Good morning! The UC Food Observer lines up some top stories as you begin your work day. On the menu, in no particular order:
Climate “dystopia.” We’re starting to see responses to a study released by a UK-US Taskforce on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience (the existence of such a task force says a lot). In short, climate change will disrupt the food system. Poorer countries will feel the effects of disruptions in food production more acutely, but no nation will be immune. There is a potential for increased political instability and conflict among peoples and nations. The synthesis report produced by the task force is 20 pages long and absolutely worth reading. Also worth reading? A well-considered response to the report: the hungry dystopia of climate change, a piece appearing in Grist. The article provides a nice summary of the report and how some of these things may play out. Authored by Lexi Pandell (@lpandell).
Hold the mayo. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that Hampton Creek Food’s popular “Just Mayo” product is actually not mayonnaise, because it doesn’t contain eggs. The FDA warns that the company may be violating the law by mislabeling some of its products. While the topic of mayonnaise may seem trivial to some, this article by Roberto Ferdman (@RobFerdman) and Brady Dennis (@brady_dennis) provides an incredibly informative and good read about labeling regulations and the FDA’s “standard of identity.” One of the experts consulted for the piece is Parke Wilde (@usfoodpolicy), an associate professor at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. (Wilde is the author of Food Policy in the United States: An Introduction, an essential book for those interested in how the American food system works). The piece appears in The Washington Post, which is delivering excellent reporting on food systems issues on a daily basis.
Dietary guidelines. Tufts University publishes a magazine called Nutrition. The current issue explores America’s shifting diet, with a focus on the dietary guidelines. While factions continue to “duke it out” over what the guidelines will be, scientists have weighed in. What are they saying? Consume less meat and sugar…and please eat your veggies. Julie Flaherty reports.
International agriculture. In India’s disorganized agricultural sector, a connector of crops to markets. India is the world’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables. However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about 40% of that nation’s produce goes to #foodwaste each year. (The 40% figure for food waste holds true for many nations). While there are a number of factors contributing to this trend, one factor is the disconnect between farmers and markets. Ambika Behal (@ambibehal) writes for Forbes.