By Helena Bottemiller
May 28, 2010
Environmental groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a settlement yesterday requiring the agency to propose a rule on greater information gathering on factory farms, otherwise known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The rule, to be proposed within 12 months, would require the 20,000 or so domestic factory farms to report information like how they dispose of manure and other waste.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/05/epa-reaches-settlement-in-cafo-clean-water-act-case/
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
TakePart Post - Hazardous Fruits and Vegetables: Do You Know the Dirty Dozen?
By Megan Bedard
May 27, 2010
"Rules for food shopping seem to multiply daily, and navigating the supermarket has become a fact-frenzy nightmare. When is the right season to buy a potato? Which fish is sustainable, again? Is the recall on lettuce over?..."
See full post here for more resources such as iPhone apps for foodies and the full version of the produce shopping cheat sheet pictured above.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Washington Post Article - Nutrition buzzwords make hay out of grains of truth
By Melissa Bell
Thursday, May 27, 2010
"Because of rising obesity rates and a push for more healthy living, many new products in the supermarket claim to be low-fat, immunity-boosting, vitamin-added foods. Some brands have become more healthful. But many manufacturers are promoting a product's healthful ingredients while playing down its less nutritional qualities. It is a food label sleight-of-hand that Bruce Silverglade of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit advocacy group, calls a "rip-off" for consumers..."
See full article, along with cheat sheet to the marketing words and phrases found in supermarket foods (such as "natural" or "a source of"), here.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
"Because of rising obesity rates and a push for more healthy living, many new products in the supermarket claim to be low-fat, immunity-boosting, vitamin-added foods. Some brands have become more healthful. But many manufacturers are promoting a product's healthful ingredients while playing down its less nutritional qualities. It is a food label sleight-of-hand that Bruce Silverglade of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit advocacy group, calls a "rip-off" for consumers..."
See full article, along with cheat sheet to the marketing words and phrases found in supermarket foods (such as "natural" or "a source of"), here.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Food Politics Post - The Slaughterhouse Problem: is a resolution in sight?
May 25, 2010
After years of hearing sad tales about the slaughterhouse problem, it looks like many people are trying to get it resolved. A fix no longer seems impossible. The slaughterhouse problem is what small, local meat producers have to contend with when their animals are ready to be killed. The USDA licenses so few slaughterhouses, and the rules for establishing them are so onerous, that humanely raised (if that is the correct term) animals have to be trucked hundreds of miles to considerably less humane commercial facilities to be killed. Furthermore, appointments for slaughter must be made many months or years in advance — whether the animals are ready or not.
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/05/the-slaughterhouse-problem-is-a-resolution-in-sight/
After years of hearing sad tales about the slaughterhouse problem, it looks like many people are trying to get it resolved. A fix no longer seems impossible. The slaughterhouse problem is what small, local meat producers have to contend with when their animals are ready to be killed. The USDA licenses so few slaughterhouses, and the rules for establishing them are so onerous, that humanely raised (if that is the correct term) animals have to be trucked hundreds of miles to considerably less humane commercial facilities to be killed. Furthermore, appointments for slaughter must be made many months or years in advance — whether the animals are ready or not.
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/05/the-slaughterhouse-problem-is-a-resolution-in-sight/
Epicurious - 10 Delicious Veggie Recipes
By Joanne Camas
May 24, 2010
In honor of Britain's National Vegetarian Week and the ongoing U.S. Meatless Monday campaign, here are some top-rated veggie recipes to enjoy:
• Spicy Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Mint, and Parsley Salad
• Farmer's Market Salad with Aged Gouda and Roasted Portabellas
• Smoky Corn Salsa
• Ratatouille
• African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas
• Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
• Artichoke Ravioli with Tomatoes
• Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard
• Farmstand Gazpacho
• Individual Zucchini, Lemon, and Ricotta Galettes
May 24, 2010
In honor of Britain's National Vegetarian Week and the ongoing U.S. Meatless Monday campaign, here are some top-rated veggie recipes to enjoy:
• Spicy Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Mint, and Parsley Salad
• Farmer's Market Salad with Aged Gouda and Roasted Portabellas
• Smoky Corn Salsa
• Ratatouille
• African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas
• Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
• Artichoke Ravioli with Tomatoes
• Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard
• Farmstand Gazpacho
• Individual Zucchini, Lemon, and Ricotta Galettes
Atlantic Article - The 'Veggie' Option: As Bad as Mystery Meat
By Helene York
May 24, 2010
Too often the vegetarian or "veggie" option in our food culture is defined as the "absence of meat"—especially for lunch. Shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and a slice of Swiss between two pieces of bread is wanting for most vegetarians and is downright laughable to meat eaters. It's an option characterized by the omission of an ingredient, not a celebration of what's inside.
http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/05/the-veggie-option-as-bad-as-mystery-meat/57036/
May 24, 2010
Too often the vegetarian or "veggie" option in our food culture is defined as the "absence of meat"—especially for lunch. Shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and a slice of Swiss between two pieces of bread is wanting for most vegetarians and is downright laughable to meat eaters. It's an option characterized by the omission of an ingredient, not a celebration of what's inside.
