Fruits and vegetables less nutritious due to factory farming

Here's another good reason to grow your own (if you can) or buy from organic markets when affordable. MSNBC:

While we've been dutifully eating our fruits and vegetables all these years, a strange thing has been happening to our produce. It's losing its nutrients. That's right: Today's conventionally grown produce isn't as healthful as it was 30 years ago — and it's only getting worse. The decline in fruits and vegetables was first reported more than 10 years ago by English researcher Anne-Marie Mayer, PhD, who looked at the dwindling mineral concentrations of 20 UK-based crops from the 1930s to the 1980s.

It's happening to crops in the United States, too. In 2004, Donald Davis, PhD, a former researcher with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin, led a team that analyzed 43 fruits and vegetables from 1950 to 1999 and reported reductions in vitamins, minerals, and protein. Using USDA data, he found that broccoli, for example, had 130 mg of calcium in 1950. Today, that number is only 48 mg. What's going on? Davis believes it's due to the farming industry's desire to grow bigger vegetables faster. The very things that speed growth — selective breeding and synthetic fertilizers — decrease produce's ability to synthesize nutrients or absorb them from the soil.

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UK Conservatives go back to self-regulation well

Because it's been working out so well, right boys? (And I do mean "boys" since the new government didn't think it was important to include women in the new team.) Not so surprisingly, the Tories missed the self-regulation failures related to Big Oil or Big Finance. It's amusing to listen to the right in the US or UK to go on about self-regulation and how government interference doesn't work, especially when faced with plenty of examples of how and why self-regulation does not work. The right can hope all they want that "business will do the right thing" but they won't.

In this case, how in the world does a government health minister think that potato chip manufacturers will curtail their sales efforts in the best interest of consumers? The UK is not far behind the US in terms of overweight and obesity rates so the last thing they need is for senior government ministers to believe that businesses see "healthy" as part of their business plan. They don't and they won't. Junk food producers make and sell junk food. It's their core business so why would they want to deliver anything healthy that might not sell as well? Wishful thinking is not a plan. The old "free from the burden of regulation" is about the most naive comment anyone could make these days.

In a move condemned by campaigners as the government "rolling over on their backs in front of the food lobby", Lansley told a conference of public health experts that he wanted a new partnership with food and drink firms. In exchange for a "non-regulatory approach", the private sector would put up cash to fund the Change4Life campaign to improve diets and boost levels of physical activity among young people.

The time had come, said Lansley, to accept that "lecturing or nannying" people to change their behaviour did not work. He said business people "understand the social responsibility of people having a better lifestyle and they don't regard that as remotely inconsistent with their long-term commercial interest".

Lansley added: "No government campaign or programme can force people to make healthy choices. We want to free business from the burden of regulation, but we don't want, in doing that, to sacrifice public health outcomes."

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Scientists: oil now in Gulf food chain

Not that it's a surprise. McClatchy

Scientists with the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University in New Orleans have found droplets of oil in the larvae of blue crabs and fiddler crabs sampled from Louisiana to Pensacola, Fla. The news comes as blobs of oil and tar continue to wash ashore in Mississippi in patches, with crews in chartreuse vests out cleaning beaches all along the coast on Thursday, and as state and federal fisheries from Louisiana to Florida are closed by the BP oil disaster.

"I think we will see this enter the food chain in a lot of ways — for plankton feeders, like menhaden, they are going to just actively take it in," said Harriet Perry, director of the Center for Fisheries Research and Development at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. "Fish are going to feed on (crab larvae). We have also just started seeing it on the fins of small, larval fish — their fins were encased in oil. That limits their mobility, so that makes them easy prey for other species. The oil's going to get into the food chain in a lot of ways."

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Burgers linked to asthma in global study

Why does asthma hate America?

Children who eat a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of developing asthma, but eating three or more burgers a week is linked to a higher risk, research suggests.

Researchers looked at 50,000 children from 20 countries.

Writing in the journal Thorax, they said eating fruit, vegetables and fish appeared to protect against asthma.

But they said eating burgers could be linked to other unhealthy habits, which may be the real trigger factor.

