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KFC green restaurantPhoto: KFC


The newest corporation riding the green wave might surprise environmentalists. A new Kentucky Fried Chicken outpost in Indianapolis is gunning for LEED certification (short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council. Before you give the Colonel a pat on the back, we feel compelled to mention that this is different from green certification from the Green Restaurant Association, which evaluates sustainability efforts in both food and waste control. LEED is purely design-oriented -- think energy-efficient lighting and building materials.

So what's special about this KFC? Well, they're using "reusable containers," meaning plastic instead of styrofoam, plus paper boxes (weren't those infamous buckets already paper?). To this we say, "about time." But on its website, the company touts the reduction of styrofoam by 62 percent -- not 100 -- and plastic by 17 percent. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff.

The building itself is well-designed, however. It's got long-life LED lighting, locally sourced building materials and fixtures that reduce water use -- all of which is estimated to reduce energy waste by 25 percent, according to the company press release.

It might not be earth-shattering change, but we'll take it.

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]]>KFCKFC green restaurantKfcGreenRestaurantJessie CacciolaThu, 28 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTJamie Oliver, L.A. Schools Finally Join Forces on Jimmy Kimmel Livehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/27/jamie-oliver-l-a-schools-finally-join-forces-on-jimmy-kimmel-l/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/27/jamie-oliver-l-a-schools-finally-join-forces-on-jimmy-kimmel-l/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/27/jamie-oliver-l-a-schools-finally-join-forces-on-jimmy-kimmel-l/#comments

Jamie Oliver on Jimmy Kimmel Live 4/26Photo: ABC


Jamie Oliver got a big glimmer of hope last night. Food Revolution may have been bumped on the tube in favor of a two-hour Dancing With The Stars episode, but Oliver appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with big news that more than makes up for the scheduling snafu (and no worries, Revolution returns next Tuesday). The news? The Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) has hired a new superintendent, and unlike the last guy, he's on Jamie's side.

Superintendent John Deasy joined Oliver on Kimmel to announce that he'll be pushing a ban on flavored milk in LAUSD schools, which is a major goal of Oliver's. Why? Because, as Oliver reiterated to the studio audience: "There's more sugar per ounce in flavored milk than there is in a can of soda." About 80 percent of kids get free or reduced-priced milk, he explains, and 75 percent of the milk is flavored. So most kids end up drinking the sugar-packed beverage twice a day, every day that they're in school. "And then you worry about diabetes?" he asks.

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]]>jamie oliverjamie oliver food revolutionjimmy kimmellausdJessie CacciolaWed, 27 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTDoughnuts and Wine Pair Up on New Reality Showhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/doughnuts-and-wine-pair-up-on-new-reality-show/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/doughnuts-and-wine-pair-up-on-new-reality-show/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/doughnuts-and-wine-pair-up-on-new-reality-show/#commentsFiled under: ,

Psycho DonutsPhoto: happyfunpaul, Flickr


Doughnuts and wine go together like... wait, that's insane, right? Not at a place called Psycho Donuts in San Jose, California owned by former techy Jordan Zwegoron. Set up like a "light-hearted" asylum, it's complete with lab coat-clad employees, a padded booth, straitjacket and group therapy area where customers are given plastic bubble wrap (for popping, natch) and donuts named "Cereal Killer," "Kooky Monster" and "Massive Head Trauma."

"When you walk in, you're our patient, and we make you better with doughnuts," Zwegoron told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. That all may not spell 'family friendly' but it's TV gold for producer Nicole Block of LA-based Highlighting Entertainment, who's shooting a sample episode of a doughnut-and-wine pairing reality show to pitch to TLC, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel, reports the Sentinel.

"There's a lot of cupcake and cake reality shows, but we haven't seen a doughnut show," says Block. "Zwegoron is a good character and the doughnuts are unique, so we think Psycho Donuts will be a good candidate." She's decided to match up the crazy confectionist with wine from Poetic Cellars on the hills of Soquel, CA. The cellar's shtick? Each bottle is labeled with a poem. We can't say what's in the paired-up doughnut, but it's four-pronged and goes by "the poetic psycho," like any good reality TV star.

