Growers and Grocers

You might have noticed high prices for tomatoes recently. We are certainly seeing them here in Northern California. Mike Marks, the produce expert for the Sacramento Bee, discusses the causes for the jump in prices in this week’s food section. As usual, the high prices are directly related to low supply and high demand. […]

The AFP reports that “Japan has accepted a major slash in its international quota for prized southern bluefin tuna as punishment for overfishing.” The conclusion that Japan was overfishing was reached by the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, which ruled that Japan’s annual quota would be reduced from 6,065 tons […]

It’s a sad, sad world when even chocolate becomes the subject of food label confusion. The Hartford Courant recently took on the task of decoding current chocolate labeling practices. Currently, American chocolate companies are highlighting the amount of cacao in the chocolate.
Cacao is defined as “that blend of cocoa solids and cocoa […]

In her last post on the Well Fed Network, Sheryl Kirby made a comment that caught my eye. She said: “I’ve discovered that the ‘30-minute meal’ crowd really don’t [sic] want to know where their food comes from, and that’s so incredibly disheartening to me that it makes me want to cry.” As a member […]

Newscom reports that: “The two largest milk distributors in southern New England are switching to a product free of artificial growth hormones.” While the geographical limitation on that statement makes the change sound limited, it could be the start of a trend. The companies who own these distributors are major players and they […]

Let me begin with full disclosure - I have never had foie gras. According to Wikipedia, foie gras is French for “fat liver” and “is the fattened liver of a duck or goose that has been overfed. Along with truffles, foie gras is one of the greatest delicacies in French cuisine—it is very rich […]

The Associated Press recently reported that Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream was pressured to replace their egg supplier by the Humane Society. The basis for the pressure was the Humane Society of America’s objections to the treatment of the chickens used to produce the eggs. Ben and Jerry’s ultimately relented and switched suppliers […]

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 […]

Any fruit that can be blended in a Starbucks drink and can be used to flavor body lotion has to be a hit, right? The pomegranate is the newest fruit to find fame in consumer products. According to Jane Porter of the Hartford Courant, the pomegranate is both versatile and trendy: “In the […]

Some people might look at the picture above and think: “What an idyllic scene.” I look at it and remember when my older brother pushed me in that lake when I was six years old. The picture is of the Marin French Cheese Company, located in Petaluma, California. We went there […]