The quest to make strawberries taste great again
There’s nothing better than a perfect, ripe strawberry, bursting with sweetness and flavor. Sales figures of the fruit affirm our love for strawberries: the lush, red berries are the fifth …
World Health Organization: Herbicide 2,4-D “possibly” causes cancer
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified a “widely used” herbicide as a “probable” carcinogen; 2,4-dichlopenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is also a key ingredient in a new product being developed by …
Could buying smaller fruit save California’s drought-stricken farms?
Steve Holt writes about a range of issues. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Edible Boston and TakePart. We’ve shared Holt’s work before: Vermont: America’s food relocalization …
General Mills set to eliminate artificial flavoring and coloring from cereal line
General Mills has announced it will eliminate artificial coloring and flavoring from all of its cereals by 2017. Natural ingredients, such as fruit and vegetable juices, will replace artificial ingredients. …
Israel bets on recycled water for farming
Recycling sewage water – in combination with desalination plants – has enabled Israel to avoid dependence on rain. But with about half of the water used on Israel’s farms coming …
In time for Father’s Day…a history of fathers and sons
A son records an oral interview with his father, a baker and millwright (a term for “mechanic”) at Leidenheimer Baking Company in New Orleans, a company that also employed his …
Bringing back American chestnuts
Jill Neimark (@jillneimark) is a writer whose work has been featured in Discover, Scientific American, Science, Nautilus, Aeon, Psychology Today and The New York Times. She writes this piece for …
The UC Food Observer chooses a handful of important stories for you to read as you finish your work week. On the menu, in no particular order: a sardine fishery …
A little fish with a big impact is in trouble on the West Coast
Elizabeth Grossman (@lizzieg1) writes about the environment and science. She wrote this piece for Yale Environment 360. It was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, a …
Research: Low glycemic index diet reduces symptoms of autism in mice
Those living with diabetes know that “bread, cereal and sugary processed foods can cause rapid spikes and subsequent crashes” in blood sugar, making management of the disease more difficult. A …