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]]>donutsdoughnutsfood reality showsPsycho Donutsreality televisionJessie CacciolaTue, 26 Apr 2011 14:30:00 ESTWhat the Republican Budget Means for Food Stampshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/what-the-republican-budget-means-for-food-stamps/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/what-the-republican-budget-means-for-food-stamps/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/what-the-republican-budget-means-for-food-stamps/#commentsFiled under: ,

federal food stamps debit cardPhoto: Joe Raedle / Getty Images


Food stamp users, prepare for some belt-tightening. Harkening back to Clinton-era welfare economics of 1996, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has proposed a $6.2 trillion cut to annual federal deficits for the next decade. The proposal, which passed the House earlier this month and resumes legislation today as Senators return from Easter-Passover break, would have a major impact on nutritional assistance programs.

The Ryan budget plan looks to cut the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by 20 percent between 2012 to 2021 by capping the open-ended system with a block-grant -- either by capping eligibility or benefits, or both. This means benefits would not fluctuate with economic need. States would instead be allotted a max.

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]]>featuredfood stampsFoodStampsSNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramJessie CacciolaTue, 26 Apr 2011 12:00:00 ESTGreen-Certified Restaurants for Earth Day Dininghttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/22/green-certified-restaurants-for-earth-day-dining/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/22/green-certified-restaurants-for-earth-day-dining/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/22/green-certified-restaurants-for-earth-day-dining/#commentsFiled under: ,

Brasserie Jo restaurant (Boston)Brasserie Jo, Boston. Photo: colonnade, Flickr


If you're not celebrating Earth Day by dining at one of the many Earth Dinners we offered to you earlier this week, take comfort in one of these green-certified spots approved by the only non-profit that can: the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). This 20-year-old, nationally recognized program is backed by Energy Star and the Environmental Defense Fund. To get an approval from this group, your establishment needs to be Stryfoam-free, recycle-friendly (and compost, if available) and use sustainable food and water.

"The Green Restaurant Association is proud to have attracted scores of highly esteemed restaurants from across the United States," said Michael Oshman, founder and executive director of the GRA, in a statement. Most recognizable: Le Bernardin, Mario Batali's empire, Microsoft corporate cafés, Hyatt hotels, Panera and Jamba Juice. Not to leave anyone out, here's the full list.

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]]>green restaurant associationgreen restaurantsJessie CacciolaFri, 22 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTJamie Oliver's Food Revolution Recap: "I Found a Loophole!"http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/20/jamie-olivers-food-revolution-recap-i-found-a-loophole/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/20/jamie-olivers-food-revolution-recap-i-found-a-loophole/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/20/jamie-olivers-food-revolution-recap-i-found-a-loophole/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, tomato costumePhoto: ABC


The rough ride continues in Food Revolution episode two: Jamie Oliver has opened one of his cooking centers in town (free for the locals) and humbly invites members of the Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) -- which still won't let him into a single school -- to stop by. Blank stares say that's not happening. "I haven't even got a glimmer of hope," he says. "Which means, it's war."

In this war, Jamie's army might be confused with the Fruit-of-the-Loom brigade. Donning a tomato costume, Jamie enlists parent volunteers -- outfitted in banana, strawberry and carrot -- and roams the school-bound streets with free food, t-shirts (that read "Feed Me Better" and "Let Jamie In") and flyers to get parents to contact the LAUSD themselves. Then, natch, the community firestorm begins: "We're teaching our kids to be diabetic, when we train them to eat pizza," one mother in her strawberry war garb tells Jamie. And more than 745 parents send emails to the board, including a particularly powerful one: "I urge you to search your conscious. If you have nothing to hide, then let him in."

Suddenly, Jamie gets an email from a school that offers him a giant loophole. The West Adams Preparatory High School, under a special MLA partnership with LAUSD, has some freedom to build its own curriculum and function atypically -- but to a limit, Jamie finds. The school admits its staff is risking their jobs by letting Jamie in, and are aren't allowed to give him access to the cafeteria, but he is given a room to hold cooking classes. "We need him here," says Chief Executive Officer Mike McGalliod, who was impressed with the Revolution's first season.

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]]>jamie olivers food revolutionjamie+oliver+food+revolutionjamieoliverfoodrevolutionJessie CacciolaWed, 20 Apr 2011 13:00:00 ESTCelebrate Earth Day at a National Earth Dinner Near Youhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/earth-dinners-celebrate-earth-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/earth-dinners-celebrate-earth-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/earth-dinners-celebrate-earth-day/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Earth Dinner


We're all for putting things into the ground on Earth Day (April 22), but we also really love eating what comes out of it. For the third consecutive year, non-profit Chefs Collaborative is hosting fundraising Earth Dinners on dates surrounding Earth Day, where chefs from 65 restaurants (and counting) across the country will serve up the best that our early spring harvest has to offer -- think ramps, fiddleheads, and all your regional in-season produce.

