GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update May 2, 2020

 

  • The first map of America’s food supply chain in mind-boggling (Fast Company) https://bit.ly/2wpPnRl                                                  Most of our food is moved across great distances – and through many different forms of transit – before it reaches our plates.
  • The Coronavirus Reveals the ‘Invisible Inequalities’ In Our Food System (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Vee4tt                                          Professor Marion Nestle offers a sobering assessment: “That the food systems is failing is a given.”
  • Nation’s Leading Public Health Organization Urges Halt to All New and Expanding CAFOs (Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future) https://bit.ly/2Ui93jl
  • Nature Scores a Big Win Against Fracking in a Small Pennsylvania Town (Rolling Stone) https://bit.ly/2V2Atcc                                                  After a seven-year battle, Grant Township fought off a permit for an injection well. “Fights like ours should mushroom all around Pennsylvania,” says town supervisor
  • Seattle restaurants are keeping hospital staff fed – and picking up the tab (crosscut) https://bit.ly/33yDAfJ                                                          Cooking up excess food also keeps workers paid during coronavirus closures.
  • Coronavirus: Food Hub to offer direct sales to public in Mendocino and Lake County (Ukiah Daily Journal) https://bit.ly/2UJUq8r
  • ‘Buy more fruits and vegetables’: LA’s produce wholesalers are seeing a 90% drop in sales (LA Times) https://lat.ms/3401noU
  • Every Bay Area Grocery Store with a ‘Senior Hour’ (FunCheapSF) https://bit.ly/3bbz2OY                                                                                                Safeway, Whole Foods, Rainbow Grocery and more give seniors the morning to themselves
  • Stores designate shopping time for senior vulnerable amid coronavirus: Walmart, Target, Whole Foods and more (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2J2RflC
  • Grocers across Canada offering special hour for seniors and immunocompromised Canadians (Eat North) https://bit.ly/2J89eam                                                                                                These grocers aim to better serve the elderly and immunocompromised shoppers with new hours
  • Most Farmers’ Markets to Remain Open as Essential Services During Lockdown Period (sfist) https://bit.ly/2wDD7N6                      During the upcoming shelter-in-place period, it appears that, like grocery stores, most or all the Bay Area’s farmers’ markets will keep running on their usual schedules in San Francisco and elsewhere, albeit with some extra protocols in place.
  • Trying to avoid grocery stores? Farmers markets offer calmer, more socially-distant shopping (SFGate) https://bit.ly/39q7eVF
  • Gates Foundation is spearheading the neoliberal plunder of African agriculture (The Ecologist) https://bit.ly/2V45VIc
  • Study: Ag One: Recolonization of Agriculture (Navdanya International) https://bit.ly/2UoSnFo                                                                 Bill Gates who became a billionaire through the deregulation of corporate globalization is now leading the recolonization of Indian and African agriculture. The report unveils the real motives of Bill Gates.
  • Baker Carves Delectable Designs Into the Crust of Her Artisanal Loaves of Bread (My Modern Met) https://bit.ly/3akpgdn

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • ‘No supervisors, no bosses’: Upending farm labor by owning the land (Crosscut) https://bit.ly/2xUahIO                                                              Tired of mistreated and not being able to afford the food they harvested, two Bellingham farmworkers left corporate agriculture to start their own berry cooperative.
  • Farmers in Puerto Rico are Growing a Culture of Social Justice and Climate Resilience (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/3bn6P87                     After Hurricane Maria, hundreds of young farmers, many women, have established bold approaches to agriculture – and their ideas are resonating beyond the island.
  • An Airbnb For Farmland Hits A Snag, A Farmers Raise Data Privacy Concerns (NPR) https://n.pr/2UqLwv9

 

Land and Soil

  • Can ‘Carbon Smart’ Farming Play a Key Role in the Climate Fight? (Yale Environment 360) https://bit.ly/3dRBcFD

 

Climate

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Tanzania farmers are facing heavy prison sentences if they continue their traditional seed exchange (MO) https://bit.ly/3a50pdx

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Ganga river water becomes fit for drinking in Haridwar, Rishikesh during India’s lockdown (Times of India) https://bit.ly/3a2Vedg
  • A Movement Grows to Help Farmers Reduce Pollution and Turn a Profit (Yale Environment 360) https://bit.ly/2UFy1cw                            More than 100,000 miles of US rivers and streams are polluted by nitrogen, and phosphorus, much of it from agricultural runoff. In Pennsylvania, an innovative program is showing farmers how to plant cash crops in buffer zones…
  • Newark’s Lead Crisis Isn’t Over: “People Are Still Drinking Water That They Shouldn’t” (The Intercept) https://bit.ly/2wdtVii

 

Food Culture & History

  • ‘Boulangeries Are Helping Us Make It Through’: In France, Bakeries Remain Essential (NPR) https://n.pr/3c1xY0z
  • Frederick Douglass On How Slave Owners Used Food As A Weapon of Control (NPR) https://n.pr/2KdE1mQ

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Amid the coronavirus crisis, mutual aid networks erupt across the country (Waging Nonviolence) https://bit.ly/2UIowJL                            As the government response to the pandemic falters, mutual aid projects – a staple of social movements for decades – are rising up to meet people’s basic needs
  • Strategic starvation in the Secure Housing Unit (SHU) at Wabash Valley (San Francisco Bayview) https://bit.ly/2Vi83Lb
  • NYC offers free meals to all New Yorkers amid economic fallout from coronavirus (NY Daily News) https://bit.ly/2RbIE4Q
  • FEMA approves California’s plan to deliver meals to isolated seniors during coronavirus pandemic (KTVU) https://bit.ly/3a6WgVi
  • How to Safely Feed Seniors During a Pandemic (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/3d8gxg2                                                                                          The challenge is striking a balance between food security coronavirus prevention, especially among the vulnerable populations.
  • Low-Income Seniors at Mission SRO Go Hungry After Food Pantry Stops Delivering (sfist) https://bit.ly/2WN90Oa
  • Meals on Wheels Is Already Feeling the Symptoms of Coronavirus (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2yigH4G                                      “We’re doing the best we can with the scant information.”
  • In the poorest county, in America’s poorest state, a virus hits home: ‘Hunger is rampant’ (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Xf2HTN                                                                                                In county were every child qualifies for free school meals, a superintendent embarks on a project – driving 6,000 meals a day
  • San Francisco restaurant owner comforts with her cooking, delivers free meals to those in need (KTVU2) https://bit.ly/34hn1VM
  • Men In Kilts offering free grocery delivery for seniors, mobility-challenged (My Comox Valley Now) https://bit.ly/2QYTUkW
  • Cabazon Band of Mission Indians donates over 10K pounds of perishable goods to FIND Food Bank (Indo, CA) (KESQ) https://bit.ly/3br44m3
  • San Francisco-Marin Food Bank arrives at SF public schools – and so do the hungry (Mission Local) https://bit.ly/2U8jzJM
  • Food Banks Will Need $1.4 Billion Over Six Months, Feeding America Says (Food Bank News) https://bit.ly/2yBzurX
    • ‘A perfect storm’: US facing hunger crisis as demand for food banks soars (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/3bGgjLI
    • Food banks face shortages of volunteers; many Bay Area pantries close as coronavirus spreads (Cal Matters) https://bit.ly/2U5zRmU
  • ‘Unforgettable’ Footage of Endless Line of Cars at Food Banks a Stark Illustration of Coronavirus Crisis in US (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/34scFCB                                                                                                 “It is outrageous that in the richest country in the history of the world, people are going hungry,” said Bernie Sanders, who called for more urgent relief from Congress.
  • Photos: Vehicles line up before dawn as locals seek aid from the San Antonio Food Bank (My San Antonio) https://bit.ly/2VkZLCd
  • Revealed: food bank shortages expected to hit Washington state by mid-April (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2V2Bml2
  • Winnipeg chef gathers ingredients from closed restaurants to create meals for people in need (Eat North) https://bit.ly/3bglHFa
  • Big-hearted strangers turn Little Free Libraries into Little Free Pantries (Literary Hub) https://bit.ly/2x7kDET

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Idaho farm gave away potatoes for free so they wouldn’t got to waste (KTVB7) https://bit.ly/3bkrnhW                                                            Cranney Farms in Oakley has thousands of potatoes they were expecting to sell. Instead of dumping them, they gave them away.
  • MCO: Sabah (Malaysia) farmer distributing vegetables for free rather than letting them go to waste (New Straits Times) https://bit.ly/34MJPNx
  • Dumped milk, smashed eggs and plowed vegetables: Coronavirus pandemic leaves staggering amount of food waste (Chicago Tribune) https://bit.ly/34GjJvv
    • California dairies dump milk, crops may be left to wither as coronavirus pandemic disrupts food system (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2V4JPVN
  • “Truly helpless”: Farmers devastated by coronavirus pandemic (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/3a3NO9p                                                               … Dairy farmers in Pennsylvania are pouring milk down the drain because of dried-up demand from closed restaurants and schools, while others stand by helplessly as their crops rot in the field.
  • Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2xrNOTk                                       With restaurants, hotels and schools closed, many of the nation’s largest farms are destroying millions of pounds of fresh goods that they can no longer sell.
  • ‘It’s catastrophic.’ Coronavirus forces Florida farmers to scrap food they can’t sell (Miami Herald) https://hrld.us/39AjjHT
  • Coronavirus claims an unexpected victim: Florida vegetables (NBC Montana) https://bit.ly/39ZWDRv
  • Dairy farmers forced to dump milk because of coronavirus related closures (Food Dive) https://bit.ly/2ReVgYL
    • Dairy farmers forced to dump milk because of coronavirus related closures (Food Dive) https://bit.ly/2ReVgYL
    • Wisconsin dairy farmer dumps 56K pounds of milk: ‘no one’s buying it’(abc7news) https://abc7ne.ws/2yvHYAA
    • Perry County (PA) dairy farmers asked to dump thousands of pounds of milk amid Covid-19 outbreak (abc27 News) https://bit.ly/2JW32To
    • Coronavirus is forcing some Idaho to dump thousands of gallons of milk – a day (Idaho Statesman) https://bit.ly/2RpCU7u
  • Chicken company to cull birds as processing capacity plummets (Food, Agriculture and the Environment) https://bit.ly/2Xys82w

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Healthy Eating Is Key To Well-Being. So Why Is Hospital Food Often So Bad? (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Qz0oXj                        From Maine to California, hospitals are tackling a lingering contradiction: Their food can be a hinderance to their patients’ health.
  • What banned substances might be hiding in your groceries? (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/3bzB3Vm                                                                        If you live in the US, your grocery store is full of substances banned in Europe. Use our handy tool to find out what they are and how to avoid them

 

Scandals, Food Fraud, Weird & Funny

 

Children & School Food

  • Coronavirus and Poverty: A Mother Skips Meals So Her Children Can Eat (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2xbKA6c                                                          Americans with tight financial resources have fewer options as they navigate coronavirus closures and layoffs.
  • With class cancelled due to coronavirus, public schools are inventing meal-delivery operations on the fly (The Counter) https://bit.ly/2WvTiXo

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • At 90, Dolores Huerta Is Not Done Inspiring Labor Activists (Zora) https://bit.ly/2yjHFJf                                                                              She always believed she could do more for farmworkers by organizing a union to fix income inequality
  • ‘Now Make It national’: Vermont and Minnesota Classify Grocery Store Staff as Emergency Personnel (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/3bcbuJG                                                                                                  “If your job is so ‘essential’ that you can’t get off for a killer global pandemic, you deserve $15 an hour and a union.”
  • ‘They Are Saving Our Lives’: Demand Grows for Grocery Store Employees, Other Frontline Workers to Receive Hazard Pay Amid Coronavirus Outbreak (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/396OJp0                                                                                          “Crewmembers are terrified knowing their job is putting them on the frontlines of a global pandemic.”
  • Grocers should show ‘human kindness’ and pay older workers to stay home, senator writes (The Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/2UeCS4l
  • Kroger Expands Coronavirus Paid Leave Policy, Gives Bonuses After Backlash (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/39ebdV7                      The supermarket chain previously provided every associate with $25 on their loyalty cards to “show how much Kroger appreciates and acknowledges you.”
  • “Without These Workers, Everything Ceases to Exist”: How Coronavirus Is Coming for Your Produce (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2xAlkqw                                                                                                  US consulates in Mexico are closed indefinitely, stranding a labor source that American farms rely on.
  • Farm Workers Are Still in the Fields as Pandemic Spreads (LA Magazine)  https://bit.ly/2VmeKf8
  • Farmworkers on both side of the US – Mexico border lack protective gear and run a major risk of illness advocates said (Reuters) https://tmsnrt.rs/2RgpbQe
  • Despite threat of fines, jail time, price gouging still rampant in California farmworker communities (Food, Agriculture and the Environment) https://bit.ly/3cd1Maw
  • Immigrant farmworkers feed us despite the coronavirus pandemic. They deserve better (The Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/3bfzLib
    • What Happens if America’s 2.5 Million Farmworkers Get Sick? (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2x1cUZc                                                                        Their cramped living and working conditions threaten their health and the nation’s food supply.
  • Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’ (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2UXnTeb
  • Migrant Farmworkers Feed America – And They’re At High Risk For A Coronavirus Outbreak (Portside) https://bit.ly/2JnJEON
  • Farmworkers pick our food. Shouldn’t we care about their health and coronavirus exposure? (The Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/2WAshlJ
  • Migrant Workers Are Essential Workers and Must Be Included in Coronavirus Relief (Trutout) https://bit.ly/3cd0dtd
    • America’s Farmworkers – Now ‘Essential,’ but Denied the Just-Enacted Benefits (American Prospect) https://bit.ly/3bOInwk
    • “Essential” Immigrant Farmworkers Struggle to Feed Themselves During Coronavirus (Open Democracy) https://bit.ly/2JHrisn                                                                                              Immigrant farmworkers have long been essential to the United States. But they have never been recognized, respected or properly rewarded for their labour
  • I Harvest Your Food. Why Isn’t My Health ‘Essential’? (NYT) https://nyti.ms/3esFG5K
  • Pre-existing conditions, no sick leave and health insurance put farm workers at increased coronavirus risk (The Counter) https://bit.ly/2J32zhI
  • Unsung Heroes: Mexican Laborers Still Working Hard In The Fields, Providing Our Food (Latin Live) https://bit.ly/2JoIFxN
  • Farm workers still on the job during shelter in place (KION 546) https://bit.ly/2WuUeeA
  • As the agricultural season ramps up in a pandemic, worker safety protocols follow. (Monterey County Weekly) https://bit.ly/3ekXeko
  • Central California Mexican restaurants deliver burritos to hundreds of farm workers amid COVID-19 pandemic (abc7) https://bit.ly/2UWZpmp
    • Mexican Restaurants Deliver Food To Hundreds of Farmworkers Laboring in the Fields (Latin Live) https://bit.ly/3a2xENN
  • Hospital Food Workers and Janitors Are Stuck In a “Death Trap” (In These Times) https://bit.ly/3b6nJrx                                                            “I’m jeopardizing myself coming here every day. I love my work but just give me the tools I need to do my job.
  • I’m A Fast-Food Worker. Each Day I Come In, I May Be Signing My Own Death Certificate. (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2UWVciB  “Why, in industries like mine, are minimum,-wage workers the only ones forced to keep exposing themselves to the danger of the pandemic?”
  • The coronavirus has laid bare restaurant workers’ ‘tip to mouth’ existence (Food & Environment Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2RsGqOi
  • Hundreds of US Meat Workers Have Now Tested Positive for Virus (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/3b6A1Aa
    • One of the largest pork processing facilities in the US is closing until further notice (CNN) https://cnn.it/2VkTSVO                            One of the country’s largest pork processing facilities is closing until further notice as employees fall ill with Covid-19.
  • Hazelton (PA) meat-packing plant closes with 130 workers testing positive for COVID-19. Union leader at Souderton Plant died last Friday. (Penn Live) https://bit.ly/2Vo1d71
  • More meat plants close as employee coronavirus outbreaks grow (Food Dive) https://bit.ly/2JZbq4D
  • JBS tells 6,000 beef workers to self-quarantine (Food, Agriculture and Environment) https://bit.ly/3ejwLUb
  • Tyson confirms 2 employees from Columbus Junction plant died due to COVID-19 (KCCI 8 Des Moines) https://bit.ly/2VroLI0
  • North Carolina Prisoners Still Working in Chicken Plants, Despite Coronavirus Fears (The Marshall Project) https://bit.ly/2wtuwfR
  • Guy Fieri Is Partnering On A Relief Fund To Give $500 Directly To Laid Off Restaurant Workers (Delish) https://bit.ly/2yup9Ot
  • Harvard, Boasting $40 Billion Endowment, Lays Off Dining Hall Workers Due to Coronavirus (The Washington Free Beacon) https://bit.ly/2WN00Zo                                                                                              Country’s richest university cuts costs as pandemic sweeps country
  • Orlando Airport Chili’s asks servers to come in and clean, then fires them (Orlando Weekly) https://bit.ly/2J3n7qv

 

Protests

  • Fast Foods Workers at 50 Restaurants Across California Are Going on Strike (Vice) https://bit.ly/2VfzRQj                                                Hundreds of workers from McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Domino’s, and more chains will walk off the job to demand coronavirus protections.

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Every Grocery Store Should Be Handling the Pandemic Like This Texas Chain (Vice) https://bit.ly/2JCbw1Z                                                      Whole Foods, local grocery chains, and probably the federal government could take a page from HEB’s emergency preparedness book.
  • Safeway, Sobeys and Thrifty Foods to add InFarm hydroponic systems to select stores (eatnorth) https://bit.ly/3drsSMK
  • ‘I can’t see them struggle’: Spokane steakhouse owner distributes meals to laid-off staff (The Spokesman Review) https://bit.ly/2wRiA7R
  • Texas Roadhouse And Hilton CEO Forego Salary For The Year To Pay Workers (The Intellectualist) https://bit.ly/39vRUa3
    • Texas Roadhouse CEO gives salary to pay employees during coronavirus pandemic (Austin 360) https://bit.ly/2UpyEXt
  • Why the oldest restaurant in San Francisco refuses to lay off a single employee (SFGate) https://bit.ly/2WSuclM
  • How a San Francisco restaurant reinvented itself to survive in the age of COVID-19 (SF Gate) https://bit.ly/2UP4coL
  • Bay Area restaurants and nonprofits are feeding hospital workers. Here’s how you can help (SFGate) https://bit.ly/2VcnCUF
  • Shutdown: Your favorite restaurant might not reopen. Here’s what could prevent that (The Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/2vKND4U
  • Restaurant owners appreciate landlord’s advice to ‘pay employees’ instead of rent (KAIT8) https://bit.ly/33AHsww
  • Why Are Insurance Companies Denying Restaurant Claims in Wake of Pandemic? (Eater) https://bit.ly/3bhKcSg                                    As government mandates force restaurants to close their dining rooms, operators learn insurance won’t help
  • Jose Andres Is Closing His DC – Area Restaurants, Setting Up Community Kitchens (NBC Washington) https://bit.ly/2UkY1IR    Jose Andres is a chef and the founder of the World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that provides meals to victims of natural disasters
  • Chef Jose Andres’s Nonprofit Provides Meals For Docked Cruise Ship (sfist) https://bit.ly/2JjwySE                                                                       International celebrity chef Jose Andres is cementing his reputation for responding to national disasters…
  • With restaurants closed, a bacon backup is building in Minnesota and hog prices are plunging (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/2VlL7e2                                                                                                                                 About two-thirds of bacon sales happened in restaurants and hog farmers are suddenly losing significant revenue.
  • “The rise of the ghost kitchen” could change the restaurant delivery game (The Counter) http://bit.ly/3aCFiyM
  • Collegetown Bagels announces “pay-what-you-can” initiative at City Center Location (Ithaca Times) https://bit.ly/2QE4q0A
  • Coronavirus Has Broken America’s Food Supply (The American Prospect) https://bit.ly/2VyWFL5                                                                        Because commercial and consumer supply chains are different and cannot easily be transferred, enormous amounts of food are going to waste – and it could get worse.
  • Economic fallout from coronavirus is also hitting farmers (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/2UwonYf                                                                      Dairy prices also suffering, could get worse is schools close, lowering demand.
  • As coronavirus affects the economy, Washington farm industry faces potential threat from logistics problems (The Spokesman Review) https://bit.ly/349zrPP

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Essential workers like nurses and grocery store employees would get a $25,000 raise for working through the pandemic under a new plan from Senate Democrats (Business Insider) https://bit.ly/3cbzvBe
  • House Democrats introduce plan to pay Americans $2,000 a month until economy recovers from COVID-19 (Business Insider) https://bit.ly/3cfqJ5g
  • Trump sued for allowing meals-on-wheels & homeless shelters to discriminate against LGBTQ people (LGBTQ Nation) https://bit.ly/33B4weK
  • Food and Drug Administration pauses routine food inspections for the indefinite future (The Counter) https://bit.ly/2WzqRrv  What could possibly go wrong?
  • Food Safety Groups Warn of Looming Zoonotic Pandemic, Blast USDA’s New Slaughter Plant Regulation (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/34fijI8                                                                                                      “Self-regulation when it comes to animal movement, slaughter, and meat inspection is bad news.”
  • US restricts visas for farmworkers, raising concerns about food supply (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2WF38GL                                  “This could have a very serious impact on the flow of fresh fruits and vegetables to American stores,” the head of a farmers group said.
  • The Trump administration issued a new rule that blocks guaranteed paid sick leave for 75% of American workers (Business Insider) https://bit.ly/2Rb7Xni
  • With Nation Distracted by Public Health and Economic Crises, Trump Moves to Allow GMO Crops in Wildlife Refuges (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/33LjWxj                                                                              “Only the Trump administration would aggressively promote the use of crops genetically engineered for pesticide tolerance on wildlife refuges.”
  • Trump Accused of Exploiting Coronavirus Pandemic to Advance ‘Truly Disgraceful’ Union Busting Effort (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2wqjCHU                                                                                              “This action reveals in stark terms just how determined the administration is to roll back the rights and benefits of federal employees.”
  • Senate Dems propose big pay hike for frontline anti-pandemic workers (People’s World) https://bit.ly/34kckSD
  • Senator Booker Is Right about Factory Farming (National Review) https://bit.ly/396OZod                                                                            We should pass legislation to end it
  • Victoria (BC) Assigns Park Staff To Start Growing Food For Residents (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2UHIeoI
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom signs executive order to give relief to food industry workers (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2VhkcRT
    • Coronavirus: Newsom announces $125M fund for undocumented immigrants amid coronavirus emergency (abc7) https://bit.ly/3erdgsZ                                                                              Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday $125 million in disaster relief assistance for working Californians that will provide financial support to undocumented immigrants impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
  • LA passes ordinance to reserve grocery shopping times for the elderly and disabled (LA Times) https://lat.ms/3byXEkL

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Second wave of locusts in east Africa said to be 20 times worse (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2xpCEPh                                                              UN warns of ‘alarming and unprecedented threat’ to food security and livelihoods in the region

 

Animals, Fish, Fresh Water & Marine Animals

  • Factory farms create the perfect conditions to spread viral infections like COVID-19 (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2VlPMNe                                                                                              An alarming 75 percent of new or merging diseases start in animals.

 

Poisons

  • Trump’s EPA is being sued for hiding information about new chemicals (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2xufo1W                              Several environmental organizations join together to hold the EPA accountable and prove the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is being ignored.
  • Are plastic containers safe for our food? (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/3aw0DKC                                                                                              The industry says its containers are safe but some experts point to a lack of data and warn that plastic and heat aren’t a good mix.
  • Monsanto documents predicted damage to US farms (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/34qiSPE                                                                              Dozens of US farms have joined together to sue Monsanto (now Bayer) and BASF in order to hold them accountable for damage of millions of acres of farmland and crops
  • Revealed: Monsanto predicted crop system would damage US farms (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Jt90e0                                            Internal documents describe how to profit from farmer losses and desire to oppose some independent testing

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • GM Bt Corn Causes Organ Damage and Altered Blood Chemistry, and Threatened Male Fertility (GMO Science) https://bit.ly/2Uz5ghy
  • Crisper gene-editing will change the way Americans eat – here’s what’s coming (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/39zBygU                            The technology will be labeled and subject to stringent health and environment review in the EU, but not in the US, where produce could be radically changed

 

Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

  • ‘I was all my food like crazy’: scientists voice concern about nanoparticles (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/33W6s1s                            US foods are increasingly full of nano-scale additives, even as researchers raise

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update April 2, 2020

 

  • The Whole-Grain Grail: A Sandwich Bread With Mass Appeal (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2Vgxa2M                                                                  Bakers around the country have joined forces to make a soft, sliced, affordable bread with whole wheat. Their only obstacle? Every other loaf in America.
  • UN under fire over choice of ‘corporate puppet’ as envoy to key food summit (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33iaqkS                                      Organization accused of kowtowing to big business by appointing former Rwandan agriculture minister with links to agro-industry
  • Industry warns of empty shelves as Canadian National rail blockade reaches ninth day (Toronto City News) http://bit.ly/2PlwUMf
  • Canadian Antitrust Enforcers Investigating Big Ag for Stifling Startup (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/3ckUwdN
  • Here’s What Happens To Nature When Humans Get Out Of The Way (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/37FfH6I                                       From an irradiated nuclear zone to an overfished reef, nature springs back to life without people. And therein lies a plan to save the planet.
  • There Is A Difference Between ‘Natural – Organic – Biodynamic’ and ‘Sustainability’ (Forbes) http://bit.ly/2P92aOm
  • 15 Stunning Photos That Prove You Have No Clue How Food Is Grown (Sweet & Savory) http://bit.ly/2PtG7lG
  • The West’s top three oil and gas producing states reported 8 spills a day in 2019 (Medium) http://bit.ly/2Ihcyjf
  • Types of Cooking Salt, Ranked From Most Processed To Least Processed (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/39Y3P0V

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Wild Roots: On a Vermont Farm, Renewal for a Man and His Land (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/2P6umkZ                                             After a tough transition from the military to civilian life, Jon Turner found solace in working in the soil. On his 10-acre hillside farm, h aims to keep it all in balance – garden plots, fruit trees, geese, and goats – and to leave a legacy for those who come after him.
  • Floating Farms Point the Way to Alternative Food Ecosystems (Wired) http://bit.ly/2SVL3R3                                                                                Thirty-four heifers aboard a stable in Rotterdam harbor show that cow buoys could provide a creative way to boost food security.

