Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years, out of ethical and increasingly environmental considerations – and we have talked about the environmental impact of livestock production in abundance. However, I realize that the probability of most people switching towards an herbivore lifestyle is rather low, whether they want to maintain protein intake or plainly like … Continue reading Lab-Grown Meat – the Future of Farming?
Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article called “The Health Toll of Immigration” which looked into scientific research regarding the link between immigration to the USA and health changes. Their conclusion – in an ironic twist, moving to the United States might raise your general standard of living, but shorten your life expectancy.
I first heard of the ‘Buycott App‘ via Global Food Politics, where Noah Zerbe highlighted the ease of it, as well as potential drawbacks. Now, it has made the news again for its immense popularity: according to this article, it was downloaded by so many consumers interested in making conscientious shopping decisions that it crashed … Continue reading 'Buycott': The App So Popular It Crashes Site
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gAYCSRdS0Aw] When I first saw this link in my newsfeed this morning (via Butter Believer), I knew I had to share it. The video is a response to a Time Magazine article by famed TV- personality Dr. Oz, somebody many Americans would consider an expert on health issues. In that article, he advocated for the … Continue reading The Benefits of Organics, According to an 8-Year-Old
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci0HsPELE2o] Yesterday, I went to a talk about food waste by the author of the book “Die Essensvernichter” (the food destroyers) and co-producer of the movie “Taste the Waste” (of which the above excerpt stems from), Stefan Kreutzberger. While he as a journalist, maybe naturally, speaks about the topic in a pretty simplified and black-and-white … Continue reading Taste The Waste
We are all aware of inflation and have surely heard older relatives’ tales of paying 10 cents for ice cream, a nickel for a bag of sweets or 1 mark for a bar of chocolate. The good old times with ridiculously cheap prices (mind you, from today’s perspective) often cause heavy sighs of nostalgia. But … Continue reading Chocolate: the German Gold Standard
Sometimes, maybe we are just expecting too much of people. Over the past years, food nutrition labeling has become all the rage and research has put great emphasis on the question whether food labeling (especially related to caloric and fat content) makes a difference in purchasing decisions. The results are mixed, with some studies finding (small) … Continue reading Do You Understand What You Eat?
Environmental economics might be one of the most curious and demanding disciplines, since it tries to combine two fields at the opposite ends of the ideological spectrum – environmentalists on the one hand and economists on the other, the one trying to preserve every last bug for the benefits of biodiversity while the others coolly … Continue reading Is Taxing Meat a Viable Green Policy Option?
If you live in the US, you may have heard about the recent proliferation of regulations in around a dozen states that opponents call “ag-gag laws”. These laws make it illegal to covertly videotape livestock farms or to apply for jobs without disclosing ties to animal welfare organizations. Such undercover taping however is often crucial … Continue reading "Ag-Gag" Laws – What Stands Behind Them?
This TED-talk is a great follow-up to the debate on childhood obesity I wrote about a couple of days ago. It gives a compelling argument why children should be, as the presenter puts it, “none of the food marketers’ business.” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0bop3D7-dDM#!] I was particularly struck by how ubiquitous food advertisement to children in the US is, … Continue reading "Pester Power" and Oreo Cookie Counting Books