With 95% of its surface area devoted to the cultivation of crops, the state of Iowa is often called “the breadbasket of the world.” Amidst all this bounty, one might think that Iowa residents would have easy access to excellent food. Mark S. Edwards, retired conservationist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, presents a …
Continue reading The breadbasket is hungry: Mark Edwards on food choices in Iowa
The restaurant chain Chipotle has received a great deal of attention since it released its animated ad campaign featuring Scarecrow, a fictional food factory worker turned farmer and food provider. New Yorker blogger Elizabeth Weiss posted this article in September 2013. Read it here: Weiss, “What does ‘The Scarecrow’ tell us about Chipotle?” Weiss presents quite …
Continue reading Brainy Scarecrow: Elizabeth Weiss on Chipotle’s New Spokestoon
It’s still many years from appearing on the menu of your local burger joint, but the first lab-grown patty debuted this summer and it has generated some meaty discourse. Science journalist Marta Zaraska contributes to the debate in this August 2013 essay in The Atlantic. Read it here: Zaraska, "Is Lab-Grown Meat Good for Us?" …
Continue reading A Sizzling Debate: Marta Zaraska on Lab-Grown Meats
Gulp. That’s how some have responded to New York City’s audacious ban on super-size sodas. Food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on this heavy debate in a New York Times editorial published in March, 2013. Read it here: Bittman, "Banning the Big Gulp Ban" Do you drink sweet carbonated beverages (known regionally as soda, pop, …
Continue reading “Vectors of Disease”: Mark Bittman on the New York City Big Gulp Ban
It isn’t difficult to find criticisms of our meat-heavy diet in the U.S., but this one comes from an unexpected source: Josh Ozersky, the founder of Meatopia, the event that calls itself “the Woodstock of edible animals.” His essay appeared in Time magazine in August 2012. Read it here: Ozersky, "A Meat Lover Says Yes to …
Continue reading A Meaty Argument: Josh Ozersky on Meatless Monday
Organic foods are readily available in most U.S. supermarkets and restaurants, and usually at premium prices. Scientists at Stanford University have just published the results of a large study that compares the nutritional value of organic and conventional foods, and the report has generated a lot of publicity and public discussion. This article, one of …
Burger King is serving up a new item this summer—soft serve ice cream with chocolate sauce and caramel, garnished with bacon bits and a strip of bacon on top. Frequent New Yorker contributor Rachel Arons tasted the new delicacy, but she is more interested in what others are saying about it in the many reviews …
Continue reading Bringing Home the Bacon: Arons on Reactions to Burger King’s New Bacon Sundae
Lately, fast food chains have been under considerable pressure to provide more nutritious food choices, and they have responded in a variety of ways. This report introduces McDonald’s new advertising campaign, which features an animated goat that learns to eat Happy Meals instead of furniture. The author, Mark Brandau, is associate editor of Nation’s Restaurant …
Continue reading Old McDonald Had a Farm: Nation’s Restaurant News on the New Happy Meal Campaign
It’s certainly not news that sugar consumption is blamed for a variety of social and personal maladies—from obesity to behavior disorders to chronic disease. But what to do? A group of scientists at the University of California San Francisco has just made major waves with their newly published report in the journal Nature. Erin Allday, …
Continue reading The Deadly Spoonful: San Francisco Chronicle on the War on Sugar
Very likely, wherever you are reading this, there is a can or bottle of liquid refreshment within arms’ reach. Without looking, do you know if high-fructose corn syrup is on the list of ingredients? What if you do see it on the nutritional label? This article will get you thinking. The author, Anna Lappé, has …
Continue reading Sweet and Corny: Anna Lappé on High-Fructose Corn Syrup
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