USDA and Civil Rights: After Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigators interviewed only one USDA employee last week, the agriculture agency forced the investigators out of its headquarters. The agency, which is under investigation for civil rights offenses, claims it has nothing to hide. From the Associated Press.

The Skinny on Grains: You may be eating too much in the way of grains, or you may not be eating enough whole grains, according to an essay from the George Mateljan Foundation. It’s also important to not ignore grains other than wheat, such as barley, quinoa, and corn. From the World’s Healthiest Foods.

Real Costs of Corn Ethanol: Ethanol made from corn isn’t such a great thing after all. Not only can it not compete well with $100-a-barrel oil, its largest producer (Archer Midlands Daniel) often uses coal-burning plants to produce it. From the Gristmill.

Misleading Health Claims: A class-action suit against Dannon, the maker of the Activia yogurt, claims that its highly succesful marketing campaign for the probiotic yogurt is misleading to consumers. Sales of the yogurt have surpassed $100 million domestically in the first year. Dannon announced that it does not plan to back down. From the New York Times.

Dying Dairy Farms: As is the case with many of the farms in rural America, farmers are getting out or going big. In Loudon County, Virginia, suburban mansions are popping up everywhere in the shadows of Washington, D.C. The Potts family farm is one of the last dairy farms left here, and they admit it’s a hard life. From the Washington Post.

Organic Fish: According to the USDA, there’s no such thing. (But, of course, there are certain things you can check for to make sure your fish is good for the environment.) From the World’s Healthiest Foods.

Hunters and Farmers: Hunters are worrying about the effects cutbacks in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the new version of the Farm Bill could have on wildland. The CRP encourages farmers to retire certain acres for 10 to 15 years around streams and other places. From Argus Leader.

American Chinese Food: It’s not actually Chinese, but it helps us get used to foreignness. That’s why the U.S. has “more Chinese restaurants than McDonald’s, Burger Kings and KFCs combined,” according to the article. From Newsweek.

GM Fruits and Veggies: Did you know that your okra, tomatoes, chilies, and eggplants may be genetically modified? Neither did the folks at the Gristmill, but they found that information buried in a Forbes article. From the Gristmill.

USDA Wants to Use Science: In an upcoming review of its policies, the USDA is seeking graduate students and other highly-qualified individuals to write abstracts of current nutrition research. From the What to Eat blog.

Mandating Eat Local: When the country started facing a milk shortage, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez threatened to bring in the army against dairy farmers selling their products non-locally. He even suggested that he might bring the dairy farms under state control — socialism, if you will. From Bloomberg.

Egg Rolls Roll in Israel: If you were planning to get an egg roll in Israel, you’re out of luck. In protest to the Israeli government’s attempt to remove them from their jobs to create more work for native Israelis, Asian chefs are protesting by not serving egg rolls for a day. Of course, you’d really be replacing Asian chefs with Asian (Israeli) chefs, but we’ll let it slide. From National Public Radio.

Kansas Legislature Says “yes” to rBGH: Following the attempts by Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio to ban the labeling of rBGH-free milk, lawmakers in Kansas are attempting to do the same. While some milk producers and Monsanto claim that there is no difference between milk with and without rBGH, many consumer advocates say that people still have a right to know what’s in their milk. From the Ethicurean.

Pesticide Spraying in San Francisco: Beginning as early as June 1 this year, the California agriculture department plans to begin spraying a pesticide called Checkmate over San Francisco and other nearby cities. The department was granted an emergency exemption from the U.S. EPA to kill off an agriculturally-threatening moth. The plan has California residents alarmed about their health. From the San Francisco Chronicle.

Kids Will Eat Their Veggies: It turns out that with a little prodding, kids will venture to try — and enjoy — new fruits and vegetables. This is what school faculty and staff are discovering all over Los Angeles, where elementary schools are first teaching kids about new fruits and vegetables, then serving them in newly established salad bars in the school cafeterias. From National Public Radio.

Slaughterhouse Managers Brought to the Law: Two managers at a Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse have had felony charges filed against them for blatant abuses of animal welfare and threatening human health. The allegations are based on undercover video shot by a Humane Society investigator and subsequent investigations by the police. One of the managers claims he was only following orders from higher powers in the company. From the Los Angeles Times.