http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/05/the-veggie-option-as-bad-as-mystery-meat/57036/
Huffington Post Article - Meatless Monday: The Protein Principle
By Chris Elam
Posted: May 24, 2010
Wow, the numbers are startling. Americans consume an astonishing amount of protein. USDA statistics reveal that U.S. men eat as much as 190% of their recommended daily protein allowance, while women eat as much as 160%, the great majority of which comes from saturated-fat heavy meat and meat products. Protein is essential to life; it builds and maintains muscles, bones and skin, and regulates metabolism and digestion. But the question remains, whether you look at it from the perspective of personal health, or environmental degradation, or cost savings, or animal rights, or veggie activism, or whatever else floats your boat: do we really need to eat all that meat?
See rest of article here, along with low-fat vegetarian food combos and recipes from the Meatless Monday movement.
Posted: May 24, 2010
Wow, the numbers are startling. Americans consume an astonishing amount of protein. USDA statistics reveal that U.S. men eat as much as 190% of their recommended daily protein allowance, while women eat as much as 160%, the great majority of which comes from saturated-fat heavy meat and meat products. Protein is essential to life; it builds and maintains muscles, bones and skin, and regulates metabolism and digestion. But the question remains, whether you look at it from the perspective of personal health, or environmental degradation, or cost savings, or animal rights, or veggie activism, or whatever else floats your boat: do we really need to eat all that meat?
See rest of article here, along with low-fat vegetarian food combos and recipes from the Meatless Monday movement.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
New York Review of Books - The Food Movement, Rising
"In what is ostensibly a five-book review (see book list below) for the June 10 New York Review of Books, journalist Michael Pollan has an epic essay charting the emergence and character of the food movement. Or, as he puts it, "'movements,' since it is unified as yet by little more than the recognition that industrial food production is in need of reform because its social/environmental/public health/animal welfare/gastronomic costs are too high." (Pollan, of course, has been indispensable in the rise of this movement, yet he omits his 2006 best-seller, The Omnivore's Dilemma, from his list of its catalysts -- among them Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, Marion Nestle's Food Politics.)" (quoted from The Ethicurean)
• Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin
• All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? by Joel Ber
• Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
• Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities by Carlo Petrini, with a foreword by Alice Waters
• The Taste for Civilization: Food, Politics, and Civil Society by Janet A. Flammang
See Michael Pollan's full essay, "The Food Movement, Rising," here.
• Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin
• All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? by Joel Ber
• Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
• Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities by Carlo Petrini, with a foreword by Alice Waters
• The Taste for Civilization: Food, Politics, and Civil Society by Janet A. Flammang
See Michael Pollan's full essay, "The Food Movement, Rising," here.
Huffington Post Article - Chicken Farmers Describe a System of Extortion and Economic Slavery
By Regina Weiss
May 21, 2010
Today, poultry growers from throughout the south told Attorney General Eric Holder that the US poultry business operates through price fixing and production controls that stifle fair competition and destroy the lives of family farmers. According to the growers, who spoke at a hearing in Normal, Alabama, they are trapped in an unsustainable system that leaves them with skyrocketing costs, poverty wages and zero job security. As one grower put it, "This system takes hard working farmers and makes them indentured servants on their own land."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-weiss/chicken-farmers-describe_b_585459.html
May 21, 2010
Today, poultry growers from throughout the south told Attorney General Eric Holder that the US poultry business operates through price fixing and production controls that stifle fair competition and destroy the lives of family farmers. According to the growers, who spoke at a hearing in Normal, Alabama, they are trapped in an unsustainable system that leaves them with skyrocketing costs, poverty wages and zero job security. As one grower put it, "This system takes hard working farmers and makes them indentured servants on their own land."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-weiss/chicken-farmers-describe_b_585459.html
Friday, May 21, 2010
TakePart Post - Why Animal Antibiotics Can Make You Sick-And Keep You Sick
By Megan Bedard
May 20, 2010
It probably makes your stomach turn to hear that you could be unknowingly ingesting antibiotics that are used to treat cows. Well, swallowing all those antibiotics is making other parts of your body do a 180 as well. A new study released by scientists at the University of Hong Kong suggests that the overuse of antibiotics in the food industry is causing resistance among humans to certain antibiotics. In short: when farmers stuff cows with antibiotics, the cows develop resistance genes, then pass them along to us.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/19/more-factory-farms-mean-more-illness
May 20, 2010
It probably makes your stomach turn to hear that you could be unknowingly ingesting antibiotics that are used to treat cows. Well, swallowing all those antibiotics is making other parts of your body do a 180 as well. A new study released by scientists at the University of Hong Kong suggests that the overuse of antibiotics in the food industry is causing resistance among humans to certain antibiotics. In short: when farmers stuff cows with antibiotics, the cows develop resistance genes, then pass them along to us.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/19/more-factory-farms-mean-more-illness
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mark Bittman Speaking at Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
Mark Bittman, author, New York Times columnist, and television host, discusses the future of food as part of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity's Spring Seminar Series.