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It's that time of the year again

White asparagus from Germany. Northern Germany, in fact. My dear friend and cooking partner Wilhelm sent me a photo from Berlin to tease me. He knows that I know the white asparagus from northern Germany is the best in the world and it's hard to find here in Paris. Wilhelm has generously hand delivered white asparagus to our humble abode in the past and taught me how to cook the asparagus as well as how to make soup with the skin and the leftovers. They're only available for a short period of time so you need to cook them during this limited window. This year I will have to settle for the French-grown asparagus, which is still quite good but ever-so-slightly bitter. (For the soup, add the skins to buttered and salted water for the stock and then add cream and leftover bits. Yummmmm.) Read More......

Champs Elysées transformed into country farm

French farmers organized a massive event on the Champs Elysées yesterday that will continue today, during the long weekend holiday. I generally avoid that area at all costs because it's overpriced, sterile and is a magnet for crime. It's been quite a hit and has drawn large crowds. French farms still have a small, family farm feel compared to the massive, corporate owned farms of the US but it's changing. More from The Guardian:

By bringing in 8,000 plots of earth and 150,000 plants to the city and installing them, amid sheep and cattle, along three-quarters of a mile of the thoroughfare, struggling farmers are attempting to highlight an aspect of French life which they believe is too often overlooked by Paris.

In the ravages of a crisis which has seen production costs soar and product prices fall, representatives of the agricultural sector say farmers are being brought to their knees.

But William Villeneuve, president of the young farmers' union, insisted the greening of the Champs Elysées was more a celebration than a protest.

"We are not here to bemoan our plight," he said. "We are here to promote our trade." The farmers wanted to make French consumers reflect on "what they have on their plates" and how it got there, he added.

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Chocolate to fight wrinkles and slow aging?

Where do I buy it?

The world's largest chocolate maker says it may have come up with a chocolate bar that could fight wrinkles and slow the aging process, making it the latest food group to tap the appetite for healthier living.

Eating 20 g (0.755 oz) of specially developed chocolate packed with antioxidants, or flavanols, each day may help prevent wrinkles and make skin more radiant by boosting elasticity and improving hydration, studies carried out by Barry Callebaut showed.

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Putting the bore in Bordeaux

Last night I wrote about a fun story in Wales where a die-hard producer is making award winning wine. Today, the NY Times has an interesting story about how out of fashion Bordeaux wines are in the US among the younger crowd. Food and wine is always a critical subject here in France and I'll have to side with the younger American crowd in this story. It's not that I don't like Bordeaux, but it always makes me feel stodgy when I drink it. Rarely do I ever buy it because like others, I prefer smaller producers who have a different relationship to their products as opposed to the factory feel of Bordeaux. It's what older, bourgeois businessmen who wear Hermes ties drink at the golf club. Talk about boring! Give me a burgundy or Rhone any day.

So for the readers who are wine drinkers who don't live in the center of the universe (that's France, bien sûr) is Bordeaux too stuffy or overpriced? What's typical for a typical dinner and what's considered a nice for a special meal? Now that we're in BBQ season Bordeaux seems even less interesting.

Not so long ago, young wine-loving Americans were practically weaned on Bordeaux, just as would-be connoisseurs had been for generations. It was the gateway to all that is wonderful about wine. Now that excitement has gone elsewhere, to Burgundy and the Loire, to Italy and Spain. Bordeaux, some young wine enthusiasts say, is stodgy and unattractive. They see it as an expensive wine for wealthy collectors, investors and point-chasers, people who seek critically approved wines for the luxury and status they convey rather than for excitement in a glass.

“The perception of Bordeaux for my generation, it’s very Rolex, very Rolls-Royce,” said Cory Cartwright, 30, who is a partner in Selection Massale, a new company in San Jose, Calif., that imports natural and traditional wines made by small producers, and who writes the Saignée wine blog. “I don’t know many people who like or drink Bordeaux.”

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Welsh wine wins three international awards

I chuckled at first but why not good wine from Wales? Somehow I don't think I'm going to find a bottle in France - they don't even like American wines in shops - but if I did, I'd love to see what it's like. They're growing pinot noir and chardonnay which are of course, the grapes grown in Champagne.

The first vintage of a newly-planted vineyard in a sunny valley in Monmouthshire has won two medals at leading wine competitions this week.

