Section » Health
Snapshot of the American diet
I find this juxtaposition of establishments at the Bayfair Mall in San Leandro, California, a good illustration of the "nutritionism" philosophy that is the foundation of many Americans'
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Digest – features and opinion: Bisphenol A back-room dealings, CAFOs on land and sea
The FDA's ass is GRAS: Great investigative piece about the controversy over bisphenol A, the chemical used to line baby bottles and canned food, among hundreds of other uses. Is it a scientific dispute? Not really, it's mainly "a battle to protect a multibillion-dollar market from regulation. In the
Digest – News & opinion: Antibiotics freakout, Gupta as Doc-in-Chief, duelling op-ed duos
Side of spinach, hold the tetracycline: Researchers at the University of Minnesota find that when crops are fertilized with manure from animals routinely fed antibiotics (a common practice in CAFOs to help them survive their living conditions), the antibiotics are absorbed into the crops. This is an
For healthy food and soil, we need affordable health care for farmers
By Steph Larsen When we talk about local food, it means more than just proximity to a farm. We associate supporting "local food" with supporting specific values — such as family ownership, local control, small scale, environmental stewardship, community, and ecological diversity. These values are
Digest – Blogs: Fat tax, healthy kids, and everyone has something to say about Vilsack
Glass half full (hopefully of rBGH-free, organic, grassfed, family-farmed milk): Obama ran a rural campaign based on an agenda that included many policies that we can support — like regulating CAFOs — and the job of the cabinet is to implement to president's agenda. Our job is to stay on their
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Yes, no, and “later” foods: Why Wal-Mart depresses me as a parent
We went to Wal-Mart yesterday. It was a mistake. Don’t get me wrong: I understand why people shop at Wal-Mart. I live in a rural community that is mostly poor or working class. I see hundreds of people ride the bus to Wal-Mart daily because the store is one of the few places they can afford to shop.
Dispatch from APHA: Seeding local food in schools
As I write this, the day's far from over at the American Public Health Association's annual conference "Public Health Without Borders," but my brainpower is fading fast.
Twisted logic from Coke’s [dumbass] exec lets soda off the hook for obesity
Editor's note: This post contains adult language and a dangerous quantity of righteous indignation. So, earlier this week, the top honcho at Coca Cola 11 Comments • Read more »
Canada’s current food-safety crisis
Canada is gearing up for a shift in its food system. Two things have happened to spur this possible upcoming shift in Canadians' buying and eating habits. First, Maple Leaf Foods, Canada's largest food processor, has announced that some of
Carrots v. Cupcakes: An Olympic question
By Debra Eschmeyer The carrots with which we entice our children to perform well have morphed into colossal sugary carrot cupcakes, as highlighted in the Los Angeles Daily News this morning. The article portrays the debate over the
Americans are swimming in calories, USDA data shows
Last Sunday's New York Times looked at some recently released data from the USDA Economic Research Service showing that between 1970 and
Ain’t nobody here but us pigs…
At the rate food prices are increasing, maybe we don't need to worry about people overeating, but a report by Youfa
Something good for a change: USDA increases info access on meat recalls
Score one for access to information. The USDA announced today that starting next month, it will publicize the names of retail stores that have received shipments of recalled meat and
Industry’s high fructose corn syrup campaign leaves a sour taste
By Debra Eschmeyer Earlier last week the Corn Refiners Association launched a multimillion-dollar media campaign to defend high fructose corn syrup as a "quality" sweetener, in the face of mounting public
Everything looks better when your head’s in the sand: The USDA stops tracking pesticide use
When I was four, I ate my mother's houseplant. (I claimed to have thought it was salad.) As any responsible mother would, she freaked out and called poison control. The friendly folks at the 800 number — who must get these kinds of calls all the time, poor guys — immediately asked her the two most
