Food News Round Up
Today marks the beginning of the Spring Break holiday at Boston University, so we’ll hope that at least some of you are reading this week’s Food News Round Up from a white sandy beach somewhere. No matter where you are, may you enjoy chewing on this smattering of food news focusing on systems, conflicts, trends, and food culture fights, plus an oppositional look at urban gardening. Feel free to comment and discuss!
FOOD SYSTEM: Farmers, Seeds, and Water
- USDA’s ‘Know Your Farmer Know Your Food’ program aims to document local food system
- Seed Matters PhD fellowship focuses on organic and sustainable grain farming
- UN report farmers will need 19 percent more water by 2050 to meet increasing demand
FOOD CONFLICTS: Workers, Schools, and Chemicals
- Yes, there’s real orange juice in Fanta, but Coca-Cola squeezes Italian workers to get it
- Coca-Cola modifies caramel color to avoid cancer warning label
- ‘Pink slime’ refused by fast food companies, but is added to U.S. school lunches
- BU Professor finds alternate explanation for obesity, it’s not calories, but chemicals
FOOD TRENDS: Meatless Meals, Pouches, and Crazies
- Trends and projections predict drop in US meat consumption
- More foods going to pouch packaging
- Crazy fast food photos: La McBaguette, Darth Vader Whopper, Bacon Milkshake, and more
FOOD CULTURE FIGHTS: Contests and traditions
- Fighting fiercely over Jewish recipes, preservation and renewal
- Fighting to get forgotten British foods on the table and in the supermarket
+ Urban Gardening: The Good and the Bad
- Urban Roots documentary shows Detroit urban gardening as vehicle of self-determination and empowerment
- Considering the dark side of urban farming; from abandoned goats to discarded roosters