Ancre Hill Estate's prosaically-titled White Welsh Regional Wine 2008 was awarded a silver at the Decanter World Wine Awards and a bronze at the International Spirit and Wine Competition, and has been commended or won a medal at a third major show, the International Wine Challenge.

Richard Morris, a chartered accountant who turned his passion for wine into a business five years ago, planted three types of vine – pinot noir, seyval blanc and chardonnay – in a south-facing meadow outside his home four years ago.

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This just in... Bacon is bad for you

I think we already knew this.

Eating two rashers of bacon or a sausage every day can increase your risk of heart disease by nearly half, scientists claim. Their study found meat that has been cured, salted or processed in another way can also push up the likelihood of developing diabetes. It linked the salts and chemical preservatives used on processed meat to ill health if the products are eaten regularly.

The research, from the Harvard School of Public Health, adds to previous investigations which found links between processed meats and cancers of the bowel and breast. It is hard to imagine that consuming large quantities of fatty meats that have been pumped up with a ton of sodium might somehow prove perilous, but Science does not always bring you good news.

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A battle where everyone is a winner

Mmmmmmm, hummus.

Some 300 chefs set the new record, creating a huge 10-tonne vat of the chickpea-based dip in Fanar.

That more than doubles the previous record of about four tonnes, set in January by cooks in the Israeli-Arab town of Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem.

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The Bob Evans automatic sausage-flavored gravy dispenser

Only $595. And it's for real. Read More......

British chefs take curry to India

And no, it's not a joke.

But since leaving its native India, the curry has been Westernised – undergoing subtle but distinct changes to the point that what the British describe as Indian food is regarded as something of a novelty by the people of Kolkata.

Nevertheless, they have been enthusiastic about the food served up to them as part of the 10-day Taste of Britain Curry Festival. "It is running to packed houses," said Koushik Sengupta, the food and beverage manager at the Hotel Hindustan International, which is hosting the festival. "We are overwhelmed with the interest and response [to] an everyday British food."

Syed Belal Ahmed, the festival's director, said: "The great British curry is going back to its roots – Kolkata. Once the proud seat of the British Raj in India, Kolkata is the place where the curry trail really started.

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Organic sales dropped in UK during crisis

Looking at the British economy, it's not a complete surprise. I've heard plenty of stories about global businesses moving quickly into this space though. What they are saying is that buyers may be purchasing less, but they are often leaning towards organic products. Even at our local grocery store we see more organic each week and much more advertising for it as well. Last week they even dedicated 3 pages in the weekly flier to organic wine. In general, the organic prices are higher though not substantially higher. For the wine, the prices were in line with the other products.

We can't afford to buy all organic though we do make an effort to include some in the mix. For us, we prefer the quality and taste but really wish it was more affordable. It's surprised me to read online stories of otherwise conservative people buying specific organic products such as milk due to problems of kids (girls in particular) maturing faster than normal. Do you buy organic? Any specific products? If price was not an issue, would you buy more? Read More......

Wash. Post on the growing problem of 'food fraud'

Okay, I really want the Food part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to get on top of this:

"Food fraud" has been documented in fruit juice, olive oil, spices, vinegar, wine, spirits and maple syrup, and appears to pose a significant problem in the seafood industry. Victims range from the shopper at the local supermarket to multimillion companies, including E&J; Gallo and Heinz USA.

Such deception has been happening since Roman times, but it is getting new attention as more products are imported and a tight economy heightens competition. And the U.S. food industry says federal regulators are not doing enough to combat it.

"It's growing very rapidly, and there's more of it than you might think," said James Morehouse, a senior partner at A.T. Kearney Inc., which is studying the issue for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the food and beverage industry.

John Spink, an expert on food and packaging fraud at Michigan State University, estimates that 5 to 7 percent of the U.S. food supply is affected but acknowledges the number could be greater. "We know what we seized at the border, but we have no idea what we didn't seize," he said.

The job of ensuring that food is accurately labeled largely rests with the Food and Drug Administration. But it has been overwhelmed in trying to prevent food contamination, and fraud has remained on a back burner.

It's disturbing that what we're eating isn't what we think we're eating.

And, I did love this part of the article:

The techniques have become so accessible that two New York City high school students, working with scientists at the Rockefeller University and the American Museum of Natural History last year, discovered after analyzing DNA in 11 of 66 foods -- including the sheep's milk cheese and caviar -- bought randomly at markets in Manhattan were mislabeled.