I highly recommend watching his presentation, which is almost 30 minutes long - so if you don't have the time to watch the whole thing, here are some highlights:
• Compares soda and cigarettes, particularly how they affect our health (soda is to obesity what smoking is to lung cancer).
"Here's an industry that hires experts to back up its specious claims, maintains it's not marketing to children (when it is), endorses bad science, funds front groups, lobbies like mad, claims its new products are safer and better and it's making healthier ones all the time - is that tobacco or food? Both."
• Soda is the #1 source of calories in the US and leading cause of obesity.
• For the first time in history overnutrition killing just as many people as undernutrition.
• Describes "Snackwells phenomenon" of the 1980s and 90s: if you were choosing lower fat foods, it didn't mean you were eliminating high fat foods, it meant you could eat as many Snackwells as you wanted to. This led to the biggest weight gain in America in the history of foods.
• The key to a sound diet = eating real food, prepared or cooked yourself.
• Americans claim they are too busy to cook, and yet the irony is we now spend an average of 40 hours per week watching TV (increasingly watching people cook).
• Healthy processed food = oxymoron; if you have to label something "healthy," it probably isn't.
• Ends with a long list of immediate, initial goals; start with soda tax.
NY Times Article - The Battle Over Taxing Soda
By David Leonhardt
May 18, 2010
This soda debate is probably going to be around for some time. Cities and counties, desperate to find money to pay for schools and roads, are starting to see a soda tax as a way to raise revenue. The tax also appears to be one of the most promising ways to attack obesity, given the huge role sugary drinks play in the epidemic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/business/economy/19leonhardt.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
May 18, 2010
This soda debate is probably going to be around for some time. Cities and counties, desperate to find money to pay for schools and roads, are starting to see a soda tax as a way to raise revenue. The tax also appears to be one of the most promising ways to attack obesity, given the huge role sugary drinks play in the epidemic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/business/economy/19leonhardt.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
Diner's Journal Post - Q. and A. With John Ameroso on Growing Food
Since 1976, John Ameroso has been showing New Yorkers how to grow what they eat. As the first and, probably last, extension agent in the city focused on farming, Mr. Ameroso is more responsible than anyone for the rise of urban agriculture in the city and the tons of produce now raised in plots big and small. He’s recently retired, but is still winding down his work in the five boroughs, making sure his legacy will continue. While he’s at it, he will also answer questions from Diner’s Journal readers about city farming and growing food. Post your question as a comment here and he’ll respond in later posts this week.
TakePart Post - Hunt's Ketchup Drops High Fructose Corn Syrup
By Megan Bedard
May 18, 2010
Ladies and gents, the ingredient pariah of the week is…high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). With consumer awareness on the rise, demand for fructose-free products is climbing. This week, Hunt’s ditched the increasingly unpopular ingredient and is now sticking to the basics: tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and other seasonings.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/18/hunts-ketchup-drops-high-fructose-corn-syrup
May 18, 2010
Ladies and gents, the ingredient pariah of the week is…high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). With consumer awareness on the rise, demand for fructose-free products is climbing. This week, Hunt’s ditched the increasingly unpopular ingredient and is now sticking to the basics: tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and other seasonings.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/18/hunts-ketchup-drops-high-fructose-corn-syrup
NY Times Recipe - Spinach and Tomato Soup With Rice
By Martha Rose Shulman
May 17, 2010
You may think of winter as the time of year for soups, but I’m inspired to make them now, in springtime, because there are so many fresh vegetables coming into the farmers’ markets. Soups make a great destination for produce of all kinds, and they can be ideal repositories for any leftovers just beginning to wilt. There’s plenty of nutritional value left in those vegetables, and gentle simmering will coax out the flavors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/health/nutrition/19recipehealth.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
May 17, 2010
You may think of winter as the time of year for soups, but I’m inspired to make them now, in springtime, because there are so many fresh vegetables coming into the farmers’ markets. Soups make a great destination for produce of all kinds, and they can be ideal repositories for any leftovers just beginning to wilt. There’s plenty of nutritional value left in those vegetables, and gentle simmering will coax out the flavors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/health/nutrition/19recipehealth.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Washington Post Article - Meatless Mondays, a movement that has legs
By Jane Black
May 19, 2010
It's probably no surprise that Sir Paul McCartney, a longtime vegetarian, banned all meat from staff meals on his current world tour. But when Mario Batali starts to push people to eat their vegetables, you know something is happening.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051800891.html
May 19, 2010
It's probably no surprise that Sir Paul McCartney, a longtime vegetarian, banned all meat from staff meals on his current world tour. But when Mario Batali starts to push people to eat their vegetables, you know something is happening.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051800891.html
Monday, May 17, 2010
Atlantic Article - The White House Obesity Report: An Overview
By Marion Nestle
May 15, 2010
This report, "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within A Generation," is a terrific summary of where we stand today on childhood obesity ("the challenge we face") and what to do about it. (Click here for a PDF.) The report wants to reduce rates of child obesity to where they were before all this started:
Like most such plans, this one has way too many recommendations, in this case, 70 (the summary table starts on page 89). These are divided up in categories. For example...
