis, CA, to start raising their own cattle, pigs, and ducks. But after killing ducks once, they’re now going to outsource the slaughter. Davis Enterprise
City […]

Pet food update: Menu Foods of Streetsville, Ontario, the manufacturer that has recalled over 60 million cans and pouches of pet food implicated in sickening or killing many cats and dogs, had begun testing the food Feb. 27 after receiving reports of sick pets. Seven of the 40-50 test animals died. The only suspect right […]

“Fueling Iowa’s Future”: An informative new series launched today in preparation of the 2008 Iowa caucuses. A number of articles and graphics highlight the state’s opportunities — and the serious challenges — as Iowa attempts to become an alternative energy leader for the nation. Des Moines Register
Quebec to label GM food?: A new study commissioned […]

PET OWNERS ALERT: Many cats and dogs have suffered kidney failure and about 10 have died after eating pet food by Menu Foods, which is recalling dog food sold under 46 brands and cat food sold under 37 brands (including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba) at major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Safeway. Houston […]

Not a pig step for mankind, yet: Eliminating sow-gestation crates is just the first tiny step toward humane meat production in this country, says Nicolette Hahn Niman (yes, that Niman) in her op-ed condemning hog factories’ typical practices. New York Times
Getting even piggier: Smithfield Foods, the pork overlord featured none too favorably in the December […]

The chicken AND the egg: It looks like in poultry, antibiotic resistance may be transmitted down family lines — at least in chickens, researchers have found. Banning their use on the farm may be too little, too late. USA Today
And speaking of antibiotic resistance: Washington Post reporter Rick Weiss, who broke the story about the […]

Ethanol’s big, ugly baggage: With prices for corn and soybeans continuing to rise, farmers this year are expected to “pour on the inputs.” That means even more amounts of nitrogen fertilizer (derived from natural gas) and pesticides. Or, “genetically modified hybrids likely will displace some chemicals,” says an analyst. Agriculture Online
Nyet to GMOs: Moscow […]

Bird-flu CSI: It’s official — comparison between the UK and Hungarian strains of the avian-flu virus reveals the highest genetic match, much more so than the strains found in wild birds. Press release
Dept. of About Time: A federal judge ruled yesterday that the USDA failed to adequately assess possible environmental impacts before approving Monsanto’s genetically […]

Farm Bill pressure: Those who wanted Americans to realize just how broadly the Farm Bill affects all those who eat or grow food may have done their job a bit too well — it seems everyone has an opinion on what the new bill ought to cover. The latest to weigh in:

General policies: A Register […]