Proceeds will benefit the national chefs' network Chefs Collaborative, which works to build education around sustainable practices through events like this. What's more, dairy conglomerate Organic Valley is sponsoring the events and will be matching donations up to $10,000.

"Chefs in cities and towns across the country have really stepped up to the plate to hold delicious dinners in celebration of Earth Day -- and in particular, to put a spotlight on sustainable and organic choices," said Melissa Kogut, executive director of Chefs Collaborative, in a statement.

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]]>Chefs Collaborativeearth day 2011Earth DinnerJessie CacciolaTue, 19 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTNew App Counts Calories with iPhone Camerahttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/18/new-app-counts-calories-with-iphone-camera/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/18/new-app-counts-calories-with-iphone-camera/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/18/new-app-counts-calories-with-iphone-camera/#commentsFiled under: ,

MealSnap iphone appPhoto: iTunes


Calorie counts can now be made with a flick of your iPhone. Meal Snap, by health and fitness brand DailyBurn ($2.99 on iTunes), allows users to calculate calories for any food item in the app's 500,000-item database, from an apple to a bag of chips, simply by snapping its picture. Users can then choose to log it into a food diary, to keep track of daily intake, or share findings on Twitter, if you're a lifestyle pusher.

But the counting isn't exact. A few minutes after snapping, a reading reveals a range of possible calories -- an apple could be anywhere between 64 and 96, while a container of yogurt registered between 135 and 204, notes the Daily Mail, who ran a test of their own. So nutrition sticklers, beware, these are mere estimates. The app will also estimate fat content, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and other breakdowns, notes chief executive at DailyBurn, Andy Smith, according to Daily Mail.

And it may do wonders for our appetite, says Smith. "The pure act of tracking something can cause a psychological change that can help people on their health and fitness journey," he tells the Mail. "Just the simple fact of logging it makes me more aware of what I'm eating." No lie. Weight Watchers members have been doing just that for decades -- without a camera.

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]]>counting caloriesiphone appMeal SnapJessie CacciolaMon, 18 Apr 2011 12:00:00 ESTCoffee's Role in Your Sex Lifehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/coffees-role-in-your-sex-life/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/coffees-role-in-your-sex-life/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/coffees-role-in-your-sex-life/#commentsFiled under: ,

Coffee, Philosophy for Everyone: Grounds for DebatePhoto: Amazon

If you're reading this over a cup of joe, you're likely a modern, optimistic existentialist -- so says Jill Hernandez, author of one of 18 essays in the newly released book on the storied beverage, Coffee, Philosophy for Everyone: Grounds for Debate. The oft-coveted and controversial drink -- the subject of debate on ethics, environment, economy and even virility -- has been on philosophers' minds since the first seeds were consumed for their energizing effect in Ethiopia centuries ago.

Today, the coffeehouse is an innocent commonplace establishment, but when roasting began in the 15th century, the dark brew was sinful imbibing seen as an alternative to beer, and an addictively good one. "Why this Satan's drink is so delicious," exclaimed Pope Clement VII upon his first sip. By the 17th century, public coffeehouses, or "penny universities" as they were known in Britain, became popular meeting places for activists planning the French Revolution and the Boston Tea Party -- Voltaire, Johann Sebastian Bach and Sartre, among them, says Mark Pendergrast in his essay, "Black Puddle Water or Panacea." Our days' ambitions may seem paltry in comparison but many of us won't tackle morning emails without a shot.

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]]>coffee bookcoffee historycoffee sexfeaturedJessie CacciolaThu, 14 Apr 2011 17:00:00 ESTFDA Launches Easy-to-Use Recall Search Sitehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/07/fda-launches-easy-to-use-recall-search-site/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/07/fda-launches-easy-to-use-recall-search-site/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/07/fda-launches-easy-to-use-recall-search-site/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: FDA.gov

We've all been there: You hear a snippet about a recall on television or the radio, but don't catch the batch number or where the product was sold. Now you're left wondering, are those turkey meatballs in your freezer deadly?

Thanks to the Food Safety Modernization Act, you now have a helpful new tool to find out. As mandated by the updated law in January, the Food and Drug Administration has cleaned up its recall directory site, making search for recalled foods a little easier on the consumer.