Read on here.
May 15, 2010
This report, "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within A Generation," is a terrific summary of where we stand today on childhood obesity ("the challenge we face") and what to do about it. (Click here for a PDF.) The report wants to reduce rates of child obesity to where they were before all this started:
That means returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5% by 2030. Achieving this goal will require "bending the curve" fairly quickly, so that by 2015, there will be a 2.5% reduction in each of the current rates of overweight and obese children, and by 2020, a 5% reduction.This seems so modest that it might actually be achievable.
Like most such plans, this one has way too many recommendations, in this case, 70 (the summary table starts on page 89). These are divided up in categories. For example...
Read on here.
Civil Eats Post - Drawing Distinction Between Family Farms and Factory Farms
By Alicia Harvie
May 13th, 2010
We get asked frequently at Farm Aid what a family farmer really is, how to spot a factory farm, or if someone can be both a family farmer and run a factory farm. We also receive questions from farmers themselves who want to know if we consider them a family farm or a factory farm. You name it — we’re asked it.
http://civileats.com/2010/05/13/family-farms-and-factory-farms/
May 13th, 2010
We get asked frequently at Farm Aid what a family farmer really is, how to spot a factory farm, or if someone can be both a family farmer and run a factory farm. We also receive questions from farmers themselves who want to know if we consider them a family farm or a factory farm. You name it — we’re asked it.
http://civileats.com/2010/05/13/family-farms-and-factory-farms/
Sunday, May 16, 2010
TakePart Post - Taco Bell Hits New Low With Two-Dollar Menu
Megan Bedard
May 15, 2010
Taco Bell has hit an all-time low. The faux-Mexican restaurant that famously introduced "The Fourth Meal" announced today it will be releasing a cheaper-than-ever "Meal Deal": for just two bucks, customers can scarf down a medium soda, bag of Doritos, and their choice from four taco and burrito entrées.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/14/taco-bell-hits-new-low-with-two-dollar-menu
May 15, 2010
Taco Bell has hit an all-time low. The faux-Mexican restaurant that famously introduced "The Fourth Meal" announced today it will be releasing a cheaper-than-ever "Meal Deal": for just two bucks, customers can scarf down a medium soda, bag of Doritos, and their choice from four taco and burrito entrées.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/14/taco-bell-hits-new-low-with-two-dollar-menu
NY Times Article - Diet and Exercise to the Extremes
By Mark Bittman
May 12, 2010
The ultramarathoner Scott Jurek needs 5,000 to 8,000 calories a day to fuel his running regimen, and he gets them without consuming animal products.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/sports/13runner.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
May 12, 2010
The ultramarathoner Scott Jurek needs 5,000 to 8,000 calories a day to fuel his running regimen, and he gets them without consuming animal products.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/sports/13runner.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Mother Jones Article - Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin?
By Kiera Butler
April 12, 2010
A recent investigation by the Cornucopia Institute, a food and agriculture nonprofit, found that most non-organic veggie burgers currently on the market are made with the chemical hexane, an EPA-registered air pollutant and neurotoxin.
See full article, including list of veggie burger brands that contain hexane, here.
Readers' questions about veggie burgers and hexane are answered here.
April 12, 2010
A recent investigation by the Cornucopia Institute, a food and agriculture nonprofit, found that most non-organic veggie burgers currently on the market are made with the chemical hexane, an EPA-registered air pollutant and neurotoxin.
See full article, including list of veggie burger brands that contain hexane, here.
Readers' questions about veggie burgers and hexane are answered here.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
CNN Article - Romaine lettuce recall expands
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 11, 2010
More romaine lettuce has been recalled amid an investigation into an outbreak of food-borne illness that has sickened at least 19 people in three states. [...] Consumers are urged not to eat "grab and go" salads sold from in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, and Marsh stores.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/11/lettuce.recall/index.html
May 11, 2010
More romaine lettuce has been recalled amid an investigation into an outbreak of food-borne illness that has sickened at least 19 people in three states. [...] Consumers are urged not to eat "grab and go" salads sold from in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, and Marsh stores.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/11/lettuce.recall/index.html
LA Times Article - Poultry safety standards tightened
By Andrew Zajac
May 11, 2010
The Agriculture Department unveils new rules meant to reduce cases of campylobacter infection and salmonella poisoning.
Poultry processing plants will have to reduce the number of chicken and turkey carcasses that test positive for the toxic bacteria salmonella and campylobacter under new federal rules intended to prevent tens of thousands of food-borne illnesses each year.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-salmonella-20100511,0,143840.story
May 11, 2010
The Agriculture Department unveils new rules meant to reduce cases of campylobacter infection and salmonella poisoning.