 

Land and Soil

  • Revealed: salmonella, toxic chemical and plastic found in sewage spread on farmland (Unearthed, Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/2Teuj99
  • Study finds staggering economic benefit from protecting wetlands (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2TSl9Q2                                     For example, in Florida, the loss of just 3% of wetland coverage resulted in $480 million in property damage during just one hurricane.

 

Climate

  • First-ever compendium of indigenous technologies provides a powerful toolkit for climate-resilient design (Harvard University Graduate School of Design) http://bit.ly/3cfx1mk
  • What US Farming Can Do to Stop Climate Change (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2VbGvsw                                                                                          The landscape of farmland, pasture, ranges, and forests could sequester carbon on a massive scale by 2030. Here’s the math.
  • Focus on Food Would Help Solve Climate Change, Says Study (State of the Planet) http://bit.ly/32HJ6MK
    • Study: Climate change responses benefit from a global food system approach (Nature) https://go.nature.com/2I475fx          A food system framework breaks down entrenched sectoral categories and existing adaptation and mitigation silos, presenting novel ways of assessing enabling integrated climate change solution from production to consumption.
  • As Climate Changes, Colombia’s Small Coffee Farmers Pay the Price (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/37ArAKV                              Hundreds of Colombia’s small coffee growers have stopped cultivating the bean in the face of low prices and reduced harvests linked to a shifting climate. As farmers struggle, the nation’s scientists are seeking to develop new varieties that will flourish in a changing environment.
  • Inside Australia’s climate emergency: the lost harvest (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2VA34at                                                                             Australia is known for its fresh food and great wine – but that could change as the weather becomes hotter, drier and more unpredictable. One wine maker is racing to adapt.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • How This Arctic ‘Doomsday Vault’ Could Save Us From a Global Food Crisis (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Pnun3U                        The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is welcoming new seeds from around the world, including the Cherokee Nation.
  • With New Perennial Grain, a Step Forward for Eco-Friendly Agriculture (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/2SCejxf                          A cereals and beer are now being made with a new variety of perennial grain known as kernza. Proponent say this marks a significant advance for a new agriculture the borrows from the wild prairie and could help ensure sustainable food production in a warming world.
  • Indigenous Maize: Who Owns the Right to Mexico’s ‘Wonder’ Plant? (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/39PmnAH                        A nitrogen-fixing maize grown in an indigenous region of Mexico has the ability to fertilize itself, recent research show. Now, as a global company and US scientists work to replicate this trait in other corn varieties, will the village where the maize originated share fairly in the profits?
  • As Warm Winters Mess With Nut Trees’ Sex Lives, Farmers Help Them ‘Netflix And Chill’ (NPR) https://n.pr/32jEOdW

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Great Lakes Scientists say, “If We Lose The EPA, We Lose Lake Erie” (Great Lakes Now) http://bit.ly/38Uu4oQ
  • Why human waste is allowed to flow into the James River: ‘We’re not a third world country’ (WTVR) http://bit.ly/32GyQ78                      Richmond has 25 spots where untreated feces flows in the river when rain overwhelms the sewer.
  • ‘About Damn Time’: Detroit Pauses Water Shutoffs Amid Coronavirus Outbreak (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2TGE4gs
    • Detroit suspends water shutoffs over Covid-19 fears (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/3d0ZooK                                                                    Service to be temporarily restored to thousands of households disconnected due to unpaid bills amid public health outcry
  • Lawless Ocean: The Link Between Human Rights Abuses and Overfishing (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/32eBKA4        The high seas remain an often-dystopian real where the scant laws that do exist are frequently ignored. This has led to overfishing, illegal dumping, and other environmental abuses that are closely linked to human rights violations aboard thousands of vessels.
  • Nearly All Coral Reefs Will Disappear Over the Next 20 Years, Scientists Say (Forbs) http://bit.ly/3clE3Wv

 

Food Culture & History

  • Pine nuts, the climate crisis, tribal culture, and your ‘chic’ salad (Nevada Current) http://bit.ly/2TwsYL2
  • Scrapple fries a now a thing and you can get them in Philadelphia (Lancaster Online) http://bit.ly/32T6h6x

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • This Chef’s Dream Was Built On SNAP (James Beard Foundation) http://bit.ly/37FiNaw                                                                                          How training to feed others left Elle Simone Scott food insecure
  • ‘I Think People Will Starve.’ Experts Are Worried About the Hundreds of Thousands Who Could Lose Food Stamps Come April (Time) http://bit.ly/32hs0Vz
  • Survey finds nearly 40 percent of college students are food insecure (The Counter) http://bit.ly/2vEe1NJ
  • Researchers find a western-style diet can impair brain function (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/3csRwM9                                                               After a week on a high saturated fat, high added sugar diet, volunteers scored worse on memory tests

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Is It Really Possible To Go ‘Plastic Free’? This Town Is Showing The World How (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2TjHZOS
  • Just a Tiny Fraction of America’s Plastic Can Actually Be Recycled, Report Finds (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/2SZ5OLw
    • US companies use misleading “recyclable” labels on hundreds of plastic products (Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/2T5a5NJ         New review of American’s domestic recycling system reveals much plastic packaging is not recyclable
  • Report: Circular Claims Fall Flat: Comprehensive US Survey of Plastics Recyclability (Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/3bOS1Qm
  • Hemp: The Natural Response to Plastic Pollution (PSNet) http://bit.ly/38Rsios                                                                                                       Everything plastic can be made from hemp
  • How Big Oil and Big Soda kept a global environmental calamity a secret for decades (Rolling Stone) http://bit.ly/2TnrC5g
    • The Plastics Pipeline: A Surge of Production Is on the Way (Yale Environment 360) http://bit.ly/2SIcVJH                                     A world awash in plastic will soon see even more, as a host of new petrochemical plants – their ethane feedstock supplied by the fracking boom – come online. Major oil companies, facing the prospect of reduced demand for their fuels, are ramping up their plastics output.
  • More Plastic Is On the Way: What It Means for Climate Change (State of the Planet) http://bit.ly/3ahj6Ks                                                 With the recent fracking boom causing low gas prices, fossil fuel companies are seeking other ways to bolster their profits – by making more plastic…
  • Coke and Pepsi sued for creating a plastic pollution ‘nuisance’ (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2vmZq9i                                                                  California environmental group says much of the tons of plastic in the oceans can be traced back to the 10 companies they are suing
  • Coke and Pepsi Are Getting Sued for Lying About Recycling (Vice) http://bit.ly/2VDoZOi                                                                                            “At this rate, plastic is set to outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050,” the complaint reads.
  • Cruise ships dumped more than 3 million pounds of trash in Juneau (land fill)  last year (KTOO) http://bit.ly/3ae7fwW

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Scientists say lax regulation of chemicals in food packaging endangers human health (The FERN) http://bit.ly/2ToFETV

 

Scandals, Food Fraud, Weird & Funny

  • Fish, sausage, even honey: Food fraud is hidden in plain sight (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/31luVMq
  • Food fraud: 6 of the most commonly faked products and how to avoid them (Global News) http://bit.ly/2HHlT3t                                Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Seafood, Honey, Coffee, Saffron

 

Children & School Food

  • As Coronavirus Closes Schools, USDA Offers Limited Help to Kids Who Rely on School Meals (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2INo9GI
  • Trump USDA Commemorates National School Breakfast Week by Declaring Potatoes and Fruit (Union of Concerned Scientists) http://bit.ly/3cHcneO

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • The US Has No Decent Paid Sick Leave Policy. This Bill Attempts to Change That. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/39IiaPH
    • As coronavirus spreads, the people that prepare your food probably don’t have paid sick leave (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2xaNDvd
  • ‘Grotesque Level of Greed’: Owned by the World’s Richest Man Jeff Bezos, Whole Foods Wants Workers to Pay for Colleagues’ Sick Leave During Coronavirus Pandemic (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/33h04l5                                                                                                     “Absolute bullshit. With the amount Jeff Bezos makes in one day, he could shut stores down and pay employees to stay safe.”
  • Workers Laid Off Over Coronavirus Look For A Lifeline (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2x1NytF                                                                The newly jobless are applying for unemployment benefits and wondering about their health care. “it just keeps getting worse,” one worker said.
  • Farmworkers Step Up Pressure on Wendy’s Shareholders to Protect Workers’ Rights (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2TMdFN1
  • Black Olive Garden Hostess Speaks Out After Her Manager Complied with Customer’s Request for a Non-Black Server (Atlanta Black Star) http://bit.ly/2TyAPrb
  • Starbucks offers ‘catastrophe pay’ to employees affected by the coronavirus (Fast Company) http://bit.ly/38N4gtX
  • Trader Joe’s is giving employees additional paid sick time to ensure they stay home when ill during coronavirus outbreak, and it’s a brilliant business strategy (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/39FxUmg
  • Instacart Is Losing Its Argument That Contractors Aren’t Employees (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/383dAd9                                            Gig companies are losing the battle in court.
  • Safeway.com drivers become the first home grocery delivery workers to unionize (North West Labor Press) http://bit.ly/330q8ky
  • Target raised wages. Then it cut workers’ hours and doubled their workload (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/3andK0z
  • The Next Big Grocery Strike Is Knocking on Safeway and Giant’s Door (In These Times) http://bit.ly/39PF9rn
  • Founder of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods transfers business to employees (The Oregonian) http://bit.ly/32LX9R6
  • Cooperative Consolidation: Why Diary Farmers of America Should Not Be Allowed to Purchase Dean Foods (Organization for Competitive Markets) http://bit.ly/2SXiSBh

 

Protests

  • Hospitality workers derail New Orleans Coronavirus news update (4WWL) http://bit.ly/2wQfLDE                                                              “We work sick, you get sick” the protesters chant as Cantrell approached the podium.

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Missouri Farmer Win $265 Million Verdict Against Monsanto (Sierra Club) http://bit.ly/2HVDvc5
    • ‘Victory for farmers’ as jury awards grower $265 million in damages from drift of Monsanto dicamba (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/37Duvmk                                                                                 “This verdict is just the tip of the iceberg.”
  • Revealed: Monsanto’s secret funding for weedkiller studies (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33ieFg5                                                                      The research, used to help avoid a ban, claimed ‘severe impacts’ on farming glyphosate was outlawed
  • Kellogg’s bans palm oil to save Orangutans after Brit sisters get 700k signatures (Mirror) http://bit.ly/3bU9wyO
  • Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plants in Chattanooga hit with civil penalties for odor (Chattanooga Times) http://bit.ly/2VaV9At
  • ‘I can’t get above water’: how America’s chicken giant Perdue controls farmers (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/38LL3ZO                          Corporate control is a curse for farmers like Rudy Howell who are burdened with debt and have no alternative buyers
  • How Amazon Uses Lending to Control Small Businesses (American Prospect) http://bit.ly/39SnZKg                                                           The nature of the Amazon marketplace makes it virtually impossible for third-party sellers to borrow from private banks. Amazon’s own lending unit has filled the gap.
  • Le Bernardin, Daniel, and Other Top New York Restaurants Temporarily Close (NYC) https://nyti.ms/39PYoBJ                                      Others are likely to follow as owners’ worries shift from canceled reservations to survival.
  • Personalization or Price Discrimination (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/2TsSQpY                                                                                       Could you and your neighbor pay different prices for the same jar of peanut butter one day?
  • Why Burger King Is Forcing Everyone to Watch a Moldy Whopper Rot (Vice) http://bit.ly/2SXG4iR                                                           In the 45-second commercial, a burger is assembled in the most photogenic way possible, and they left to rot for the next four weeks.

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Farmers and Nonprofits Sue Trump’s USDA Over Organic Soil-Less Loophole (Center For Food Safety) http://bit.ly/2Tizip8
  • Trump’s Tariffs Intensified a Farm Crisis. His Latest Plan Would Make It Even Worse. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2HWCCjd  “Year after year, his budget has failed to address the very real economic challenges facing rural communities.”
  • Trump’s tariffs are killing family companies like mine and costing jobs (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/38DCSP4
  • The Trump Labor Board Is Making It Harder For Fast-Food Workers To Unionize (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2PrezND   The new “joint employer” rule is another treat for companies like McDonald’s that have been battling union organizing.
  • Trump Serves Up Another Happy Meal For The Fast-Food Industry (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Tolr10                                              A new regulation will make it harder for workers to sue big brands over wage claims.
  • Here’s how a new labor rule could make things tougher for millions of employees (CNN) https://cnn.it/32M9lBG
  • Trump gives politically connected farmers more water, at expense of everyone else (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2T0ZiUO
    • Westlands “Permanent” Water Contracts Illegal and heading to Court (Restore The Delta) http://bit.ly/2TvSe2J
  • Trump Turns Back the Clock in America’s Meat Plants (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/38iD2vi                                                                     More than a century after Upton Sinclair’s gruesome “The Jungle,” the president is loosening rules that protect workers and consumers alike.
  • We’re Eating Sick Animals and Getting Deadly Diseases Because the USDA Won’t Uphold Basic Welfare Standards in Slaughterhouses (One Green Planet) http://bit.ly/2uUr4dD
  • After three years, USDA releases previously hidden animal cruelty records (The Counter) http://bit.ly/3bRQNUu
  • President’s 2021 Budget Would Cut Food Assistance for Millions and Radically Restructure SNAP (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) http://bit.ly/2vPWr96
    • Trump Just Claimed He’s Weaning People Off Food Stamps. In Truth He’s Kicking Them Off. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2VrJ0ac                                                                                                          Here are the facts.
  • What Would It Take to Get More Farmers Fighting Climate Change? (Mothers Jones) http://bit.ly/2VsxR91                                      A new bill sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree would enlist growers to help slow global warming by using their soil to sponge up carbon dioxide.
  • 6 Ways the Agricultural Resilience Act Equips Farmers to Fight the Climate Crisis with Science (Union of Concerned Scientists) http://bit.ly/32ZZRCK
  • Checkoff Program Reform Legislation Filed in US House of Representatives (Organization for Competitive Markets) http://bit.ly/2HEZnbA
  • Why is Trump trying to kill a small agency with a big impact on public safety? (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2TeRaBl              Many Americans probably have never heard of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. But they’re safer because of it.
  • ‘Without water we can’t grow anything’: can small farms survive California’s landmark water law? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/398Gh9H                                                                                           For the first time in history, the state is regulating the groundwater that fuels its massive agriculture industry. Now the smallest farms face the biggest threat
  • Lawmakers Open Groundwater Fight Against Bottled Water Companies (PEW Trust) http://bit.ly/3aiAQ8h
    • Washington state takes bold step to restrict companies from bottling local water (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2P6wysA   State senate passes bill to ban new permits for water bottling operations, calling process ‘detrimental to public welfare’
  • New York: plastic bag ban takes effect to address ‘environmental blights’ (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/38fCB4S

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Study: The Bee Community of Cannabis sativa and Corresponding Effects of Landscape Composition (Environmental Entomology) http://bit.ly/2HDkkmZ
  • Just 29,000 Western Monarch Butterflies Are Left in California. That’s down from Millions (KQED) http://bit.ly/2TBhF2P

 

Animals, Fish, Fresh Water & Marine Animals

  • Factory farm chicken horror as animals bred to full size in 35 days – ‘not worth living’ (Express UK) http://bit.ly/2voSrgf                British shoppers re being warned against eating factory farm chicken after animals were found to be bred to become full size in just 35 days.
  • Gulf of Alaska Fishery to Close for the First Time Ever: No More Cod: Salmon All but Gone: Millions of Small Sea Birds Died Since 2015 (Global Research) http://bit.ly/39evPxj
    • So Long, Seafood! Ocean Acidification Projected to Slam Alaska Fisheries (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/39j3YME                             From 2014

 

Poisons

  • Revealed: The pesticide giants making billions on toxic and bee-harming chemicals (Unearthed, Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/2wikii3
    • 5 biggest pesticide companies are making billions from ‘highly hazardous’ chemicals, investigation finds (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2upfwii                                                                                         The researchers found that the sale of these highly hazardous pesticides (JJPs), disproportionately occurred in poorer nations, which often have fewer regulations that industrialized nations.
  • Demand for animal feed is driving the hazardous pesticide industry, data reveals (Unearthed, Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/38faHWH

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

 

Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

  • Meet Odd.Bot – The Weed-Pulling Robot That Uses No Chemicals (Intelligent Living) http://bit.ly/2IntkgG
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update February 18, 2020

 

  • Pro Bono Legal Services for Farmers and Food Businesses: Pace Food and Beverage Law Clinic (Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center) http://bit.ly/2Hq7GYI
  • India Requires All Schools to Have Kitchen Gardens (Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center) http://bit.ly/31Vvdde
  • Thousands of People Are Growing ‘Climate Victory Gardens’ To Save The Planet (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/39arX00
  • We’re not fixing this environmental crisis. One ditch in Indiana could provide a solution (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2UCtRSY                                                                                                                                Shut off this firehose of waste, and we’d be improving habits, health and the makeup of the atmosphere.
  • Survey: Majority of Voters Surveyed Support Greater Oversight of Industrial Animal Farms (Organic Eye) http://bit.ly/2tUOP4K
    • National Survey on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOS) (Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future) http://bit.ly/2sYkH7Y
  • A Texas community chokes on fecal dust from cattle feedlots (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2SlYOIj    And regulators aren’t doing anything about it.
  • Homero Gómez González, prominent butterfly activist in Mexico, found dead in a well (New York Post) http://bit.ly/31aNWRM

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Hundreds of Farmers Keep Quite During Auction So Family Can Buy Farm Back (95.7 The Jet) https://ihr.fm/2P1mj90
  • Regenerative agriculture can make farmers stewards of the land again (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2OWicuF
  • It’s Iowa caucus day. So why did we ask 20 California farmers what they’re thinking today? (The Counter) http://bit.ly/2vRH547                                                                                                   Primary season often puts the focus on commodity corps, global markets, and international trade agreements. But 90 percent of our produce is gown in California. So we asked 20 small farmers in the Golden State to tell us what’s on their minds today.
  • Farming’s Growing Problem (The Center for Public Integrity) http://bit.ly/3aCYSf7                                                                                                    Fertilizers are contaminating and warming the planet. Regulators haven’t acted on decades-old warnings.
  • Young California ranchers are finding new ways to raise livestock and improve the land (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2RSDGul
  • Ranchers blindsided by Trump border wall (High Country News) http://bit.ly/37bMJec                                                                                          They built a coalition to protect open space. Now, they’re up against the country’s largest construction project.

 

Land and Soil

 

Climate

  • The Bittersweet Bounty Of Greenland’s First Spring (GQ) http://bit.ly/380gDn8                                                                                                … As Greenland’s massive ice sheet melts at an alarming rate due to global warming, its citizens – and especially its chefs – are enjoying some unanticipated benefits.
  • Climate Change Is Making It Much Harder to be a Young Farmer (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2U9U1fU                                                          An government agencies “don’t know how to work with us.”

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Dates Like Jesus Ate? Scientists Revive Ancient Trees From 2,000 Year-Old Seeds (NPR) https://n.pr/385UYdj
  • Modern tomatoes are very different from their wild ancestors – and we found missing links in their evolution (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/31lqSQe
  • Cherokee Nation first tribe in US to send heirloom seeds to global seed vault in Norway (Anadisgoi) http://bit.ly/385Tvn7

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Global Groundwater Is Threatened by Unsustainable Practices Amid Climate Crisis (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2O2iu2
  • Megafarms and deeper wells are draining the water beneath rural Arizona – quietly, irreversibly (azcentral) http://bit.ly/325910j
  • Freshwater hell: scientists race to save endangered fish from bushfire ash (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2UuWeCA
  • Drought leaves tens of thousands in Lesotho ‘one step from famine’ (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2GBbq9c
  • Virtually All Major US Drinking Water Sources Likely Contaminated With PFAS (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2tcZPdq
  • The number of Flint’s students with special needs has increased by 56% since the water crisis, according to report (Metro Times) http://bit.ly/2GqBWlx
  • Iowa’s water quality strategy is not working. Here’s what should be done instead. (Des Moines Register) http://bit.ly/37t4kib
  • As the Salton Sea shrinks, it leaves behind a toxic reminder of the cost of making a desert bloom (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2Or1BPi
  • State (Maryland) officials are making problem with rockfish decline worse (The Baltimore Sun) http://bit.ly/3bD0I0f
  • When Environmentalists and the Fishing Industry Team Up, Ocean Habitats Win (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2ueZPdo

 

Food Culture & History

  • 6 Unsung Black Culinary Heroes Of The Past (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2HkunNL                                                                                Duchess “Charity” Quamino, Cleora Butler, Cuffy Cockroach and more innovators who paved the way for black cooks in America.
  • The spy who loved tahini: risking everything for the perfect sesame paste (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31lEtHe
  • 4 Black-Owned Restaurants That Serve Food With A Side of History (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2V7IM8j

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • ‘It’s pain you will never overcome’: crisis in Venezuela as babies die of malnutrition (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2ONkLz3               As Venezuela enters its seventh year of a crushing depression, doctors are seeing a rise in infant mortality rates due to deprivation
  • Bowie State University (MD) opens food pantry that feeds students for free (ABC&) http://bit.ly/2SBJlpd

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Peruvian innovators launch banana leaf biodegradable dishes to combat plastic consumption (Nation of Nation) http://bit.ly/39h4Q3T
  • Oregon initiates first modern statewide refillable glass bottle system in the US (inhabiutat) http://bit.ly/2tpT1Jp
  • At the Super Bowl, as ,much as 40,000 pounds of food could be wasted (The Counter) http://bit.ly/2S2cppz
  • Food delivery and takeout are on the rise. So are the mountains of trash they create. (Vox) http://bit.ly/2HtvElR                                   Here’s how some companies are trying to reduce the packaging waste that comes with ordering in.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • What’s the deal with airplane food? (Vox) http://bit.ly/2UEBwQQ  The science and secrets behind how in-flight meals are selected and prepared.
  • Few things are as sure a bet as handwashing; restaurants should act now (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/38dbdW1
  • Pocket-sized DNA sequencers could stop food-borne pathogen outbreaks as soon as they start (Massive Science) http://bit.ly/36wJZrI
  • Walmart Pork Product Containing Superbugs Resistant to Critically Important Antibiotics Discovered (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2RF682O
  • 250 new cases in Salmonella egg outbreak affecting 18 countries (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/2OFNzJU

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Fish, sausage, even honey: Food fraud is hidden in plain sight (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/31luVMq
  • More Than 20 ‘Ghost Kitchens’ Are Operating Out of This Dump In South of Market (Broke-Ass Stuart) http://bit.ly/2uEdL0K

 

Children & School Food

  • Viewpoint: New Research Shows That Scratch Cooking in NYC’s Public Schools is Possible (CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/3bpeiEa
    • Report: Cooking Outside the Box: How a Scratch Cooking Pilot in the Bronx is Reshaping Meals In New York City Schools (Tisch Food Center, Columbia University) http://bit.ly/2Sfcq9D

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • “If I want to be paid, I have to endure this”: Why restaurant workers say the tip credit is a civil rights issue (The Counter) http://bit.ly/399DnkO
  • The Airport Workers Who Starved Themselves in the Super Bowl’s Shadow (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2SwXQt4
  • DoorDash’s anti-worker tactics backfired spectacularly (Vox) http://bit.ly/3bFOEv3                                                                                      When dividing and conquering goes wrong.
  • Target’s Delivery App Workers Describe A Culture of Retaliation and Fear (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Sw6DN5                                                      The Target-owned grocery delivery company Shipt is rolling out a new algorithmic pay model that is already draining paychecks. And workers are terrified to speak out.
  • American Workers Are Going On Strike In Huge Numbers (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/39ulwF4                                                             There were 25 work stoppages – involving 425,500 total workers – last year
  • Instacart Workers Win Historic Union Election (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Sfot6R                                                                                                                            After months of upheaval, Instacart employees voted to form the Silicon Valley app’s first union in the United States.
  • Leaked Memos Show Instacart is Running a Union-Busting Campaign (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Or31JZ
  • Instacart Is Fighting Back Against Organizing. That’s Because It’s Working. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2Snhg3m
  • “Let’s Get This Bread”: Bay Area Tartine Bakery Workers Move to Unionize (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2tDiaQW

