Growers and Grocers

The cool mountain air of La Trinidad, Benguet, 250km north of Manila is the perfect place for growing mushrooms. Going by years of experience, Dr. Janet Luis of the Benguet State University (BSU) believes that oyster mushrooms are feasible as a cash crop similar to the sweet strawberries that the province is known for.
With a […]

The European Union continues its genetically-modified rice woes. After having banned the importation of US rice, China could be the new GMO culprit. The EU fears that GMO rice has been used in processed products imported from China, such as vermicelli and rice sticks. China denies the allegations.
Not that European food merchants are above […]

When I visited the Buckeye Highlands farm of Max and Mary VanBuren a month or so ago, it was the first time I stopped and thought about where the food that I cook comes from. Like most Americans, I think about food production hardly at all, unless I find that my local mega-mart is […]

Photos from Don Roberto’s Mango Wines
When people say “wine”, we normally think “grapes”. While grapes do not grow in hot climates like in the Philippines, local entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to produce wines anyway. Since mangoes are widely popular and Philippine mangoes are making their mark around the world, which fruit is better […]

Lorraine Heller of Food USA reports that one of the nation’s largest organic dairy farms, Horizon Organic, is under fire for alleged failures in its organic practices. The Cornucopia Institute, which conducts agricultural policy research, filed a complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture arguing that “Horizon Organic is violating a number of […]

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Do you lie awake at night wondering where your food comes from? Do you toss and turn over the real meaning of organic, or whether your meat eats grass or grain? Are you easily distracted by the idea that the US government pays farmers to grow corn that nobody needs? […]

When I was in high school, it was the Laundromat. For some kids it was the mall as well. Or the pool hall. For those in my mother’s generation it was the pizza joint. Teens have forever had an evolving sense of where they belonged and translated that into hangout spots like this. In truth, […]

There is now more reason for us to heed our mother’s advice to eat our vegetables. An epidemiological study at the University of Wisconsin found that American women below 75 years old with a regular diet rich in phytonutrient carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin may have a lower risk of developing eye diseases such as cataracts […]

As I pore over food news every week, I am struck by the number of downers. Pesticides and mercury in food, battles over GMOs, disease in livestock…be warned, this week is no exception!
Sheryl Kirby reported a few weeks back on the Indian Cola Wars; six Indian states have banned Pepsi and Coca-Cola products over […]

On 18 August 2006, Mike Johanns, US Secretary of Agriculture, announced that genetically modified (GM) rice that has not been approved for human consumption has leaked into the U.S. food supply. He said:
”The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been notified by Bayer CropScience that the company has […]