Poultry processing plants will have to reduce the number of chicken and turkey carcasses that test positive for the toxic bacteria salmonella and campylobacter under new federal rules intended to prevent tens of thousands of food-borne illnesses each year.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-salmonella-20100511,0,143840.story
Fourth Annual NYC Food Film Festival - June 23rd to June 27th
The NYC Food Film Festival sprang from the imagination of Festival Director George Motz, the documentary filmmaker behind the award-winning Hamburger America film and book, along with co-creator and Festival Executive Chef Harry Hawk, formerly of Schnack and Water Taxi Beach. Through documentaries, features and short films, the Festival showcases the best, and the most memorable, of the world's favorite foods. Along with a heaping helping of mouth-watering films, Motz, Hawk and company serve up the food that guests are watching on the screen for a multi-sensory, full-bodied experience.
Check out the list of selected films here. The schedule hasn't been finalized yet, but click here to receive updates.
Check out the list of selected films here. The schedule hasn't been finalized yet, but click here to receive updates.
TakePart Post - Medicines, Metals and Pesticides: Your Burger's Hidden Condiments
By Megan Bedard
May 10, 2010
Ever had a copper burger? How about a penicillin taco? Granted, you didn't order one—but you may have downed a patty with metal products or medicines in it and not even known. A recent report by the USDA says food safety agencies aren't up to par when it comes to keeping these harmful substances out of your system.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/10/the-meat-you-eat-could-be-toxic
May 10, 2010
Ever had a copper burger? How about a penicillin taco? Granted, you didn't order one—but you may have downed a patty with metal products or medicines in it and not even known. A recent report by the USDA says food safety agencies aren't up to par when it comes to keeping these harmful substances out of your system.
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/05/10/the-meat-you-eat-could-be-toxic
Friday, May 7, 2010
Epicurious Recipe - Spring Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf
Quinoa, a grain with a texture like that of couscous, is sold at natural food stores. Serve this side dish with lime wedges.
Hip Hop Video that Captures the "Abnormality" of Junk Food - Vote!
Chicago hip hop artist D-Nick The Microphone Misfit teamed up with B-Boy Super inLight to create "Abnormality", a track for the opening of Graffiti and Grub, the Chicago health food store founded by activist LaDonna Redmond. Their video highlights the physical health issues brought on by artificial, processed foods and encourages us all to look at what we're putting into our bodies. D-Nick and Super inLight both embrace the acronym HIP HOP for "Healthy Independent People Helping Other People" and they are doing just that, using their talents to get the word out that "Eating healthy is the first step in disease prevention." D-Nick has entered the video in The One Chicago, One Nation film contest, whose goal is to reward "videos that tell the stories of people in Chicago from different backgrounds working together for the common good."
Watch "Abnormality" below, and vote for D-Nick (voting ends on May 9th).
Originally posted on Eating Liberally.
Watch "Abnormality" below, and vote for D-Nick (voting ends on May 9th).
Originally posted on Eating Liberally.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Huffington Post Article - Rich Farmers Still Getting Most Government Cash
May 5, 2010
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers crafting a sweeping farm bill in 2008 promised it would cut government payments to wealthy farmers. Two years later, little appears to have changed. Data being made public Wednesday shows that the wealthiest farmers in the country are still receiving the bulk of government cash, despite claims from lawmakers that reforms in the bill would put more money in the hands of smaller farms. At the same time, a series of exemptions written into the bill has made it more difficult for the public to find out who is receiving what.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/05/promises-broken-rich-farm_n_563977.html
Also see Marion Nestle's post about the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releasing its latest farm subsidy database.
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers crafting a sweeping farm bill in 2008 promised it would cut government payments to wealthy farmers. Two years later, little appears to have changed. Data being made public Wednesday shows that the wealthiest farmers in the country are still receiving the bulk of government cash, despite claims from lawmakers that reforms in the bill would put more money in the hands of smaller farms. At the same time, a series of exemptions written into the bill has made it more difficult for the public to find out who is receiving what.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/05/promises-broken-rich-farm_n_563977.html
Also see Marion Nestle's post about the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releasing its latest farm subsidy database.
Washington Post Q&A with David Kirby, author of "Animal Factory"
By The Food Section
May 6, 2010
David Kirby's timing looked perfect. His book, "Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment" (St. Martin's Press, 2010) was released just as Congress was holding hearings on legislation that would ban the use of antibiotics in livestock. A growing movement of consumers was demanding to know more about where their food came from. But since the book hit the shelves in March, Kirby admits it has been harder than expected to get a serious conversation going about how to fix the problems caused by factory farming. Federal policies that support concentrated animal feeding operations, better known as CAFOs, are technical, and the politicians who support them are seemingly unmovable. "The subsidies at stake are huge. There are anti-competitive measures," he said. "It's an interesting story. I can't figure it out." Over coffee on Wednesday, Kirby, an award-winning investigative reporter, made the case for why Americans, especially food lovers, should join the conversation.
