One of the latest brand names attempting to reel in the rapidly growing health-conscious consumer is Oscar Mayer. Tom Bick, Oscar Mayer’s marketing and advertising director, readily admits consumers are avoiding processed foods, and artificial preservatives. As a result, Kraft … Continue reading →

Burger King has announced that in five years, all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and pigs. Although Burger King would like for consumers to believe the fast-food chain is appealing to rising consumer demand for … Continue reading →

At the beginning of 2012, in yet another illustration of central planning lunacy, a child care provider at West Hoke Elementary School in North Carolina, confiscated a four-year-old’s homemade lunch because the school told her the lunch her mother packed … Continue reading →

Speiron Company in Greece claims to have produced the first luxury olive oil in the world. Lambda sells for $15,000 a bottle, and the 17-ounce bottle pours for $147 per teaspoon. From the Lambda press release: “From some of the … Continue reading →

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the most common sweetener used today, and is incorporated in virtually everything on grocery store shelves, including soft drinks, cereal, bread, ketchup, pancake syrups, unnatural fruit juices, fruit-flavored and frozen yogurts, and barbecue sauces. … Continue reading →

Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, recently cited two new scientific studies claiming poultry on factory farms are routinely fed caffeine, active ingredients of Tylenol and Benadryl, banned antibiotics and … Continue reading →

Last week a federal judge ordered the FDA to withdraw approval for the use of common antibiotics in animal feed because of fears that overuse is endangering human health by creating antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”. U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore Katz ruled that … Continue reading →

Loving food is a complicated thing.  The amount of research that has to be done in order to eat sustainably, humanely and in a healthy (yet affordable) manner is overwhelming. This is why I love organizations such as Chaffin Family … Continue reading →

According to a report from Harvard, pasteurized milk from factory farms may be associated with hormone-related cancers because of the industrial agricultural practice of milking a cow throughout pregnancy. The Havard report claims milk from a cow in the late … Continue reading →

The U.S. and European Union have announced a reciprocity of organic standards. Whatever is considered organic in the U.S. will now also be recognized as organic in Europe, and vice versa. Kathleen Merrigan, deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of … Continue reading →

Helena Bottemiller, a Washington, DC-based reporter covering food policy and politics, claims ractopamine hydrochloride, the drug designed to keep pigs lean and boost their growth, is jeopardizing US pork exports. The FDA ruled ractopamine was safe 13 years ago, and … Continue reading →

According to the USDA, almost 90% of the corn planted in the US is genetically engineered. And since by definition bourbon must be made with at least 51 percent corn, that means most bourbon is made with GM corn. There … Continue reading →

The Cornucopia Institute, a non-profit advocate for the family-scale farming community, claims the USDA has approved Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn — Monsanto’s first commercial genetically altered and consumer-oriented vegetable product. The new GE sweet corn will be sold on the … Continue reading →

Writing for the New York Times, Elisabeth Rosenthal argues that the organic labeled food Americans are buying is “increasingly removed from the traditional organic ideal: produce that is not only free of chemicals and pesticides but also grown locally on … Continue reading →

Writing for the New York Times, Mark Bittman comments on the dangerous trend in which our meat supply is frequently contaminated with bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Just as alarming is the FDA’s recent withdrawal for consideration of removing penicillin and … Continue reading →

Based on a 30-year side-by-side trial [See full report pdf] of conventional and organic farming methods at Pennsylvania’s Rodale Institute, organic farming outperformed conventional farming in every category. Rodale Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research, claims … Continue reading →

China is a rising star in the world, but it has its problems. This is especially so when it comes to food. China is constantly plagued by scandal when it comes to food. These are some of the most shocking … Continue reading →

Consumer Reports urges the FDA to limit consumers’ exposure to excessive levels of arsenic and lead in apple and grape juice, and argues that the level the FDA deems acceptable should be much lower. Consumer Reports found that 10 percent … Continue reading →

I have a thing for eggs. For me they are pretty much the perfect food. They are packed full of protein, only have 70-80 calories per and are cheap. I make them all the time in all sorts of ways. … Continue reading →