Launched on Monday, the new site clearly displays every product recalled since 2009. Items are listed in a chart by date, brand name and product name. The chart also includes photos, the reason for the recall, if the recall is still in effect and a link to the original FDA press release.

The site includes all FDA-regulated products under recall, including drugs, veterinary products, medical devices -- and a few million eggs.

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]]>FDA recallfood recallsrecall websiteJessie CacciolaThu, 07 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTGroup Challenges Monsanto's Patent on Genetically Modified Seedshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/group-challenges-monsantos-patent-on-genetically-modified-seeds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/group-challenges-monsantos-patent-on-genetically-modified-seeds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/group-challenges-monsantos-patent-on-genetically-modified-seeds/#comments

farmer inspecting seedsPhoto: Norberto Duarte, AFP / Getty Images


Biotech giant Monsanto has been sitting pretty on their patent for herbicide-resistant seeds for more than 15 years now, but that may all come to an end soon. On behalf of 270,000 plaintiffs, including thousands of certified organic family farmers, seed-saving organizations and farmer advocacy groups, the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed a lawsuit in a federal district court in Manhattan yesterday.

Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto is groundbreaking. It challenges the very "usefulness" of the GM seed product (a requirement for patents) and calls for protection for organic farmers from "being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto's genetically modified seed," states the PUBPAT foundation.

It's sadistic but true: Monsanto has aggressively sued farmers whose organic crop fields became contaminated with their product simply by way of the wind. In Monsanto's mind, that equals patent infringement.

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]]>food democracy nowmonsantoorganic seed growersJessie CacciolaWed, 30 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTWould You Drive A Car Made From Bananas?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/would-you-drive-a-car-made-from-bananas/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/would-you-drive-a-car-made-from-bananas/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/would-you-drive-a-car-made-from-bananas/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Arif Ali, AFP / Getty Images


Proving nature is, in fact, often better than anything coming off a conveyor belt, we may soon have cars made from pineapples, bananas and coconuts. All of these fruits have fibrous cellulose (nanocellulose) which rivals widely-used Kevlar in strength, reports Wired. Plus, the nanocellulose plastic is lighter than many widely used materials and also biodegradable.

The material would be renewable and decomposable (as long as it's not combined with petroleum-based plastics) -- and a lighter car means a lower gas bill. (Ford is already hoping to slim their vehicles by 250 to 750 pounds, notes Wired.) In a statement, Alcides Leão, a researcher at São Paulo State University, says the material is "30 percent lighter and three to four times stronger." That's because a plant's main cell wall, where cellulose is found, can be processed to yield fibers so tight that 50,000 fit within the diameter of a human hair.

Leão and his team are still working in small quantities in the lab so there's no telling yet how much nanocellulose plastic will cost, but it won't be cheap. Though if it takes off in the automotive world, high production would knock down the price. And it's cost-effective: A pound of nanocellulose yields 100 pounds of plastic.

Once this technology catches on, watch out -- Leão says he's working on steel and aluminum alternatives next.

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]]>banana carsnanocellulose plasticJessie CacciolaTue, 29 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTMelons: The Repeat Recall Offenders of Fruithttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/melons-the-repeat-recall-offenders-of-fruit/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/melons-the-repeat-recall-offenders-of-fruit/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/melons-the-repeat-recall-offenders-of-fruit/#commentsFiled under: ,

cantaloupePhoto: eddie.welker, Flickr


Melons are not having a good start to the season. A mass recall of 4,992 cartons of Del Monte cantaloupes was issued in seven western states last Tuesday due to potential Salmonella outbreak at their Asunicion Mita farm in Guatemala, according to the company's press release. But this isn't the first time melons have posed a health risk.

The Food and Drug Administration notes that between 1996 and 2008, 13 out of 83 infected types of fresh produce were melons, and 10 were cantaloupe. Ray Costa, a registered sanitarian and food safety education advocate, tries to explain why in Food Safety News.

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]]>cantelope recallfeaturedmelonssalmonellaJessie CacciolaTue, 29 Mar 2011 12:00:00 ESTBill To Ban Food Stamps for Families On Strikehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/25/bill-to-ban-food-stamps-for-families-on-strike/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/25/bill-to-ban-food-stamps-for-families-on-strike/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/25/bill-to-ban-food-stamps-for-families-on-strike/#comments

workers on strikePhoto: Madalyn Ruggiero, The Detroit News / AP Photo

Anyone catch wind of the Republicans' proposed budget cuts for 2012? Tucked in the Welfare Reform Restoration Act (H.R.1135) is a wonky provision. Courtesy of a whistleblower on ThinkProgress, Salon.com reports that a new provision would "deny food stamps to any family in which a member of that family is on strike." Huh?

