Table scraps: the week in food
Here’s some phat/fat food-related coverage to chew over this weekend:
Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, fast becoming one of the Senate’s lead food safety advocates, said there are six forms of E. Coli that the USDA needs to pay attention to. Walmart answered the call almost immediately.
Speaking of Walmart, Atlantic magazine food editor, Corby Kummer, got entranced by Walmart’s new local food intiative. The owner of a Boston co-opy place where I had a cup of coffee last month shot back.
Closer to home, Price Chopper says it’s on track to open the once-P&C stores.
And finally, Whole Earth Catalog guy Stewart Brand, argues (via John Tierney) that organic = irresponsible.
In “Denialism,” a book about the spread of unscientific beliefs, Michael Specter criticizes the “organic fetish” as a “pernicious kind of denialism” being exported to poor countries.
“Total reliance on organic farming would force African countries to devote twice as much land per crop as we do in the United States,” he writes. “An organic universe sounds delightful, but it could consign millions of people in Africa and throughout much of Asia to malnutrition and death.”
I refer to this line of argument as the “Feed the World” movement, as opposed to the “Local Food” movement. I’m not sure who said all agriculture should be organic, but no one asked me.
Have a great weekend, and we’d love to hear your thoughts/feedback on anything food-related!
Although I can’t recall where just now, I recently read that studies have not been able to show any demonstrable health or nutritional benefit to eating organic vs non-organic food. As for third world countries it is certain that any food is better than no food.
“Organic” methods, real organic, not commercial sales hype organic, is better for the land in simple terms. The food product itself may or may not contain “better” nutrition, but it’s clearly better for the land. When your kids are hungry it won’t matter how it’s grown or where it comes from. As long as it’s safe to eat we’ll eat it.
Gillibrands e-coli concerns are nothing new. As a society we’ve just forgotten how to clean things. No matter what you do you’re going to get nasty stuff on your food. Birds poop, rabbits pee and the illegal alien picking your salad greens couldn’t care less about spitting on your lettuce.
Take my advice- wash all fresh produce thoroughly, wash any pop can or other container you drink directly from (it’s an old dock workers joke to pee on your case of Coke or beer!), wash your own hands! Simple stuff but it works.
An example of unscientific belief is that there is a reason not to drink milk from cows treated with rBST.
There is no such thing as hormone free milk, or meat for that matter. Its there naturally. Fact is, growth hormones are species specific and bovine growth hormone will have no affect on any other species.
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