Food News Round Up: Wrangling Action

by Emily Contois

Welcome, gastronomes and cowboys alike, to this action-oriented (and alluringly alliterative) edition of Food News Round Up. Part of the news process is indeed passive — the pleasant and oft solitary experience of soaking up the news via paper or screen. But what is so key with food, is the desire to take the next step beyond the passive processes of perusing, reading, and contemplating to the impassioned action of politicking, organizing, and converging. So stick a fork in these delicious bites of news — and then wrangle some food action.

Peruse – and Politick – the Politics of Provisions

• Strawberry lovers rejoice: methyl iodide is off the market
• Utah governor signs bill, makes unauthorized video or photos of ag operations illegal
• Can it be more ethical to eat meat? Vote, read the arguments, and vote again
• Connecticut takes first step toward required genetically modified food labeling

Read – and Reason – Rousing Research Results

• Study finds using antibiotic animal feed creates super germs that can pass to humans
• New study finds strong link between honey bee die-offs and insecticide used on corn
• Study finds smelly foods lead to smaller bites and potential weight loss

Ogle – and Organize! – Organic Oddities

• Organic milk testing may be falling short of non-GM standards
• Is Walmart really going organic and local?

Contemplate – and Critique – if Calories Count

• Jane Brody explores the calorie evidence presented by Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim in new book, Why Calories Count
• Mark Bittman asks, is a calorie a calorie?
• David Katz argues “cottage industry” questioning calories should be shut down

Digest – and Dive into – Food Desert Discussions

• There’s more to fixing food deserts than building grocery stores, quality matters
• Considering rural food deserts
• USDA food desert metrics may skew food access problem

Curl Up to – and Converge – Food Culture Conversations

• The talk continues, Andrew Friedman discusses the politics of cookbook collaboration
• Broadway play, “The Big Meal,” acts out family life over restaurant meals
• Fabio Parasecoli muses on The Hunger Games and the politics of food
• Eating at home: experts tackle leftovers, food waste, and consumer guilt
• Read an excerpt from Harvey Levenstein’s newest book, The Fear of Food

Emily is a current gastronomy student and graduate assistant, editing the Gastronomy at BU blog, January-August, 2012. Check out her research in food studies, nutrition, and public health on her blog, emilycontois.com.