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

Sustainable Protein Production in Georgia

Mr. Will Harris from White Oak Pastures has developed a massive, economically successful, farm using the Serengeti rotational grazing system. here is a video about his operation.
http://vimeo.com/30151350

Keep in mind the massive acreage He uses to do this. Also the fact that he uses no almost zero imputs into his farming system.
what do you guys think? Is this operation something that can be duplicated? is it large enough to even put a dent into the American farming system?

Recent Food in the News

• Was Your Chicken Nugget Made in China? It Will Soon be Hard to Know (NPR, 9/5/13)
• Chickens raised and processed in the U.S. are being sent to China to be transformed into manufactured chicken products to be sold back to the U.S. market. (!)
• Rodale C.E.O.: U.S. Agricultural Companies 'No Better' than Syria (Discover Magazine, 9/6/13)
• An open letter from Maria Rodale ("the C.E.O of the world’s leading health-and-wellness publisher and the granddaughter of the founder of the organic movement in America") to President Obama, cautioning against the dangers of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
• GMO Foes Blast Scientific American Editorial Decrying Labeling Laws (NY Daily News, 9/6/13)
• In a recent editorial, the editors of Scientific American Magazine claimed that laws requiring labeling of genetically-modified foods are "unscientific." This piece covers the debate that ensued.