High school students can figure this out. Seems like FDA should be able to handle it. Read More......

Writer's 'Happy Meal' refuses to decompose after one year

What's a McDonald's Happy Meal look like after it's been sitting outside for a year? Pretty much the same as the day it was made. Read More......

Brits cook more during the week, make conclusion they're better cooks than French

While there are plenty of great opportunities to eat well and find great food in London, there's still a significant difference between eating in France versus England. Sure I know plenty of good cooks from over there but quality drops off very, very quickly compared to what you find throughout France. You can almost always find good food anywhere if you try hard enough. What makes France (or Italy) so great is that you find high quality not only in the big cities, but you often find even higher quality in the countryside. From my own experience, that's much harder to find when you travel outside of London though surely there are some fine examples.

It's wonderful to see a more serious food culture developing in the UK but keep things in perspective folks.

The survey, carried out by the French magazine Madame Le Figaro and the BBC's food magazine Olive, has produced an agony of French soul-searching – and a certain amount of disbelief – over the apparent erosion of the country's most celebrated heritage.

More than 2,000 French people and nearly 1,350 Britons were asked about their eating and cooking habits. Their answers revealed that 72% of the British cook at home daily, compared with 59% of the French. One British cook in two spends more than 30 minutes preparing a meal while only a quarter of the French spend that long.

Four per cent of the French polled admitted they never cook, four times as many as Britons questioned. While French and British cooks are just as likely to bake a cake or fillet a fish, nearly twice as many British people as French make their own bread.

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US to start testing organic products for pesticides

Not so surprisingly, they have discovered gaps in regulation. Imagine that. Business was allowed to do whatever they wanted during the Bush years. Self-regulation and all that nonsense failed yet another industry. Glad to see they're serious about this.

Spot testing is required by a 1990 law that established the basis for national organic standards, but in a report released on Thursday by the office of Phyllis K. Fong, the inspector general of agriculture, investigators wrote that regulators never made sure the testing was being carried out.

The report pointed to numerous shortcomings at the agriculture department’s National Organic Program, which regulates the industry, including poor oversight of some organic operations overseas and a lack of urgency in cracking down on marketers of bogus organic products.

The audit did not name growers or processors that marketed products falsely labeled organic or say where any such products had been sold.

If companies made "organic" profits they ought to be hit with penalties that are equally expensive. Read More......

Food company sold contaminated food and knew about it

This is a classic example of why the government and not business should be in the lead for food recalls. The FDA could have pushed this a bit faster but compared to the previous FDA, they are doing an incredible job.

The company responsible for a ballooning recall of processed foods continued to manufacture and distribute a flavor-enhancing ingredient for a month after tests confirmed it was made with contaminated equipment, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

FDA inspectors said the company, Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., knew of salmonella contamination on its equipment after it received the results of a private inspection on Jan. 21. They said the company continued to distribute the ingredient, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, until Feb. 15.

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Is serving seal meat that offensive?

Considering how cows and other animals are slaughtered, it doesn't sound much worse. The "hakapik" sounds especially brutal, no doubt, but otherwise it hardly sounds much different than the large scale methods used in the slaughterhouse factories. For me it's easy to understand anyone who is against all of this and is a vegetarian. It's more difficult to see how slaughtering and eating seals is significantly different than the other animals or fish, for that matter. If the issue was surrounding dwindling populations, that would be entirely different but the issue is about the brutality of the kills.

Then again, serving seal could very well be like serving whale meat in Japan. Nobody really wants it and some are pushing it to prop up tradition for the sake of tradition. If that's the case then yes, it's a ridiculous stunt. Indigenous populations should be able to continue traditions (within reason) but if there's limited value for the outside community, is it really necessary? Any Canadians out there with more feedback on the issue?

Canadian MPs will be served seal meat this week in support of hunters fighting an EU ban on products from the animals.

A Liberal MP, Celine Hervieux-Payette, said Wednesday's seal meat menu in the parliamentary restaurant would allow politicians to show their backing for the annual hunt.

"All political parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the international community the solidarity of the Canadian parliament behind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said.

The EU ban on seal imports was imposed last July on the grounds that Canada's annual hunt was cruel.

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