 

Protests

  • Indian Students Mail 20,000 Plastic Food Wrapper Back to Manufacturers (Return to Now) http://bit.ly/39CZ78L

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Sonoma’s Straus Family Creamer Becomes Zero Waste Certified (KPIX CBS Bay Area) https://cbsloc.al/2HabSf2                                        A family-owned business in Sonoma County is making headlines around the world for being the first zero waste certified creamery ever.
  • New York City startup called Re-Nuble turns food waste into fertilizer (UYale Climate Connections) http://bit.ly/31N4SOE
  • Kellogg’s commits to reduce widely used herbicide in supply chain – but farmers didn’t know about it (msn) http://bit.ly/2tllL6d
  • Here’s the ugly truth about the ugly produce movement (The Counter) http://bit.ly/3bbVWX8                                                                   VC-backed startups are commodifying need and undermining food banks and CSAs while they’re at it. It’s a market solution disguised as activism.
  • Nestle’s Push To Extract More Water From Florida Springs Causes Concern (WFSU Pubic Media) https://fla.st/39hz8Ua
  • This grocery store wanted to compete with Whole Foods. Now it’s going bankrupt (CNN) https://cnn.it/37Vxnvx
  • Industrial dairy farming is taking over in Wisconsin, crowding out family operations and raising environmental concerns (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2GQ3Bwu
  • Oil companies are investing billions in new plastic plants to double output in next 20 years (MNN) http://bit.ly/2uWRcEo
  • Better breakfast and chicken sandwiches: How McDonald’s plans to win customers back (CNN) https://cnn.it/2uKDgNo
  • Prime Roots will debut Fungi-based “bacon” on Valentines Day 2020 (inhabitat) http://bit.ly/2Un2In9
  • Trump Trade War: Farmers Are Going To ‘Lose Farms That They’ve Had In Their Families For Generations,’ Says Land O’Lakes CEO (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2GKJgZA
    • US farm bankruptcies hit an eight year high: court data (Reuters) https://reut.rs/2UlW9Bc
    • Farm Bankruptcies Soar 20% Amid Trump Trade War. It’s The Highest Rate in 8 Years (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/31bEiyn   Farmers hit hard despite billions of dollars in taxpayer aid to mitigate the harm from the president’s trade policies.
  • Wisconsin Loses 818 Dairies in 2020, Largest Decline in State History (Dairy Herd) http://bit.ly/2GMYfC3
  • Minnesota lost more than 300 farms in 2019 for second year in a row (KARE11) http://bit.ly/31a0ed3
  • Family farm bankruptcies hit 10-year high in Kansas, spike 20 percent nationally since 2018 (KVOE) http://bit.ly/2urNouG

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Finland to significantly increase parental leave (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/31JI81R                                                                       “The model guarantees the child a place at the center of family benefits and promotes well-being and gender equality.”
  • Germany Has A New Receipt Law – And Bakeries Are Getting Sweet Revenge (NPR) https://n.pr/39fVntA
  • ‘An Appalling Act of Industrial Vandalism’: Japanese Officials Do PR for Plan to Dump Fukushima Water Into Ocean (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/39qq4MH
  • Women Who Farm Are Finally Getting Counted (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2SJnRph                                                                               The government has undercounted female farmers for decades, fueling an agriculture industry that has tailored itself almost exclusively toward men.
  • Trump yet again proposes slashing Chesapeake Bay cleanup, weeks after approving a spending increase (The Baltimore Sun) http://bit.ly/2UUqtmz
  • Trump’s USDA Chief Thinks Farm Workers Are Overpaid (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2vl3syu                                                                               Yet again, Sonny Perdue wants to gut a program that benefits poor people.
  • America’s Wetlands: Vital, Ignored, and Now Defined Away by the Trump Administration (Union of Concerned Scientists) http://bit.ly/2GHBlfB
  • SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot Expands (Progressive Grocer) http://bit.ly/2SiYLx9                                                                                                  A two-year pilot launched by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is giving SNAP participated the ability to select and pay for groceries online.
  • Supreme Court allows Trump administration to consider SNAP use for green card denials (The Counter) http://bit.ly/37bOrMI
  • In Win for Bayer-Monsanto, Trump EPA Claims Cancer Causing Weedkiller ‘Safe’ (Environmental Working Group) http://bit.ly/36QEVP5
    • EPA re-approves key Roundup chemical (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2SnHVgq
    • Critics: Trump’s EPA’s formal assertion glyphosate poses no risk to human health indication of ‘troubling allegiance’ with Bayer/Monsanto (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2SqFYA8   “The EPA’s pesticide office is clearly willing to bend over backwards, including disregarding its own guidelines for evaluating cancer risks, to give the industry what it wants.”
  • Trump Administration OKs Airgun Blasting That’s Deafening and Killing Critically Endangered Beluga Whales (Return to Now) http://bit.ly/2UenipJ
  • Regulatory Capture: USDA Organic Governance Board Dominated by Affiliates of Corporate Lobby (Organic Eye) http://bit.ly/38HINDi
  • Lawmakers open groundwater fight against bottled water companies (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2SwFcTg                                                    Washington state, land of sprawling rainforests and glacier fed rivers, might soon become the first in the nation to ban water bottling companies from tapping spring-fed sources.
  • Minnesota Will Pay Homeowners to Replace Lawns with Bee-Friendly Wildflowers, Clover and Native Grasses (Return to Now) http://bit.ly/2UaFQHl
  • Reducing Plastic in New York City (Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center) http://bit.ly/3bENBLV

 

Non-Governmental Organizations, 501c3

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Help bees by not mowing dandelions, gardeners told (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/372Hygw                                                             Plants provide key food source for pollinators as they come out of hibernation
  • Study: Climate change contributes to widespread declines among bumble bees across continents (Science) http://bit.ly/2H1EuXJ
  • Pismo Beach’s monarch butterfly numbers doubled this winter – and experts don’t know why (The Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/3bqsvRp
  • Fireflies are facing extinction due to habitat loss, pesticides and artificial light (Fox 12 Oregon) http://bit.ly/2SwfFZp
  • Worst Locust Swarms Hit East Africa in Decades Linked to Climate Crisis (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2GTLzcB

 

Animals, Fish, Fresh Water & Marine Animals

  • Up to 100,000 sheep killed in Kangaroo Island fires, as farmers tally livestock losses (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36YO7AN
  • New bovine virus associated with human head colds and sinus infections get into USA (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/3bpAGxh
  • Belugas Are Dying off in Alaska and Oil and Gas Operations Are to Blame, Says Lawsuit (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2UoRUoG
  • Climate Crisis to Blame for Whales Injured and Killed After Being Caught in Fishing Lines: Study (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2OgVnSf
    • Study: Habitat compression and ecosystem shifts as potential links between marine heatwave and record whale entanglements (Nature) https://go.nature.com/390X7qx

 

Poisons

  • Pesticide giant drops chlorpyrifos, following year of controversy, lawsuits and bans (The Counter) http://bit.ly/3bsaMZE
    • As sales of the pesticide chlorpyrifos ends in California, maker Corteva announces it will stop producing it. (Investigate Midwest) http://bit.ly/2UBFVnG
    • Trump Rescued a Nasty Pesticide from an EPA Ban. Now Corteva Will Stop Making It. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/3bmdShQ                                                                                                                    “This is a victory for our kids, farmworkers and rural communities nationwide.”
  • It’s Farmer v. Monsanto in court fight over dicamba herbicide (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2Sw6l7J
    • Dicamba on trial: Peach farmer’s case against Bayer, BASF set to begin Monday (Investigate Midwest) http://bit.ly/2HacNfe
    • Dicamba on trial: Monsanto officials limited testing on its own plots (The Counter) http://bit.ly/3bb8I8r                                          The company used a variety of methods to avoid independent testing of its controversial herbicide, according to court testimony
  • Many seeds in the US come precoated with neonicotinoids, one of the most common insecticides in the world. (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/37aDfjD

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • Genetically engineered moths have been released into the wild to wipe out pests (CNN) https://cnn.it/2Ub4SpM
  • The Philippines has rated ‘Golden Rice’ safe, but farmers might not plant it (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/39xpyNd
  • US approves three GMO potato varieties that can be grown and sold in retail outlets (Potato News Today) http://bit.ly/2HbM9md
  • Argentina: Field trials with non-browning CRISPR-edited potatoes start (Potato News Today) http://bit.ly/31G78XO
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update January 27, 2019

 

  • The Streets of Copenhagen Will Soon Have Communal Fruit Trees (Intelligent Living) http://bit.ly/3apMz5W
  • Meals On Wheels Serves Up Breakfast, Lunch And Community At Local Diner (NPR) https://n.pr/2RDeyqj
  • Supreme Court allows Flint residents to sue city and state over water contamination (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/36jjAgU
    • The number of Flint’s student
  • Veganuary is huge. But is it really as simple as animal foods bad, plant foods good? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36jlazd                      We seem to have forgotten that , just like meat, vegan food can damage the planet
  • The dark side of plant based food – it’s more about money than you may think (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2QLgrRe
  • How Brazilian Chefs Are Using the Fruit That Can Turn Anything Blue (Atlas Obscura) http://bit.ly/2QQ80UF
  • Food labels too complicated for most shoppers to understand – new research (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2QPmdBn
  • Liederkranz Cheese (Atlas Obscura) http://bit.ly/2SY33Mn          This long-extinct pungent delight has made a comeback in Wisconsin.
  • Sacrebleu! Michelin strips third star legendary Bocuse restaurant after 55 years (CNN) https://cnn.it/2R7S2H1

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Farmers Are Buying 40-Year-Old Tractors Because They’re Actually Repairable (Vice) http://bit.ly/35L3I6G                                  John Deere makes it difficult to repair its new tractors without specialized software, so an increasing number of farmers are buying older models. Yes!
  • Open source technology could be a boon to farmers (Salon) http://bit.ly/2QRlCjX                                                                                          Open source technologies will help small farmers compete against the large operations
  • The Latest Green New Deal for Farmers Would Restructure Everything About How They Make Money (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/36qzplL                                                                                              “The current system is killing our soil, and farmers have hardly any incentives to do anything different.”
  • Farming’s Growing Problem (The Center for Public Integrity) http://bit.ly/3aCYSf7                                                                                  Fertilizers are contaminating and warming the planet. Regulators haven’t acted on decades-old warnings.
  • The Last Floating Farms of Mexico City (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2ZT3qZU                                                                                                A collective of farmers is trying to revive chinampas, a 1,300-year-old method of farming.
  • Women Farmers Are on the Rise in the Last Frontier (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2T3RZNT                                                              Alaskan women are almost as likely to start farming as their male counterparts
  • Life at the End of the National Food Chain (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/36rG13p                                                                                          Sitka, Alaska, offsets food insecurity through farming, fishing, and foraging – and an uncommon sense of community.
  • Midwestern Farm Network Is Leading the Way to Chemical – Free, Sustainable Farming (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2GmhxxR
  • New report confirms challenges for young and beginning farmers (Salon) http://bit.ly/36NXKmT                                                                            It’s a tough time for farmers across the nation.
  • New study: changes in climate since 2000 have cut Australian farm profits 22% (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2rVLWQ2
    • Concern over ‘viability’ of dairy farms and milk supplies as Australian bushfires spread (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Fm7Fnp
    • The milk, the whole milk and nothing but the milk: The story behind our (AU) dairy woes (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2N0s1H7
  • Wisconsin lost almost 800 dairy farms in 2019. Is the 2020 outlook better? (WSAW) http://bit.ly/35E2xpk

 

Land and Soil

  • Soil is our best ally in the fight against climate change – but we’re fast running out of it (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/35pFfUh

 

Climate

  • Waiter, There’s a Climate Surcharge in My Soup (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2TT0Q5o                                                                                                                                                          A new initiative will use haute cuisine to fund carbon sequestration.
  • For a Sustainable Food System, Look to Seeds (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2Rn9nL2                                                                                            The resilience of food production in the face of a changing climate will depend on the both traditional ecological knowledge and Western science.
  • Climate change is hurting farmers -n even seeds are under threat (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2QtdTZ7

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • The Cosmic Crips apple is not the future (Salon) http://bit.ly/380mmZy                                                                                        Focus groups, consultants and fungicides brought us the Cosmic Crisp. Is its taste worth the cost?

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Lake Erie turns toxic every summer. Officials aren’t cracking down on the source. (The Center for Public Integrity) http://bit.ly/38DZkIy
  • America’s Radioactive Secret (Rolling Stone) http://bit.ly/2GaVDh7                                                                                            Oil-and-gas wells produce nearly a trillion gallons of toxic waste a year. An investigation shows how it could be making workers sick and contaminating communities across America
  • US Drinking Water Widely Contaminated With ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Watchdog Says (Reuters) https://reut.rs/30T5DFq
    • People In 43 US Cities Are Drinking Toxic “Forever Chemicals” In Their Tap Water, Tests Show (BuzzFeed) http://bit.ly/2TVouy5
    • PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported (Environmental Working Group) http://bit.ly/2NNHHxK
  • Bottled Water: Unhealthy, Dirty and Costly (Medium) http://bit.ly/2tTeQBa                                                                                            What Companies Do Not Disclose But Consumers Must Know
  • Three Companies, Including “Crystal Geyser,” Charged with Illegally Transporting Hazardous Waste Containing Arsenic (US Department of Justice) http://bit.ly/38kyncy
    • Crystal Geyser Pleads Guilty to Illegally Storing Arsenic-Laden Wastewater (NBC Los Angeles) http://bit.ly/37m64Kw          The case focuses on the bottling plant’s wastewater, not the safety or quality of Crystal Geyser’s water, prosecutors said.
  • Pain, cancer, death: Michigan families devastated by toxic chemicals in their water (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2QJ8JIC  Residents had for years been drinking water contaminated by dangerous PFAS chemicals – and the impact has been brutal
  • The plan to protect the Chesapeake is failing, and it’s Pennsylvania’s fault (Salon) http://bit.ly/36r4qGt                                                      The Chesapeake is the largest estuary in the US and a nationally significant economic resource
  • ‘Scale of This Failure Has No precedent’: Scientists Say Hot Ocean ‘Blob’ Killed One Million Seabirds (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/30rYIme
    • A New Study About the Death of 1 Million Seabird Should Scare the Crap Out of You (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/3aNuqPM
    • Study: Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific heatwave of 2014-2016 (PLOS ONE) http://bit.ly/2viunv0

 

Food Culture & History

  • How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/30VX7VV                                                              A business historian explains America’s commitment to regulating the appearance of everything from margarine to canned peas
  • These Lost Crops Were a Likely Staple Food in Indigenous North America (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2uoZrc9

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • When Disaster Hit California, Sikh Temples Provide Meals and Refuge (Atlas Obscura) http://bit.ly/36H7f6Y                                   Sikhs statewide have organized to feed their fellow Californians in crisis.
  • Red meat plays vital role in diets, claims expert in fightback against veganism (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MZfsvw                    As millions cut out animal products, farming conference hears that fruit and vegetables have been drained of nutrients

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Mealworms Can Eat Toxic Styrofoam Safely (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2SXe5Bm                                                                                          Not as good a solution as not using Styrofoam, but it’s something.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • More foreign ownership of US beef processors raises food safety concerns (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2GkLkXK    Brazilian meat company Marfrig – currently under investigation for making bribes – is now majority owner of one of the biggest beef processors in the United States.

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Meal Delivery Service Accused of Repackaging Other Companies’ Frozen Foods (Vice) http://bit.ly/36DvbIr
  • People Are Fighting to Change an Anti-MSG Term in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Vice) http://bit.ly/30CeOtv                     Chef Eddie Huang and TV hos Jeannie Mai are calling out the dictionary’s outdated definition for “Chinese restaurant syndrome.”
  • Texas Police Learn That Yes, You Can Dust Cheese Slices for Fingerprints (Vice) http://bit.ly/2NnMV3c                                                        After the Carrollton PD discovered a number of cars covered in cheese, they realized the “cheese slices produce GREAT fingerprints.”

 

Children & School Food

  • Why Do We Have School Lunch Debt at All? (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2FVZT3O                                                                                          We live in a nation where food is plentiful but millions of children experience hung and food insecurity.
  • Countless American families are saddled with student lunch debt. Many won’t be able to pay it off. (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/38fpTDD

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • An SOS Call for America’s Workers (The American Prospect) http://bit.ly/2Rr5oyf                                                                                              The new Clean Slate report alerts the public and policy members about the dismal state of workers power and worker voice.
  • Jail Inmates Worked for a $16 Billion Company Without Pay. Now Thy Want Their Wages. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/37H7cIw                                                                                                                                     “They’re making money off of using us prisoners and we’re not getting anything in exchange.
  • Raising the Minimum Wage by Just $1 Could Literally Save Lives (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Nlz7WP                                                                                        A new study found that states with higher minimum wages have lower suicide rates among people without college degrees.
  • The grooming gap: What “looking the part” costs women (Salon) http://bit.ly/37XjZGY                                                                                                If women don’t conform to beauty expectations, they’re paid less.      As a chef in a male dominated field, I can’t tell you how many times I have been told how to dress when coming in to work, before my uniform is on. Recently, a boss was shocked how “well I cleaned up,” and staff members think I am gay because I keep my very curly hair short. The list goes on…
  • Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized (Vox) http://bit.ly/2ZYU7ru                                                                                    Around 2,300 contracted workers who serve meals to Google employees in the San Francisco Bay Area have unionized, saying they’re overworked and underpaid.
  • Fast Food Chain (Tim Hortons) Locks Out And Replaces Workers Over 10 Cent Raise Demand (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/2NmvaRA
  • New Report: Employers Are Charged with Labor Law Violations in Over 40% Of All Union Election Campaigns (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/30ccCZI
    • Report: Unlawful (Economic Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/2FIeznl                                                                                            US employers are charged with violating federal law in 41.5% of all union election campaigns

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Factory Farm Industry Quietly Lobbies California Officials to Criminalize Animal Rescue Activism (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/38lWrf8

 

  • Corporate “Cage-Free” Commitments Are Only Meaningful With Accountability (Truthout) http://bit.ly/30ggJDY                                 Reducing the suffering of chickens can only happen if companies follow through on their promises.

 

  • (UK) Fast food giants still ‘failing’ on chicken welfare, says report (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Rq9kix                                                          Pizza Hut, Burger King and Domino’s are among UK outlets rated ‘very poor’ in report from leading animal charity
  • Almost one in four food products launched in UK in 2019 labeled vegan (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2RJXwGS
  • After massive funding round, Memphis Meats plans to open a production plant for cell-cultured meat (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/37oDCrt
  • Impossible Foods’ new pork is 0% pig. That’s a big deal. (Vox) http://bit.ly/2N6gIgu                                                                                            The plant-based Impossible Pork is here to replace the most eaten meat in the world.
  • The world’s biggest food company is now making vegan sausage (CNN) https://cnn.it/2TBCjBy                                                                           Nestle is adding vegan sausages to its lineup of imitation meat products, as the world’s largest food company moves to secure its position in the market for booming plant-based foods.
  • Why McDonald’s has been slow to adopt meatless meat (Vox) http://bit.ly/37ZPuQD                                                                                          The next big challenge for the plant-based meat industry is scale.
  • A surge of new plastic production is on the way (GreenBiz) http://bit.ly/38p6nV7
    • Louisiana green light huge pollution causing plastics facility in ‘Cancer Alley’ (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36fIgGW                  The $9.4bn facility, owned by Formosa Plastics, would consist of 14 separate plastic plants in St. James parish, known as Cancer Alley
  • One of America’s oldest and largest milk producers files for bankruptcy (CNN) https://cnn.it/2T8i7ar                                                            Borden Dairy Co., one of America’s oldest and largest dairy companies, on Monday became the second major milk producer to file for bankruptcy in the last two months.
  • The company says it’s making food from ‘thin air’… plus a dash of water and clean energy (CNN) https://cnn.it/2Gg9vXf
  • McDonald’s Pays CEO $41 Million For Firing Him While Paying Workers A Poverty Wage (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/307s6OE
  • Grubhub sale rumors highlight the state of struggling food-delivery industry (Vox) http://bit.ly/39ZQYwl                                                      Tough competition makes consolidation a really attractive idea.
  • How ‘All You Can Eat’ Restaurants Turn a Profit (Medium) http://bit.ly/36QAXqd                                                                                                 Demystifying the business model that doesn’t seem to make sense
  • This French Startup Wants to be the future of Foie Gras (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2FsUaSM                                                                          Aviwell’s innovative method fattens ducks’ livers without force feeding them.
  • Transforming a Hawaiian Community Through Farming (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2Qsix9B                                                                      Crops aren’t the only things growing at MA’O Organic Farms.
  • Can Mission-Driven Food Companies Scale Up Without Selling Out? (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2t2QqFk                                                           A ground breaking new stewardship business model creates standards that prioritize purpose over profit.
  • RSF-Purpose Initiative Responds to Demand for Mission-First Business Models (RSF Social Finance) http://bit.ly/30fem4d
  • Report: State of Alternative Ownership in the US (RFS Social Finance) http://bit.ly/36NeKJR                                                                         Emerging Trends in Steward-ownership and Alternative Financing

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • China moves to phase out single use plastics (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2v3TVvL                                                                                                    Plastic bags to be banned in all major cities by the end of 2020, says state planner
  • Stealing Small Amounts Of Food When In Desperate Need Is Not A Crime, Rules Italy’s Highest Court (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2TIza2V                                                                                                                           “A small theft because of hunter is in no way comparable to an act of delinquency, because the need to feed justifies the fact.”
  • (European) Commission takes Denmark to court over fake feta cheese (Politico) https://politi.co/2RMwte8                                      When it comes to sheep’s cheese, Brussels want Copenhagen to stop pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes.
  • Thailand wants to ban these three pesticides. The US government says no (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/38x933c                                        The Trump administration is putting profits before people by pressuring the country not to ban harmful chemicals
  • ‘This Will Be the Biggest Loss of Clean Water Protection the Country Has Ever Seen’: Trump Finalizes Clean Water Rule Replacement (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2Rk3iQC
    • New Trump Rule Rolls Back Decades Of Clean Water Protections (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2RLr8nh                                   The new water rule, finalized Thursday, will be “among this administration’s dirtiest, most dangerous deeds,” an environmental lawyer warned.
  • Trump administration removes federal protections from streams, wetlands (ABC News) https://abcn.ws/2Gu3lTv                                    The new rule will only protect areas connected to larger bodies of water.
  • EPA’s New Water Rule a Mockery of Science and the Clean Water Act (Union of Concerned Scientists) http://bit.ly/36w0Iew
  • USDA scientists are rethinking calorie counts. Good news: They’re lower than we thought (The New Food economy) http://bit.ly/2ufPygw
  • A New Bill Aims to Fix Food Waste in Schools (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/3aEGMtg                                                                                          Rep. Chellie Pingree today introduced a new bill with bipartisan support that seeks to improve student nutrition and increase environmental education about food waste.
  • The Trump Administration Is Getting Sued Over Its New Food Stamps Rule (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2FTQg5U                          The Legal Aid Society of DC describes it as “arbitrary and capricious.”
  • California, 13 other states sue to stop Trump’s food stamp cuts (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2tw74NH
  • Trump’s USDA weakens school nutrition – again (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2tOCNcW
    • The Trump Administration’s Defense of Its School Lunch Overhaul Is a Big Nothingburger (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2Gfk7WF                                                                                      Sonny Perdue claims Obama-era reforms are causing food waste. His own agency’s research tells a different story.
  • Trump Rolls Back Michelle Obama’s School Lunch Nutrition Rules (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/37emqoE
  • Trump administration weakens Michelle Obama’s signature school lunch reforms on her birthday (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2GhCRoj
  • Trump Administration Takes Steps to Fatten Up School Meals With Burgers and Fries (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/375Tjnz  The Trump administration took steps Friday to cut down on healthful fruits and vegetables in school meals and allow more pizza, burgers and fries.
  • Pasta is now a vegetable in American schools under Trump guidelines (Independent) http://bit.ly/2tF8Wnv
  • The Trump administration chose meatpacking giants over farmers in USDA proposal, critics say (Politico) https://politi.co/2RsIxSF                                                                                                                                  The latest proposal omits an Obama-era effort that would have made it easier for livestock farmers to win lawsuits against meat processors.
  • New Meatpacker Rules Won’t Support or Protect Farmers (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2RgHKo8                                                                                As the meat industry continues to consolidate, groups representing ranchers and farmers ask when policymakers will stand up and level the playing field.
  • New Report Details How EPA Is Promoting ‘Worst of the Worst Pesticides’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Nidwyu                    From 2017 – 2018, the agency approved 69 new pesticide products containing an ingredient the EPA recognizes as a “known” or “likely” carcinogen.
  • ‘A Recipe for Disaster’: Consumer Safety Groups Sue USDA Over Trump’s Effort to Privatize Inspections for Pork Industry (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Rp5Hs7                                                          “We’re suing the crap out of the USDA for… feeding us crap.”
  • Trump’s loosening of pork inspection regulations fails to protect consumers from illness and death ne lawsuit claims (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/38jLNpe                                                                        “Food safety is one of the most important protections in our country and gifting the slaughter industry self-regulation powers will mean pork eaters in this country will be facing higher threats of disease.”
  • Naomi Earp, contentious had of civil rights at USDA, will step down after a year in office (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/30C9B4R
  • Trump administration gives crooked Brazilian meatpacker (JBS SA) another taxpayer-funded bailout despite bipartisan outrage (NY Daily News) http://bit.ly/35Mtoj5
  • Trump Serves Up Another Happy Meal For The Fast-Food Industry (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Tolr10                                        A new regulation will make it harder for workers to sue big brands over wage claims.
  • Farmers Got Billions From Taxpayers In 2019, And Hardly Anyone Objected (NPR) https://n.pr/35MmXMZ

 

Non-Governmental Organizations

  • Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen cooks up thousands of meals in Puerto Rico (wtop) http://bit.ly/2TjdVV5

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Bees Absolutely Love Cannabis & It Could Help Restore Their Populations (Educate Inspire Change) http://bit.ly/2G9tGX8
    • Study: The Bee Community of Cannabis sativa and Corresponding Effects of Landscape Composition (Environmental Entomology) http://bit.ly/38nFtgj
  • US agriculture employs nearly 3 million honeybee colonies every year. What do those pollinators cost our ecosystems? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/30CaJW9                                                        As we rely more heavily on managed native bees – largely for California’s $5.6 – billion almond crop – wild bees are increasing under threat.
  • Monarch butterfly population critically low on California coast- again (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2RHMG4f                                    Study finds 29,000 butterflies, compared with 4.5 million during the 1980s, as experts point to habitat destruction

 

Animals, Fish, Fresh Water & Marine Animals

  • Ornithologists, Birdwatchers Uncover Staggering Magnitude of Bird Population Decline (The Cornell Daily Sun) http://bit.ly/2RTtGjg
  • Cows Have Unique Moos That They Use To Express Their Feelings, Study Finds (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2twvW80
  • Another Disease Outbreak Threatens US Pigs, But Big Ag Would Rather Talk About Bacon Prices (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2Tupc5a
  • ‘Live animals are the largest source of infection’: dangers of the export trade (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2RfqoaR            Transporting more livestock will increase transmission of diseases, including some that could also threaten humans
  • The Chinese paddlefish, on of world’s largest fish, has gone extinct (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/30HjRcl    Native to China’s Yangtze River, these fish grew 23 feet in length, but haven’t been spotted since 2003.
  • Trawler return to Pacific fishing area in rare environmental success story (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2RM1q1X                      With stocks rebounding, regulators have reopened a groundfish habitat off the west coast – with environmentalists’ support
  • Okanagan Sockeye Salmon (Atlas Obscura) http://bit.ly/2mgw8nO                                                                                    Around British Columbia’s Osoyoos Lake, community efforts have revived the population of a fluorescent fish.

