Growers and Grocers

Parke Wilde points readers to the American Farm Bureau’s recommendations for changes to American farm policy. Expect documents like this to be a constant trend on the way to 2007, when legislators will vote on revisions to the U.S. Farm Bill. The AFB offers this synopsis of their intent:

The policy recommendations were aimed at increasing […]

Josh Friedland of The Food Section points to this gushing profile of Whole Foods Founder John Mackey, who created a one-stop shop for self-righteousness: organic produce, hormone-free meat, and sodas devoid of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The megachain is invading England now, prompting the puppy love from the Observer’s writer.
The article is mostly hosannas and […]

Looks like Massachusetts will be the first major front in the upcoming war against targeting children in marketing campaigns. While the Center for Science in the Public Interest prepares to sue Viacom in that state, the legislature is pushing a bill to restrict soda and junk food in schools.
Parke Wilde from the U.S. Food Policy […]

Recycling bottles isn’t a great way to reduce environmental damage. The recycling process is expensive, extends the lifetime of the material for only a few more cycles, and introduces its own environmental cost.
Husky, a Canadian packaging firm, hopes to solve those problems with a biodegradable water bottle. The corn-based material, which can break down […]

While American soft drink companies try to stave off a lawsuit about advertising to children, and EU soft drink manufacturers agree to a law that bans the same practice, Kellogg and Nickelodeon’s parent company Viacom will soon find itself in a Massachusetts court to defend questionable ads.
The suit is being brought in part by the […]

In an effort to curb a growing obesity epidemic, the European Union and the Union of European Beverages Associations have put a stop to soft drink marketing aimed at kids. Companies will not run ads in any media outlet aimed specifically at the under-12 market. Commercial activity in primary schools will stop outright unless the […]

Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty has changed the food world, even though he has never worked in the food industry.
Without him, Monsanto wouldn’t be as powerful or profitable. Without him, Archer Daniels Midland wouldn’t have a stranglehold on corn. Without him, countries world-wide wouldn’t have to fight for their own food supplies.
Who the heck is Ananda Mohan […]

The Center for Food Safety and Food and Water Watch have written a no-holds-barred paper [pdf] on irradiated food. “Irradiated foods are abnormal. Based on research compiled directly from the scientific literature, this report describes the strange, sickening impacts on the smell, taste, color, and texture of food exposed to this invasive ‘treatment.’”
The two organizations […]

The Fancy Food Show is the ultimate in “specialty foods.” Often that means aisles and aisles of uninspired barbecue sauce, but occasionally an interesting product finds its way to San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Sometimes you can divine a trend here and there that’s worth noticing: You’ll see it on your supermarket’s shelves before the year […]

From an article in AdAge (free registration required, or use bugmenot):
A consumer group that has been weighing a lawsuit that charges the soft-drink industry with unfairly or deceptively marketing harmful products to children today said it is in negotiations with marketers and will hold off on the suit.
I once heard Marion Nestle say, at a […]