Honeybee Crisis: As much as one-third of the U.S. food supply depends on honeybees, and that’s why this story is so alarming.  A mysterious happening known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is causing a bee shortage.  A researcher sums it up this way: “Bees … are seemingly going out and can’t find their way back home.”  From the Iowa Source.

What Does Your Magazine Taste Like?: Lickable ads are the newest thing to come about in advertising.  This month, Welch’s grape juice ads will feature strips that readers can lick to find out what grape juice sort of tastes like — if you didn’t already know.  From the Wall Street Journal.

Food from street vendors has never been considered gourmet in any city, but residents of Washington, D.C., will tell you that there’s been a real dearth of decent food on their streets. Three D.C.-area businessmen were discussing this over a few beers one night, and out of this conversation was born a new innovative company: On-The-Fly, a street vendor selling local gourmet foods to downtown inhabitants. The company operates a small fleet of SmartKarts (fluorescent green electric vehicles) and is just opening its first SmartKafes in areas with a high amount of foot traffic. Their first locations opened late last year.

The company focuses on serving high quality local food to its customers, and environmental responsibility is always a top priority.  I spoke by phone with On-The-Fly CEO Gabe Klein. Excerpts:

Posey: You seem to be all the rage these days in D.C. On the website yelp.com, three different users have posted positive reviews about your enterprise (or rather, their lunch). To what do you attribute your popularity?

Klein: I think a few things. One is that people are really enjoying the quality of the food. Our first focus is to have food that tastes good and is nutritious. The “eco” part is important to our mission - we want to be environmentally-friendly, use packaging that’s good. In D.C., we’re very limited in our street food options. Basically, it’s almost exclusively hot dogs and potato chips. We have a lot of people here that are transient folks in D.C. and they are used to a higher-quality set of street food options and it’s extremely limited. I think a lot of people are saying, “hooray, there’s not only something of higher quality, but it’s actually taking it up a notch from what we’re used to in these other cities.”

You claim to be an eco-vender. What does this mean, and what qualities make you an eco-vender?

Well that’s a phrase that we coined, and we also coined SmartKart. We built basically a proprietary vehicle, and this vehicle is built on an electric platform. I used to work for a company called ZipCar, which is a car-sharing company, and I built the operation here in D.C. I always wanted to do something with electric vehicles and we weren’t able to. So, when I started my own company I was really fixated on doing something that involved mobile assets and that involved electric vehicles that just plug in, and then we sort of merged those two concepts with the idea of really high quality street food where you only do a couple of things but do them really well. So, back to the “eco.” The vehicle plugs in and charges overnight, and then we have the capability to run the entire vehicle on electricity during the day as long as we have a 220 volt outlet. We are working on having power at most of our new sites so that we can use 100 percent electricity and have zero emissions not only from the vehicle, but from the production of food as well. (more…)

I love to eat locally as much as possible. Besides supporting local economies and local farmers who treat the land sustainably, the food just tastes so darn good. And then there’s the global warming/carbon emissions aspect. Our wonderful CSA, Avalon Acres, has delicious produce for six months out of the year, but right about now, deep into winter, I’m really jonesing for some good tomatoes, squash, or lettuce. I’m a little tired of winter squash and potatoes. And there are other non-local staples I’m just not willing to sacrifice, like peanut butter, pasta, flour, sugar, rice, milk, and so many others. To a certain extent, I think it’s important to cut yourself some slack so you don’t get too tired of the same foods. But I’m also looking forward to learning to stay more local and seasonal during the winter, when it’s the hardest. This winter Zach and I have enjoyed making butternut squash soup, potato soup, sweet potato fries, apple carrot salad, and pumpkin bread.

Maybe winter is the somewhat boring time of the food year so that we really appreciate that first strawberry of spring, the first tomato of summer, and all the bounty the land has to offer!

Sale of Cloned Milk and Meat OK’ed: Despite much outcry, the FDA recently allowed milk and meat from cloned animals to be sold on the market. “It is beyond our imagination to even find a theory that would cause the food to be unsafe,” a representative of the FDA said. While this statement may be preposterous, it’s unlikely that you’ll see cloned meat in the fridge anytime soon anyways — it’s simply too expensive. From the Associated Press.

The King Threatens Florida Tomato Growers: Burger King is considering a move to stop buying tomatoes from many growers in Florida, perhaps due to a movement to pay farm workers there greater wages. From the (Florida) Herald-Tribune.