If you're following the news out of Wisconsin, you know that collective bargaining isn't exactly getting a lot of love from the Right these days. And food stamp funding is already on the chopping block. But tying the two issues together seems a bit of a stretch. This week, Republicans proposed legislation that would make it tougher to apply for food stamps (the biggest change is increasing the minimum hours applicants need to be working, from 80 hours each month to 120, reports The Hill.) But punishing families that have a member on strike? Seems draconian. Here's the amendment, which you find right here in Sec.202 of the bill online at OpenCongress.org:

(3) STRIKING WORKERS INELIGIBLE- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no member of a family unit shall participate in the food stamp program at any time that any able-bodied work eligible adult member of such household is on strike as defined in the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 142(2)), because of a labor dispute (other than a lockout) as defined in section 2(9) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(9)):

If you've got an opinion one way or another, you can write to your representative through OpenCongress.org.

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]]>featuredfood stampslabor unionsRepublican budget cutsrepublicansstrikesJessie CacciolaFri, 25 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTMagnolia Bakery Owners Sue Over Greek Cupcake Shophttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/25/magnolia-bakery-fight-over-illegal-branch-in-greece/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/25/magnolia-bakery-fight-over-illegal-branch-in-greece/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/25/magnolia-bakery-fight-over-illegal-branch-in-greece/#commentsFiled under: ,

Magnolia Bakery cupcakesPhoto: sunshinecity, Flickr


Carrie Bradshaw's favorite bakery has found itself in the middle of its own melodrama. The owners of Magnolia Bakery, the Manhattan cupcake shop made famous by Sex & the City, are suing one of its founders, Jennifer Appel, for opening an illegal branch in Athens, Greece, reports Daily Mail UK.

The charges in the suit are a little bit hazy, but first, some history: Magnolia first opened its now-iconic doors in Manhattan in 1996 with Appel and Allysa Torey as co-owners, but Appel sold her share in 1999 and set up a competing shop: the Buttercup Bake Shop. In 2007, Steve and Tyra Abrams bought the rights to Magnolia and expanded its locations (you can now find Magnolia outposts in L.A. and Dubai -- yes, Dubai).

The lawsuit comes courtesy of the Abrams' -- they claim Appel allegedly shared business secrets and recipes with Greek socialite Nicole Kotovos in order to open their own branch in Greece last year. But Appel denies the charges. In fact, she's counter-suing.

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]]>featuredmagnolia bakerymagnolia greecesex in the cityJessie CacciolaFri, 25 Mar 2011 13:00:00 ESTRuth Bourdain's James Beard Nom Has Foodies Flusteredhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/ruth-bourdains-james-beard-nom-has-foodies-flustered/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/ruth-bourdains-james-beard-nom-has-foodies-flustered/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/ruth-bourdains-james-beard-nom-has-foodies-flustered/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ruth BourdainPhoto: Ruth Bourdain

Ruth Bourdain, the Twitter sage we've all come to love for lines like "You haven't truly celebrated St. Patrick's Day until you've sous-vided a whole leprechaun" has entered the big leagues with a James Beard award nomination in this year's new humor category.

The hilarious persona is a mash-up of Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bourdain who quickly gained attention by reworking Reichl's zen 140-character tweets into raunchy Bourdain-like missives. But before this nomination, the persona was little more than a lark. Now Ruth Bourdain shares the same James Beard ballot as L.A. food critic Jonathan Gold and renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The nomination is shaking up food circles, with some foodies saying it undermines serious food journalism, while others, like Saveur's Gabriella Gershenson, think it's all in good fun. (She gave the nod a "Bravo! (Brava?)" on her twitter account.)

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]]>Anthony BourdainJames Beard AwardsRuth BourdainRuth ReichlJessie CacciolaThu, 24 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTElizabeth Taylor's Outrageous Favorite Foodshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/elizabeth-taylors-outrageous-favorite-foods/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/elizabeth-taylors-outrageous-favorite-foods/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/elizabeth-taylors-outrageous-favorite-foods/#commentsFiled under:

Elizabeth Taylor with Eddie FisherPhoto: Los Angeles Times / MCT


Elizabeth Taylor will always be remembered for a striking stare that made for cinematic gold, but behind those bold eyes was a gutsy passion for life -- for fame, for friends and family and, unmistakably, for food. The Chicago Tribune recalls her latter, less-spoken-about love affair.