 

Poisons

  • Urgent new ‘roadmap to recover’ could reverse insect apocalypse (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/35HWekz                                                Phasing out synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and aggressive emission reductions among series of solutions outlined by scientists
  • Monsanto Guilty of Spraying Banned Pesticide on Maui Fields (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/30UYswd                                  Company to pay up $10.2 million in fines for the spraying and for illegally storing hazardous waste.
  • Report: The Introduction of Thousands of Tonnes of Glyphosate in the food chain – An Evaluation of Glyphosate Tolerant Soybeans (PubMed) http://bit.ly/3a6Npo8
  • Formulations of glyphosate – based weedkillers are toxic, tests show (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/38Guhfb                                         Government scientists say danger lies with added ingredients in the products not glyphosate

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • GM salmon leaps another legal hurdle. Next up: Another legal hurdle (The an New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/365q8Qc
  • Gene-Editing Unintentionally Adds Bovine DNA, Goat DNA, and Bacteria DNA, Mouse Researchers Find (Independent Science News) http://bit.ly/3aqVSm7

 

Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

  • A 6,000-year-old fruit fly gave the world modern cheese and yogurts (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2QQPwn5
  • What’s made of legumes but sizzles on the barbie like beef? Australia’s new high-tech meat alternative (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2SZtCkq

 

Education & Training

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update January 5, 2020

 

  • Black Panther volunteer still serving hungry kids breakfast, 50 years later (SF Chronicle) http://bit.ly/34jlXPS
  • Communities are benefiting from the growing number of hospital farms (We Are Chefs) http://bit.ly/2thCVBe
  • Flour Power (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2S1qDaj                                           Ancient grains. Little – known tiny grains. Mighty local adapted grains. They are all rising up to replace All Purpose Flour. It’s not just baking, it’s a battle for our food system.
  • Wild Yeasts and Ancient Grains (Yes!) http://bit.ly/38UHlhU     Replace your all purpose flour with this mighty little grains.
  • Public Health Experts Support a Ban on CAFOs. New Polling Suggests the Public Does Too (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/37dGlUe       A food policy expert at Johns Hopkins says the future of our food system depends on reigning in industrial animal agriculture.
  • Need a sous vide machine? Or electric mixer? Berkeley Public Library to begin lending kitchen tools (Berkeleyside) http://bit.ly/2Qzkdgn
  • We Destroyed the Oceans. Now Scientists Are Growing Seafood in Labs. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2snxYqe
  • No driver needed: 20 tons of butter takes road trip from California to Pennsylvania (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/35p3MJU
  • The Trouble With Biofuels (The Revelator) http://bit.ly/2SlKa5v     The Trump administration has promised to expand their use, which would make farmers happy. But are consumers aware of biofuels’ potential consequences?

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • How a closed-door meeting shows farmers are waking up on climate change (Politico) https://politi.co/2qQudsO                   Perdue, Vilsack and leading agricultural groups gathered in a Maryland barn to talk about the farm-country issues that dare not speak its name.
  • Black (Ghanaian) farmers embrace practices of climate resiliency (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2EJLCHa
  • Duck farmers say New York City’s foie gras ban is unconstitutional (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ER2ETs  Citing a threat to their rural economy, foie gras producers have asked New York state to intervene.
  • After 240 Years and 7 Generations, Forced to Sell the Family Farm (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2RC4G1G                                                          He aging owners of a Catskills farm say it “has to close so we can survive.”
  • After a year of record-breaking floods, some farmers face an impossible choice: stay or move? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2snQUFl
  • Industrial dairy farming is taking over in Wisconsin, crowding out family operations and raising environmental concerns (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2E9t8zx
  • Kansas farmers die by suicide at an ‘alarming’ rate. State steps in to help them cope (The Kansas City Star) http://bit.ly/2u1crEl
  • Retired Texas shrimper wins record- breaking $50 million settlement from plastics manufacturing giant (The Texas Tribune) http://bit.ly/39xVIJj

 

Land and Soil

 

Climate

  • Climate Change Is Fueling a Farming Boom in Alaska (In These Times) http://bit.ly/36ARgHe                                                                            It’s becoming easier for the northern state to grow its own food – and more necessary
  • Move Over, Peak Oil. Scientists Say ‘Peak Livestock’ Must Arrive This Decade to Limit Global Heating (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2YXwfUR                                                                                               “If the livestock sector were to continue with business as usual,” experts warn, “this sector alone would account for 49% of the emissions budget for 1.5°C by 2030.
  • World must reach ‘peak meat’ by 2030 to meet climate change targets, scientists warn (CNN) https://cnn.it/38xT31F

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • An ugly fungal disease could spell the end of American peppermint farming (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2sohtuj
  • Raiders of The Lost Crops: Scientists Race Against Time To Save Genetic Diversity (NPR) https://n.pr/2rPTEeD
  • Will rice survive climate change? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/39bE9hL                                                                                               The challenge for rice farms is how to meet demand for an inexpensive food source when Mother Nature has other ideas – and when the crop itself contributes to the emissions that are making it hard to grow in traditional locations.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Forget big oil and big energy – on the driest continent, water is the new black (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2P3WCVE
    • Australian School Runs Out of Water as Shocked Residents See Bottled Water Giants Taking Resources (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/36B0Hqd
  • Megafarms and deeper wells are draining the water beneath rural Arizona – quietly, irreversibly (az central) http://bit.ly/39lYkK5
  • Victoria Falls: World’s Largest Waterfall Is Running Out of Water & Might Disappear (India Times) http://bit.ly/2PtrPAG
  • Revealed: water company and city officials knew about Flint poison risk (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/38B9Zo6                  Exclusive: email exchanges show senior employees knew Michigan residents might risk being poisoned by tap water months before city admitted to problem
  • ‘Despicable’: Internal Emails Reveal Water Contractor Knew About Risks in Flint Months Before Public Confirmation (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2REZv0N                                               “I think anyone has to ask themselves how the story in Flint would be different five years later now if Veolia had made those private concerns public.”
  • EPA hasn’t updated slaughterhouse wastewater rules in 15 years. Environmental groups are suing to force its hand. (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Q6t9cM
  • As Fracking Companies Face Bankruptcy, US Regulators Enable Firms to Duck Cleanup Costs (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/35YJ2Zx
  • Delta smelt: the tiny fish caught in California’s war with Trump (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2EN3wbG                                        Harbingers of a diminishing ecosystem, the smelt are almost extinct. Now, forces within the Trump administration could usher them into oblivion
  • Los Angeles beaches plagued with toxic stormwater report warns (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2E8n9L9                                                  Officials are doing little to reduce the biggest source pollutants in local water, researchers find
  • Stormwater Report (Heal the Bay) http://bit.ly/2t9OU3Q
  • The Ocean Is Running Out of Breath, Scientists Warn (Scientific American) http://bit.ly/38AbrHf                                                    Widespread and sometimes drastic marine oxygen declines are stressing sensitive species – a trend that will continue with climate changes 

    Food Culture & History

  • How Crisco toppled lard – and made Americans believers in industrial food (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2sohtuj

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • ‘Man-Made Starvation’ Threatens Half of Zimbabwe’s Population (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/34dM0HY
  • ‘I won’t be able to have healthy food’: millions of Americans to lose lifeline as Trump cuts food stamps (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/35n7V0V
  • Food bank braces for surge in demand after Trump strips 700,000 of benefits (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/392sp13                                New work requirements are set to throw 700,000 people off snap benefits, with African Americans to be particularly hard hit
  • Here’s What Trump’s SNAP Cuts Will Really Do (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2SgRShj                                                                                             “I’ve never witnessed anything like this. It’s a deliberate attack.”
  • What Happens Next With Trump’s Food Benefit Cuts (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2LRGDrN                                                   If lawsuits challenging the new regulations don’t work, Americans may be facing “unmet food needs.”
  • Newt Gingrich went on Sonny Perdue’s podcast using decades-old welfare tropes to justify SNAP cuts (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2EkgQ7u
  • Here’s What Most People Don’t Know About “Being On Food Stamps’ (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/34NikC3
  • Study: Decline in Early Childhood Obesity in WIC Families (CDC) http://bit.ly/38FRU8c                                                                        Improvement shown among young children enrolled in food assistance programs in 41 US states and territories
  • Commuting Past Fast Food Restaurants Is Linked to Obesity, According to New Research (Pacific Standard) http://bit.ly/2PIPGgZ
  • 3400 Medical Students in Detroit Complete the First Mandated Plant – Based Nutrition Program in the US (Veg News) http://bit.ly/2sbkeid                                                                                                 The Wayne State School of Medicine hosted a month – long curriculum for its 300 first-year medical students to teach them about the evidence-based science behind whole-food plant-based nutrition.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Bangladeshi Scientist Invents Biodegradable Single-Use Bag Made From Jute (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2YBJVVa
  • What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? Look to the French (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/37a1jUa
  • Report: Community Composting Done Right: A Guide to Best Practices (Institute For Local Self-Reliance) http://bit.ly/35cSiIC
  • Norway recycles 97% of its plastic bottles: a blueprint for the rest of the world? (Positive News) http://bit.ly/39kDdYL
  • Plastic Pollution Is A Global Problem We Can’t Ignore (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2sseel2
    • Plastic: The Largest Predator in Our Oceans (Inter Press Service) http://bit.ly/39LdRUb
    • History’s Greatest Sea Is Dying (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2PGPltYThe failure of countries bordering the eastern Mediterranean help explain the difficulty of carrying out successful climate-change negotiations.
  • The missing 99%: why can’t we find the vast majority of ocean plastic? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2QieAnX
  • Giant Eagle Becomes First US Retailer of Its Size to Set Single-Use Plastic Phaseout (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2MltOX1
  • How an Old Law Is Helping Fight New Plastic Problem (The Revelator) http://bit.ly/2PT71E0                                                                   New legislative efforts to ban plastics are important, but a recent court ruling in Texas reminds us that enforcing existing laws is a crucial part of the plastics fight.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Ideology Can Skew Our Views On the Healthiness of Food (Pacific Standard) http://bit.ly/36R5HqX                                                 New research finds that marketing messages that are inconsistent with our values can lead us to view a food product as less healthy.
  • Eliminating food deserts won’t help poorer Americans eat healthier (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/37rt0Ys
    • Study: Food Deserts and the Causes of Nutritional Inequality (The Quarterly Journal of Economics) http://bit.ly/2ufEW1p
  • Meatless Meat Is Everywhere. But How Good Is It For Us And The Planet? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2QykXnw                             It’s still fast food…
  • A collaborative approach required to end periodic vegetable contamination with E. coli (Agricultural Policy Analysis Center) http://bit.ly/2Ejlum8
  • Leafy Greens With Listeria Sold at Major Supermarkets (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2PhdhF8                                Consumer Reports found the bacteria in prewashed and unbagged products. Here’s How to stay safe when eating greens
  • Most seafood imports flagged for food safety violations never get audited (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2P9rbJD
  • Packaged hard-boiled eggs have been linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak, the CDC warns (CNN) https://cnn.it/36L1LrI

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Nobody Knows Why There Are Pigeons in Cowboy Hats Roaming Las Vegas (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2LHAZbG                             The rodeo was in town, but they denied involvement.

 

Children, Youth & School Food

  • This school science experiment will make you want to wash your hands: ‘So disgusting’ (Yahoo!) https://yhoo.it/2sJ7uzu
  • Huge increase in ‘Victorian diseases’ including rickets, scurvy and scarlet fever, NHS data reveals (Independent) http://bit.ly/38q0Z4Q

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • With Federal Minimum Stuck at $7.25, Report Shows 32 Jurisdictions Will Raise Wages to or Above $15 in 2020 (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2shTeOc                                                       “It shows the incredible momentum that the Fight for $15 movement has built up. People who work low-wage jobs need and deserve a raise – and companies can afford it. There’s no excuse/”
  • Report: Raises From Coast to Coast in 2020: Minimum Wage Will Increase in Record 47 States, Cities, and Counties This January (National Employment Law Project) http://bit.ly/2rqJyR7
  • Women Farmworkers Fight to Secure Their Rights and End Sexual Harassment (New Labor Forum) http://bit.ly/36r2EWo
  • Why the US is one of only a few countries with no paid time off (Vox) http://bit.ly/2rx9xX5                                                                       Workers have paid vacation days in Turkmenistan, Brazil, and the European Union – but not in the US.
  • Almost half of all Americans work in low-wage jobs (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2rv2o9O                                                                                        … 44% of US workers are employed in low-wage jobs that pay a medium wage of $18,000.
  • Poverty Grew In One-Third of US Counties Despite Strong National Economy (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Zf8E1Z
  • ICE Prison’s Dollar-a-Day Wage Face Class-Action Suit (Capital & Main) http://bit.ly/2ZxJjR6                                                                                     A federal court ruling allows hundreds of thousands of former detainees to sue the GEO Group.
  • Disneyland Workers Sue For Higher Wages (Capitol & Main) http://bit.ly/2MvXAs7                                                                           Disneyland is facing a class-action lawsuit from workers who claim the Anaheim resort is dodging a new minimum wage law.
  • Durham Service Workers Share Stories of Poverty Wages and Poor Conditions – and an Indifferent State Labor Department (Indy Week) http://bit.ly/38wAtqy
  • How Much Are Your Favorite Companies Spending on Union-Busting Consultants? (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2E7hZ27

 

Protests

  • The Battle for Seattle and How the Food Sovereignty Movement Help Bring Down the World Trade Organization (Food First) http://bit.ly/2Eu0Kbz

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Big Ag and the Small-Scale African Farmer (Yes!) http://bit.ly/35r9yux                                                                                              The Gates Foundation spends billions on agricultural programs. But are they actually helping?
  • Food in the nude – NZ ditching plastic packaging of fruit and vegetables in supermarkets (Alberton Record) http://bit.ly/2F19ZQB                                                                                        ‘Food in the nude’ is a New Zealand campaign to end plastic packaging for fresh produce in supermarkets. Foodstuffs have signed the NZ Plastic Packaging Declaration which is committed to making all store and private label packaging 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
  • Nestlé’s go at privatizing town’s water shot down by appeals court (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/348OtUe                         ‘Allowing a corporation to bottle our water just to sell it back to us is hardly an ‘essential service.”
  • Former Monsanto CEO must testify at Roundup cancer trial (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/38nxMaN                                           Bayer, and Monsanto, still continue to claim their products’ safety even though the company has not been successful in convincing a jury yet.
  • Report: Walmart’s Monopolization of Local Grocery Markets (Institute for Local Self-Reliance) http://bit.ly/2F9E68H
  • Blue Bottle Coffee pledges to go ‘zero waste’ by end of 2020 (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2sZOBsb
  • People Can Exchange Trash for Free Food at India’s First ‘Garbage Café’ (Vice) http://bit.ly/2rxqdhm                                               All the plastic waste collected will be recycled and used to build stronger roads.
  • Bon Jovi feeds the hungry opening the doors to his third community restaurant (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2svGq7g
  • WeWork shutters restaurant co-working arm, cutting off revenue source for partners (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZlZFvX
  • Most states see large declines in net farm income during the last five years (Agricultural Policy Analysis Center) http://bit.ly/35nKjcm
    • Supplemental farm income

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Canada’s milk quota system works to protect small dairy farms (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2YBAmFG
  • European Countries Announcer Plan to Phase Out Toxic PFAS Chemicals (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2sybT8y
  • Trump administration reverses decision to use ‘cyanide bobs’ to kill wild animals (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2SDM95y                  The poison-filled traps are used by the federal government to kill coyotes foxes and other animals for farmers and ranchers
  • The Breathtaking Lack of Oversight for Air Emissions From Animal Farms (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2ScaoY7                                We know livestock farms pollute the air – so why don’t we know how much?
  • The Stink and Injustice of life Next to an Industrial Hog Farm (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2Q54Egc                                                         Will the world’s pork producer be held responsible for making life unbearable in rural Southern communities?
  • To Protect Nation’s Waterways, New Lawsuit Challenges Trump Admin’s Failure to Update Slaughterhouse Pollution Guidelines (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2t4GP01                                               “EPA is rewarding dirty slaughterhouses at the expense of the public.”
  • Toxmap, Federal Database Allowing Public to Track US Pollution, Shut Down After 15 Years By Trump Administration (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2F0FuKw
    • Trump doesn’t want you to know how toxic your neighborhood may be (The Raw Story) http://bit.ly/2ZvaewP
  • Dicamba Fatigue: State Report Another Year of Dicamba Injury to EPA (Progressive Farmer) http://bit.ly/38AjALY                            The amount sent to farmers tops the auto-industry bailout by billions, and was delivered without congressional approval
  • ‘Trump Money’ Is Buying Silence as Unprecedented Payments Go to Farmers (Rolling Stone) http://bit.ly/2SNTxLL                                The amount sent to farmers tops the auto-industry bailout by billions, and was delivered without congressional approval
  • Trump’s EPA Goes to Bat for Bayer as Company Fights $25 Million Verdict in Roundup Cancer Case (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2SvY6u5                                                                                              The chemical company is asking a federal appeals court to reverse its ruling in favor of a California man suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
  • As NLRB Delivers ‘Victory’ to McDonald’s, Docs Reveal Fast Food Giant’s Dirty Anti-Union Tactics (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/38wnQMd
    • Trump appointees hand McDonald’s a win in labor case, this week in the war on workers (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2PNMyPH
  • Calif. Ends School Lunch-Shaming by Guaranteeing All Students Will Get a Meal (People) http://bit.ly/2MxXuAk
  • New York becomes third state to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2sqSczc                                                    The move could help protect children, agricultural workers, and the environment.

 

Animals, Fish, Shellfish, Fresh Water & Marine Animals

  •  “Organic” label doesn’t guarantee that holiday ham was a happy pig (Salon) http://bit.ly/2YPHuhJ                                                            Federal organic regulations require outdoor access for livestock – but don’t specify how much
  • Mangalica: the hairy Hungarian pig nearly wiped out by communism (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2u0fXz7                        African swine fever is merely latest threat to an animal that went from the brink to a nation al treasure
  • From red seaweed to climate-smart cows: New Zealand leads the fight against methane (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2sDmfnP
  • West Coast Fisher Rebounds in Rare Conservation ‘Home Run’ (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2t8S8Vm                                                  After years of uncertainty, fishermen who use nets to catch rockfish, bocaccio, sole, Pacific Ocean perch and other deep-dwelling fish are making a comeback.
  • In Memoriam: Sustainable Seafood, 1992 – 20019 (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/397fH1h
    • Extremely low cod numbers lead feds to close the Gulf of Alaska fishery for the first time (Alaska Public Media) http://bit.ly/2qPBmty
    • Salmon die-off expands, bringing total Chinook fishing closure on Oregon’s north coast (Statesman Journal) http://bit.ly/2PMTbSd
  • Tracking Superbugs: Antibiotic Resistance Spreads Among Marine Mammals (The Revelator) http://bit.ly/2ZpeNsn

 

Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

  • US technology allows fruits to stay ripe for twice as long and reduces plastic packaging (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2PtthTE

 

Poisons

  • Are ‘forever chemicals’ in our milk? Nobody really knows. (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2tlC8PT            When contaminated groundwater shut down a New Mexico dairy farm, it revealed how unprepared regulators are to protect the food supply from a group of chemicals linked to reproductive and developmental problems.
  • Glyphosate and Roundup proven to disrupt microbiome by inhibiting shikimate pathway (GM Watch) http://bit.ly/2E9lpkG
    • Study: Shotgun metagenomics and metabolomics reveal glyphosate alters the gut microbiome of Sprague-Dawley rats by inhibiting the shikimate pathway (bioRxiv) http://bit.ly/2sDMxq0
  • Toxic Chemical Found in Rainwater and Drinking Water Throughout the US (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/34R5J0x
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update December 9, 2019

 

  • Wait, There’s Hope! Here’s How Humans Might Save Antibiotics (Wired) http://bit.ly/2qlv9oJ                                                                       People have a poor record of preventing global disasters. But for antimicrobial resistance, an unlikely group of allies is making big promises.
    • As Superbugs Infect Millions and Kill Tens of Thousands Each Year, CDC Chief Warns Post-Antibiotic Era ‘Already Here’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2NPLIlE                                           “On average, someone in the United States gets an antibiotic-resistant infection every 11 seconds and every 15 minutes someone dies.”
    • Why the CDC warns antibiotic-resistant fungal infections are an urgent health threat (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/35qOwLX
  • Building a New Textile Economy (Yes!) http://bit.ly/37fU2mk    Our clothing is manufactured and transported at great cost to human welfare and our warming planet. But farmers and fashion activists are creating sustainable textiles closer to home.
  • Move Over Fake Meat, It’s Time for Veggie Seafood (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/35x2XOL                                                         Here are six companies brining you animal-free fish products, form tomato-based sushi to “Fysh Sauce”
  • US academics feel the invisible hand of politicians and big agriculture (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2OXKi9o                                   As universities rely more for funds, researchers taking a stand on health or environment say they’re sidelined
  • Animal Rights Group Hoped to Turn Poultry Farmers into Plant Growers (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/32X9W1E                      Mercy for Animals’ ‘Transfarmation Project’ hopes to end factory farming
  • If Factory Farm Conditions Are Unhealthy for Animals, They’re Bad for People Too (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2LrozEB
  • Public science for private interests: How University of Missouri agricultural research cultivates profits for industry (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Ob6pZx
  • Top US public health groups urges halt to CAFOs (Sustainable Food News) http://bit.ly/34ehpei                                                        Research links CAFOs to ‘number of serious public health challenges,’ says Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future chief
  • ‘Badass’: The One Word That Has Become A Lightning Rod For Many Female Chefs (NPR) https://n.pr/35y2AU8

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • A new generation of Black farmers is returning to the land (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/35lBlfe
    • Black Farmers Were Driven From Their Land for Decades. Now, Some Are Reclaiming It. (Vice) http://bit.ly/2rrid0G “They’re looking for ways to live out their values. And returning to the land is one dramatic way that they can do that.”
  • Meet the Farmers Putting Politics Aside to Address Climate Change (Yes!) http://bit.ly/33hE5c6                                                             The Practical Farmers of Iowa waste no time on partisan stances as they face the challenges of extreme weather and depleted soils.
  • Coffee at a Crossroads (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2QpAaat Coffee is a ubiquitous pleasure, but farmers struggle to make ends meet. It’s time to change the system.
  • Banking agencies give hemp the OK (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/389jR8c                                                                                              The letter, which had been sought by politicians for months, is an important step, but won’t do much for some farmers who need help now.
    • Across the country, farmers say banks are dropping them for growing hemp (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2QJJXbE
  • Black Farmers Sue Burger King Chicken Supplier for Discrimination (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/34binrP            There’s a long history of accusations of bad behavior against Koch Foods.
  • In California, farmers are facing sunburned apples and frozen greens (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2XEPJfX
  • ‘They’re Trying to Wipe Us Off the Map.’ Small American Farmers Are Nearing Extinction (Time) http://bit.ly/3572mmY
  • American lamb producers are beefing with New Zealand over – what else? – meat labeling (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/34dhq1V
  • Diversifying Crops Is Good For The Planet. But Can It Be Good For Farmers Wallets? (NPR) https://n.pr/33gRJfL

