"8 Things I've learned cooking without Gluten, Dairy, Nuts and Sugar" by Emily Ho

This was in interesting article that discussed a cook's recent removal of gluten, dairy, nuts and sugar via the "elimination diet" to see if her food choices were causing her health problems both mentally and physically.

1. Do you think that going "Gluten-free" is a food fad?

2. Do you think that people are just now discovering their gluten intolerance because of the way food is produced and prepared today (i.e- using GMO products or chemicals)?

3. If you are willing to share, has anyone fully eliminated dairy, gluten, nuts or sugar from their diet and noticed a significant difference in the way you felt or acted?

http://www.thekitchn.com/8-things-ive-learned-about-cooking-without-gluten-dairy-nuts-and-sugar-197775

"The word 'Natural' has no clear meaning"

The Wall Street Journal-Business
"Some Food Companies Ditch 'Natural' Label 
Amid Lawsuits Over the Claim, More Producers Drop the Word" By: Mike Esterl

This article was just recently published in The Wall Street Journal Business section and I thought it was interesting because we discussed a few weeks ago how much, for example organic, a product must be in order for the label to read "Organic," well in this case, certain companies are now taking the "natural" label of certain products due to recent lawsuits and the questioning of the word "natural." According to the FDA, there is no definition to the word "natural," but instead of following a definition, there is a policy that has been followed for a long time that helps to classify what is natural. What is your definition of "natural"? What criteria would do you think a product needs to meet to considered "natural"? How do you think consumers determine whether or not the products are really "natural"? Do you think consumers trust the label or avoid the products due to uncertainty of the production?

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304470504579163933732367084

4 Ways the Food and Drug Administration Is Not 'Protecting and Promoting Your Health'

This was a very interesting read as we have recently been talking more about food safety and how effective the FDA is in maintaining safe food practices and regulations.

1. Do you think the FDA is entirely at fault for these apparent issues or are others possibly responsible, such as FDA permit manufacturers?

2. What do you think the FDA should do to quell of these rampant gaffes in their lack of regulation in many food safety realms?



4 Ways the Food and Drug Administration Is Not 'Protecting and Promoting Your Health'

Frankenfish!

I just though this article was interesting & relevant to what we discuss in class. Plus I though the name was cute and clever since it's almost Halloween!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/10391080/Frankenfish-coming-to-a-supermarket-near-you-as-campaigners-warn-against-GM-salmon.html

Family Farms Nourishing the World

This artcile highlights eight stories of successful small-scale farms that make an important impact on our world:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-nierenberg/family-farmers_b_4110458.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Food

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think this article only highlights the more positive aspect of small-scale farming? Do you believe that it is an accurate representation after what we have previously discussed in class?

2. What do you think could be done to make these success stories possible for more family farms?

Slavery Footprint and Food

This website has been around for a while but it is still relevant. You take a quick survey and it tells you how many people in slavery around the world are working to create the products you consume. I figured that this would be interesting to look at the labor that goes into creating the food we eat.
Slavery Footprint Calculator

The Cost of Fast Food Labor

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/16/235398536/why-u-s-taxpayers-pay-7-billion-a-year-to-help-fast-food-workers

I found this article to be very interesting, and as we will be discussing labor in the food industry this next week I felt that this article tied into our discussion at least somewhat. While it may not discuss a farm worker's labor issues, I feel that it is still very relevant to the food system as a whole. I know this subject may be slightly touchy for some individuals as unions and workers rights discussions tend to get very politically charged and often end up being pointless - I would just like to hear some peoples personal thoughts on what raising wages not only in the fast food industry but also in the food production industry as a whole would possibly do to the price of food, the excess taxpayer spending associated with food workers, and how this may affect the way we as Americans perceive the food production industry.

Thanks for reading,

Riley Hilderbrandt