In "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" (1966), Taylor played a "boozy, whoozy" Martha, notes the Tribune, and had a classic scene where she made eating a leftover chicken leg into an art form -- "salting and stripping it...while sparring with George." It's a simple ritual made grander by her trademark glare and real love for food. ("Saturday Night Live" later took a stab at parodying her love of poultry with a segment that had John Belushi parodying Taylor choking on a chicken wing -- which actually happened, notes the Tribune, "as she campaigned for her then-husband No. 6, John Warner, in Big Stone Gap, Va.")

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]]>Elizabeth TaylorElizabethTakesOffJessie CacciolaThu, 24 Mar 2011 13:30:00 ESTU.S. Food Industry To Trim Packaging Waste by 4 Billion Poundshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/u-s-food-industry-to-trim-packaging-waste-by-4-billion-pounds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/u-s-food-industry-to-trim-packaging-waste-by-4-billion-pounds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/u-s-food-industry-to-trim-packaging-waste-by-4-billion-pounds/#commentsFiled under: ,

plastic water bottlesPhoto: ntr23, Flickr


From thinning plastic bottles to decomposable potato chip bags, sustainable packaging has hit the marketplace in full force. In fact, from 2005 to 2010 more than 1.5 billion pounds of packaging was diverted from landfills, says a new survey from the Grocery Manufacturers Association. And for the next decade, the goal is to cut another 2.5 billion pounds off that "waste line."

The survey, titled Reducing Our Footprint, was done by McKinsely and Georgetown Economic Services, and details the poll of 14 top companies in the food, beverage and consumer products industries. They don't reveal specific company names, but their findings show that the industry at large is on track to reduce packaging weight by 19 percent, or 2.5 billion pounds, by 2020. That's the energy-saving equivalent of removing 363,000 homes or 815,000 gas-guzzlers.

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]]>eco-friendly packagingfeaturedgreen packagingGrocery Manufacturers AssociationJessie CacciolaThu, 24 Mar 2011 12:00:00 ESTMichelle Obama To Publish Gardening/Cookbookhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/22/michelle-obama-to-publish-gardening-cooking-book/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/22/michelle-obama-to-publish-gardening-cooking-book/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/22/michelle-obama-to-publish-gardening-cooking-book/#commentsFiled under: ,

Michelle Obama gardening at the White House kitchen gardenPhoto: Alex Wong / Getty Images


First Lady Michelle Obama will soon begin planting the third season of her organic garden on the South Lawn of the White House (yes, spring is coming). But this year, in between tending the kale, carrots, and tomatoes, she'll have to make time for writing. The First Lady has landed a publishing deal to write a book about the garden and her "Let's Move!" campaign to improve children's health with exercise and fresh foods. The garden has taken on a life of itself since she first broke ground -- last year it yielded more than 2,000 pounds of fresh produce.

"We wanted to share the story with the rest of the nation and perhaps with the rest of the world," Mrs. Obama told the Associated Press. "We get so many questions about the garden: How did we do it? Why did we do it? How do I do this in my own home or community?" The book will also contain recipes, she says.

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]]>michelle obamamichelle obama bookwhite house gardenJessie CacciolaTue, 22 Mar 2011 11:00:00 ESTA National Bakesale for Japanhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/21/a-national-bakesale-for-japan/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/21/a-national-bakesale-for-japan/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/21/a-national-bakesale-for-japan/#commentsFiled under: ,

bakesale for japan earthquake reliefPhoto: Ciao Samin

Call it a cross-country sugar train for charity and get on it. On April 2nd, Bakesale for Japan hits California, New York, Seattle, Boston, D.C., Portland, Austin, Philadelphia and everywhere else on this list -- and more if you're up for it. The organizer? A chef with a talent for corralling community philanthropy.

Eleven days after Haiti's massive earthquake last January, Bay Area chef Samin Nosrat raised $23,000 by holding bake sales in the Bay Area to benefit the victims. For all those glass-half-empty folks who deemed playing with cake batter post-quake frivolous, Nosrat says the money speaks for itself: "There's something to be said for a bake sale." Since she earned more than quadruple her donation goal for Haiti, when the quake hit Japan, she thought, 'why not take it national?'

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]]>featuredJapan aidNational Bake Sale for JapanPeace Winds JapanJessie CacciolaMon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST