Is the FDA So Asleep it’s Dreaming all’s OK? Nano Versus GMO
By now, everyone's heard of GMOs, genetically modified food. You may think GMOs are the frankenfood of nightmares, potentially triggering bad reactions from allergies to immune and metabolic disorders. You may also know that the U.S. Congress, blessed by the President, has enacted the DARK Act as the law of the land, officially and legally known as the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (right?).States must follow the federal law, however effective (or not) it may turn out to be in ...
Healthy Hot Holiday Tamales
While some cultures definitely associate tamales with Christmas and holiday time, tamale-eating doesn't have to be limited to special times of year. In fact, we like them so much that it feels like a celebration every time we eat them.This version is vegan, natch, and they freeze well (assuming there are any left). The assembly process is easy though a bit time-consuming but well worth the trouble. Be creative on fillings - these are black bean and sweet potato but you can use virtually ...
Any News in GMO Policy? Uh, Yeah!
Is there anything new under the sun to say about genetically modified food? Yesterday, one of our heroes, Marion Nestle, posted about GMO and we sensed an air resignation. She said she rarely writes about this topic anymore (after 20 years) because there is so little new to say.Hmmmm. Actually there is something new to say, which is that the GMO products steamroller seems to be picking up speed. Despite greater public awareness, and the health, environmental and other...
Poison and What We Eat
... Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post wrote recently about the hostile "hyperbole and poisonous rhetoric from the business lobby" that seeks to resist anything that doesn't let business do what it wants. He talks about the energy industry, but it definitely applies to big agri-pharma-food businesses too."Attack," (like in trained dog) is how we'd characterize the basic lobbying style. Attack anyone and everyone who disagrees with you with the most vile and false claims all the ...
Creating At-Risk Kids with At-Risk Foods
The typical image of "at-risk" children is of semi-starved poor children, lacking the basics of life -- shelter, clothing, and medical care. Yet, we are all becoming keenly aware that all of our children are "at risk" of succumbing to the "obesity epidemic." Of course, it's not really an actual epidemic, strictly speaking, but its undeniable that the kids are getting very fat and increasingly unhealthy.We may all scratch our heads and wonder, "How did this happen?" The answer is not ...
What You Don’t Know… GMO and What You Eat
How many of us have ever heard of the Codex Alimentarius?Not many, we suspect. Which is too bad because it affects the food we eat, whether we know it or not. The Codex, simply stated, is an international body that adopts standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations for all things food-related (labelling, additives, hygeine, pesticides, etc).As it is intimately connected with and its standards are referenced in trade and trade agreements, it can also have the force of ...
