Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZ2KQ9iB_8&feature=player_embedded] Watch Urvashi Rangan from the Consumer Safety and Sustainability Group for Consumer Reports make a powerful argument for the need for the three Ts in food labeling: Truth, Trust and Transparency. Here are her main points if you don’t have the time to listen to her eloquent presentation: Many labels, such as “natural” or “fresh”, … Continue reading Labeling Fables
Only a couple of days ago, I was at lunch with friends at IKEA, where my friends were enjoying Kottbullar (the Swedish meatballs) and joking around that they were hopefully horse meat free. Yesterday, that joke turned sour as IKEA was the last in a series of enterprises that found horse DNA in their processed … Continue reading What the Horse Meat Scandal Can Teach Us
Flashy headlines are generally needed to grab our attention. The average reader wants information, quickly, and presented in digestible bites, preferably without too much cautioning. However, many times, and especially in this subject, such blanket statements end up being misleading, confusing, or even plainly wrong. I read an article the other day with the headline … Continue reading "Are vegetarian diets Earth-friendly?" – About Research in the Media
“People could point to these things and say, ‘They’ve got too much sugar, they’ve got too much salt,’ ” Bible said. “Well, that’s what the consumer wants, and we’re not putting a gun to their head to eat it. That’s what they want. If we give them less, they’ll buy less, and the competitor will … Continue reading What The Consumer Wants
New to the mini-series? Check out Wasted (I) on farming and post-harvest waste in the North-American context, Wasted (II) for the same level of analysis in the Tropics, and Wasted (III) for the retail sector! Yay, we finally got to the end of the food supply chain – our own plates and (hopefully) stomachs. In this last part, I’ll again … Continue reading Wasted (IV – Consumer Food Waste)
The European Union is known for its extensive bureaucracy and intricate policies – we talked about the cucumber-straightness regulations before -, but it is also pretty good at trying to gather public opinions on its policies before reforming them. Its newest project: A consultation for the review of the European policy on organic agriculture! It’s … Continue reading The EU wants to know – Organic Agriculture Yay or Nay?
New to the mini-series? Check out Wasted (I) on farming and post-harvest waste in the North-American context and Wasted (II) for the same level of analysis in the Tropics! In 2005, an Austrian documentary called “We Feed The World” brought food policy issues onto the agenda for many Europeans, showing stark pictures of many contradictions in our … Continue reading Wasted (III – The Retail Sector)
I was catching up on news the other day and listening to the BBC World Service podcast of February 8th where, in response to the European horse meat scandal (if you haven’t been following it, frozen prepared lasagna had contained up to 100% horse meat though it was labeled as beef), a story on new … Continue reading Meal worms – the future for meat lovers?
Over at NPR’s The Salt blog, they published an awesome infographic to visualize how much is needed until a typical quarter-pound hamburger (apparently in France they call it a Royale with Cheese ;)) – just the patty – can land on your plate. Head on over to their site for a great overview, or check out the stats below … Continue reading What are a hamburger’s real ingredients?