See edited excerpts of Jane Black's interview with David Kirby here.
May 6, 2010
David Kirby's timing looked perfect. His book, "Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment" (St. Martin's Press, 2010) was released just as Congress was holding hearings on legislation that would ban the use of antibiotics in livestock. A growing movement of consumers was demanding to know more about where their food came from. But since the book hit the shelves in March, Kirby admits it has been harder than expected to get a serious conversation going about how to fix the problems caused by factory farming. Federal policies that support concentrated animal feeding operations, better known as CAFOs, are technical, and the politicians who support them are seemingly unmovable. "The subsidies at stake are huge. There are anti-competitive measures," he said. "It's an interesting story. I can't figure it out." Over coffee on Wednesday, Kirby, an award-winning investigative reporter, made the case for why Americans, especially food lovers, should join the conversation.
See edited excerpts of Jane Black's interview with David Kirby here.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Civil Eats Post - Introducing the FoodCorps
May 5th, 2010
By Paula Crossfield
With one in three children (and one in two children of color) overweight or obese in this country, the health of America’s kids is under the microscope and, for the first time in our history, children born now will not live as long as their parents. Michelle Obama has launched her Let’s Move campaign, and chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution brought the school cafeteria to television. But as Oliver’s program showed, one of the biggest barriers to changing kids’ health outcomes is a lack of dedicated labor and expertise. That is where FoodCorps comes in, an AmeriCorps program that would put service members to work building school gardens and establishing farm-to-school relationships in towns across the United States, specifically in places lacking regular access to fresh produce. A collaboration between the National Farm to School Network, Slow Food USA and other groups, the FoodCorps team has raised more than $215,000 from the Kellogg Foundation and AmeriCorps to develop the program, which could begin as early as 2011.
http://civileats.com/2010/05/05/expanding-the-idea-of-food-service-foodcorps/
By Paula Crossfield
With one in three children (and one in two children of color) overweight or obese in this country, the health of America’s kids is under the microscope and, for the first time in our history, children born now will not live as long as their parents. Michelle Obama has launched her Let’s Move campaign, and chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution brought the school cafeteria to television. But as Oliver’s program showed, one of the biggest barriers to changing kids’ health outcomes is a lack of dedicated labor and expertise. That is where FoodCorps comes in, an AmeriCorps program that would put service members to work building school gardens and establishing farm-to-school relationships in towns across the United States, specifically in places lacking regular access to fresh produce. A collaboration between the National Farm to School Network, Slow Food USA and other groups, the FoodCorps team has raised more than $215,000 from the Kellogg Foundation and AmeriCorps to develop the program, which could begin as early as 2011.
http://civileats.com/2010/05/05/expanding-the-idea-of-food-service-foodcorps/
LA Times Article - For small farmers, thinking outside the markets
By Russ Parsons
April 29, 2010
People can talk all they want about the important restaurants and the famous chefs that have gotten so much attention over the last 30 years, but for me the biggest change in that time has been the introduction of farmers markets. They have had a revolutionary effect on the way food is grown and marketed in the United States. Still, at a most generous estimate, less than 2% of fruits and vegetables are actually sold at them. So how can they move beyond that?
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-calcook-20100429,0,2547773.story
April 29, 2010
People can talk all they want about the important restaurants and the famous chefs that have gotten so much attention over the last 30 years, but for me the biggest change in that time has been the introduction of farmers markets. They have had a revolutionary effect on the way food is grown and marketed in the United States. Still, at a most generous estimate, less than 2% of fruits and vegetables are actually sold at them. So how can they move beyond that?
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-calcook-20100429,0,2547773.story
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
NY Times Recipes - Substantial Smoothies
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Published: May 3, 2010
Follow the links below to recipes for smoothies that go beyond your typical banana + strawberry combo:
• Oatmeal Spice Smoothie
• Orange Date Shake
• Banana Peanut Butter or Banana Almond Smoothie
• Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie
• Carrot and Sesame Date Shake
Published: May 3, 2010
Follow the links below to recipes for smoothies that go beyond your typical banana + strawberry combo:
• Oatmeal Spice Smoothie
• Orange Date Shake
• Banana Peanut Butter or Banana Almond Smoothie
• Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie
• Carrot and Sesame Date Shake
The Colbert Report - FDA Salt Regulation
See Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute (yes, there's such a thing!), as guests on last night's Colbert Report to debate the FDA's plan to regulate the amount of salt in processed food:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| FDA Salt Regulation - Lori Roman & Michael Jacobson | ||||
| ||||
Monday, May 3, 2010
Civil Eats Post - Freeing Hens From Cages Too Important To Delay
May 3rd, 2010
By Sara Shields
A recent Associated Press article about one researcher’s effort to breed “gentler” chickens is getting a lot of attention. Agribusiness representatives have seized the article to defend the cruel practice of confining hens in cages (claiming that most egg-laying hens are, by nature, too aggressive to each other to let them live in a cage-free environment). A closer inspection of the issue leads to a different conclusion. Certainly, studies that lead to improved animal welfare—such as reduced feather-pecking among laying hens—are a positive step. However, the egg industry needn’t wait for new bird strains to exist before working to improve birds’ quality of life.