 

Land and Soil

  • Plant Biodiversity Is Struggling to Recover on Abandoned Farmland (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/33clxdw                                But researchers say it’s not too late to fix this problem.
  • Wine Moguls Destroy Land And Pay Small Fines As Cost Of Business, Say Activists (NPR) https://n.pr/2rpe51b

 

Climate

  • Eat, Stomp, Poop: Could Better Ranching Help Save the Planet? (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2OmvTSr                                                      Beef has a climate problem. But it may also offer a path to drawing down carbon emissions.
  • Climate Change Is Disrupting Centuries-Old Methods Of Winemaking In France (NPR) https://n.pr/33bjR41
  • The Answer to Climate – Killing Cow Farts May Come From the Sea (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/33SPfVT                                    Methane is an especially potent greenhouse gas. A modest feed additive could provide a big leverage effect.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • How Peru’s potato museum could stave off world food crisis (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/34IMaIu                                                                    Agri-park high in the Andes preserves the expertise to breed strains fit for a changing climate
  • Botanists scour old Northwest homesteads for long lost apple varieties (Seattle Times) http://bit.ly/2Ylo4RS
  • Cosmic Crips apple that can reportedly last for a year to hit US stores (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2rPPTp8
    • Meet ‘Cosmic Crisp,’ a New Hybrid Apple That Stays Fresh for a Year (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/2LByGqF
  • The High Stakes Race to Breed Cannabis With 0% THC (One Zero) http://bit.ly/32QYmW2                                                                Farmers are scrambling to cash in on the CBD boom. But when their hemp crops tip over 0.3% legal limit for THC, they lose everything.
  • Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. Why don’t we grow it ourselves? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2pFPsgj
  • Plants Can Sometimes Be Sweet Friends to Each Other, Say Scientists (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2QIHgHw
  • From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Build Our Brussels Sprouts Boom (NPR) https://n.pr/37vTzwA
  • Magic of a Beloved, Long-Lost Tomato (Smithsonian Magazine) http://bit.ly/2OMnt7c                                                                                    Wiped out by disease and market demands, the Rutgers tomato may be making a comeback

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • ‘Victory for the People’: Michigan Court Rejects Nestlé’s Claim That Privatizing Local Town’s Water Provides ‘Essential Service’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/33PozEF                                     “Allowing a corporation to bottle our water just to sell it back to us is hardly an ‘essential services.’”
    • California Water Board Directs Nestlé to Immediately Cease Unauthorized Use of California’s Water (The Story of Stuff) http://bit.ly/33ZMbqb
    • Nestlé Is Sucking the World’ Aquifers Dry (Longreads) http://bit.ly/32QuokP
  • Victoria Falls dries to a trickle after worst drought in a century (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2E14H7f One of southern Africa’s biggest tourist attractions has seen an unprecedented decline this dry season, fueling climate change fears
  • Arizona’s water supplies are drying up. How will its farmers survive? (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2DazLAZ
  • North Dakota Says Keystone Oil Spill Was 10 Times Bigger Than First Reported (Democracy Now) http://bit.ly/35nBhM0
  • Dead Dogs and toxic fish: Welcome to Stockton, a city choking on California water policy (LA Times) https://lat.ms/37bfBEU
  • Las Vegas water pipeline battle is life-or-death fight for Shoshone sacred site (Reno Gazette Journal) http://bit.ly/2CNsMh5
  • Plastic Trash Has Overwhelmed Feeding Grounds For Baby Fish (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2KtCf1r
    • Study: Prey-size plastics are invading larval fish nurseries (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) http://bit.ly/355lq4A

 

Food Culture & History

  • ‘It’s where we come from’: the river people in Mexico left without a river (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Ql687X                                         The loss of the Colorado River has destroyed the social fabric of the Cucapá tribe and is partly to blame or its population decline
  • Eat Like The Ancient Babylonians: Researchers Cook Up Nearly 4,000 Year-Old Recipes (NPR) https://n.pr/2KQFPTz
    • These 4,000-Year-Old Recipes Sound Surprisingly Tasty (Vice) http://bit.ly/2OZPDfb                                                                        Although a food historian attempted to recreate one recipe for a meeting in 1988, the other hadn’t been tasted by anyone in more than 4,000 years.
  • What Was on the Menu at the First Thanksgiving? (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/33iwCtt                                                                                             The history of the holiday meal tells us that turkey was always the centerpiece, but other courses have since disappeared

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • New study shows the EAT – Lancet diet is unaffordable for at least 1.6 billion people (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2XBpgA4
  • Is A Diet That’s Healthy For Us Also Better For The Planet? Most Of The Time, Yes (NPR) https://n.pr/37BXVT8
    • Multiple health and environmental impacts of food (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) http://bit.ly/2Odgwgv
  • ‘We Need the Food That We Lost.’ Low Income Families Still Reeling From (California) Blackouts (KQED) http://bit.ly/33dGtAA
  • Food scholarships. Homeless shelters. Emergency loans. (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2ODD0pP         With no federal help in sight, colleges scrambler to confront the growing crisis of hungry homeless students
  • A poor, Trump-voting Florida town opened a government grocery store to end its food desert, but it’s “not socialism” (boingboing) http://bit.ly/2OjTzrQ

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Garbage In. Bacon Out. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2ODZ9pg   Two brothers in New Mexico think that sounds like a pretty good business plan.
  • Tech Company Free Meals Beget Leftovers. Meet the Man on a Mission to Rescue Them. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2OBrIDS Food Runners saves extra rub before it’s wasted, and delivers it to hungry mouths.
  • Irish Teenager Wins Google Science Award for Removing Microplastics From Oceans (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2qnRWjX
  • Plastic pollution off China’s coast soars after drive to stop dumping it in rivers (Independent) http://bit.ly/2QqrJMi

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Meatless Meat Is Everywhere. But How Good Is It For Us And The Planet? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2QykXnw
  • Can soda tax really improve public health? (The Week) http://bit.ly/2OOSqrh                                                                                           In a word, yes.
  • New study show that shipping oysters might make them safer (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2XBpHua
  • Ground Beef Recalls Are At An All-Time Hight. Is It The Meat Or Is It Us? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/32Xpi6A                       Between a changing industry, outdated rules and USDA budget cuts, the risk of #. Coli and salmonella is higher than ever.
  • Two years after the start of a salmonella outbreak in turkey, CDC says new cases are still being reported (New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2D4VNF5
  • E. coli outbreak in in romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, California, CDC and FDA (CNN) https://cnn.it/2qtPPeB
  • Is high-risk romaine simply the new normal? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2qAPS8p                                                                We’re in the midst of the fifth E. coli outbreak from leafy greens in just two years. It’s also the second outbreak announced in the last month.

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • The vanishing: Ghana’s defenders face new perils in fight against over fishing (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/32RIEtM                         Illegal fishing by Chinese-owned trawlers is costing the country millions – and one of the officials trying to stop it has new been missing for months
  • Three Cows Swept Away by Hurricane Dorian Have Been Found Alive (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/2Qra1Z2                                     Officials think the brave bovines swam between four and five miles to the Cape Lookout National Seashore
    • Cows Swept To Sea By Hurricane Dorian And Found On Island Are Finally Back Home (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2KPVVg7                                                                                    The trio of survivors are back home on North Carolina’s Ceder Island, where their herd of “sea cows” freely roams.

 

Children & School Food

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • The American System of Tipping Makes No Sense (citylab) http://bit.ly/2rJh98w                                                                                                 If you want to understand how meritocracy acts as a cover for inequality, look no further than our broken understanding of gratuity.
    • Trump’s Labor Dept. Has Declared War on Tipped Workers (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2LsQF2d
    • Tip Regulations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (Federal Register) http://bit.ly/389NaHD
    • Low Wages and Few Benefits Means Many Restaurant Workers Can’t Make Ends Meet (Economic Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/33SDDkY
    • Twenty-Three Years and Still Waiting for Change (Economic Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/2LpIaVE                                                Why it’s time to give topped workers the minimum wage
    • Minimum Wage Tracker (Economic Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/34X1AsW
  • The Strike at McDonald’s Is About More Than Fighting Abuse – It’s About Workplace Democracy (In These Times) http://bit.ly/33bmNxB
    • MC Donald’s Is Sued Over ‘Systemic Sexual Harassment’ of Female Workers (NPR) https://n.pr/2QIMYJo
    • Memo: Key Findings from Survey of Women Fast Food Workers (Heart Research) http://bit.ly/2OA7n0j
    • How I get By: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Pj58in                                                                     Cierra Brown is trying to do all she can on her ow, but it rarely feels lie she’s doing enough.
  • McDonald’s Employees Are Suing to Win Protections From Violence at Work (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2OIAajt                              The lawsuit against McDonald’s comes amid workers’ campaigns to get the company to address sexual harassment and assault faced by its employees.
  • UFCW Local 1445 Makes History with First Massachusetts Cannabis Union Agreement (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/2DPv8Nd
  • Woman Workers Achieve Justice on the Job in Morocco (Inequality.org) http://bit.ly/2QWCLJ8                                            Woman made key gains in reducing gender discrimination and improving wages and working conditions in Morocco’s first-ever agricultural collective bargaining contract.
  • Union and Nonprofit Sue USDA Over Sped-Up Pork Production Rules (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2KVcZRM                                   The fear increased worker injuries as a result of the new rules.
    • Unions and Nonprofit Sue USDA Over New Hog Slaughter Rule (Government Executive) http://bit.ly/2QR9Fv1                 The rule, which goes into effect on Dec. 2, gives producers more control over meat inspections.

 

Protests

  • A restaurant called ‘Immigrant Food’ just opened a block from the White House (CNN) https://cnn.it/2CUxZne
  • Farmers, Workers, and Students Rally Outside Aramark for More Ethical Food Sourcing (Food & Power) http://bit.ly/37yA7zh
  • Dozens Arrested for Demanding Food Justice at Jane Fonda’s Fire drill Friday Protest in DC (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2R4UVbX

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Palm oil chief arrested on suspicion of paying to have activists killed (The Sydney Morning Herald) http://bit.ly/2QrMrLE
  • The monopolization of milk (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2OhVv4q
    • America’s Largest Dairy Producer Files for Bankruptcy (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2prULA3                                         Some experts fear what this means for the milk industry.
    • America’s biggest dairy co-op may buy Dean Foods. Opponents fear a milk monopoly (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2OjmHyu After Dean announced it had filed for bankruptcy, Dairy Farmers of America said it was in “advanced discussions” on an acquisition. A merger would all but guarantee lower income for struggling farmers.
  • Milk co-op slaughter 500,000 cows via a “retirement” program. Now they’ll pay $220 million in a price-fixing lawsuit. (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ORQ1xn                                       Retirement has never been so expensive.
  • Bumble Bee, one of America’s largest tuna companies files for bankruptcy (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/37EPPsS              The company has been mired in legal issues for years.
    • Bumble Bee files for bankruptcy and agrees to sell for $925M (Food Dive) http://bit.ly/35qqnVT
    • Here is some background: Big Tuna’s big new troubles (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2KNFTDz                                           …one of the country’s three biggest canned seafood suppliers pleaded guilty to felony price-fixing…

 

  • The Blood Pipe Is Still Spewing Blood After Nearly Two Years (Vice) http://bit.ly/2sRumNl                                                                      Newly-obtained footage shows the underwater fish farm pipe in British Columbia is still churning out virus-infected blood and guts.
  • A New York seafood company sold more than $1 million worth of fraudulent octopus (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Phtd9s
  • ISU report: Iowa farm finances continue to erode, with 44% of growers struggling to cover costs (Des Moines Register) http://bit.ly/34gcGJ1
  • Fork out to pork out: Germany’s ‘schnitzel alert’ echoes around Europe (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/38hu6Hx                                  Sharp rise in wholesale pork prices prompts warnings over cost of bratwurst, chorizo and other seasonal fare
  • In-N-Out Burger Sued $1.3 Million for Allegedly Starting 2017 Wild Fire (Vice) http://bit.ly/34kXJp1                                                         Cal Fire thinks the burger chain is responsible for the Huasna Fire which burned 245 acres in a rural part of the state.

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Lawmaker Call For Investigation Of Farm Aid To Brazilian-Owned Meat Company (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2OHJMuO                            “Taxpayer dollars should never be used to subsidize corrupt, foreign owned corporations,” Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro wrote to Sonny Perdue.

 

  • Trump Administration Finalizes First Food Benefit Cut (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2qmCcxw                                                  The administration is pursuing several changes that together could trim SNAP enrollment by 10%
    • Study: 3.7 Million Americans Would Lose Food Stamps Under Trump Administration Rules (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2OzMRhI                                                                    Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says reducing food subsidies will “restore the dignity of work” for recipients.
  • Millions could lose access to food stamps under trumps proposal, study finds (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2qiq7cN  Altered rules would also cut monthly benefits and end free or discounted lunches to nearly a million students
  • Proposed Food Stamp Cuts Would Hit Military Families (Military.com) http://bit.ly/2Lia1qE
  • Nearly 1 Million Vets Face Food Stamps Cut (Military.com) http://bit.ly/2E0hqHa
  • New Trump rule could eliminate food stamps for 200,000 Californians (Cal Matters) http://bit.ly/381WkGa
  • The Food Stamp Work Requirement Is a Scheme to Punish Hungry Americans (In These Times) http://bit.ly/38dkTQq          This article is from 2018, but it is this iteration is based on the principle.
  • Editorial: Trump’s food stamp crackdown is as pointless as it is callous (SF Chronicle) http://bit.ly/38j49rd
  • A new Trump administration rule will deprive nearly 1 million school kids of automatic free lunches, official figures say (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2OmHXTQ
  • New Analysis Reveals That Trump’s NLRB Used Incorrect Data For Anti-Union Ruling (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/2Ls2oOt
  • Trump trade war with China has cost 300,000 US jobs, Moody’s estimates (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2DaroFz
    • Lost jobs, shrinking growth, and rotting crops – here are the ways Trump’s trade ware is hurting America (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/38146A8
    • Trump’s trade ware squeezes the juice out of Maine’s wild blueberry business (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2Yz87Yb
  • USDA Greenlights Contentious Chinese Chicken Imports Following News of Poultry Trade Deal (Food & Power) http://bit.ly/2s5ABfY
  • Making Cheese or Jam? A USDA Program to Pay Farmers More for their Crops Faces Cuts – Again (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2KtTTSN                                                                                      USDA research shows that the Value-Added Producer Grant program supports small farmers and rural development, but its future is uncertain.
  • Trump Ag Secretary to Struggling Farmers: Get a Job! (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2Xms1oX                                                                       Prices are tanking and the trade war drags on. That’s the best advice you have, Sonny Perdue?
  • Westward heave-ho: How a federal agency’s move to Colorado threatens public lands, science and the climate (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2ODJIfo                                                                         The Bureau of Land Management relocation to Grand Junction reflects a widespread pattern of destabilization under President Trump.
  • Fed agency plans are not adequate to prevent 99.8% of US endangered species from suffering climate crisis, study says (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2Oa6oF3
  • Wisconsin’s Statehouse Is at War Over Its Dairy Crisis (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2q8ylEl                                                                               The state senate just fired the governor – appointed agriculture secretary.
  • Gov. Newsom halts new steam injection, oil fracking in California (Palm Springs Desert Sun) http://bit.ly/2QRnZU1
  • NYC and LA officials want to enact city-wide boycott of food companies sourcing from the Amazon (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2QtPKC2
  • New York City votes to ban foie gras (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/34cD7iX
    • Foise gras distributor slapped with lawsuit 24 hours after NYC’s new foie ban (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/35BV62D                                                                                    The suit alleges that the country’s largest distributor is misleading the public by calling is fois “human, natural, low-stress, and hand-fed.”

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Holland covers hundreds of bus stops with plants as gift to honeybees (Independent) http://bit.ly/2KMSoiN                      Shelters support biodiversity while also capturing dust to improve air quality and storing rainwater.
  • How conventional soy farming starves honey bees (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2OmQs2p                                                        By fall, bee colonies are supposed to have enough food stocked up to get through winter. But near soy farms they’re turning to storage for sustenance as early as August, a new study finds.
    • Study: Native habitat mitigates feast-famine conditions faced by honey bees in an agricultural landscape (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) http://bit.ly/2XOvFrD
  • Here You Will Find a Video of a Honeybee Surfing (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/33iM34Z                                                                     New, serious research finds that bees surf to get out of water.

 

Animals, Fish, Shellfish, & Sea Animals

  • Yellowstone Bison Engineer an Endless Spring to Suit Their Grazing Needs (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/2XMo50C                      The cycle of grazing and fertilizing prolongs spring-like vegetation in grasslands a makes green-up more intense in following years
  • Danish bacon: what happens when you push pigs to the limit? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33QP8ti                                            Denmark’s industrial pig farms are stunningly productive, but there is another side to their success
    • ‘We’ve bred them to their limit’: death rates surge for female pigs in the US (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Lycxtk                   With sows producing 23 piglets a year on average, intensive farming is called into question over rise in animals suffering prolapse
  • Eek! Bat Populations Are Shrinking. Here Are A Few Ways to Help (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2KtDT34                                                                  The tiny mammals are essential to human comfort; without them, we wouldn’t have things like avocados, chocolate, and tequila.
  • A Plague of Pigs in Texas (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/2XJVObh Now numbering in the millions, these shockingly destructive and invasive wild hogs wreak havoc across the southern United States
  • California’s Chinook Salmon are in danger. Rice fields just might be their salvation (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2D7pq8X

Thanksgiving Downer: Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Delayed Into Mid-December (CBS SF BayArea) https://cbsloc.al/2DCZa6F                                                                                       …to minimize the risk of whales getting entangled in ropes connected to crab traps.

  • ‘Not enough pork in the world’ to deal with China’s demand for meat (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2QK9ql9                                         With hundreds of millions of pigs dead from swine fever exporters are scrambling to fill the gap. But prices are soaring

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • Regulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in Commercial GMO Crops (Independent Science News) http://bit.ly/2QEUPrk
  • Organic aquaponics co. obtains non-GMO label for farmed salmon (Sustainable Food News) http://bit.ly/2pItZU1
  • Eggs that will hatch into genetically modified salmon arrive in US (United Press International) http://bit.ly/2OD2sMl

 

Poisons

  • BPA chemical levels in humans drastically underestimated, study finds (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2qytNr2

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update November 15, 2019

  • A champion of the unplugged, earth-conscious life, Wendell Berry is Still ahead of us (Vox) http://bit.ly/2OLZEy9                       The writer and farmer’s impassioned arguments on farming, technology, and the urban-rural divide have taken on a new urgency.
  • Organic Food Hurts the Earth? Sorry, But It’s More Complicated (In These Times) http://bit.ly/36OzFN4
  • The Battle for the Future of Food in Africa (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/33fawJ5                                                                                     Certain policies, strongly promoted by the Gates Foundation, open Africa to the multinational seed companies in the name of modernization, but they undermine climate resilience and food security for Africa’s small-scale farmers.
  • Iowa’s farmers – and American eaters need a national discussion on transforming US agriculture (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2P6bCmc
  • Flour power: meet the bread heads baking a better loaf (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31uJ2gP                                                                     The days of mass – produced pappy white British supermarket loaf may be numbered. Meet the bread heads revolutionizing the way we eat.
  • Belgian Jewish baker Launches Europe’s firs mass-produced cannabis bread (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) http://bit.ly/2qE4Utn
  • Japanese Scientists’ Discovery Could Prevent Tractor Tipping (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2pVPBMi What do a tractor and a bouncing ball have in common? More than you would think.
  • Sikhs step up to help feed those taking shelter from Kincaid Fire (Manteca Ripon Bulletin) http://bit.ly/2NqozVH
  • A Coffee Crisis Is Brewing And It Could Make Your Morning Joe Less Tasty (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2IUQlIa
  • The Problem Isn’t Wheat. It’s What We’ve Done to It (Heated) http://bit.ly/2ppdvQt                                                                                            The industrial food system is breaking our bodies – and our land
  • PG&E wants to seize private vineyard property for liquid natural gas plant in Calistoga (Napa Valley Register) http://bit.ly/36Cm6Ai
  • Biodegradable Coffee Cups Embedded With Seeds Grow Into Trees When Thrown Away (Off Grid Info) http://bit.ly/34zkmpJ

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • The Key to Saving Family Farms Is in the Soil (yes!) http://bit.ly/2Bs97Tf                                                                                   Farmers adopting regenerative agricultural practices across the Midwest are restoring the health of the soil and of their rural economies.
    • Regenerative, Organic Agriculture is Essential to Fighting Climate Change (In These Times) http://bit.ly/33ynFNx
  • Millions of apples left to rot as European pickers abandon Britain (The London Economic) http://bit.ly/2qJRrAw
    • Shortage of fruit pickers leaves 50 million rotting in UK orchards amid fears Brussels sprouts, cabbages, and kale could also be affected (Daily Mail) https://dailym.ai/2MKRftd               A third of growers say they have been forced to leave 100 tons of fruit unpicked. This because of a labor shortfall in part fueled by current Brexit uncertainty. The shortage of pickers and packers is also hitting vegetable growers ahead of the Christmas period
  • Biodiversity and Animal Welfare are Paramount for these Second-Generation North Caroline Farmers (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2JnIiE9
  • ‘I’m standing right here in the middle of climate change’: How USDA is failing farmers (Politico) https://politi.co/2Bkep35        The $144 billion Agriculture Department spends less than 1 percent of its budget helping farmers adapt to increasingly extreme weather.

