Things I've been reading about recently:

 

 

Everything looks better when your head's in the sand:

The USDA stops tracking pesticide use.  Links to an article in the Ethicurean

 

The other side of USDA - The USDA recently released a 30 page report detailing the

Global Agricultural Supply and Demand:

Factors Contributing to the Recent Increase in Food Commodity Prices (links to a PDF)

This has the best analysis and summary of what is happening globally and the effect on food prices in the U.S.  Worth at least looking at the graphs. 

 

Today's food crisis isn't a blip - click to link to USA Todahy
Global demand is soaring, yet arable land and water are becoming scarce. Fertilizer costs are rising, and then there are the climate swings. So what's the world to do?

 

"The current financial crisis in the U.S. is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War." -- Former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, Financial Times, March 17, 2008

 

analysis
Hogging It!: Estimates of Antimicrobial Abuse in Livestock
This is the executive summary from the UCS report "Hogging It: Estimates of Antimicrobial Abuse in Livestock"

The Rise of the 'Locavore'
How the strengthening local food movement in towns across the U.S. is reshaping farms and food retailing 
In Business Week - be sure to look at the slide show

Michael Pollan discusses how we can move beyond organic to permaculture in a way that is fairly entertaining. What is permaculture and why does it matter? Do you have time for a video -  http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/214

Washington Post is doing a weeklong series on childhood obesity, exploring its causes, its impact and possible remedies. Is it me or doesn't it seem incredible that Sally of the Lean Plate Club does not recommend eating an apple instead of buying fruit juice or eating a baked potato instead of frozen french fries. If Sally is supposed to be providing options for healthier choices, where is the good wholesome food? Check it out: Interactive on Buying Better Groceries

 

I'm still working to figure this one out; the Pure Food and Drug Act, was designed to insure the safety of drugs and non-meat food items. However A raw egg, in the shell, is the responsibility of the FDA. Once the shell is broken, the USDA is in charge. If a processed sandwich is to be inspected, the USDA would have jurisdiction over the meat, the FDA over the bread.

On on a possitive note read about someone I consider a local hero who recently made the 9News.

 

And something we all knew:

 

Mindset Media and Nielsen Online Find Organic Consumers 153% More Open Minded Then Average Consumer

Organic consumers are more open to new experiences and in touch with their inner feelings, more likely to be spontaneous, creative and altruistic. Mindset Media also found that organic marketers should target customers in all economic levels, as affluence wasn't a major factor in consumers interest in organics. Mindset Media is an internet ad network for brands. Using its proprietary psychographic standard, Mindset Media enables brand advertisers to target millions of people with the personality traits that fit their brands in online media buys. The company works in partnership with Nielsen Online to develop consumer profiles that help brand marketers specify their psychographic targets.