Good Food is Everybody's Business
Reversing a longstanding policy, the federal government said on Friday that human and other genes should not be eligible for patents because they are part of nature. The new position could have a huge impact on medicine and on the biotechnology industry.
Industrial-scale aquaculture production magnifies environmental degradation, according to the first global assessment of the effects of marine finfish aquaculture (e.g. salmon, cod, turbot and grouper).
The Center for Rural Affairs applauds the USDA decision to proceed with rulemaking process on the proposed competitive livestock market reform rule (GIPSA rule). Public comments are accepted through November 22, 2010.
When member-owned food co-ops make a profit, it goes to the shareholders – the members – in various forms. The Wedge Food Co-op, Minneapolis, has reached a milestone: the annual refund to members is $1 million dollars, about 80% of its member-generated profits.
Understanding that consumers are far removed from food production, and most have never met – much less conversed – with a “real” farmer, today’s farmer is adept at Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and uploading videos to YouTube. If you can’t get down to the farm, meet your farmer “virtually.”
There was passion and more than a few tense moments at the USDA National Organic Standards Board Meeting, however agribusiness and the organic community came together in the end on most issues. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) concluded its four-day semiannual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin on October 28 with votes and decisions on several issues impacting the organic industry.
Last week your editors heard Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, cover a lot of ground in a very short time during her part of the Food: Eating Your Environment series at the University of Washington. She told us over and over again: portion sizes have grown enormously over the last 50 years and the average consumer has no clue that larger servings have more calories!
Walmart has announced their intent to help small and medium-sized farmers expand their businesses through a new global sustainable agriculture program. At first, this goal seems laudable. In our opinion, the new initiative masks three key problems.
