Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
Writing this blog is a great way to experience the truism that policy-making is a marathon, not a sprint. Or, as we say in German, you have to be ready to drill holes into thick slates of wood (weird expression much?) What I want to say is – the next episode of the story of … Continue reading EU Parliament Rejects Draft Seed Regulation
When we talk about sustainable supply chains and the need for transparency in the entire production process of a product, oftentimes it’s argued that such detailed information is impossible to provide because of the complexity of our global food system. Well, think again – a French organic yoghurt company called “Les 2 Vaches” (“The 2 … Continue reading "Les 2 Vaches" Shows You Where Your Yoghurt Really Comes From
In my first blog post of the year, I mentioned the ongoing negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union and the United States as one of the issues to watch out for, and thought the time was right to dig a little deeper into the question – what would … Continue reading The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: What Does It Mean for Ag?
… or, alternative title: “Can anybody explain how the EU works?” Have you heard the news? The European Commission is set to approve a new variety of genetically modified corn (a variety called Pioneer 1507 which was developed jointly by Dow Chemical and DuPont) despite the fact that 19 out of 28 countries oppose its … Continue reading The EU GM Battle Goes in the Next Round…
This is pretty shocking news – when testing what kinds of fish are sold under which labels, in some states as many as 52% were mislabeled, mostly in order to sell less expensive fish en lieu of the more high-end ones and still capture the price premium. Not only that, but sometimes fish was even … Continue reading "What Fish Would You Like?" "… Do I Have A Real Choice?"
2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year in the food policy world – wherever you look, new policies are about to be decided upon and/or implemented. So let’s have a look across the globe and see what’s on the agenda, shall we? USA: After Congress spectacularly failed to finalize the Farm Bill during … Continue reading 2014 – What's on the Food Policy Agenda?
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! I hope you are enjoying your holidays and spending time with friends, family and loved ones. Now, one question – how do you feel about Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday coming up? Artists like Chris Piascik regularly criticize the “I’m SO thankful for everything I have. I am truly … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving! Going Shopping Tomorrow?
Today and tomorrow, the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition is holding their International Forum on Food and Nutrition, an event that according to their website “proposes to promote debate on global topics linked to food, encourage awareness and generate sound proposals for the future of our planet.” Today is dedicated to showcasing youth projects on food and sustainability, … Continue reading Barilla International Forum on Food And Nutrition – Happening Now! (Live Stream!)
When I was grocery shopping yesterday evening, I came across this little symbol in the middle of the cereal aisle: Yup, not only does my grocery store offer free wifi (perfect for those of us without 3G networks to look up the recipes we wanted to make and the requisite ingredients), it also encourages shoppers … Continue reading Swedish Supermarkets – And Pastry Appreciation Days
After it was mentioned in one of my classes, I started wondering… what exactly happened to the much-heralded tax on goods high in saturated fats that Denmark installed at the beginning of 2012? This law was the first time that this relatively drastic step to curb obesity and try to steer healthier eating habits was … Continue reading The Life and Death of the Danish Fat Tax