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Consumer Reports Findings are Fishy?


Everyone’s up in arms about Consumer Reports’ exposé on high mercury levels in canned tuna. Everyone in the government, that is.
Consumer Reports reports that they found higher mercury levels than predicted in canned light tuna, which supposedly has less than white tuna. The FDA stands by its earlier findings about mercury levels, and I’ve gotten […]

Boston Farmers Markets Open New Season


Boston’s network of Farmers Markets opened their season on Tuesday, May 30th, reports Darren Sands for the Boston Globe. The markets are managed by the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets, a non-profit service organization run by a volunteer board of directors.
This year Boston residents can look forward to a plethora of local delicacies, including goat […]

USDA Toes the Line on Food Advice


The ever-vigilant Parke Wilde at the U.S. Food Policy blog has spotted an unusual report from a subdepartment of the USDA. The report puts forth the common wisdom that Americans eat too many solid fats, alcohol, and added sugars (SoFAAs).
So what? The USDA is notoriously squeamish about telling Americans to eat less of anything. Beef […]

Shiny New Food Additive Approved By FDA


“Mom, can I have some titanium dioxide on my mica-based pearlescent pigments?”
“You can now, honey!”
The FDA has approved a new coloring additive for food, effective July 5, 2006. I have no idea what mica-based pearlescent pigments look like, even without a coating of titanium dioxide. I envision shimmery, metallic Fruit Loops. For some reason it […]

Is your food carbon neutral?


Once again, Britain’s Guardian Unlimited brilliantly sums up 21st century food issues. “You’re trapped in a moral maze,” writes Mimi Spencer in Sunday’s edition. “Local, seasonal, organic? Fairtrade, sustainable, ethical? Unprocessed, free-range, farm-assured? And then there’s the packaging. If it’s dressed like a prom queen, it’s out.”
Even the traditional British “cuppa” is subject to […]

California Ag News Roundup


What’s up in California ag news? The California Farm Bureau Federation posts a daily news feed that keeps subscribers in the loop. California’s Central Valley is one of the largest growing regions in the country, so the state’s ag reports affect consumers throughout the country.

The weather damage throughout the state has prompted 31 of California’s […]