Food Politics

Nutritional Labels for Booze?

by Clare Leschin-Hoar, Posted Mar 7th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Nutrition label on a beer bottle Photo: reivax, Flickr

Some chatter over at The Soapbox caught our eye. Should boozy beverages sport nutritional labeling? It's a topic federal regulators have been reviewing and one that's been brewing since 2003.

Current labeling regulations are complex. Wine, beer and liquor producers are not required to list actual ingredients on the label, but must list items like sulfites or FD&C Yellow No. 5 for consumers who are sensitive. Whether or not nutritional information like calories, carbohydrates and serving size should be added to labels is up for discussion, but Tom Hogue, spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) told USA Today that it's unclear when federal officials might make a decision.

"I hear echos of the topic, but I don't think it will become a government mandate," says Rob Cooper, president and founder of St-Germain/Cooper Spirits Company. "There are already a lot of regulations surrounding alcohol. You have to go through the TTB formal approval process to ensure consumers are getting a safe product. It's not the Wild West. You can't just do what you want. They're strict about the ingredients."

And besides, adds Cooper, "Alcohol is not a critical component of ones sustenance. It's for recreational use. Who cares if it's good for you?"

He's got a point.

Filed under: Food Politics, Drinks

One More State Joins the Drug-Test-for-Food-Stamps Debate

COMMENTS 8

by Jason Best, Posted Feb 23rd 2011 @ 3:30PM

groceries Photo: qmnonic, Flickr

Should recipients of food stamps be required to pass a drug test in order to receive their benefits?

Some Republican legislators in New Hampshire think so, and they've proposed a new law that would subject food-stamp recipients to random drug tests. A number of other states, such as Oregon, Kentucky, Missouri and Nebraska, are considering similar laws.

No doubt, when taken at face value, these laws sound eminently reasonable. After all, thousands of U.S. workers are required to pass drug tests in order to apply for or keep their jobs.

But as a number of civil liberties and public health organizations point out, such testing relies on unproven stereotypes about people who receive public assistance and the testing can cost taxpayers more money than it saves.

Filed under: Food News, Food Politics

A Ban on Fast-Food Lawsuits Passes a Hurdle in Minnesota

COMMENTS 5

by Bill Sertl, Posted Feb 22nd 2011 @ 1:00PM

fast food burger and fries Photo: lehcar1477, Flickr

Okay, you can still blame Ronald McDonald if you're overweight. But it's going to be harder to take him to court. At least in Minnesota, where a House committee has just ok'd the Cheeseburger Bill -- the first such statute in the nation. The debate over the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act-the bill's official name-was spirited, with most House members voting along party lines, reports The Pioneer Press.

How you feel about it might depend on your views on whether individuals should be able to sue tobacco companies or not. (In all fairness, cheeseburgers might be addictively good, but they're not really addictive, and, as far as we know, no fast-food execs ever lied to the U.S. Congress about the number of calories in a Big Mac.) The bill still has to pass the full House and the Minnesota Senate to become law. So pig out at the Mall of America food court while there's still time to place the staff under citizen's arrest. And call your lawyer if your salad dressing didn't come on the side as requested.

Filed under: Food Politics, Fast Food

Veterans Come Home To Farming

COMMENTS 0

by Clare Leschin-Hoar, Posted Feb 11th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Photo: Farmer-Veteran Coalition

Here's an agricultural trend we can all get behind. Combat veterans are making the transition to civilian life by way of farming, reports Cooking Up A Story. Even better, they're not being asked to hoe that row on their own. Groups like California's Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training program; Nebraska's Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots program and the California-based Farmer Veteran Coalition are providing training, funding and support to get veterans back on the land that they fought to protect.

"This is an excellent path for veterans," says Weldon Sleight, dean of University of Nebraska's College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). "There are huge numbers of veterans that come from rural communities -- 17 percent of the U.S. population is rural, yet 45 percent of the military come from those communities."

The problem, he says, is that there are few economic opportunities in rural America, and many veterans end up in urban cities.

"They don't know how to go home, so we teach them that," said Sleight.

Filed under: Farming, Food Politics

GMO Salmon: Soon to be Banned in Alaska?

COMMENTS 12

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Feb 3rd 2011 @ 11:00AM

salmon swimming in alaska Photo: endora57, Flickr

The Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve genetically engineered salmon, but lawmakers in California and Alaska are not waiting around for the FDA's ruling on the so-called "Frankenfish." Representatives in both states recently introduced bills to keep the GE salmon in check.