Cocoa or Bust: Cocoa is in short supply these days due to generally bad weather in cocoa-growing regions. The prediction of the upcoming deficit has some manufacturers stocking up, driving prices up 12 percent. From Food Navigator.

New York Slims Down: City officials in the Big Apple want its citizens to start eating more, well, apples (and other healthy items). They’re reviving a proposal to require chain restaurants to list calorie counts for items on their menus, hoping that it will make people think twice about ordering certain items. Representatives of the fast food industry retort that people would be irritated by the extra information on already cluttered menus. From the Associated Press.

Farm Bill Returns: Did you get tired of hearing about the 2007 Farm Bill? Well, now let’s hear about something completely different: the 2008 Farm Bill. The Gristmill has published a five-part series about the issue. From the Gristmill.

Why Poor Children Are Overweight: It’s not what we thought before, say some researchers from Iowa State University. From the Chicago Tribune.

French Revolution in South Africa: It was high bread prices that (in part) caused the French Revolution, and South African officials are trying to prevent that. They’re looking into possible price gouging by South African bread distributors. From the (South Africa) Independent Online.

Even with a sign that looks something like the traditional Las Vegas welcome sign, the market is still difficult to find. Once you get there, though, you’re likely to see farmers’ trucks parked underneath the rows of sheds, displaying their seasonal produce. Elsewhere on the grounds is a flea market and larger produce stores that ship in their wares.

Today I went, and there was nobody there.

I’m exaggerating. There were a few flea market sellers there, and the produce stores were open. As I left, I drove around back and saw that there were some Latino families selling flea market wares and produce — but I doubt that it was local produce (peaches and tomatoes in January?).

It snowed yesterday for the first time this winter, and today it was a nippy nineteen degrees (that’s cold for us Alabamians).  I can hardly blame the farmers for not wanting to be out in that weather — even if their crops did survive the frost.

So I left, disappointed. I only have one more option for local produce now — Jones Valley Urban Farm. Of course, they’re not growing that much this time of year, either.  We’ll just see what they do have.

Although I have yet to read Michael Pollan’s new book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, I have no doubt about the great impact the book’s message can and will have. Pollan argues, among other things, that nutritional science just doesn’t know it all, but many processed foods are still touting health claims. We need to make food a higher priority. For a society obsessed with eating healthily, Pollan’s advice is indispensable.

That is why I am disappointed with Pollan’s decision to cancel his appearance on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. The Colbert Report has a large, almost captive, viewership of young adults who need to hear Pollan’s message, and now they may not ever hear it.

Pollan canceled his appearance because the Writer’s Guild of America has not yet settled with Comedy Central, and appearing on Colbert’s late-night show would require him to cross picket lines of fellow writers. While the writers union’s cause is just and worthwhile, there are more important things at stake here: the health of millions of individuals in our society.

Speaking about Pollan’s interview on a Canadian radio show, blogger Peter (aka Nosher of the North) summed up the potential effect of Pollan’s interviews: “I hope what he said will cause them to think about their food choices and the consequences these choices have on their bodies, the environment, and the people who produce them.”

Pollan is, first and foremost, a writer, not a food activist. Thus, his priorities lie with fellow writers and not with those who wish to change the Western diet. However uncomfortable he may be leading the food revolution, he is the current face of this movement and needs to step up to the plate with his message. I hope he will.

Fast Food Giant Passes: Carl Karcher, the man who built the Carl’s Jr. (and Hardees) empire, passed away Friday.  This man worked tirelessly to spread his fast food chain across the country, only later to be fired by his own board.  From the Los Angeles Times.

Locavore Backlash: Not everybody’s so keen on this eat local movement. They say they’re tired of locavores bragging about their local food street cred. From National Public Radio and from The Grinder at CHOW.

Japan Reallows Meat: After a ban on some of Cargill’s meat, Japan has lifted that import restriction. Japanese officials were concerned about mislabeled meat from the meatpacker that could carry infectious diseases. Restrictions on all U.S. beef imports were only eased in July 2006 after concerns of mad cow disease. From BusinessWeek.

Pearls for Dinner: Perhaps we just included this story because it was entertaining: a restaurant patron found a pearl in a batch of fried oysters he ordered recently. This discovery was said to be “one in a million.” From (New Jersey) Asbury Park Press.