According to USAToday’s Natalie Ermann Russell, farmers involved in the Farm-to-Table or locavore movement — eating food that is locally produced — are progressively less inclined to become certified as “organic” growers because of over regulation by the US GOVT, … Continue reading →

In early October, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration demanding the agency require labeling of all food produced using genetic engineering. The petition was filed on behalf of the Just … Continue reading →

Researchers at a news conference in Vancouver disclosed that a lethal and highly contagious marine virus has been detected for the first time in wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest. The virus, “infectious salmon anemia”, which does not affect humans, … Continue reading →

Jim Hanna, Starbucks sustainability director, told The Guardian that climate change is threatening the world coffee supply. Hanna said their farmers were already seeing the effects of a changing climate, with severe hurricanes and more resistant bugs reducing crop yields. … Continue reading →

Amsterdam is an amazing city. It is clean, civilized, has a great assortment of restaurants and cuisine types and some fabulous farmer’s markets. Among these I particularly liked the Noordermarkt. What is so special about this farmer’s market? Everything is … Continue reading →

In making dishes, it is no longer just about how the food tastes or how it is presented. I think it’s about time that we give dining a healthier chance in the same manner as giving people a healthier shot … Continue reading →

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now claims 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, are linked to cantaloupes. Health officials say they are investigating three additional deaths that may be connected to listeria. The number of infected persons identified in … Continue reading →

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the statistics of children (meaning under age 20) who are diagnosed with diabetes type 1, I freaked out. There are about 215,000 American kids suffering from this deadly disease. My … Continue reading →

Reporting from Beijing, Barbara Demick with the Los Angeles Times claims organic gardening in China is a virtual top secret affair with the cleanest, safest produce channeled to the rich and politically connected. Meanwhile, notes Demick, the population at large … Continue reading →

Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of The Dr. Oz Show, claims that after learning of reports of arsenic in apple juice, he launched an extensive investigation of his own. Using an independent lab for sophisticated, state-of-the-art testing, Oz says he discovered … Continue reading →

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to Rocky Ford Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms. According to the CDC, a total of 22 persons infected with the outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been … Continue reading →

Giles Tremlett, reporting for the Guardian notes top chefs have devised a plan to save the planet with an open letter to the next generation of cooks, signed by such luminaries as Ferran Adriá of Spain’s recently closed El Bulli, … Continue reading →

In a joint effort between China and the U.S., a team of researchers at Peking University and Yale claim plants can be programmed to grow year-round by altering a specific gene. Researchers have identified a key genetic “gear” that regulates … Continue reading →

Whole Foods has discontinued selling Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl Margarita after determining the beverage contains the preservative sodium benzoate, a potential carcinogen. Frankel reportedly hyped the drink on her web site as “the margarita you can trust with all natural ingredients … Continue reading →

Known for its vast waterfronts and lively nightlife hangouts, Chicago is pretty much fit when it comes to what it can bring to the table. It is truly a home of entertainment, and a mix of cultures, banging bodies with … Continue reading →

What do you call 20 families living in comfortable suburbia who suddenly pull up roots, and move into one of the worst inner-city ghettos in Kansas City? They’re called “The Urban Farming Guys” — a band of pioneer families determined … Continue reading →

A legacy in the food industry is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And now, despite the tensions and startling issues of the availability of fresh, healthy, and organic meals that the restaurant industry is facing, Chez Panisse continues to charm foodies … Continue reading →

“If you wanted to produce fresh produce at the point of consumption in a way that was economically viable, what would you have to invent to do it?” That’s what Matt Liotta, an entrepreneur who has launched Internet, software, and … Continue reading →

When many of us think of organic farming, we wrongly assume organic crops are pesticide free. When organic farming methods like weed-suppressive cover crops, crop rotation, and biological pest control methods are insufficient to prevent or control pests, organic farmers … Continue reading →

In early April, all the dining out foodie buzz in Chicago’s Fulton Market district centered on a new restaurant that curiously offers no menu choices or phone reservations, and does not permit walk-ins. The only way to dine at the … Continue reading →

Are you still trying to figure out how to spend Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart? Why not head to Chicago for the weekend. Sure it is a little cold, but in my eyes that is snuggling weather. So book your … Continue reading →