'As Common As Dirt', an Expose on Farm Labor in California

‘As Common As Dirt‘ just received the 2013 James Beard Award in the Politics/Policy/Environment category, one of the most prestigious awards for food journalism. Click the link above to get an eye-opening reminder of the realities of American farm labor. Particularly, it exposes the ‘farm labor contractor’ system, a system in which an intermediary between … Continue reading 'As Common As Dirt', an Expose on Farm Labor in California

The Power of the Green Bronx Machine

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lcSL2yN39JM#at=867] If you ever feel powerless or overwhelmed by the challenges we are facing to reform our food system, just watch the video above. Steve Ritz, an educator from the poorest congressional district of America, the South Bronx in New York, talks with contagious enthusiasm and energy about how he founded the “Green Bronx Machine“. His … Continue reading The Power of the Green Bronx Machine

What Is The "Monsanto Rider"?

The challenge with large governments (such as the USA’s) is that they produce huge packages of legislature that only few individuals can understand in its entirety. Thus, everybody focuses on what they are interested or specialized in, and there is the potential to slip things in that legislators aren’t aware of or don’t understand the … Continue reading What Is The "Monsanto Rider"?

New York's Soda Ban Overruled – Defeat of the "Nanny State" or Public Health Setback?

Yesterday, a New York State Supreme Court Judge struck down the first attempt in the U.S. to fight against obesity by legally regulating portion sizes. A day before a law was due to take effect that would limit the allowed size of sugary drinks sold in restaurants, food courts and movie theatres to 16 ounces, … Continue reading New York's Soda Ban Overruled – Defeat of the "Nanny State" or Public Health Setback?

Sequestration – When Partisan Politics Affect Real Food Security

Yesterday marked the first day of a period in US politics that was never supposed to happen – the deadline to prevent sequestration ran out, triggering through-the-board spending cuts of $85 billion dollars. This article (and the one-minute-video) gives a great overview of what stands behind it – basically, it was a bipartisan deal of … Continue reading Sequestration – When Partisan Politics Affect Real Food Security