Growers and Grocers

Food writer Emily Kaiser sent me excerpts from a recent Wall Street Journal article about Archer Daniels Midland’s research into industrial materials made from plants.
I recently mentioned a water bottle made from corn-based plastic, but that’s the vanguard of a coming wave of plant-based plastics, which might come to market in trucks running on plant-based […]

Farmers around Missolua, Montana have banded together to create a “Homegrown” label for products grown within 150 miles of their markets. The organization hopes to educate consumers about the importance of locally grown food.
“Organic programs have lost touch with their roots in small farms and close communities by embracing corporations that ship their produce […]

Food and Water Watch released the first issue (pdf) of The Fish Dish, a newsletter about aquaculture.
This lobby’s articles might annoy readers who dislike sensationalist text—sharks! that’s right, sharks! love to prey on offshore fish farms—but most will find interesting tidbits. For instance, oil companies want to hook aquaculture pens to offshore oil rigs so […]

Wal-Mart’s John Fleming outlined the retail giant’s tactical plans for penetrating new markets and pulling more money from the rare person who shops at Wal-Mart less than every two weeks.
The corporation plans to localize their inventories, expanding baby sections in areas with young families and Mexican or Central American food items in areas with a […]

The Whole Grains Council announced last week that it has improved its labelling system. The original black and yellow “Whole Grain” stamp indicated products which provided at least half a “Pyramid Serving” of whole grains. The new stamps will show three levels of whole grain content: Good, Excellent, and 100%/Excellent.
“Good” products must include a […]

The New York Times covers the coming battle between Wal-Mart and large unions. The retail megacorporation has a long history of union-bashing, but large-scale unions (which have their own problems) are fighting back with an attack driven by political advisers. Wal-Mart is bringing in its own political experts for the counterattack.
Few will be surprised to […]

Parke Wilde of the U.S. Food Policy blog neatly skewers the U.S. Pork Board’s report about air quality near hog farms. Waste from Industrial livestock facilities is notoriously hard on neighbors’ noses. Even the descriptions of towns near beef factories make a reader gag.
But, says Parke, the Pork Board “gushed” about the findings on local […]

The Soil Association, Great Britain’s leading organic and sustainable produce watchdog, reports that British supermarkets are stocking more locally-grown organic produce as a result of consumer pressure. According to the association’s annual Supermarket Survey, which analyzes the presence of eight organic foods in major British supermarket chains, availability of organic food staples grown in the […]

The USDA has published a 10-year retrospective of genetically modified organisms. It surveys the technology from the perspectives of the seed producers, the farmers, and the consumers.
The report is generally upbeat about GMOs. American consumers are somewhat concerned about them, but the USDA cheerfully notes that virtually all are already consuming them without knowing it. […]

If you haven’t picked up Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, click on that link or run to your local independent bookseller and buy a copy.
Pollan is one of the best and most important writers covering the overlap of food, politics, and ethics. I’ll be seeing him at City Arts & Lectures next week, and I […]