 

Land and Soil

  • How urban agriculture can improve food security (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2K4ab4n
    • In Detroit, A New Type of Agricultural Neighborhood Has Emerged (Yes) http://bit.ly/2NFhQbD                                                 The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is focusing on food insecurity and community investment.
    • Urban Farms Are Supposed To Solve Our Food Woes. The Reality Is Not So Simple. (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2O7fbqj
  • The Great Land Robbery (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/33ApDNe The shameful story of how 1 million have been ripped from their farms
    • One Million Black Families in the South Have Lost Their Farms (Equal Justice Initiative) http://bit.ly/2MEofCc
  • Study finds fungi, not plant matter, responsible for most carbon sequestration in northern forests (phys.org) http://bit.ly/2ogp4ce

 

Climate

  • This Ancient Fruit Holds Secrets for How to Farm in Climate Change (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2oiNqlz
  • Scientists warned the US president about global warming 50 years ago (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33DdB5M                                On 5 November 1965 climate scientists summarized the risks associated with rising carbon pollution in a report for Lydon Baines Johnson
  • Indigenous farming practices failing as climate change disrupts seasons (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2Bf00Ft   Farmers around the world rely on millennia-old wisdom to guide their planting. Scrambled weather and seasons are forcing them into uncharted territory.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • This Ancient Fruit hold Secrets for How Farm in Climate Change (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2oiNqlz                                                  Respect your elder-berries.
  • A Holistic (Possible) Solution to the Palm Oil Problem in Indonesia (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2pfGNB5
    • Could This Tree Be An Eco-Friendly Way To Wean Indonesian Farmers Off Palm Oil? (NPR) https://n.pr/343A7Vu
  • The Cosmic Crisp Is Trying To Become America’s Most Popular Apple (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2ITHIxN                                           A crisp new apple variety is coming soon to supermarkets and farmers markets. And millions dollars are spent to persuade you to buy it.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Keystone pipeline leaks oil in northeastern North Dakota (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/34mteyS
    • ‘It Happens Over and Over and Over and Over’: Keystone Pipeline Leaks (at Least) 383,000 Gallons of Crude Oil in North Dakota (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2qcMPTm
  • This Wisconsin Town Is Desperately Fighting For Its Drinking Water (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/35qAL0S                                    The tiny town of Saratoga is locked in a battle over a new mega-dairy that residents fear will contaminate their drinking water.
  • The number of Flint’s students with special needs has increased by 56% since the water crisis, according to report (Metro Times) http://bit.ly/35ynPWB
  • The fight to stop Nestlé from taking America’s water to sell in plastic bottles (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2NanzWQ
    • Nestlé wants Florida’s drinking water for free, leaving us high and dry (Miami Herald) https://hrld.us/2BZKmOF
  • Carnival slapped with a $20 million fine after it was caught dumping trash into the ocean, again (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2omDyYf

 

Food Culture & History

  • The Native Musician and Poet Revitalizing Indigenous Food Sovereignty (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2Q1nG8X
  • Gullah Geechee: distinct US culture risks losing island home to climate crisis (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2W8aOPn                  Fierce storms and rising seas are causing existential angst for communities in Alaska, Arizona and other states on the front line of the climate crisis
  • Resisting GMOs and Preserving Indigenous Culture in Rural Mexico (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2WmvZ0d                                                 Thanks to a union of land cooperatives, people in Puebla have food sovereignty and education in Nahuatl instead of mega – projects and a Walmart.
  • How to say “coffee” or “tea depends on ancient trade routs (Popular Science) http://bit.ly/33hzSpP

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • ‘One of the biggest, baddest things we did’: Black Panthers’ free breakfasts, 50 year on (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MZ8zcL     The party’s program to feed kids, launched in 1969, became a national phenomenon. This weekend, former members joined a celebration in the party’s birthplace
  • The Number of Australians in Need of Food Relief Spikes 22% in a Year: Report (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/363gKNV
  • The New Face of Hunger (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2nNKeOC                                                         Millions of working Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from…
  • To solve the hidden epidemic teen hunger, we should listen to teens who experience it. (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2NRrmre
  • California families at risk for hunger – while a third of crops left to rot on farms (The Fresno Bee) http://bit.ly/33K7EUl
    • Study: On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements (Resources, Conservation and Recycling) http://bit.ly/2YAuFpO
  • By 2025, 43 million children under the age of fie will be overweight (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2WevLbv           A new UNICEF report highlights dietary challenges facing children around the world. A key takeaway? Industrial ag and climate change are compounding malnutrition.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Greenpeace Report Offers Vision of ‘Smart Supermarkets’ and a future Free of Single-Use Plastics (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Kinheq                                                                                            “This report should serve as a model for retailers to follow, and show that it is possible to end our throwaway culture for the sake of our oceans, waterways, and communities.”
    • Report: The Smart Supermarket: How retailers can innovate beyond single use plastics and packaging (Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/2Xf8xlV
  • Taco Bell Recalls 2.3 Million Pounds of Beef After Finding Metal Fragments (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2OShcsb
  • Coca-Cola Named Most Polluting Brand in Global Audit of Plastic Waste (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2N1n0Nu
    • Report Details How Giants Like Coca-Cola Are Trashing the Planet With Plastics While Pushing ‘False Solutions’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2N7jZLN
    • Report: The Brand Audit Report 2019 (Break Free From Plastic) http://bit.ly/2paWkC5
  • The Problem With America’s Bulk Food Bins (Eater) http://bit.ly/333pXnK To truly reduce waste, bulk food must be more than just one isle in the grocery store

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Food is medicine, why isn’t it taught at medical schools? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BmRunO
    • Report: Doctoring Our Diet: Policy Tools to Include Nutrition in US Medical Training (Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic) http://bit.ly/2MqkUYA
    • Food as medicine: Massachusetts bill would give Medicaid recipients fresh food and grocery money (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/32Qwi5L
  • Why is celery powder so controversial? (New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BQyYEt                                                                                             It’s bill as an organic, natural way to cure meats without artificial nitrites, but scientists and advocacy groups argue it’s no safer or healthier.
  • There Are 2,000 Untested Chemicals In Packaged Foods – and It’s Legal (Truthout) http://bit.ly/34L8TU3
  • Rotten Chicken Sickens Homeless As Shelter Staff Laugh: Report (Patch, Brooklyn, NY) http://bit.ly/2WUehS3                                         Six Fort Green shelter residents ended up vomiting after the city served expired chicken salad with a double label, The Daily News reports.
  • Bugs, mold and unwashed hands: Rampant safety violations in nursing home kitchens endanger residents (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2qkHQzN
  • Salmonella Linked to Ground Beef Leaves 8 Hospitalized, 1 Dead (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2K2QBWv
  • Salmon recalled in 23 states because of danger of botulism poisoning (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/34Ei3kU

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Tyson settles with government over fraudulent inspection records (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2qxwFnz            After the company found video of USDA inspectors faking a meat plant inspection, the meat giant was forced to throw out 8,000 hot carcasses.
  • AB InBev, Bud Light’s parent company, is accusing MillerCoors of stealing its beer recipes (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/31tGEH6
  • It’s Harvest Time for Apple Thieves (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2BMQKbM                                                                                 These brazen crimes can wipe out a farm’s annual harvest.
    • Thief Stole 50,000 Apples by Just Shaking the Trees Really hard, Orchard Owner Says (Vice) http://bit.ly/33UEDFG

 

Children & School Food

  • San Francisco Unified School District going back to basics with school lunches made from scratch (San Francisco Examiner) http://bit.ly/2VXCzKp                                                                             Upgraded culinary center could serve as model for expanded inhouse food production.
  • Universal free lunch is linked to better test scores in New York City, new report finds (Chalkbeat) http://bit.ly/2OZ9o8e
  • ‘Every Child Deserves to Eat’: Sander and Omar Bill Would Provide Universal Free Public School Lunches (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2W10o3L                                                                                              “I one of the wealthiest countries in the world, no child should be turned away from a meal if they cannot afford it,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar.
  • Nearly 1 million kids will lose automatic free lunch eligibility under USDA’s proposed SNAP changes (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2JflN4r                                                                                          Doing so will save the agency $90 million annually, but could significantly impact child nutrition.
  • New Jersey school district proposes banning students with lunch debt from field trips, prom (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2MZYzAl

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • Nestlé admits slavery in Thailand while fighting child labor lawsuit in Ivory Coast (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2BE3NfT       The company has won plaudits for its admission of forced labor in the Thai seafood industry but much of the supply chain remains hidden
  • BAT (British American Tobacco) faces landmark legal case over Malawi familie’s poverty wages (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2q95ijD
  • American Farming Runs on Exploitation (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2J6gYtP                                                                                    Climate change isn’t the only reality the USDA’s been slow to grapple with.
    • The Farmworkers Who Pick Your Food Don’t Get Paid Overtime (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/34GO9N4                 Washington could be the third state to require overtime pay, leveling the playing field nationwide for ‘second-class workers.’
  • Raising the minimum wage in restaurants could be a win for everyone (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2C46Mhx                 Critics would have you believe that upping the minimum wage in restaurants will lead to massive layoffs and closures. But since raising the minimum wage to US$15 per hour nearly a year ago the restaurant industry in New York City has thrived.
  • The American System of Tipping Makes No Sense (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2pz7alH                                                                                                  If you want to understand how meritocracy acts as a cover for inequality, look no further than our broken understanding of gratuity.
  • A minimum wage worker needs 2.5 full-time jobs to afford a one bedroom apartment in most of the US (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/323n2Kq
  • New Report: Workers At Farms That Supply Whole Foods “Are Often Overworked and Poorly Treated” (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/33y0wdJ
  • Working nights to pack California strawberries, working days to graduate from school (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36aQ6mn
  • Long sought by the restaurant industry, legal tip pooling is imminent (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BnR8gE           LA, San Francisco, Portland, and Vegas: Your tips could soon be shared with kitchen staff.
  • Should State (California) Fund Growers’ Barracks for Guest Workers? (Capital & Main) http://bit.ly/2VJyx8o                                   As the number of H-2A guest workers mushrooms, California labor contractors and growers are packing farmworkers into motels and houses in working class neighborhoods.
  • Unions file lawsuit challenging plan to permit faster line speed in hog slaughterhouses (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/35P2SqL
  • Cheerios Picket Line Averted: After Strike Threat, General Mills Workers Win Tentative Agreement (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2NuJFmS

 

Protests

  • Climate Change Protester Dressed as Broccoli Gets Arrested, Becomes a Hero (Vice) http://bit.ly/32Kg3ay                                         On Sunday, the suit-and-tie wearing, floret-headed gentleman was handcuffed by three officers during an Extinction Rebellion protest.

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Tesco to cut plastic waste with reusable tins and tubs in 2020 initiative with Loop (eNViro30) http://bit.ly/327C7e1
  • Kellogg agrees to stop marketing sugary cereals as “healthy” (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BLnJ09                                                 A $31 million settlement in a California lawsuit will force Kellogg to significantly change its marketing.
  • McDonald’s CEO Steps Down After Relationship With Employee (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2JKzGYz                                                       In an email to employees, former president and CEO Steve Easterbnrook acknowledged a relationship with an employee and said it was a mistake.
  • Monsanto wins $7.7b lawsuit in Brazil – but farmers’ fight to stop its ‘amoral’ royalty system will continue (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2pEqhuH                                                                                 Soybean farmers in Brazil sued Monsanto for a royalty collection system that they say violates their planting rights.
  • ‘Get Big Or Get Out’ Farming Has Left Kansas Towns Struggling For Survival (KCUR) http://bit.ly/36n67pF
  • Trump Trade War: Farmers Are Going To ‘Lose Farms That They’ve Had In Their Families For Generations,’ Says Land O’Lakes CEO (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/33H2EjC
  • Dairy farmers are in crisis – and it could change Wisconsin forever (Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2WcMvj5
  • Blaming dairy farm downturn, Associated Milk Producers shuts down Iowa plant (Des Moines Register) http://bit.ly/36LSY9J
  • The US city preparing itself for the collapse of capitalism (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2N6u0dw                                                               From a festival that helps artists trade work for healthcare to a regional micro-currency, Kingston (NY) is trying to build an inclusive and self-sufficient local ecosystem

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Thailand bans use of paraquat and other toxic farm chemicals (Associated Press) http://bit.ly/31LOL26                                   Thailand’s government has agreed to ban the use of paraquat and glyphosate and the insecticide chlorpyrifos, all widely regarded as dangerous to human health, starting December 1.
  • Chinese Regulations Are Pushing American Pork Producers to Remove Feed Additives (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/3409IaU Chinese rules are stricter than American rules, in some respects.
    • JBS USA to produce pork without growth drug banned by China, seeking more exports (Reuters) https://reut.rs/35FOLnl
  • The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the EU for Millions (NYT) https://nyti.ms/32bNMbQ                                       The European Union spends $65 billion a year subsidizing agriculture. But a chunk of that money emboldens strongmen, enriches politicians and finances corrupt dealing.
  • Trump’s Japan Deal Another Win for Global Meat Companies (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2q50go9
  • Family Farmers Call for End to US Obstruction on Agroecology at United Nations (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2PDeS99                                                                                   Groups demand support for pro-science, pro-environment farming solutions
  • Feds clear path for hemp farming; Montana lead the nation in crop production (Missoula Current) http://bit.ly/2NHcFql           The US Department of Agriculture issued its interim final rule on hemp production in America, clearing the way for farmers to cultivate what could be a highly lucrative – or highly speculative – new crop.
  • Endangered Species Act (ESA) “Biological Opinion” for SF Bay-Delta Restore the Delta Responds (Restore the Delta) http://bit.ly/2C8jRGG                                                                                             “… the Trump Administration intends for follow through on its promise to maximize exports from the Delta San Joaquin valley agribusiness and southern California. These opinions however have the smell of manipulated science, an Orwellian finding that ‘fish don’t need water.”
  • Government restrictions on labeling products as ‘meat’ aren’t likely to help anyone (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2nSOeh0
  • Top US Toxicologist Was Barred From Saying PFAS Cause Disease In Humans. She’s Saying It Now. (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2Wf2Rrs
  • FDA approves genetically modified cotton for human consumption (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2OUcAlo Most cotton plants contain a toxin that makes them inedible for humans and most animals. A tweak in its biology could turn the crop int a worth protein source.
  • Digging into the Farm Debate: Reviving Supply Management for the 21st Century (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/338S4BV
  • Trump Turns Back the Clock in America’s Meat Plants (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2nSdS5u                                                                   More than a century after Upton Sinclair’s gruesome “The Jungle,” the president is loosening rules that protect workers and consumers alike.
  • Farmers Union: Farm Workforce Modernization Act an Important Step Towards a Stable Agricultural Workforce http://bit.ly/2PI3M2H
  • Costa Rica Has Banned Styrofoam – A Major Wing for the Environment (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2qFvbaZ                        Fines for using styrofoam range from about $760 to $7,600.
  • Briefing Paper: Shell Game Diverts Millions of Farm Tax Dollars to Kansas Lobbying Group, Threatening Bee Checkoff Program (Organization for Competitive Markets) http://bit.ly/32pC0LV
  • In Iowa, Politicians Protect The Meat Industry By Making Animal Rights Activists Criminals (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/35svO7D

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Bee population recovering due to regenerative farming, producers say (Global News Canada) http://bit.ly/2JH22mw
  • New England power line corridors harbor rare bees and wild things (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2CpHOtd
  • Biodiversity boosts crop pollinators and pest controllers, study finds (Mongabay) http://bit.ly/35PKmOK
    • Study: A global synthesis reveals biodiversity -mediated benefits for crop production (Science Advances) http://bit.ly/2Mvpgh1
  • Our Vanishing World: Insects (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2JW7JNv                                                                                         Just one critical and largely ignored variable in this rush to extinction is our decimation of the world insect population denying us an ever-expanding range of ecological services.

 

Animals, Fish, Fresh Water & Sea Animals

  • ‘The smell will knock you off your feet’: mass mussel die-off baffle scientists (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Mdt5Y5                       Mussels, the backbone of the river ecosystem because they control silt levels and filter water, are facing a mysterious affliction
  • Hundreds of spawning salmon killed in Squamish river; BC Hydro admits responsibility (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) http://bit.ly/2qftpgp                                                                                                Fish on their way to lay thousands of eggs become trapped in isolated pools in the riverbed

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

 

Poisons

  • Glyphosate Worse Than We Could Imagine. “It’s Everywhere” (Global Research) http://bit.ly/2BsH469                                  Glyphosate residues have been found in tap water, orange juice, children’s urine, breast milk, chips, snacks, beer, cereals, eggs, oatmeal, wheat products, and most conventional foods tested. It’s everywhere, in brief.
  • ‘Landmark New Research’ Links Neonics With Collapse of Fisheries (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/3382fH3                          Just awful, what gruesome harm we inflicting on the environment.”
    • Research Links Pesticide Harmful to Bees With Collapse of Fisheries (Truthout) http://bit.ly/34kw4Ec
    • Japanese Fisheries Collapsed Due to Pesticides, New Research Says (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2pDmfTl
    • Fishery collapse ‘confirms Silent Spring pesticide prophecy (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36phKfw                                       Common pesticides found to starve fish ‘astoundingly fast’ by killing aquatic insects
  • US Annually Uses 388 Million Pounds of Potentially Fatal Pesticides Banned in the EU, China and Brazil (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2WXS99a
  • Fracking Study Shows Toxic Chemical Exposure 2,000 Feet From Drilling Sites (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2W1vMiW
  • Report on Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables Adds to Growing Public Health Concerns (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2WmvQK8

 

Education & Training

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update October 12, 2019

 

  • This area in Detroit is now America’s first 100% organic, self-sustainable neighborhood (The Hearty Soul) http://bit.ly/2mPIiok
  • Former USDA Scientist Says He’ll Make A Bigger Impact On Climate Change Research Outside Of The Government (WBUR) https://wbur.fm/2kyhA2y
  • $1m a minute: the farming subsidies destroying the world – report (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lRb0o2
  • How Maine plans to study the debated practice of aerial herbicide on forests (Bangor Daily News) http://bit.ly/2kDqP1z
    • Aerial Herbicide Spraying Under Scrutiny in Maine’s North Woods (Maine Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2mEzhP4
  • Buildings should be made out of hemp and wool to cut carbon emissions, National Farmers’ Union says (The Telegraph) http://bit.ly/2kXiGoG
  • Mushrooms Clean Up Toxic Mess, Including Plastic. So Why Aren’t They Used More? (yes!) http://bit.ly/2krJAVm
    • Mushrooms Used for Bioremediation to Clean Pesticides From Oregon Waterways (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2oFxgCG

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • 10,000 Farmers And Ranchers Endorse Green New Deal In Letter To Congress (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2mrLzK4
  • French farmers forced to destroy rapeseed after GM seed found (The Western Producer) http://bit.ly/2lWH2PD
  • 1,000 Farm-Raised Salmon Escape From Canadian Pen, Some Captured At New Brunswick Dam (Main Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2lSGM42                                                                                          This is the same company that released 305,000 farmed salmon into Peugeot Sound in 2017.

 

Land and Soil

  • ‘The Future of Earth Is at Risk’: New Drone Footage of Deforestation in Amazon Shows Cost of Meat Industry (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2mtWdju
  • The Amount of US Farmland Held By Foreign Investors Nearly Doubled in A Decade (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2mPKJY0

 

Climate

  • Vandana Shiva: We Need Biodiversity-Based Agriculture to Solve Climate Crisis (Truthout) http://bit.ly/332svlB
  • Some Indigenous Communities Have a New Way to Fight Climate Change: Give Personhood Rights to Nature (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/33qPVRF    A Yurok Tribe resolution allows cases to be brought on behalf of the Klamath Ricer as a person in tribal court.
  • Farmers and Ranchers Know What Climate Change Feels Like. They Just Wrote Congress Demanding Action (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2muYk6z
  • In a Race Against the Sun, Growers Try to Outsmart Climate Change (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2mnYEE1                                                    From California to Costa Rica and beyond, farmers are experimenting with new crops and growing tactics.
  • New Report Details 10 ‘Critical Transitions’ to Tackle the Climate crisis and Feed the World (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2ksqb6U
    • Report: Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use (Food and Land Use Coalition) http://bit.ly/2mfu3se
  • Bite Podcast’s New Series Explores How Climate Change Is Transforming Dinner (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/352o10d
  • Study: Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises (Global Environmental Change) http://bit.ly/2lRgY8z
  • New initiative aims to mobilize the restaurant industry to fight climate change (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/326SnNd     Restore California will fund farmers to switch to regenerative agriculture practices.
  • Ravaged by Drought, a Honduran Village Faces a Choice: Pray for Rain or Migrate (Inside Climate News) http://bit.ly/2mfzvvd      People in El Resario live on the edge of hunger, not knowing if the next harvest will come. Climate change is a driving force of food insecurity.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Benheim Apricot (Gastro Obscura) http://bit.ly/2lUUcwn          Snap judgments may spell trouble for what was once the king of California apricots.
  • Strawberries: The tasty fruit with a tainted environmental legacy and an uncertain future (UC Santa Cruz News Center) http://bit.ly/2kywypg
  • This Ancient Fruit Holds Secrets for How to Farm in Climate Change (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2oiNqlz

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Give Rivers Legal Rights (New Republic) http://bit.ly/2oFdDdZ        An ancient approach to protecting nature is being revived in hopes of getting natural resources – and the people who depend on them – the protection they’ve always deserved.
  • California farmers face ‘catastrophic’ water restrictions. Can they adapt to survive? (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2Ofpydj
  • ‘Perfectly Legal’ Levels of Contaminants in US Tap Water Could Result in 100,000 Cancer Cases: New Study (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kyD13y
    • Study: Cumulative risk analysis of carcinogenic contaminants in United States drinking water (Heliyon) http://bit.ly/2kMojWQ
    • Study: California Drinking Water: How the Combination of Multiple Contaminants Raises Cancer Risks (Environmental Working Group) http://bit.ly/2msNez4
  • Fracking Has No Place in a Livable Future (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2m0JAfs
    • Ohio Firefighters Kept in the Dark on Drilling and Fracking Chemicals (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2mLo9jn                                     The secrecy prevents first responders from preparing for incidents involving chemical fires, spills or releases.
  • This Wisconsin Town Is Desperately Fighting For Its Drinking Water (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/35qAL0S
  • ‘What they put on the fields contaminates our water’: Iowa’s pollution problem (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2otUbRg
  • Water Is Unaffordable For Nearly Half Of Kentucky County’s Residents, Report Finds (West Virginia Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2pbyTZa
  • Alaska Villages Run Dry And Residents Worry About A ‘Future No Water’ (NPR) https://n.pr/2keObKq
  • ‘Critical’: parts of regional NSW (New South Wales) set to run out of water by November (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2kOSdJK
  • In a sign of cleanup success, dolphins are living and giving birth in the Potomac (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2OO2JOj
  • Algae Blooms Fed by Farm Flooding Add to Midwest’s Climate Woes (Inside Climate News) http://bit.ly/2lZqWo8                             All that water has flushed vast amounts of fertilizer and manure into waterways, triggering a potentially unprecedented season of algae blooms.
  • Saving California’s Kelp Forest May Depend On Eating Purple Sea Urchins (NPR) https://n.pr/2lQv5Li
  • As Bering Sea ice melts, Alaskans, scientists, and Seattle’s fishing fleet witness changes ‘on a massive scale (Seattle Times) http://bit.ly/2kM3sCI
  • The Battle Over Fish Farming In The Open Ocean Heats Up, As EPA Permit Looms (NPR) https://n.pr/2nSzgHl
  • Ships fitted with ‘cheat devices’ to divert poisonous pollution into sea (The Independent) http://bit.ly/2oFpVD8
  • ‘Everywhere we looked’: trillions of microplastics found in San Francisco bay (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2LQKbej                       Most comprehensive study to date finds plastic in sediment collected from bay and tributaries and digestive tracts of fish

 

Food Culture & History

  • New Oakland soul food spot reminds us vegan food is part of black culture (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/33tc9ml
  • Mexican Grandmother creates a YouTube channel to teach homemade recipes. It already has 265 thousand subscribers (The Mazatlán Post) http://bit.ly/2m2EkIA
  • The Ethics of Eating (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2LNBAc5              How our food culture is killing us.
  • The Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program: A 50-Year-Old Blueprint (KQED) http://bit.ly/2oVkMHq

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Woman Was Buying Dinner For Homeless People When Taco Bell Kicked Them Out (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2lXkIW8  Shannon Gridley said the treatment she and her dinner guests faced at a Louisville Taco Bell was “dehumanizing.”

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • New Report Finds That More Food Is Lost in Fields Than Previously Believed (Food Tank) http://bit.ly/2kT8wFu
    • Study: On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements (Resources, Conservation and Recycling) http://bit.ly/2YAuFpO
  • Coca-Cola will no longer use plastic shrink-wrap on can multipacks sold in the UK (enviro30) http://bit.ly/2mYJZ2s
    • Coca Cola – 3m metric tonnes plastic packaging annually, does their action plan really stack up? (enviro30) http://bit.ly/2n4oVb7
  • Nestlé, Tim Hortons named Canada’s top plastic polluters again (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) http://bit.ly/35w5TMy
  • Shocking photo shows Caribbean Sea being ‘choked to death by human waste’ (The Telegraph) http://bit.ly/2m0VMgo

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • KFC is serving fried chicken sandwiches between 2 glazed doughnuts at dozens of locations, and people are freaking out (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2knuy33
  • General Mills Recalls 600,000 Pounds of Flour Due to E. Coli Contamination Risk (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2mLpYwi

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • A 5.6 – Pound Avocado in Hawaii Set a New World Record, and It Made Enough Guacamole for 20 People (KTLA5) http://bit.ly/2VBAofl

 

Children & School Food

  • Why school cafeterias should he the frontlines of policy change (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2moXBE1                                           Healthier children, better wages, stronger local economies, sustainable food – the fight for of them start with school lunches

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • ‘Such brutality’: tricked into slaver in the Thai fishing industry (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lYBwff
  • Company shorted H-2A visa workers in pay, violated safety and health housing standards (Miami Herald) https://hrld.us/2lZpNgk
    • Fainting And Freezing In The Fields: Alleged Labor Trafficking Victim Tells Of Mistreatment in Wisconsin, Georgia (Wisconsin Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2ALvpix
  • ‘It’s Not Shameful to Work in the Fields. But It’s Hard.’ (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2oVoXTC Americans don’t want these jobs, or can’t do them – so nearly a quarter of a million guest workers do them instead.
  • 4,200 truck drivers lost their jobs in September as a recession slams America’s $800 billion trucking industry (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/31XHLAg
  • World’s richest man cuts health benefits for 1,900 Whole Foods workers (Front Page Live) http://bit.ly/2kq33WD
  • Philly airport workers are being forced to sign away their rights to take their employer to court (The Philadelphia Inquirer) http://bit.ly/2m1wFtM
  • ‘We’re organizing to improve lives’: New York fast-food workers push to unionize (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/358vnPL   Manhattan-based local union that works with Fight for $15 has launched effort to unionize Chipotle and McDonald’s workers
  • Poultry Workers and Allies Organize In The Wake of Anti-Immigrant Raids (Labor Notes) http://bit.ly/2ou9ERl
  • Grocery Workers’ Union Cancels all Kroger Contracts due to Unfair Labor Practices by Fred Meyer; further details to follow on September 22nd. (UFCW 5550 http://bit.ly/2kSNzur

 

Protests

  • The Library of Congress’ cafeteria is serving up a punny impeachment themed dessert (The Week) http://bit.ly/35a2Jhe

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Big Meat Files Suit to Stop California Measure Improving Animal Welfare (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/32Yyisq               California’s Proposition 12, passed in November, won praise from animal rights groups.
  • Nestlé violates law in India, conducts clinical trials on premature infants for baby food (National Herald India) http://bit.ly/335Vhlu
  • Farm bankruptcies rise as trade war drags on (UPI) http://bit.ly/2oCwtCH
    • Farmers rip Trump trade: We’ve lost everything since he took over (MSNBC) https://on.msnbc.com/331ujeH Bob Kuylen, vice president of the North Dakota Farmer’s Union, says he lost $400,000 because of President Trump’s trade ware with China. He says farmers have “pretty much lost all of our markets since Trump took over.”
    • Trump Trade War: Farmers Are Going To ‘Lose Farms That They’ve Had In Their Families For Generations,’ Says Land O’Lakes CEO (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/3241kH0
    • US Farms Face Long-Term Losses From Trump Trade War, BCG Warns (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/35syRg3
  • Why community-owned grocery stores like co-ops are the best recipe for revitalizing food deserts (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/35bCoPS

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Pesticide formulations as sold and used must be tested for toxicity and carcinogenicity (GMWatch) http://bit.ly/2nYXOic
  • EU approves ground breaking New ‘Right to Repair’ Laws Requiring Appliances to Be Easier to Fix (Good News Network) http://bit.ly/2pxebDg
  • France Is the First Country to Ban Plastic Cups, Plates, and Cutlery (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2m8qQdV
  • France bans fracking and oil extraction in all of its territories (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2nF5R3z                                                              French parliamentarians have passed a law banning fossil fuel extraction. President Macron says he wants France to lead the world with switch to renewables
  • House Approves “Sweeping” Provisions That Target Toxic “Forever Chemicals” (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2mJVKdc
    • Trump Threatens to Veto First Ever Congressional Action on “Forever Chemicals” (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2mLibi0
  • Trump Administration Moves To End 20% Cap On Non-Tipped Work For Servers (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/33lojxv
    • The Trump Administration Wants Restaurant Servers To Do More Work For Less Pay (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Otubk5
  • Universal Free School Lunch Can End Cafeteria Shaming. But Now It’s Under Threat. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2nDoK6R
  • Trump Administration Proposes Yet Another Food Benefit Cut (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2paVRPZ
    • Restricting SNAP benefits could hurt millions of Americans – and local communities (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2npRksE
    • Warnings That Millions More Could Go Hungry as Trump Pushes $4.5 Billion in Food Benefit Cuts (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2o80bQ7                                                                                  “The Trump administration’s latest proposal to cut SNAP would leave millions of people, including struggling families, seniors and people with disabilities, with less help putting food on the table.”
  • Trump Has Gutted an Agency That’s Vital to American Farmers (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2Oph5EC                                             Move to Kansas City leads to mass departures of DC researchers             Some growers worry they will lack essential data for decisions
  • The USDA Gives Fewer Loans to Women and Minority Farmers, a Government Watchdog Finds (Pacific Standard) http://bit.ly/2Mcw4Pm
  • USDA Inaction Leaves Organic Dairy Farmers in a Very Vulnerable Position, Congress is Forced to Take Action (Organic Insider) http://bit.ly/31M7awD
  • Why President Trump gutting USDA’s research service is so dangerous (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2kpcHbQ   Since the 19th century, Americans have benefited from access to rigorous, unbiased statistics about our foodways.
  • Trump’s NLRB, Trying to Cut Protections for Millions of Temps and Fast-Food Workers, Trips Up Again (ProPublica) http://bit.ly/2lwgyV1                                                                                            The labor-relations board’s attempt to kill an Obama rule protecting third-party employees fizzed once because of a conflict of interest. Now, two representatives charge, there’s a new conflict and it involves the agency’s own temps.