LA Times Article - Nutrition Lab: Milk, soft drinks and bone strength
By Elena Conis
May 3, 2010
Want strong bones? Eat foods high in calcium and vitamin D, get plenty of exercise — and maybe steer clear of soda. In recent decades, as consumption of the beverage has steadily displaced the consumption of others —particularly milk — studies have consistently linked soda consumption with weaker bones. Now scientists are trying to figure out how and why, precisely, drinking soda may affect skeletons.
http://www.latimes.com/news/health/la-he-nutrition-lab-20100503,0,750958,full.story
May 3, 2010
Want strong bones? Eat foods high in calcium and vitamin D, get plenty of exercise — and maybe steer clear of soda. In recent decades, as consumption of the beverage has steadily displaced the consumption of others —particularly milk — studies have consistently linked soda consumption with weaker bones. Now scientists are trying to figure out how and why, precisely, drinking soda may affect skeletons.
http://www.latimes.com/news/health/la-he-nutrition-lab-20100503,0,750958,full.story
Diner's Journal Recipe - Vegetable and Mushroom Pot Pie
By ELAINE LOUIE
May 3, 2010
This pot pie recipe comes from David and Karen Waltuck, owners of Chanterelle, the widely admired New York restaurant that opened in 1979 and closed in 2009. Making this pot pie is time-consuming but rewarding.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/the-temporary-vegetarian-vegetable-and-mushroom-pot-pie/
May 3, 2010
This pot pie recipe comes from David and Karen Waltuck, owners of Chanterelle, the widely admired New York restaurant that opened in 1979 and closed in 2009. Making this pot pie is time-consuming but rewarding.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/the-temporary-vegetarian-vegetable-and-mushroom-pot-pie/
Sunday, May 2, 2010
TIME Article - Building a Better Label
By Adi Narayan
May 2, 2010
Food labels have gone awry in this country, say nutritionists and obesity researchers. Now the FDA aims to fix them.
At a Bravo supermarket on a recent weekday evening in Brooklyn, N.Y, shopper Jamilya Shroud-Garrett looks for a breakfast cereal for her son. She points to a box of Cheerios, which has a banner-style label bearing the message, "Can help lower cholesterol," and dismisses it as ridiculous. "It's common sense. If you have high cholesterol, it's not going to help to eat two bowls of cereal," she says. Shroud-Garrett is an unusually conscious brand of consumer, not easily swayed by so-called "front-of-pack" labeling — the carefully worded, attention-getting health and nutrition claims (Made with whole grains! All natural!), which appear on so many processed-food packages and which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now seeking to rein in. While Shroud-Garrett scanned the more detailed dietary information contained in the Nutrition Facts panel on the side of the box, most other shoppers who paused for an interview in the cereal aisle that evening said their choices were guided either by past purchases or front-of-the-box labels.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1986269_1986240_1986272-1,00.html
May 2, 2010
Food labels have gone awry in this country, say nutritionists and obesity researchers. Now the FDA aims to fix them.
At a Bravo supermarket on a recent weekday evening in Brooklyn, N.Y, shopper Jamilya Shroud-Garrett looks for a breakfast cereal for her son. She points to a box of Cheerios, which has a banner-style label bearing the message, "Can help lower cholesterol," and dismisses it as ridiculous. "It's common sense. If you have high cholesterol, it's not going to help to eat two bowls of cereal," she says. Shroud-Garrett is an unusually conscious brand of consumer, not easily swayed by so-called "front-of-pack" labeling — the carefully worded, attention-getting health and nutrition claims (Made with whole grains! All natural!), which appear on so many processed-food packages and which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now seeking to rein in. While Shroud-Garrett scanned the more detailed dietary information contained in the Nutrition Facts panel on the side of the box, most other shoppers who paused for an interview in the cereal aisle that evening said their choices were guided either by past purchases or front-of-the-box labels.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1986269_1986240_1986272-1,00.html
NY Times Article - For High-Fructose Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder
By Melanie Warner
April 30, 2010
For much of 2009, Michael Locascio, an executive at ConAgra Foods, watched with concern as the bad news about high-fructose corn syrup kept coming. In January, there were studies showing that samples of the sweetener contained the toxic metal mercury. Then came a popular Facebook page that was critical of the syrup. By year-end, there were about a dozen spoofs on YouTube mocking efforts by makers of high-fructose corn syrup to show that science is on their side.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02syrup.html?ref=business
April 30, 2010
For much of 2009, Michael Locascio, an executive at ConAgra Foods, watched with concern as the bad news about high-fructose corn syrup kept coming. In January, there were studies showing that samples of the sweetener contained the toxic metal mercury. Then came a popular Facebook page that was critical of the syrup. By year-end, there were about a dozen spoofs on YouTube mocking efforts by makers of high-fructose corn syrup to show that science is on their side.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02syrup.html?ref=business
Recipe - Blueberry Oat Muffins
A friend (thanks, Sky!) passed along this recipe for Organic, Vegan Blueberry Oat Muffins, which I modified slightly when I made the muffins today (they came out great and were very easy to make). See my (non-vegan) version below.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine:
- 1 cup (vanilla) soymilk
- 1 cup rolled oats
• Let the oats and soymilk sit for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
• Add:
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- oat/soymilk mixture
• Gently stir in:
- 1 cup (frozen) blueberries
• Spoon into muffin tin and bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
Enjoy!