Washington Schools Go Local: Proposed provisions in the Washington state legislature would allow school cafeterias to serve food from local farmers. Previously, schools were required to buy the cheapest food available, no matter where it came from. Now, nutritionists have discretion over that decision, allowing them to pick the freshest (and healthiest) foods for their students. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

We All Scream For Ice Cream: Scream all you want in one Connecticut school, but these children aren’t getting back their ice cream — or cookies. Instead, fruit and yogurt are being served as a delicious end-of-meal treat. We hope they’ll learn to like it. From National Public Radio.

Healthy Girl Scout Cookies: Perhaps that’s an oxymoron, because you know it’s hard to stop after opening a box of thin mints. But that’s what the new portion-controlled 100-calorie packs are for. And all varieties of Girl Scout Cookies are now trans-fat free. From the (Davenport, Iowa) Quad-City Times.

Presidential Candidates on Agribusiness: Apparently neither of the Democratic front-runners (or Republican candidates) are doing too great in the eyes of Grist blogger Tom Philpott. From the Gristmill.

Gourmet Airline Food?: Celebrity chefs are teaming up with airlines to improve the reception of in-flight meals. From the Washington Post.

Eat Your Eyes: Some pretty mad scientists decided to create edible googly eyes. Who doesn’t want to eat a pair of eyes? From Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.

Superhero Lettuce: Shiny plants such as lettuce are the latest novel solution to global warming. Apparently, the plants’ leaves reflect the sun’s rays right back at it. From the Guardian.

What We Already Knew: Investigators uncover the truths of chain restaurant foods. And it’s not just fast-food restaurants either. That fruit smoothie you’ve been drinking? Chock full of sugar. From Men’s Health.

Just the other day, you see, I was minding my own business at my local grocer when I saw something I couldn’t resist. It was a bag of 10 ripe bananas for only 79 cents. That’s the same price I would pay for a single underripe banana in my campus cafeteria, and I much prefer them ripe. (They weren’t local, of course, but somebody had to eat them.) So I bought them.

The only logical thing you can do with a bunch of ripe bananas is to make banana bread. This recipe is very moist, probably due to the copious amount of banana in it.

Around the same time, I was making a vegan tofu quiche for my dinner. As long as I was going to the trouble of making one pie crust (just flour, shortening, and ice water), I might as well make a second one — and then something to fill it: apple praline pie to the rescue. This particular one came from the wonderful little cookbook Simply In Season.

Never mind that my pie crust-making skills aren’t quite up to par yet. It still tasted good.

Overall, my baking excursion proved to be an excellent way to waste away an evening.

For Those REALLY on the Go: As the coffee substitute Postum (a favorite of Mormons) is being discontinued, a new product is being introduced: Java Rush, a dissolvable tablet that contains caffeine, taurine, and inositol. Of course, it’s not recommended for nursing or pregnant women, those with health conditions, or those taking prescription meds. Who’s left? Busy moms and athletes. From Junk Food Blog.

Fast Food Nation, Number Two: Great Britian, the home of McLibel, now has a new distinction: most addicted to fast food. (The two actually make sense together.) To be fair, though, the United States came in right behind our friends across the pond. From United Press International.

Corn Cash: Everybody’s favorite scapegoat, Monsanto (a supplier of genetically-modified seeds and non-genetically-modified pesticides) has reported earnings triple of those the same time last year. Thanks in part to the federal government’s mandate for corn-based ethanol, corn farms are asking for evermore products from this agricultural giant. From the Gristmill.

The Broken Link for Locavores: Distribution. For those restaurants and groceries wanting local food, it’s almost impossible; most distributors operate on a national or regional scale and can’t get local food to local consumers. But one man in Michigan is changing that with his new distribution company, Cherry Capital Foods. From National Public Radio.

Deep South Deep Sigh: Bad puns aside, the agriculture industry in Florida and other nearby states fared fine during the the past few days of deep freeze warnings. From Florida Today.

Cloning Your Milk: The FDA will probably soon announce that it will allow meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring to be sold on the consumer market. The health question, however, is still unanswered. Many consumer groups are still fighting against this soon-to-be ruling. From the Wall Street Journal.

New York’s Food Dreams: Since I live only a mile or two from a permanent large farmer’s market (albeit outdoors) in a medium-sized Southern city, I was quite surprised to find that the metropolis of New York has no such establishment. But new efforts are underway to change that. As many as 250 growers and producers could sell their food in one place. From the New York Times.