Tidbits: Fish Farms, Schools Go Local and Healthy, Edible Eyes, and More
January 12th, 2008A Fishy Plan: Two federal agencies, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are going ahead with plans to open up the Gulf of Mexico to fish farms. This is all despite loud protests from united environmentalists and commercial fishermen, two groups usually at odds with each other. These protesters worry that pollution from chemicals and genetic makeups of farmed fish could breach the permeable walls of these farms. From the Associated Press via the (Lafeyette, Louis.) Daily Advertiser.
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.
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