 

  • Trump Labor Department Slammed for ‘Wholly Inadequate’ Overtime Pay Rule That ‘Leaves Behind Millions of Workers’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2l01Oh8                                           “Once again, President Trump has sided with the interests of corporate executives over those of working people.”
  • Perdue to small farmers: Stop whining, your demise is inevitable (Wisconsin Examiner) http://bit.ly/2M5XhnV                              Trump’s ag secretary conveys the administration’s contempt for rural people
    • Wisconsin Governor Rips Sonny Perdue For Warning Small Dairy Farms Won’t Make It (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/35awqyL                                                                                 Make no mistake about it, Trump’s administration is nor friend to America’s Dairyland.”
    • ‘Unacceptable’: Family Farms, Ag Advocates Hit Back After Sec Perdue Says Small Dairy Farms Destined to Die (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2oDGfo4                                                              “Five years of plunging farm prices, increasing bankruptcies, and climbing suicide rates were not discussed by Perdue. His message to them was basically, stop whining, your demise is inevitable.”
    • Ag secretary: No guarantee small dairy farms will survive (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2p03BnR President Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary said Tuesday during a stop in Wisconsin that He doesn’t know if the family dairy farm can survive as the industry moves toward a factory farm model.
  • Trump Administration threatens jail time for California officials over river project (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2muvenZ
  • Trump’s USDA Is Letting Factories Troubling Safety Records Slaughter Chickens Even Faster (ProPublica) http://bit.ly/31RAJNd                                                                                Workers are getting injured, but the Department of Agriculture says their safety is not its responsibility.
  • Amid National Drinking Water Crises, EPA Moves to Weaken Lead Protections (National Resources Defense Council) https://on.nrdc.org/2MtCIRo
  • California bans controversial pesticide (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2B8mwzD                                                                                      Sales of chlorpyrifols will stop in early 2020 and complete ban on usage of the pesticide will stop in late 2020.
  • Hollywood and Silicon Valley can no longer silence women with this contract clause (Vox) http://bit.ly/31cm9i1                       California finally bans forced arbitration at work.                                          This covers all workers, including those in food services and agriculture.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Bee population recovering due to regenerative farming, producers say (Global News Canada) http://bit.ly/2IHG1mU

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

  • A Chinese hog farmer is breeding giant, polar bear size pigs that weigh over 1,100 pounds, while the country contends with pork shortages (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/325n9WD
  • Rare California trout species returns to native habitat (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2mhfox8
  • Salmon return to Oregon river by the hundreds to spawn after $2M restoration project (KATU2) http://bit.ly/33quqki
  • Global Warming Pushing Pacific Salmon to the Brink, Federal Scientists Warn (Inside Climate Change) http://bit.ly/2kQgQ94
    • Okanagan Sockeye Salmon (Gastro Obscura) http://bit.ly/2mgw8nO                                                                          Around British Columbia’s Osoyoos Lake, community efforts have revived the population of a fluorescent fish.
  • The Strange, Uncertain Fate of the World’s Most Valuable Salmon Habitats (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2oUvPjO               Alaska’s Bristol Bay is a rare pristine salmon fishery. Can it survive a rapidly changing climate – and massive, Trump – backed mine?
  • Scientific and Traditional Knowledge Is Helping Save the World’s Largest Freshwater Fish (Food Tank) http://bit.ly/2n2epkz
  • How To Teach a Frog to Love (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2B73mKw                                                                       Amphibians are dying off faster than any other vertebrate group in the world. Can hormones and IVF save them?
  • Scientists: Yes, That Lobster You’re Boiling Alive Is Probably In Real Pain (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2n1Yv9P

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • Gene-edited animals will intensify factory farming and the climate crisis, could harm human health (Friends of the Earth) http://bit.ly/2lZGIiO                                                                                            New report highlights urgent need for safety assessments, oversight
    • Report: Genetically Engineered Animals: From Lab to Factory Farm (Friends of the Earth) http://bit.ly/2lWDmNF
  • A Trail That Gene-Hack Mosquitoes to Stop Breeding Has Backfired Spectacularly (Science Alert) http://bit.ly/2kFItlj

 

Poisons

  • New Study: US agriculture 48 times more toxic to insects than 25 years ago (Friends of the Earth) http://bit.ly/2ozYCKv
    • Study: An Assessment of acute insecticide toxicity loading (AITL) of chemical pesticides used on agricultural land in the United States (PLOS One) http://bit.ly/2OKKpXU
  • Billions Of Birds Have Disappeared From North America in Recent Decades: Study (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2krlkmg
    • Vanishing: More Than 1 in 4 Birds Has Disappeared in the Last 50 years (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) http://bit.ly/2kYh5Pg
    • Huge decline in songbirds linked to common insecticide (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2mh5PxP  Neonics – pesticides introduced to plant at the seed stage – act like an appetite suppressant for birds, making them lose weight within hours.
    • Dead Bird Nests Contain 36 Different Pesticides, Including DDT (ach news) http://bit.ly/2kNcr6L
  • Biosolids: mix human waste with toxic chemicals, then spread on crops (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MAbUyX

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update September 15, 2019

 

  • Going Home With Wendell Berry (The New Yorker) http://bit.ly/2kETrHy                                                                                            The writer and farmer on local knowledge, embracing limits, and the exploitation of rural America.
  • A Shared Place (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2khyEJT              Wendell Berry’s lifelong dissent
  • Why Growing Food is The Single Most Impactful Thing You Can Do in a Corrupt Political System (Realfarmacy) http://bit.ly/2kMx8Q9
  • Store It: Interactive storage guide – how to keep your food fresh for as long as possible (savethefood.com) http://bit.ly/2TUyrtv
  • Inmates have turned the Maine State Prison grounds into a lush garden (Bangor Daily News) http://bit.ly/2lDvLDK
  • Literal Sh*t Storm: Warnings of Major Manure Threat as Hurricane Dorian Barrels Toward North Carolina Factory Farms (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kw4DWW                                            “The heavy rainfall could flood poorly located factory farms, spreading untold tons of hog, chicken, and turkey waste along the coastal plain.”
  • The Best Place for Harvesting Solar Energy Is Not Where I Expected It to Be (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2k8pDTx                And the same land can produce loads of food and electricity simultaneously.
  • Phosphate fertilizer ‘crisis’ threatens world food supply (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lEA1Tg                                                                      Use of essential rock phosphate has soared, but scientists fear it could run out within a few decades
  • Why the UK Is Wary of American “Chlorinated Chicken” (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kAFElk                                                                            The US government is looking to change this attitude.

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Farmers Needs a Bill of Rights (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kKbJqT                                                                                        Besides a fair income, just like other workers, the Farmers Bill of Rights seeks to guarantee farmers fair and open markets that are not dominated by a handful of corporations.
  • 15% of American Farms Don’t Have Access to the Internet (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2koEpFT                                              Believe it or not, this is an improvement.
  • Farmers at the Iowa State Fair Say They’re Backing Trump’s Trade War (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/30pGK39
  • Another Toll Of Donald Trump’s Trade War: Farmer Suicides (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2kAxppf                                         Mounting financial stress is linked to grim tally in rural America.
  • The World’s Largest Urban Farm Is Set to Open in Paris (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kdzAiA                                                                            The urban farm trend continues to grow. Literally, and in multiple ways.
  • Young dairy farmers continue Marin – Sonoma ranching tradition, stick to organic milk (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kJxwyP
  • The Dirt on Dirt Capital (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2KPivWt       It’s a for-profit company that seems willing to take on more risks than other lending institutions.
  • Farmers Union Vice President Says Farmers Have ‘Pretty Much Lost All Our Markets Since Trump Took Over’ (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2lYL0qN
  • National Farmers Union Head Scorches Trump: He’s Offended ‘Pretty Much Every Ally’ On Earth (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m6l4d7
  • California crab fishermen are testing “ropeless” gear to save whales – and themselves (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2k65MUS

 

Land and Soil

  • How Did African-American Farmers Lose 90 percent of Their Land? (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2zfb8B0                                              A combination of obscure legal mechanisms and racist institutions enabled – and continues to enable developers to weasel it away.

 

Climate

  • Who’s Burning the Amazon? Rampant Capitalism (Wired) http://bit.ly/2ztPf1f                                                                                         Market forces and the administration of Jair Bolsonaro are supercharging the deforestation that’s imperiling the world’s biggest tropical rainforest.
  • Record hot summer burned the first fruit of my apple tree – and left a bad taste in my mouth (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2k6syfs
  • North Carolina Braces for Another Flood of Hog Poop (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2lDlNlC                                                                                    For the third time in four years, a hurricane threatens on of the country’s epicenters of pig and poultry farming.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • What’s the Difference Between Heirloom, Beefsteak, Plum, Cherry, and Grape Tomatoes? (Eater) http://bit.ly/2Noz39z            And one more question: Why are grocery store tomatoes so bad?
  • This Apple Might Be the Most Anticipated Piece of Produce in History (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2k5jmYB                                        Get ready for Cosmic Crisp mania.
  • The Nation’s First Hemp Seed Bank Will Be in New York (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/30tkZzc                                                                            The CBD market thanks you.
  • Almost All American Strawberries Are Grown With Toxic Chemicals (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2kvAneP                                      For a century, the industry has used fumigants to farm berries year-round.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • States cut water use as Colorado River runs low. That’s actually good news. (grist) http://bit.ly/2zHLKo5
    • Wellspring of Resilience: How Do We Provide Water Security in an Uncertain World? (The Nature Conservancy) http://bit.ly/2L7CWOt
  • How to address America’s lead crisis and provide safe drinking water for all (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2kxTAwf
  • This is our “Chernobyl”: Frontline’s “Flint’s Deadly Water” exposes shocking Legionnaires’ crisis (Salon) http://bit.ly/2khjCE4
    • Months after dire warning, Flint spills 2 million gallons of raw sewage into river (Michigan Live) http://bit.ly/2ZwA1XR
  • High levels of arsenic found in bottled water sold at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods (CBS17) http://bit.ly/32196RD
  • Nestlé Plans to Plunder 1.1M Gallons a Day from Florida Natural Springs (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2Uhw9oz
  • The Frightening Spread of Toxic Algae (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2L6DcNL
    • Toxic Algae warning for Sacramento area waters. Keep an eye on your dogs (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2m1lfWZ
    • Mississippi Beaches Have Been Vacant For 2 Months As Toxic Algae Bloom Lurks Offshore (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2kzzt0R
    • ‘It can kill you in seconds’: the deadly algae on Brittany’s beaches (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lEckuu                            Activists say stinking sludge is linked to nitrates in fertilizers from intensive farming
  • Researchers Have Identified How Naval Sonar Is Killing and Beaching Whales (Sea Voice News) http://bit.ly/34bHaMI
    • So Many Dead Whales Are Washing Up On The West Coast That NOAA Is Pleading For Help (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2MLLVam
  • Collapse of kelp forest imperils North Coast ocean ecosystem (The Press Democrat) http://bit.ly/2lYln9x

 

Food Culture & History

  • My Life Spent in Mexico City’s Food Markets (City Lab) http://bit.ly/2lLEmUC                                                                                            The relationship between the writer and her food merchants is a familial on extending through generations, and beyond the hunt for that one perfect taco.
  • How Asian Americans Use Kitchen Gardens To Reclaim Their Heritage (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2lTLbUb                      Growing produce that’s common in Asia has become a radical act of cultural preservation.
  • Super Sad True Chef Story (Eater) http://bit.ly/2zeLPPF                The French brigade system and ritual of staging had defined what it means to train as a fine dining chef for more than a century – and it broke me after a week.
  • The Human Cost of Viral Food Crazes (Rolling Stone) http://bit.ly/2lAgzHh                                                                                                 A Popeyes chicken sandwich has driven people to sue the chain and even hold up stores at gunpoint. What the hell is going on?
  • Chipotle I Smothering Mexican American Burrito Culture (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2lIb35k                                                            And I don’t mean with a delicious green chile sauce.
  • Radical Roots: Harvesting legacies from Vermont’s back-to-the-land movemenet. (The Progressive) http://bit.ly/2kBeLOj

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Thousands of Silicon Valley College Students Struggle with Homelessness, Hunger (San Jose Inside) http://bit.ly/2m7SCHP
  • In Santa Cruz, Clandestine Food Bank Draws 100s Of Farmworkers (Patch) http://bit.ly/2k9Drgm                            Farmworker families afraid of getting assistance from food banks due to recent immigration raids now participate in secret food handouts.
  • Fewer Households Are Going Hungry. But Cuts In Food Aid Loom (NPR) https://n.pr/2m7fSph
    • Wisconsin, Texas, Washington among state to be hit hardest by Trump’s new food stamp restrictions (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2lY6ZOy                                                              New analysis shows that seniors and residents of some states will suffer the most from a proposal to redefine SNAP eligibility.
  • The Story Behind José Andrés Nonprofit Serving Hurricane Dorian Victims (Eater) http://bit.ly/2kxasDx
    • Celebrity chef José Andrés prepared to serve tens of thousands of meals to Dorian victims (abc7NY) https://7ny.tv/2lJttTe
    • Chef José Andrés hopes to serve at least 10,000 meals to people in the Bahamas (CNN) https://cnn.it/2kzSSP5
  • After Hurricane Dorian, Celebrity cruise ship in Bahamas reroutes to deliver food, aid (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2kpuaRJ                                                                            The Celebrity Equinox’s kitchen staff is preparing 10,000 meals, with guests even pitching in to help in the aftermath of the hurricane.
  • Schools in England Are Increasingly Hosting Food Banks to Pupils and Families (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2k8KtSI                      Schools are becoming a “fourth emergency service,” a head teachers’ leader said.
  • Climate Crisis Leaves More Than 2 Million People in Somalia Facing Severe Hunger (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2m6pEYR
    • Nearly 2.3 Million Zambians Face Starvations as a Result of Low Rainfall (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2kysDbW
  • The “eat less meat” movement is growing. Does it distort science? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2lYvOKf
  • A new nutrition group aims to erase the link between value and massive portions (Quartz) http://bit.ly/2kAkNhQ                            Extra large is the problem. The trick is convincing Americans to think about food in a new way> Extra large isn’t extra good.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • The City Has Food to Share. Do You Know Where to Find It? (City Lab) http://bit.ly/2m1MSz1                                                                                   A New York – based design duo proposes a “forage beacon” that makes it clear when food – like fruit, nuts, and vegetables – is ripe and safe to eat in the city.
  • Plastic food packaging was most common beach trash in 2018 (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2koCrp0
  • Italy passes law to send unsold food to charities instead of dumpsters (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2k3aK4I
  • This Canadian Worm Farm Turns Office Waste Into Plant Food (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kAZih1                                                 Waste not, want not – these worms do the work for you.
  • German Study: Alarming Levels of Dangerous Plastics in Children’s Bodies (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kAVcFQ    Children from poorer families had more plastic residue in their bodies than those from higher-income homes.
  • Marine plastic pollution hides a neurological toxin in our food (msn) http://bit.ly/2m6pIaV
    • Today’s special: Grilled salmon laced with plastic (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2mfnOEZ          We used to think microplastics stayed in a fish’s guts. Chilled new research suggests the tiny particles migrate into its flesh.
  • Worms fail to thrive in soil containing microplastics – study (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2kIKRYb                                                            Finding could have implications for farming – as worms are vital part of farmland ecosystem

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Organic food health benefits have been hard to assess, but that could change (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2m37WW0
    • Is Organic Produce Superior In Taste And Nutrition? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2lJKRaF                                    “Organic food is more nutritious than non-organic food, but not in the way that you might think.” As or taste, it’s a mixed bag.
  • The Benefits of Bacteria in Organic Apples (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2k8uLXD                                                                                               A new study shows there is more “good” bacteria in organic apples.
  • How One Boston Hospital Is Feeding Patients Through Its Rooftop Farm (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kofdzk
  • It doesn’t matter if it’s sugary or diet: study links all soda to an early death (Omaha World Herald) http://bit.ly/2kAHC5d
    • Study: Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Mortality in 10 European Countries (Journal of the American Medical Association) http://bit.ly/2m5wEVL
  • Tyson Issues Fourth Recall of the Year For Having Non-Food Material in Its Chicken (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2HhLQ9W    How come stuff keeps ending up in frozen chicken products?
  • Some Fish Are Still Full of Mercury, for a Worry Reason (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2lCBv0w                                                          Emissions of mercury have declined, but levels in fish could still increase thanks to overfishing and a changing climate.
  • Outbreak linked to imported papayas that distributor refused to recall is over (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/2lMSX2i
    • Papayas Keep Making People Sick (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2krhklY                                                                                    There have been eight significant outbreaks of Salmonella connected to the fruit.
  • Two Major Brands Recall Flour Because of E. Coli Concerns (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2mcCEvP                                       Check the labels on your 5-pound bags from King Arthur and Pillsbury

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • In the largest prosecution of organic fraud in US history, Iowa grain seller sentenced to 10 year in prison (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZlmfDf
  • StarKist tuna company ordered to pay $100M for price-fixing conspiracy (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2lLZYAw
  • Maurice the noisy rooster can keep crowing, court rules (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2kxfIH4                                                                French judge ruffles feathers by rejecting complaint about bird’s dawn squawking

 

Children & School Food

  • “Going to bed hungry’: the harrowing reality of poor children living in DC (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/30Mmusm                          New study shows kids in the District of Columbia are the most underprivileged in the country, facing daily threats of homelessness and food insecurity
  • Ohio boy had lunch taken away at school due to negative balance on his birthday (10TV WBNS) http://bit.ly/2kjqdOm

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • Restaurant Owners Should Embrace – and Pay Above – the $15 Minimum Wage (eater) http://bit.ly/2kjlpsk                                        Dirty Candy chef-owner Amanda Cohen on the necessary shift higher wages can bring
  • Low Wages, Sexual Harassment and Unreliable Tips. This Is Life in America’s Booming Service Industry (Time) http://bit.ly/2PpaPyB
    • Judge calls for retrial in French Laundry pregnancy discrimination case (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kHnGh2
  • Migrant farmworkers deserve respect – and a path to citizenship (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2lIpO8o
  • Hands that feed us (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2m635U1                                                                           Immigrant food workers, in their own words.
  • Chasing Blueberries: The Uncertainty Of Life As A Maine Berry Picker (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m7X6hl                           Migrant workers face a number of challenges as the industry turns to mechanization and faces fluctuating weather patterns.
  • Why It’s Immigrants Who Pack Your Meat (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2Lmvv4W                                                                                      What Trump has called an “invasion” was actually a corporate recruitment drive.
  • “You Cannot Hire American Here’: Employers on Why They Hire Undocumented Workers (KQED) http://bit.ly/2Z9ckoZ
  • Worker Sues Whole Foods After Getting Bitten by a Black Widow Spider in the Produce Cooler (Vice) http://bit.ly/2L6cpQn  There are bad days at work, there are really bad days at work, and then there’s a day that Richard Highsmith had, deadly arachnid included.
  • She blew the whistle on Koch Foods. This little-known visa kept her from being deported by ICE (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2My0zSe
  • Spot Coffee workers vote to form a union; campaign called ‘groundbreaking’ (The Buffalo News) http://bit.ly/31XnYQR
  • Why labor in America is once again a growing force to be reckoned with (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2kGK1LI
    • The Next Wave of Labor Unrest Could Be in Grocery Stores (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2ma0sk4                                                           It already is on the West Coast
  • How Central American migrants helped revive the US labor movement (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2kyWlxu

 

Protests

  • How Grocery Stores Became A Cultural Flashpoint In The Gun Debate (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m9Omau

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • The Magical Staying Power Of The New York City Dollar Pizza Slice (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m6bMgV
  • Yogurt Billionaire’s Solution to World Refugee Crisis: Hire Them (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2ko2QTW                                           Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant who used a small business loan to build a best-selling yogurt brand in the US, has a plan to solve the world’s growing refugee crisis: Give them jobs.
  • Faced With Soaring Costs of Private Insurance, Poll Shows 58% of Small Business Owners Support Medicare for All (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2lIKehG                                                            “Medicare for All is the only solution to our healthcare cost crisis that will offer relief to workers and small businesses alike.”
    • Whole Foods is cutting medical benefits for hundreds of part-time workers (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2kKb48K
  • In ‘Disgusting’ Move, Jeff Bezos Abruptly Cuts Health Benefits for Nearly 2,000 Part-Time Whole Foods Workers (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2lOW6yC
  • In Nebraska, fight over Costco chicken farms escalates (FERN’s AG Insider) http://bit.ly/2kHfH3x
  • LA’s First Cannabis Restaurant Had to Split Into Two Businesses to Comply With State Law (Eater) http://bit.ly/2kGEt3N                It’s tricky for cannabis consumption lounges to operate in California, but Lowell Café found a way                                                                                        
  • DoorDash is still pocketing workers’ tips, almost a month after it promised to stop (Vox) http://bit.ly/341fyKe
    • It is illegal for employers to steal employee tips. US Dpt. of Labor Fact Sheet #15, Requirements #4 http://bit.ly/2L66Rph
  • Supermarket chain forced to spend more than $4 million on ozone-depleting chemical leaks (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2zvT7i4                                                                                        Winn-Dixie’s parent company is fourth major supermarket chain to settle with the Department of Justice for violations of the Clean Air Act.
  • How companies are trying to de-rainforest their supply chains at the Amazon burns (Fast Company) http://bit.ly/2m9wHzT          Beef and leather and soy markets are the root cause of the destruction of the Amazon. Can companies make changes to their supply chains that will save what is left?
  • Thailand’s big retailers will stop handing out plastic bags in January 2020 (eNViro30) http://bit.ly/2k7aW2S
  • Sainsbury’s firs UK supermarket to remove plastic bags for loos fruit, vegetables and bakery items (eNViro30) http://bit.ly/2kDZyM8
  • This Infographic Shows How Only 10 Companies Own All The World’s Food Brands (The Hearty Soul) http://bit.ly/2m4uzcD
  • Truckers voted for Trump in droves. Now they say his trade war is ‘killing’ their ability to make a living. (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2m6q5lX
  • Tyson Sued For Pretending It’s a Responsible, Ethical Company (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2MFf9I3                                                      Two groups are angry at Tyson for its feints towards positive environmental practices.
  • Wendy’s Billionaire Owner Spurns Farmworkers While Profiting Off Pension Funds (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2lFJtFR
  • The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders: A Tokyo Restaurant Where All the Servers Are People Living with Dementia (Open Culture) http://bit.ly/30sgLrA
  • ‘It smells like a decomposing body’: North Carolina’s polluting pig farms (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2NEiKFM
    • For years, complaints about North Carolina’s hog pollution vanished in state bureaucracy (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2HvebcW                                                              Now officials are posting the complaints online. What changed?
  • Monsanto Emails Show Employees Wanted to “Beat the Shit” Out of Concerned Moms (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2k5HTwO
    • Monsanto Doctor Wanted to ‘Beat the Sh*t Out of’ Group of Mothers: Emails (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Ugptqx       One advocate said the emails revealed “the utter contempt that Monsanto has for public health and for consumers, including mother who only want to protect their kids’ health.”

