Agricultural Markets Still Unbalanced and Unfair, Farmers Say

from civileats.com: Two years ago this week, the USDA and U.S. Justice Department began a series of joint workshops on anti-trust issues in agriculture. More than 4,000 farmers participated, and 16,000 people submitted comments. (Civil Eats reported on these hearings here and here.) Yet at a press conference this week, marking the anniversary of the first workshop, a panel of farmers reported that little has changed. A handful of companies still control huge portions of livestock, dairy, and poultry markets, they said, and farmers continue to face abusive and unfair treatment. “There are some winners,” said Rhonda Perry, a livestock and grain farmer and director of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, “But those winners are clearly not farmers or consumers. Those who benefit have really been embarrassingly successful at convincing Congress and our leaders to do nothing.”

Monsanto Company Donates $100,000 on Behalf of Farmer Coalition for Support of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

from monsanto.mediaroom.com: On behalf of the National Black Growers Council (NBGC), Monsanto Company donated $100,000 to the Washington DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation Project, Inc. in support of the recently dedicated Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The NBGC is a coalition of African American farmers whose mission is to improve the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of Black, row-crop farmers. The coalition advocates for the 21st century policy needs and focuses on the future of Black growers.

How Engineering the Human Body Could Combat Climate Change

from theatlantic.com: From drugs to help you avoid eating meat to genetically engineered cat-like eyes to reduce the need for lighting, a wild interview about changes humans could make to themselves to battle climate change.

#Video: Episode013 - Cancer Cola, Hunger Games

On Thursday nights, Media Monarchy joins Corbett Report Radio live on Republic Broadcasting to go over all the latest stories from the world of food, environment and health. This week's menu features Cancer Cola, Hunger Games and more...

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#Audio: Episode013 - Cancer Cola, Hunger Games

On Thursday nights, Media Monarchy joins Corbett Report Radio live on Republic Broadcasting to go over all the latest stories from the world of food, environment and health. This week's menu features Cancer Cola, Hunger Games and more...


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#BingeAndPurge: Teen Tics, Viral Picks, Hunger Games

#Audio: The Curious Case of Teen Tics In Le Roy, NY -
The Mystery of 18 Twitching Teenagers in Le Roy*

Push to make Australia Asia's food bowl*
Bad Food: Illnesses from Imported Food Are on the Rise, CDC Says*
How do we avoid 'pink slime' in our ground beef?*
Why Americans Are Angry About Pink Slime*
The Science Is Clear:
Antibiotic Resistance and Food Animal Production*
Gut Brain Manipulation: Fertility Fear Mongering*
Strange-smelling baby food recalled*
Got [Camel] Milk?*
Paula Deen - From the frying pan to the firestorm*
'Viral' Olive Garden Review Aftermath Continues*
Indiana Congressman Joins Food Fight After Pantry Loses Federal Items Over Prayer*
F. Sherwood Rowland, Raised Alarm Over Aerosols, Dies at 84*
A buffet of seed catalogs*
'The Hunger Games' Movie for Dummies*

SXSW Chronicles: 'Food Porn' Goes Digital

from huffingtonpost.com: In a foodie town like Austin where food truck masters rival BBQ venues, it would be a missed opportunity if SXSWi didn't place a spotlight on a national obsession: the digital sharing of food. You know what I mean, whether it's on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest, people love photographing and then sharing their meals with friends. What is it that drives individuals to broadcast what is otherwise a tactile experience where smell, taste and environment are paramount to enjoying the experience? Anthony Bourdain quipped today that he wonders if people snap shots of their food to later "touch themselves," during his panel at SXSWi. Bourdain is both a culinary steward and entertainment personality who is seemingly obsessed with food, and technology. During his panel, which centered on his Emmy Award-winning program for the Travel Channel, No Reservations, Bourdain and others discussed what made the show digitally savvy. "Food porn works" is the main takeaway. People have a visceral response to food and, specifically, because Bourdain's program is about highlighting undiscovered gems around the globe, there's a sense of discovery that comes along with it that leads to the desire to share.

Still a 'Fast Food Nation': Author Eric Schlosser Reflects 10yrs Later

from thedailybeast.com: More than a decade has passed since Fast Food Nation was published, and I’d love to report that the book is out of date, that the many problems it describes have been solved, and that the Golden Arches are now the symbol of a fallen empire, like the pyramids at Giza. Sadly, that is not the case. Every day about 65 million people eat at a McDonald’s restaurant somewhere in the world, more than ever before. The annual revenues of America’s fast-food industry, adjusted for inflation, have risen by about 20 percent since 2001. The number of fast-food ads aimed at American children has greatly increased as well. The typical preschooler now sees about three fast-food ads on television every day. The typical teenager sees about five. The endless barrage of ads, toys, contests, and marketing gimmicks has fueled not only fast-food sales, but also a wide range of diet-related illnesses. About two thirds of the adults in the United States are obese or overweight. The obesity rate among preschoolers has doubled in the past 30 years. The rate among children aged 6 to 11 has tripled. And by some odd coincidence, the annual cost of the nation’s obesity epidemic—about $168 billion, as calculated by researchers at Emory University—is the same as the amount of money Americans spent on fast food in 2011.

Nitrate Contamination Threatens California's Drinking Water

from civileats.com: Today, the Food & Environment Reporting Network–the first and only independent, non-profit, non-partisan news organization that produces investigative reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental health in partnership with local and national media outlets–published its third report, “Farming Communities Facing Crisis Over Nitrate Pollution, Study Says,” on msnbc.com. Reporter Stett Holbrook takes a deep dive into a new study by UC Davis that reveals that nitrate contamination is severe and getting worse for hundreds of thousands of people in California’s farming communities. The most comprehensive assessment so far to date, the report also reveals that agriculture is the main source of 96 percent of nitrate pollution. The five counties in the study area–among the top 10 agricultural producing counties in the United States–include about 40 percent of California’s irrigated cropland and more than half of its dairy herds, representing a $13.7 billion slice of the state’s economy, Holbrook reports.

Better supplies to drive world food prices lower in 2012?

from reuters: Improved grain supplies will help lower food prices this year after sharp rises in 2011 and take the wind out of price volatility, easing inflation concerns, a senior official at the United Nations' food agency told Reuters on Monday. Over the next decade, however, prices are set to rise for major food and agricultural commodities, Abdolreza Abbassian, senior grain analyst and economist at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said at the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit. "We do expect the food prices in 2012 to be averaging perhaps slightly below 2011. We expect also slightly less volatility this year compared to last year because of better inventories," Abbassian said in a telephone interview.

Uphill Struggle for Food Exporters on Fukushima's 1st Anniversary

Tokyo food radiation safety: It's personal*

from japantimes.co.jp: For many people around the world, food from Japan used to have an image of being among the healthiest around, let alone safe to consume. That changed after March 11, 2011, when the massive earthquake and tsunami triggered the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter of a century. The spread of radioactive materials and revelations that some beef cattle and crops grown in its vicinity were contaminated with higher than normal levels of radiation prompted more than 40 countries and territories to restrict imports of food and other agricultural products from Japan, where Fukushima Prefecture was an agricultural powerhouse. While a handful of the foreign governments have eased or lifted the restrictions and consumers abroad are beginning to think less about the fears of radioactive contamination, efforts to restore Japanese food exports to their previous levels still face an uphill battle a year later.

Related Updates: A Night for Japan -
Benefit Held in Southern Oregon*
A year later, effects of Japan’s disaster still unfold*