The House of Representatives passed a Republican-led bill to slash spending on food safety and nutrition programs. Details, here, also include the list of 19 Republican who voted against the Bill along with the Democrats.
Category Archives: Nutrition
Food Safety and Nutrition Allocations Slashed
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Nutrition
Tagged food policy, food safety, nutrition
Urban Gardens Everywhere
Are you out on this nice weekend spending time with your tomato seedlings and enjoying your flowers? You are not alone! Urban gardens are everywhere and here are two inspiring stories from Minneapolis and New Orleans.
How the Subsidy Garden Grows
America’s Subsidy Garden – Politics – Utne Reader.
Fascinating infographic on how the White House kitchen garden would look if it reflected federal subsidies! The first thing that comes to mind is: why do we need so much corn? and then: hey, what happened to the fruits and vegetables?
We need to grow more fruits and vegetables to meet the minimum dietary requirements and we certainly do not need to be helping corn any more. All this money going to corn, soy and tobacco would be much better channeled to fruits and vegetables. Remember that this picture has a hidden layer: our current corn based diet is a factor in the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and high healthcare costs so we pay at the grocery store for bad food choices and then again we pay huge medical bills for consequent illness. Redirecting subsidy payments to fruit and vegetable crops will mean a varied, more healthy diet. So I can put a healthier dinner on the table, avoid visits to the doctor, not have to worry about medical bills and know that we have a more robust food system. It’s not rocket science, but will it become a reality in the 2012 Farm Bill? Maybe you can pose that question when someone comes to ask for your valuable vote.
USDA’s new Food Plate
The Food Pyramid is officially retires, here are the latest dietary guidelines from the USDA in their new shape of a plate.
Rice: Some Good News
An interesting infographic on improved varieties of rice which offers some potential to make a dent in world hunger and also prepare for the impact of climate change on agriculture.
Posted in Climate Change, Food Security, Nutrition
Tagged climate change, food security, nutrition
At the Farm….
is where the revolution starts: whether your concern is hunger, climate change, poverty or economic growth, agriculture provides a starting point. Very informative piece: Green Economy | Farming First.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security, Green, Nutrition
Gardens of Change
Mark Bittman describes how urban gardens are breathing new life into Detroit. And a perspective on the potential of urban gardens in Africa. Earlier, I posted on vertical gardens in fancy flats in England, turns out, in Nairobi, enterprising women have been growing crops in stacks of maize bags to feed their families!
The GM Debate
For those who might be interested in informing themselves on the GM debate, a scientific perspective that addresses concerns on biosafety, biodiversity, and intellectual property among other things.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security, Nutrition
Tagged food policy, food safety, food security, nutrition
The Best Laid PLans….
So, there you are, grilling a Tilapia fillet for dinner (perhaps with a side of quinoa or broccoli!) and congratulating yourself on eating right. Well, the new York Times has a piece that will make you think again. Farm raised Tilapia is fed a corn based diet and is a meager source of fish oil, DHA and EPA which are the reason for eating fish in the first place. Plus, all those fish farms have huge adverse environmental impacts.Read and weep…….
The Atlantic Food Summit 2011
An interesting day in the food world, speakers with great insights from all parts of the food world. I would have preferred to see a more in depth analysis of the issues relating to biotechnology but otherwise came away replete! Video here from the Atlantic.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security, Nutrition, Price Rise
Thought + Food 