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

Because ‘A World Without Insects Is Not Worth Living In,’ Germany Announces Plan to Ban Glyphosate (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2ktg4i5                                                                                                “What we need is more humming and buzzing.” 

  • Germany to Ban Glyphosate From End of 2023 (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2m1pFgF
  • Brexiteers promised a dawn for UK farming, not agricultural Armageddon (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Lje6Kp                                    A new report sounds the death knell for Britain’s farms in the event of no deal. It’s not the vision our farmers were sold
  • Activists commend Museveni (President of Uganda) for second rejection of GMO bill (Enviro News Nigeria) http://bit.ly/2k45uOe                                                                                            On Tuesday August 27, 2019, Museveni for the second time declined to sign a controversial genetic engineering regulation bill into law, citing safety and security concerns.
  • Almost every country in the world agrees deal to cut plastic pollution – except US (Independent) http://bit.ly/2kuIuYU  ‘Countries have decided to do something which will translate into real action,’ says UN leader
  • Much “Foreign Aid” Is Taxpayer-Funded Plundering of the Global South (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2lL7Lyw
  • A cynical way to make poor people disappear (Politico) https://politi.co/2k66tO6                                                                                  The Trump administration is redefining poverty in order to reduce safety net benefits for low-income Americans.
  • Trump’s EPA Said This Bee-Killing Insecticide is Safe, Now Beekeepers are suing (Earth Justice) http://bit.ly/2m0tK4s      Sulfoxaflor is toxic for insects already dealing global pollinator collapse
  • EPA Approval of Controversial Pesticide Causes Concerns for Bees and Birds (Audubon) http://bit.ly/2kAFjz5              Sulfoaflor, seen as a replacement for bee-killing chemicals known as neonics, might be just as dangerous.
  • White House officials are balking at the ballooning cost of Trump’s botched farm bailout: report (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2lPJ3gc
  • The 4-month-long tomato trade dispute with Mexico is ending, but at what cost to eaters? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2klTp7r
    • US Consumers Saved (Barely) From a Bleak Winter of Expensive Tomatoes (Eater) http://bit.ly/2ZaPGMU                  But the quality of the fruit could get worse
  • Hidden Trump Report Reveals Water Plan Will Harm Endangered Whales and Salmon (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2KOlmyS                    It’s become a familiar story with the Trump administration: Scientists write a report that shows the administration’s policies will cause environmental damage, then the administration buries the report and fires the scientists.
  • 5 takeaways from the financial records of a controversial dairy-promoting nonprofit (checkoff) that gets its money from farmers (Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2lzpdGa
    • A nonprofit that’s supposed to promote dairy pays its leader millions – while the farmers who fund it are going out of business (journal sentinel) http://bit.ly/2k96r7Z                      Dairy Management Inc. spends $160 million a year from farmers’ milk checks on promotions and partnerships, but sales continue to fall.
  • USDA’s research employees were just offered drastically reduced buyouts (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZeJuD9
  • How Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce Killed an anti-pollution bill of rights (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2PnJE7t
  • 70 US Mayors Issue Scathing Letter Demanding Trump USDA Call Off Effort to Strip Food Stamps From 3 Million People (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2U00Z4T                                 “Executive action should not be used to hurt individuals, families, and communities.”
  • Montreal wants to ban use of herbicide glyphosate, calling it a public health issue (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) http://bit.ly/2kBNF9F                                                                                   ‘Failing to act would be irresponsible’
  • Bill aims to ban sale of foie gras in New York restaurants over ‘cruel’ process (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2ML9P5A                          If bill passes, anyone violating the law could be liable to a $1,000 fine, up to 1 year in jail or both

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Why have 500m bees died in Brazil in the past three months? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2HxK04M                                                      The likely culprit of the sudden deaths? The loosening of pesticide restrictions
  • Bees Are Dropping Dead in Brazil and Sending a Message to Humans (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2ZzNzSj
  • Bolsonaro Greenlights New Pesticides While Environmentalists Mourn 500 Million Dead Bees in Brazil (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/32cHMjf
  • The Importance of Having Insects (Bay Nature) http://bit.ly/2m9SuHJ                                                                                                A number of sensational new papers warn of a global insect die-off. Has the apocalypse arrived in California?
  • Study: More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (PLOS One) http://bit.ly/2lEWm3h
  • Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) http://bit.ly/2m9SVSn
  • Status changes in the wild bees of north-eastern North America over 125 years revealed through museum specimens (Wiley) http://bit.ly/2m1JxQv
  • The Insect Apocalypse Is Here (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2lKZyug
  • California’s most famous butterfly nearing death spiral (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kdhopg
  • Return of long-lost bees creating a lot of Presidio buzz (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kDuMmB

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

  • Drug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Overuse of Antibiotics in Cattle Farming (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2HBv6e6
  • More Than 1,000 Salmon Return To Penobscot River For The First Time Since 2011 (Maine Public) http://bit.ly/2lymi0h

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • Bill Gates Donates $15 Million to Campaign Pushing GMOs on Small Farmers Around the World (Organic Consumers Association) http://bit.ly/2ZtnlSx
  • Treadmill of Magic Seeds and Broken Promises: Dismantling the Myth of Bt Cotton Success in India (Counter Punch) http://bit.ly/2kISgXE
  • Dairy Ice Cream, No Cow Needed: These Egg And Milk Proteins Are Made Without Animals (NPR) https://n.pr/31GbE7i

 

Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

  • The Epstein funded MIT lab has an ambitious project that purports to revolutionize agriculture. Insiders say it’s mostly smoke and mirrors. (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2lNR7yj

 

Poisons

A Big New Study Finds Bee-Killing Pesticides Aren’t Even Worth it for Soybean Farmers (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2kAsvsE                 The science suggests the chemicals cripple a whole host of pollinators – and offer very little economic benefit.

  • Not Just the Bees, First-of-Its-Kinds Study Shows Neonics May Be Killing Birds Too (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2lWt9kb
  • Nebraska could soon be at center of national legal battle over Roundup (Omaha World Harold) http://bit.ly/2lK6mIf
  • Popular pesticide (imidacloprid) throws off birds’ feeding and migration schedules (PBS) https://to.pbs.org/2mgnjKT            Delays during migration can imperil birds’ chances of successful breading season.
  • Bolsonaro greenlights new pesticides even as advocates mourn half billion dead bees in Brazil (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2NoUs2r
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update August 21, 2019

 

  • Activist blacksmith teaches gun violence survivors to melt down guns and turn them into farm implements (boingboing) http://bit.ly/2YHbsXX
  • Is The Movement To Eat Less Meat Actually Making A Difference? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/333jjhO                  Americans are eating less meat and more plant-based foods these days. Here’s how it’s affecting the environment.
  • Can Chefs Learn to Love Cooking Without Fire? (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/316IT3o                                                                                                  A push to electrify buildings suggests the end is nigh for gas ranges.
  • The secret History of Why Soda Companies Switched From Sugar to Hight-Fructose Corn Syrup (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2YmBiRG                                                                                        Nixon, Reagan, and a Midwestern Machiavelli all figure.
  • Being Born on a Farm Could Be Key for a Strong Immune System (modern farm) http://bit.ly/31gMxrP                                                            The scoop is in the poop, according to a recent study.
  • Iraq’s burning problem: the strange fires destroying crops an livelihoods (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2OZP0p8                              Fires in northern Iraq have reduced a potentially bumper harvest to ashes. The government blames mischance – but is something more sinister afoot?

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • The Bright Side of the Current Farm Crisis: An Opportunity For Change (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2Ywd6Mz
  • Indiana Farmers Union Joins Fight Against Noxious 8,000-Hog Agribusiness Operation (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2HbY0RA  The state’s Right to Farm laws protect massive agribusiness at the expense of the community and family farms, the lawsuit argues.
  • This US heartland has been flooded for five months. Does anyone care? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31pNQVh                                    About half a million acres of land in the rural Yazoo backwater area in Mississippi is underwater, a devastating blow for a poor region where agriculture is the economy’s lifeblood
  • American farmer: Trump ‘took away all of our markets’ (Yahoo Finance) https://yhoo.it/2GFSR4i
    • China is sourcing more of its farm goods from other countries, ant that’s a bad sign for the US (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2T4vKVG
  • Putting pigs in the shade: the radical farming system banking on trees (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2JY5c5J
  • Imperfect science of intensive farming (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2yiLU4h                                                                                                    … It was science that gave us DDT, thalidomide and lead in petrol; and science told us it would be find to give antibiotics prophylactically to intensively reared livestock…
  • Inside The Tiny Country Where Robots Grow The Food (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2YkZHC1                                                   The wave of machines taking over farms in the Netherlands has helped propel its rise to the world’s second-biggest good exporter after the U.S.

 

Land and Soil

 

Climate

  • Climate change’s deadliest effects are unfolding under the sea (grist) http://bit.ly/2Kfy4Wa
    • Global Warming is Pushing Pacific Salmon to the Brink, Federal Scientists Warn (Inside Climate News) http://bit.ly/2H3w6Y0
    • Record high temperatures in Alaska have sent salmon into cardiac arrest (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2z29cfa
  • World Must Protect Land To Avoid Climate Disaster, New UN Report Warns (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2MRuuEr            Averting catastrophic warming requires rapid, global change to land use and food production, the assessment says.
  • Drastic Changes to Food Production and Consumption Needed to Save Planet From Catastrophic Warming, IPCC Reveals (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2yGxfQA
  • We must change food production to save the world, says leaked report (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2YJZzfw
  • Report: Climate Change and Land (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) http://bit.ly/31o9Dg7                                          An IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems
  • Tree-damaging pests pose ‘devastating’ threat to 40% of US forests (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33EaCdR                                  About 450 overseas pests have been introduced to US forests, a climate crisis resource, due to international trade and travel
  • A Time of Reckoning in the Central Valley (Bay Nature) http://bit.ly/31jPE26                                                                                    Climate change is upending agriculture and land use in California’s Central Valley

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Gorgeous Portraits of America’s Wild (and Surprisingly Delicious) Edible Plants (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2z6cSMR        Photographer Jimmy Fike spent 12 years chronicling and feasting upon 140 varieties.
  • We Ignore Thousands of Threatened Plant Species at Our Own Peril (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2YPc5iF                                                      More than 20 percent of the world’s known plant species are threatened with extinction.
  • Devastating Banana Fungus Arrives in Colombia, Threatening The Fruit’s Future (NPR) https://n.pr/2TDaAOU
  • The world faces a dwindling supply of this crucial resource need to grow food (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2YNQfw0                  Phosphate…

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • ‘Biggest Crisis No One Is Talking About’: Quarter of Humanity Faces ‘Extremely High Water Stress’ Intensified by Climate Emergency (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/33ken8n
    • 17 Countries, Home to One-Quarter of the World’s Population, Face Extremely High Water Stress (World Resource Institute) http://bit.ly/30gOtQE
  • Bottled water distributions begin as lead water poisoning crisis erupts in Newark, New Jersey (World Socialist Web Site) http://bit.ly/2Kz7Xuv
  • 9 Foods That Are Making the Drought Even Worse (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2yLJVWB                                                                                 It takes more than 1,500 gallons of water to make a chocolate bar…
  • Pennsylvania is Discharging Radioactive Fracking Waste Into Rivers As Landfill Leachate, Impacting the Chesapeake Bay & Ohio River Watersheds (Public Herald) http://bit.ly/31mCEZB
  • ‘It’s Raining Plastic’: Researchers Find Microscopic Fiber in Colorado Rain Samples (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2T5zS81
  • Beavers on the coast are helping salmon bounce back. Here’s How. (National Geographic) http://bit.ly/2OYhAaj                            The arrival of beaver dams in the Pacific Northwest’s Elwha River delta may surprising benefits.

 

Food Culture & History

  • 100 Years Ago, Farmers and Socialists Established the Country’s First Modern Public Bank (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2ZttAld
  • Don’t trash the best part of the melon (Salon) http://bit.ly/31FVquZ                                                                                        When you throw out your honeydew and cantaloupe seeds, you’re missing the best part

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Huge New Survey Finds That Sugary Soda Taxes Work (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2Ozsx1O
    • Study: Impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes on purchases and dietary intake: Systematic review and meta-analysis (World Obesity) http://bit.ly/31dpwWn

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • 7 Ways to Stop Wasting Food, Save Money and Save the Planet (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2GIuBOI                                                 Around a third of food is wasted globally.
  • We’re leaving so much food on farms to just in the fields (Fast Company) http://bit.ly/2ypU8aX                                                                 Most of the reports you hear about food waste don’t even include the amount that’s left behind on farms, but new research shows it’s a lot.
  • Research: On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements (Resources, Conservation and Recycling) http://bit.ly/2YAuFpO
  • What Grocery Stores Won’t Tell You About Plastic (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2OUwcrn                                                                          Huge companies like Walmart could slash single-use plastics – if they really wanted to.
  • The bowls at Chipotle and Sweetgreen are supposed to be compostable. They contain cancer-linked “forever chemicals.” (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/31GRt9j                             Testing by The New Food Economy reveals an industry secret: All fiber bowls contain PFAS,  a troubling class of chemicals with no known half-life, even when they’re certified compostable. It gets worse from there.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • New York City Is Giving Out Prescriptions For Free Fruits And Vegetables (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2N37vGH                         For people with low access to healthy food and high blood pressure, it’s free money for groceries.
  • The Best Probiotics (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/31pqHCj                   An apple contains about 100 million bacteria – a more diverse range than any  dietary supplement.
  • An Apple a Day: Which Bacteria Do We Eat With Organic and Conventional Apples? (Frontiers In Microbiology) http://bit.ly/33o7x1m
  • Leafy Greens With Listeria Sold at Major Supermarkets (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2LVarp7                                  Consumer Reports found the bacteria in prewashed and unbagged products. Here’s how to stay safe when eating greens.
  • Scientists say many UTIs are caused by E. coli in food – when will the government believe them? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/31GW5MQ                                                                                      And why are we allowing contaminated foods into consumer food system?

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Seafood company president pleads guilty to mislabeling millions of dollars worth of crab meat (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Mjn39H
  • People Keep Stealing Industrial Hemp, Which Will Not Get Them High (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/31cEKLg                                  They’re in for a major disappointment if they try to smoke it.
  • Racoon Caught Inside High School Vending Machine, Lurking Among Snacks (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2YPlh6R                  The little guy was freed from the machine after the snack caper gone wrong.

 

Children & School Food

  • Exploring Farm to Head Start Across Minnesota: Lessons from IATP’s Farm to Head Start (Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2PgdGdl
  • Why does participation in the federal summer meal program keep dropping? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Ywx4G0      Only one in seven kids eligible for free summer lunch actually gets one, a new report finds.
  • Report: Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report 2019 (Food Research & Action Center) http://bit.ly/2K799E1
  • 500,000 Children Could Loose Free School Lunch Under Trump Administration’s SNAP Plan (Eater) http://bit.ly/33jbyV4              The Department of Agriculture conveniently left out its own estimated impact on schoolchildren in its formal proposal to overhaul food stamps

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • Nestle admits slavery in Thailand while fighting child labor lawsuit in Ivory Coast (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31HJc58          The company has won plaudits for its admission of forced labor in the Thai seafood industry but much of the supply chain remains hidden.
  • The restaurant industry is turning to prisons to find workers (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2OiRnTA                                                  A new $4.5 million grant to the National Restaurant Association will go toward training inmates on front-of-house and kitchen skills.
  • Why It’s Immigrants Who Pack Your Meat (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2KRA3Ag                                                                                      What Trump has called an “invasion” was actually a recruitment drive.
  • ‘On the Clock’ is a horrifying look at low-wage work in America (Houston Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2T4wxGw
  • The restaurant industry has a mental health crisis (The Outline) http://bit.ly/2KZTFCr                                                                                  Servers, line cooks, and dishwashers all over America are struggling to find help in an industry that often exacerbates the problem.
  • Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought For Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents (Democracy Now) http://bit.ly/2Z6JqkH
    • ICE raids seven Mississippi chicken plants, in the largest single state action in agency history (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2z2zLkv
    •  “We Had a Future We Built Here” (Slate) http://bit.ly/2TBrNYQ                                                                                      The ICE raids devastated the immigrant community in Morton, Mississippi. Then came a mass firing.
  • Mississippi ICE raids hit food processing plants; 680 workers arrested (MSN) http://bit.ly/2YuEdYg
  • Here’s why the aftermath of ICE raid is devastating – and not just for immigrants (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/30bW1V0

 

Protests

  • 58 arrested and fined outside American Airlines HQ in catering workers protest (Dallas News) http://bit.ly/2Mjpb1k

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Australia’s First Rescued-Food Supermarket Opens (Broadsheet) http://bit.ly/30dyxyZ                                                                                          Base on OzHarvest’s “take what you need, give if you can” model.
  • Is the US chicken industry cheating its farmers? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31QL3EM                                                                                  Leaked documents reveal remarkable power US poultry industry holds over farmers struggling to stay afloat on thin margins
  • Following weeks of controversy, GrubHub announces restaurant friendly reforms (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Z7A2RD                                                                                          The company says it will set up a system to transfer web domains to restaurant owners, and will also improve the policy for its controversial phone charges.
  • Meatpacking giant Tyson wants fewer government inspectors. The USDA is listening (MSN) http://bit.ly/2KM7K69                  Tyson, one of the country’s largest meatpakers, is petitioning the Trump administration to reduce the number of government inspectors at a Kansas beef plant – a proposal that has raised alarms among some consumer and food safety advocates, who fear the changes could jeopardize public health.
  • Tyson want fewer government inspectors in one of its beef plants. Food safety advocates are raising alarms. (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2YKYedk                                                              Consumer advocates warn that the changes could threaten food safety by keeping red flags out of the sight of expert inspectors.
  • Impossible Foods, Impossible Claims (Medium) http://bit.ly/2Ykwyf2                                                                                            The company has courted ethical foodies, but how sustainable is this meat alternative?
  • An Inside Look At How Monsanto, PR Firm And A Reporter Giver Readers A Warped View Of Science (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/303kgo7                                                                                      Dogged for years by bad press, Monsanto hit reboot with Ketchum.
  • Revealed: how Monsanto “intelligence center’ targeted journalists and activists (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2KRQjRU  Internal documents show how the company worked to discredit critics and investigated singer Neil Young
  • Now Earning 278 Times More Than Average Worker, New Study Shows CEO Pay Has Grown More Than 1,000% Since 1978 (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2KM4V53                               “Corporate greed is eviscerating the working class.”
  • Report: CEO compensation has grown 940% since 1978 (Economic Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/2YLIKpz                    Typical worker compensation has risen only 12% during that time

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • European Regulators Praised for Declaring There Is ‘No Safe Exposure Level’ for Pesticide Tied to Brain Damage in Children (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2YoKy7w                                    Advocates celebrating the announcement noted that, by contrast, “the Trump administration is kowtowing to chemical agribusiness.”
  • Trump’s Policies Are Putting Our Food Supply at Risk (Truthout) http://bit.ly/31ASyjh
    • The Climate Crisis Is ‘a Perfect Storm’ Headed for the World’s Food Supply (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/31ogXs0
    • America’s Farmers, Reeling From Floods, Face a New Problem: No Water (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2MKNXXr                                      The breach of an irrigation canal left more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Nebraska and Wyoming without water at a critical point in the growing cycle.
  • Bipartisan bill on food expiration labels could cut many tons of food waste (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/33B6MSX
  • Midwest farmers going broke at record rates thanks to Trump’s trade war (Salon) http://bit.ly/31G82T4                                    Bankruptcies have doubled in the biggest farm states, with falling prices and the trade war largely to blame
  • Farmers Reel After Sonny Perdue Mocks Them As ‘Whiners’ Amid Trade War Bankruptcies (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2KIA2hW
  • Minnesota farmer tears up while telling CNN how Trump’s ‘very scary’ trade war has harmed her family (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2KzwtLY
  • Nearly 100 percent of Trump funds designed to help farmers went to white farmers (grist) http://bit.ly/2LVLEkN
    • Majority of Trump’s Trade Aide Went to Biggest Farms, Study Finds (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/32X5rFL
    • Trump’s big farmer grift: He’s giving millions to the rich wile starving the poor (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2H6sDIo
  • The Golfer In Chief Is Also the Goatherd In Chief, Saving Him Tens of Thousands (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2ZaJpMl    Trump owns eight goats and farms 113 acres of hay at his New Jersey golf resort, slashing his property tax bill by some $88,000 a year.
  • Top Scientist Quits USDA, Says Trump Admin Tried to Bury Study Linking Climate and Nutrition (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2GUqkbe
  • Visa Program Leave Cultural Exchange Workers Vulnerable to Exploitation (Capital and Main) http://bit.ly/2YPuBYh  Participants in the US Summer Work Travel program have been victims of wage theft, harassment and even human trafficking.
  • With Ridiculous Timing, USDA Suspends Its Honey Bee Monitoring Program (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2LTUkbp
  • EPA Wants to triple level of rocket fuel chemical allowed in drinking water (Think Progress) http://bit.ly/2YCFQT5
    • Vintage EPA photos reveal what US water ways looked like before pollution was regulated (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2YPZlbF
  • Biotechnology Oversight Gest and Early Make-Over by Trump’s White House and USDA: Part 1 – The Executive Order (NC State University) http://bit.ly/2yYKhsT
    • Biotechnology Oversight an Early Make Over by Trump’s White House and USDA: Part 2 – The USDA-APHIS  Rule (NC State University) http://bit.ly/2N6sdpc
  • USDA to biotech: Call your own compliance (Institute For Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2OWcPhC
  • Rep. Ilham Omar Introduces Zero Waste Act as Part of Green New Deal (Democracy Now) http://bit.ly/2ZzgsLd
  • Impossible Foods Nabs FDA Approval to Sell in Grocery stores in September (Eater) http://bit.ly/2GXyL5J
  • Tony Evers order new farm rules to limit nitrate pollution in drinking water (Kenosha News) http://bit.ly/2OD3meM
  • Trump defends a pesticide linked to developmental disorders. California will ban it (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2H8nwqR
  • Minneapolis becomes the first major American city to ban new drive-through windows (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2YX1bb2                                                                                        Citing the climate benefits of taking cars off the road, the city council says no new facilities can be built.
  • New York City Is Giving Out Prescriptions For Free Fruits And Vegetables (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2N37vGH                        For people with lower access to healthy food and high blood pressure, it’s free money for groceries.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Morgan Freeman Converted His 124-Acre Ranch Into A Giant Honeybee Sanctuary To Save The Bees (Forbes) http://bit.ly/2Zwom80

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • FDA finds a surprise in gene-edited cattle: antibiotic resistant, non-bovine DNA (New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2KNDI23
  • Dairy Ice Cream, No Cow Needed: Egg And Milk Proteins Are Made Without Animals (NPR) https://n.pr/31GbE7i

 

Poisons

  • Insect ‘apocalypse’ in US driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2KyT3n1                                                                Bees, butterflies, and other insects are under attack by the very plants they feed on as US agriculture continues to use chemicals known to kill.
  • A New Study Reveals Just How a Bee’s World Has Become (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2TBU2ac                                            Here’s what happened when farmers started using a new class of insecticides.
  •  ‘Alarming’ Explosion of Toxic Pesticide Use Causing Insect Apocalypse in United States: Study (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2YvKdjt                                                                                  “Insect abundance has declined 45 percent. This is a global crisis – we must ban neonics to save the bees!
  • Toxic Pesticides Are Driving Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in the US, Study Warns (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/2yJDLWS
  • An assessment of acute insecticide toxicity loading (AITL) of chemical pesticides used on agricultural land in the United States (PLOS One) http://bit.ly/2OKKpXU
  • ‘Catastrophe’ as France’s bird population collapses due to pesticides (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2KlsYZw
  • Glyphosate Should Be Phased Out Worldwide. Devastating Health Impacts (Global Research) http://bit.ly/2OMc7n7
  • Corporations can legally put carcinogens in our food without warning labels. Here’s why (Salon) http://bit.ly/2Tjn2Dh
  • After Poisoning Downs 24 Students In Port Dickson, Malaysia: PANAP Calls For Pesticide-Free Buffer Zones Around Schools (Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific) http://bit.ly/2K5k6pH
  • US Annually Uses 388 Million Pounds of Potentially Fatal Pesticides Banned in the EU, China and Brazil (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2ysdEDO

 

Education & Training

  • UK Charity’s Prison Restaurant Programme Does Reduce Reoffending (Eater) http://bit.ly/333P22l                                                The Clink operates restaurants in four UK prisons