Section » Globalization
Salmonella in tomatoes: Know your grower so you can pick your packer
The salmonella outbreak from fresh tomatoes has sickened hundreds so far — with many more sicknesses presumably going unreported — in 36 states, and the FDA has still not identified the source of the pathogen. Sabin
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The slippery slope of banana disasters
Did you know your great-grandparents grew up peeling an entirely different kind of banana than we do now? They ate the Gros Michel banana, a variety that everyone apparently liked much better than today's ubiquitous
The banana situation in Montreal
While trying to base my entire diet on food that is grown, raised, and produced close to where I live in Montreal, there are a few items that I have decided simply to eat regardless of their source. At the top of that
Fighting climate change: Food miles vs. food choices
If you want to fight global warming with your diet, it is better to change what you eat than where it comes from, according to a recently published article in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental
Brazil prepares to retaliate against U.S. cotton subsidies
The U.S. Farm Bill that was finally enacted into law last week did little to change farm subsidy policies, despite
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New European chemical safety regulations reach around the world
The European Union is changing the rules for chemicals, requiring that industry demonstrate that a chemical is safe before using it in consumer products such as cosmetics, food packaging, water bottles, and durable goods. This approach, sometimes called "the precautionary principle," is in stark contrast
The politics of world food shortages
Note: The comprehensive Digests are on hiatus for the foreseeable future. While we figure how to make them less onerous, we plan to post more news-related short(ish) snippets in addition to our regular feature-length posts. In today's New York Times, Andy
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“Climate-ready” seeds: Every cloud has a golden lining for these profiteers
Claire Hope Cummings is the author of the new book "Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds." An environmental lawyer for 20 years, including four spent with the USDA, Cummings reports regularly on agriculture and the
Déjà chew: The food price crisis in context
We are pleased to be able to share this piece by Daryll E. Ray, who holds the Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy at the University of Tennessee and directs UT’s Agricultural Policy Analysis Center (APAC). He is perhaps best known for lead-authoring “Rethinking
San Francisco in stainless steel cookware
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is currently hosting a witty installation by Beijing-based artist Zhan Wang. It's a sculpture of San Francisco made entirely of kitchenware
No-go fish: A review of “Bottomfeeder” by Taras Grescoe
Taras Grescoe says he wrote "Bottomfeeder" (Bloomsbury USA, May 2008) for a somewhat selfish reason: he wanted to taste the world's great seafood dishes — like bouillabaisse
When discrimination is more than OK: Time to call our reps about pesticide policy
Update 4/10: We're hearing from our confidential intel sources on the Hill (OK, an action alert I just received) that the deadline for asking your reps to sign the letter mentioned below has been extended until mid-day tomorrow, 4/11. I just called my rep. The feeling of fulfillment is immense... try
Digest – Features: The coming food storm, activists with cameras, bee breeders
Global famine = buy ag stocks: A fascinating, if unappetizing, economics-based look at how "biofuel production, poor harvests and emerging nations' growing appetites are emptying the world's pantry, sending prices soaring." We'll pass on the rec to invest in Monsanto stock, however. (MSN
Thinking about carbon “foodprints”
The February 25 issue of The New Yorker has an important article by staff writer Michael Specter about some of the economic, logistical, and moral issues related to our individual
Digest – Commentary: Philpott on cheap-food schadenfreude, rBST booster, make our own damn Farm Bill
Because those who can't do, teach?: "If the end of cheap oil has so far been a bust for the environment, can the end of cheap food do any better?" asks Tom Philpott, who goes on to argue that pricier food probably won't equal more conscious consumption, lower obesity rates, or better environmental