As we previously reported, the AquaAdvantage salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies is essentially an Atlantic salmon modified with genes from a Chinook salmon and an ocean pout, which makes for a faster-growing fish that requires 10 percent less feed. Regardless of a wary public, a protest letter by 11 Pacific Northwestern senators, and strong warnings by an overwhelming amount of government scientists and public interest groups, the FDA looks to be moving closer to approving the salmon.

Filed under: Food News, Food Politics

Whoopie Pie Bill Leads to Food Fight

COMMENTS 17

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Feb 1st 2011 @ 3:00PM

whoopie pies Photo: joyosity, Flickr

Maine's official state dessert is up for debate -- and it's turning into a war of health vs. nostalgia. The legislature is close to passing a bill, L.D. 71, that would give the crown to the whoopie pie, a dessert that has a storied history in the state, reports the Kennebec Journal. But local nutritionists say the crown should go to wild blueberry pie, since the flavorful berries are abundant in the state -- and far healthier.

The Journal article reports that lawmakers don't want to be seen endorsing a high-fat treat. "At a time when 31.3 percent of Maine's children are considered overweight or obese, do we want to glorify a dessert that lists lard as its primary ingredient?" asked Rep. Donald Pilon.

Filed under: Food News, Food Politics

PETA's "Sex with Vegetables" Super Bowl Ad: Now With Outtakes

COMMENTS 2

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Feb 1st 2011 @ 12:00PM

PETA tv commercial sex with vegetables Photo: peta.org

Whatever you think of PETA, there's no denying that the group knows how to create buzz. Last year, they stirred up controversy by trying to buy ad time during the Super Bowl for a commercial that had a woman trying to get hot and heavy with...vegetables. Even for $3M, the network wasn't willing to air the "Veggie Love" spot, but (as planned, no doubt) the ad went viral and PETA got the press it was after.

This year, they're trying to milk some additional mileage out of the "Veggie Love" ad by offering up outtakes from the commercial's casting.

Filed under: Television/Film, Food Politics

GMO Alfalfa is Officially Approved

COMMENTS 132

by Jason Best, Posted Jan 31st 2011 @ 1:00PM

alfalfa in a field Photo: daryl_mitchell, Flickr

Got organic milk? Maybe not for long.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced its approval of "unrestricted planting" of genetically modified alfalfa sold by Monsanto, according to The Atlantic. So what does that have to do with organic milk?

Cows eat more alfalfa hay than anything else, and as a crop, alfalfa is what The Atlantic calls "notoriously promiscuous." Bees and other insects can spread alfalfa pollen for up to five miles, meaning it's only a matter of time before the unrestricted GMO alfalfa cross-pollinates with non-GMO varieties.

Filed under: Farming, Food Politics

USDA To Introduce "Biobased" Label

COMMENTS 12

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Jan 20th 2011 @ 5:00PM

USDA sample label for new biobased packaging Photo: USDAgov, Flickr

There's a new eco label coming out this spring to address products -- like water bottles and grocery bags -- made with bio-based ingredients (primarily corn), which decompose instead of requiring recycling: "USDA Certified Biobased Product."

Totally Green, for example, produces a corn-based water bottle that can be composted along with other food waste, and plans to use the label as soon as it is released, reports the Des Moines Register. Unfortunately, compostable chip bags never caught on thanks to their insanely loud crinkling, but these water bottles have no noise issues, so perhaps they'll have better luck.

Cotton and wool products won't apply because the program is intended to support the agricultural commodity market. That being corn, of course. Look for the label on anything from dish soap bottles to skin-care products. Will you make the switch?

Filed under: Science, Food News, Food Politics, Eco-Friendly

Wal-Mart's 5-Year "Health" Plan

COMMENTS 3

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Jan 20th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Michelle Obama at a Wal-Mart press conference Photos: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images; Cliff Owen / AP Photo

Heeding First Lady Michelle Obama's call to improve our country's access to better food and reduce childhood obesity, Wal-Mart today announced a five-year plan to reduce the price of fresh produce sold in its stores and to lower the salt, fat and sugar content in its Great Value house-brand food products, reports the New York Times.

Wal-Mart will also be urging its highest-selling suppliers, like Kraft, to follow suit. Similar initiatives have been made by the city of New York and major food corporation ConAgra, which set a goal to "reduce sodium content in its foods by 20 percent by 2015," notes the Times.

Filed under: Business, Food News, Food Politics