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine:
- 1 cup (vanilla) soymilk
- 1 cup rolled oats
• Let the oats and soymilk sit for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
• Add:
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- oat/soymilk mixture
• Gently stir in:
- 1 cup (frozen) blueberries
• Spoon into muffin tin and bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
Enjoy!
Big names in food among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People
Congratulations to the following people who are recognized in this year's Time 100 issue for making a difference in America's food industry - whether through journalism, animal welfare research, community outreach, or government action:
• Michael Pollan
• Temple Grandin
• Will Allen
• Kathleen Merrigan
• Michael Pollan
• Temple Grandin
• Will Allen
• Kathleen Merrigan
SF Chronicle Column - Food Matters
Nutrition and public policy expert Marion Nestle answers readers' questions in this monthly column written exclusively for The Chronicle. Email your questions to food@sfchronicle.com, with "Marion Nestle" in the subject line.
This month's piece:
Sugary school meals hit lobbyists' sweet spot
Q: I'm stunned by the amount of sugar my daughter is served routinely in school: candied cereals, flavored milk, Pop Tarts, breakfast cookies, fruit juice - 15 teaspoons of sugar, just in breakfast. Why no standards for regulating sugar in school meals, especially when obesity and diabetes are such concerns?
See Nestle's answer here.
This month's piece:
Sugary school meals hit lobbyists' sweet spot
Q: I'm stunned by the amount of sugar my daughter is served routinely in school: candied cereals, flavored milk, Pop Tarts, breakfast cookies, fruit juice - 15 teaspoons of sugar, just in breakfast. Why no standards for regulating sugar in school meals, especially when obesity and diabetes are such concerns?
See Nestle's answer here.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
What the F*ck Should I Make for Dinner?
A friend (thanks, Lukas!) just told me about What the F*ck Should I Make for Dinner, a new recipe generator website that pulls its suggestions from either Epicurious (for non-vegetarian recipes) or Recipe.com (for meatless recipes), and is essentially, as described on the Huffington Post, Recipe Roulette.
Here's what happens when you enter the site:
1. A non-vegetarian dish is suggested. If you like the sound of it, click on it and you'll be taken to the full recipe on Epicurious.
2. If you don't like the suggested dish, click on "I don't fucking like that" and another suggestion will appear.
3. If you want a vegetarian dish, click on "I don't fucking eat meat," and a meatless suggestion will appear. If you like the sound of it, click on it and you'll be taken to the full recipe on Recipe.com.
4. And so on.
This is a great recipe resource for when boredom or indecision strike and you're not seeking anything specific to cook. The randomness is refreshing too, and will perhaps lead you to dishes / food combinations you'd never before heard of or considered.
Enjoy!
Here's what happens when you enter the site:
1. A non-vegetarian dish is suggested. If you like the sound of it, click on it and you'll be taken to the full recipe on Epicurious.
2. If you don't like the suggested dish, click on "I don't fucking like that" and another suggestion will appear.
3. If you want a vegetarian dish, click on "I don't fucking eat meat," and a meatless suggestion will appear. If you like the sound of it, click on it and you'll be taken to the full recipe on Recipe.com.
4. And so on.
This is a great recipe resource for when boredom or indecision strike and you're not seeking anything specific to cook. The randomness is refreshing too, and will perhaps lead you to dishes / food combinations you'd never before heard of or considered.
Enjoy!
Guardian Article - Vegetarians gain more options for fine dining with 50% rise in foodie eateries
By Denis Campbell
April 30, 2010
Vegetarian food was never really synonymous with fine dining, but today a new generation of sleek, modern restaurants offering meat-free fine food is banishing the sector's former reputation. The number of high-end vegetarian eateries is rising fast, despite the recession, prompted by culinary innovation by leading chefs, interest in healthy lifestyles and a growing belief that carnivorous cuisine is bad for the environment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/30/vegetarian-restaurants-uk-boom
I wonder if a similar trend has occurred in the United States...
April 30, 2010
Vegetarian food was never really synonymous with fine dining, but today a new generation of sleek, modern restaurants offering meat-free fine food is banishing the sector's former reputation. The number of high-end vegetarian eateries is rising fast, despite the recession, prompted by culinary innovation by leading chefs, interest in healthy lifestyles and a growing belief that carnivorous cuisine is bad for the environment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/30/vegetarian-restaurants-uk-boom
I wonder if a similar trend has occurred in the United States...
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