Food industry braces for trans fat ban
The use of trans fat in foods – already down by about 85% in the last decade – is expected to be mostly banned by the FDA in a ruling …
University of California focuses on student food security
The USDA estimates that 1 in 7 U.S. households is food-insecure (i.e., their access to adequate food is limited). The USDA does not collect data specifically about hunger among college …
Op-Ed: “Corporate irresponsibility over GMOs”
What is “being lost” as GMOs become a “trendy identifier?” In a scathing op-ed penned for The Washington Post, Michael Gerson (@MJGerson), suggests that the move to nix GMOs by …
Monsanto-Syngenta deal hinges on sale of seed companies
United States seed giant Monsanto is scrambling to line up buyers for Syngenta’s seed business before another takeover attempt of the Swiss company. The assets are valued at about $8B, …
Egg farms hit hard as avian influenza spreads
Deadly avian influenza viruses have affected more than 33 million turkeys, chickens and ducks in more than a dozen states since December….an enormous percentage of the nation’s commercial poultry stock. …
Op-Ed: Smallholder farmers are the new global food frontier
A third of the world’s 7.3 billion people are small farmers and their families. They work about 60% of the world’s arable land, producing nearly 70% of all food consumed …
Friday Wrap: 5/15/15 (it’s a palindrome!)
Happy palindrome week (plus)! From May 10th through May 19th, every day is a palindrome. This means that all the dates are symmetrical and read the same backward and forward. …
Before we can address the drought, we need a geography lesson
In a must-read piece, LA Times political columnist George Skelton writes about the California drought. He tackles the convenient but inaccurate sound bites we’ve become accustomed to hearing. He challenges …
“New Prairie” cooking blends old and new
A new cookbook explores the cuisine of America’s Great Plains, and the food it presents offers a fusion of past and present, as well as giving a boost to locally …
Blueberries – already a “superfood” – may help with PTSD
Blueberries are considered a “superfood” – low-calorie foods with excellent nutritional and health benefits. (Other superfoods include kale, broccoli, kiwi, pomegranates, beans, salmon and sardines). Blueberries are rich in antioxidant flavonoids, …