News About Food, Politics, and the Environment

 

News: November 7, 2006

Alabama's hunters help feed the hungry:  As the 2006-07 deer season opens, hunters are encouraged to provide food to needy families by participating in Hunters Helping the Hungry. The Hunters Helping the Hungry program provides thousands of pounds of ground venison to area food banks. Food banks then donate the processed venison to help feed needy families. Since the program began in 1999, more than 319,000 pounds of ground venison has been donated to Alabama food banks statewide. The Thomasville (AL) Times

Study finds convenience, not health, drives consumption:  Food manufacturers need to continue making nutrition easier for consumers, according to a new study which reveals that most Americans know how to manage weight gain but do not make the effort to implement changes.

[A]ccording to the A.C. Nielsen study, a major factor in consumers' unwillingness to follow through with healthy lifestyle changes could be the modern “convenience culture'. Nearly one-fifth of US consumers surveyed said that the main factor leading to weight gain is that modern life is too easy for people to make an effort toward healthy living. This cause was beaten out only by lack of exercise (29 percent) and the vast availability of junk food (19 percent). Food Navigator USA

New Study Suggests Plant Sterol-Enriched Chocolate Snack Bars Support Heart Health:   Americans looking to manage their blood cholesterol levels may have a new weapon in helping to promote heart health, suggests a new study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis found that including CocoaVia(R) snack bars as part of a heart healthy diet helped to significantly lower both total and LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels, without impacting HDL or "good" cholesterol. Candy Industry

 

News: October 9, 2006

E. coli Found in Beef and Lettuce; More Recalls:  Jim's Market and Locker Inc. of Harlan, Iowa, is recalling about 5,200 pounds of ground beef products distributed from seven states because they could be contaminated with a dangerous strain of E. coli, the government said Friday. The meat is suspected of having the same E. coli strain responsible for three deaths in the recent outbreak of contaminated spinach. No illnesses have been reported from consumption of the beef subject to the recall. USA Today

In addition, a popular brand of lettuce grown in California's Salinas Valley and distributed in Washington state was recalled Sunday over concerns about E. coli contamination. The lettuce does not appear to have caused any illnesses, the president of Nunes Co. Inc. said. It's unlikely that the bacteria in the lettuce fields share the source of the E. coli found in spinach that has sickened nearly 200 people and has been linked to three deaths nationwide, Nunes said. Associated Press

Eating Broccoli May Help Seniors Protect their Eyesight:  The results have only been demonstrated in the lab, but it may be that broccoli contains a powerful antioxidant ingredient that can prevent the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration, a chronic eye disease that can lead to partial or total blindness. Even better, recent studies have indicated that moderate consumption of red wine may also aid in prevention of age-related macular degeneration. Sounds like a great night to have Red Wine Spaghetti with Broccoli for dinner. Medicinal Food News: (broccoli); (red wine)

Northern Philippines University To Introduce Degree in Organic Farming:  Benguet State University in the northern Philippines is aiming to become the first organic school in the country. The university, which boasts biodegradable/non-biodegradable trash cans around the school ground and even has its own integrated recycling and composting program, decided to introduce organic farming to combat the ecological problems brought by chemical-based farming in the region. All Headline News

 

News: October 7, 2006

Fungus causes pumpkin shortage in northeast: Two types of fungus or rot have affected crops from the Midwest to New England, causing pumpkins to develop mold in some spots and then begin decomposing, said Daniel Egel, a Purdue University Extension plant pathologist. The entire inside of the pumpkin eventually rots until the shell falls apart. A combination of high temperatures and record rain in August has helped the fungi flourish, Egel said.  Associated Press

Despite summer drought, shoppers still find pumpkins in the southeast: Although smaller and somewhat higher in price than usual, pumpkins are reasonably plentiful in the southeastern US. Unusual varieties, including Jarrahdale, a grayish-blue pumpkin with a tasty bright orange flesh; Long Island Cheese, a yellow pumpkin similar to the butternut squash and good in pies; and Turk's Turban, an oddly shaped, multicolored gourd; are readily available at farm stands and nurseries throughout northern Alabama.The Birmingham News

Clinton strikes deal to cut junk food sales in schools: An agreement between former President Bill Clinton's Alliance for a Healthier Generation and five large manufacturers of snack food products -- Dannon, Kraft Foods, Mars, PepsiCo and the Campbell Soup Company -- set voluntary guidelines on calories, sugar, sodium and saturated fats in snacks sold in schools. Trans fats have been banned completely. In addition, elementary and middle schools can sell only water, low fat milk, and juice without added sugar, though high schools can also sell diet soda and other low calorie drinks. Earth Times

 

News: October 3, 2006

Pioneer Farming Day at Cherokee County (AL) School System: A few years ago, second-grade teacher Dewandee Neyman became concerned that students today were losing sight of their farming heritage. She wanted them to see cows being milked, butter being churned, biscuits being made, and other rapidly vanishing parts of farming life in Alabama. With the help of agriculture and home ec teachers from throughout the county, Ms. Neyman founded Farm Field Days and has coordinated it every year since. Cherokee County Herald, Centre, Alabama

Comfort Food for the Economy: Amidst a whirlwind of reports about food contamination and obesity epidemics, Americans are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from. One comforting solution to the frighteningly large and complex scope of our food networks may also prove to be the most economically sound long-term model: eating locally purchased foods. SocialFunds.com

A "bite" to eat: Because cooking is an art... even when it's miniature fast food! Craftster.org

 

News: October 2, 2006

US Third-Quarter Food Prices Rose 3% - Farm Bureau: U.S. supermarket food prices rose about 3% in the third quarter, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey of 16 basic grocery items.The total cost of those items was $41.09, up $1.13 from a year ago, an AFBM news release said. Cattle Network

Achieving food safety in an industrial age: When it comes to food, Americans live in an industrial age; the stuff of most meals is mass produced and processed. The recent removal of tainted and suspect spinach from the market is a reminder of this - and of the need for US agriculture to adopt more appropriate safety measures. But whatever solutions are offered should be flexible enough to accommodate food's industrial producers - and their retro cousins, local farmers. Nassau (NH) Guardian

Study: TV For Toddlers Full Of Ads For Fatty Foods: A new study has found that messages for high-fat, high-sugar foods permeate programming for preschoolers on Nickelodeon. Although the Disney Channel and Public Broadcasting Service promote themselves as ad-free, the study suggests fast food companies dominate sponsor messages during programming for toddlers. Ronald McDonald appears on both. The Denver Channel

 

News: October 1, 2006

Food safety should be a priority, experts say: The current E.coli outbreak from California marks the 20th food-borne illness episode linked to spinach or lettuce since 1995. Because of funding cuts, the FDA has lost 250 inspectors in the last two years, leaving it with 1,962 for more than 100,000 facilities nationwide. Times Union, Albany, NY

Decision to quash food lab blasted: Rep. John Doolittle (R- CA District 4) played a key role in killing federal funding to create a team of food safety experts at UC Davis that the university said would have sped the response to the recent nationwide E. coli outbreak. Doolittle opposed as unnecessary the $1 million in startup funds for a Western Center for Food Safety and Defense included in a $100 billion Agriculture Department spending bill that the Senate approved last September. Sacramento Bee

Local Governments Get Serious About the Environment: In the absence of serious national action, state and local governments and the private sector are taking the initiative in confronting the interlocked problems of global warming and energy conservation. Los Angeles Times