The landscape of American fast food is looking up. Dotted across the country at roadside exits and on bustling city street corners the classic grub-on-the-go is getting a mighty makeover. Here are a few drive-thrus we’re digging –

Burgerville – Fresh. Local. Sustainable.

You can't help but appreciate that this pacific-northwest chain aims to “serve with love.” Plus, Burgerville has partnered with local farmers and producers to source their ingredients in an environmentally responsible way that results in fresh, seasonal food.

A local-centric menu sticks to mainly to the classics, but has a few items that caught our eye, including the Tillamook cheeseburger, north pacific halibut fish sandwich, wild smoked salmon and hazelnut salad, Yukon Gold waffle fries, Walla Walla sweet onion rings, and Oregon hazelnut milkshakes made with real ice cream. Also, for vegetarians the tasty Rogue River smoky blue cheese salad is sure to hit the spot.

Where? Many locations throughout Oregon and Washington.

Zen Burger — Good for You. Good for the Planet.

For busy Manhattanites, a quick stop at Zen Burger means filling up on “wholesome natural vegetarian foods that have the look, feel, texture, and taste of meats.” They stuff their buns with faux-beef, -chicken and -tuna, all made without any animal products and for $1 more you can add organic American cheese. You’ll find the usual breakfast egg sandwich, French fries, and milkshakes all with an organic twist. Organic soup, chili, and salads are followed up with warm whole-wheat chocolate chip, granola, or peanut butter cookies. We also love that 90% of their take-out containers are biodegradable and/or compostable and that the store is built from mostly recycled materials with energy-saving lights.

Where? 465 Lexington Avenue. New York, NY 10017

(World’s Most) Local Burger

Lawrence, Kansas is home to Local Burger, a healthy fast-food restaurant that Bon Appetit named one of the top ten eco-friendly restaurants in the country. They cater to everyone from the committed carnivore to the vigilant vegetarian and even those needing gluten-free options. With a selection of both updated classics and innovative dishes they have a sparkling fresh take on what it means to eat on the run. Passionately dedicated to sourcing their foods locally, organically, and sustainably, care is taken in every dish, like the grass-fed beef, elk, or house made veggie burgers. Sides include the “progressive potato” fries, quinoa-millet pilaf, and the hijiki studded “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore" salad. Shakes have been replaced with refreshing smoothies and for a sweet ending you’ll find honey-peanut butter balls and allergy-friendly brownies. We also love that a local library card gets you 10% off on Saturdays.

Where? 714 Vermont Street. Lawrence, Kansas 66044

Still hungry? Check out the many other quick bites that caught our eye –

VG Burgers
Mixt Greens
O’Naturals
Lettuce Eatery
Pizza Fusion
Organic To Go
Pret a Manger
Chix
Native Foods
Veggie Bite

Comments (2) | March 20 - 8:26 PM

category: Lists, Menus, Studies + Trends

I was browsing Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools the other day and came across a woman, Maria, who was writing about the impact her bento-style lunch box was having on her life. She used the phrase life-changing and explains how the design of the lunchbox has impacted the way she thinks about the food she puts in it. It's great.

Maria also links out to one of my favorite Flickr groups to browse. Nearly 4,000 photos of laptop lunches, uploaded by over 600 members. Fascinating. Wraps and hummus seems to be all the rage with the laptop lunchers. -Heidi

Related Mighty link:
- Lunchbox for Grown-ups

Comments (1) | March 7 - 5:54 PM

category: New Products, Studies + Trends

Yes, it's true that no matter how mighty the food, for those hoping to have a baby, no one morsel or meal will guarantee a visit from the stork. However, a recent Harvard study, popularly called The Fertility Diet, has produced some compelling evidence that certain foods - such as certain beans, greens, and grains - strongly support fertility in women.* Truth be told, most of us could benefit by incorporating some these findings into our diet whether we are planning for a baby or not.

The one surprise may have been the recommendation to eat full-fat dairy. One way to think about this may be to use the whole foods rationale. Just as we benefit from eating grains all smartly dressed up in their bran and germ, or apples in their pretty fiber-rich skins, it may then stand to reason that many times nature packs real food, even milk, in the way that benefits us most.

So after reading about the Fertility Diet, you might be wondering how this new set of recommendations could translate to your own kitchen. Maybe you are simply looking for a delicious way to start the day? Or perhaps you're hosting a dinner party and want to stay true to your fertility-enhancing way of eating? Below we've provided a quick overview of some of the dietary recommendations. Those are followed by a roundup of globally inspired, fertility-friendly recipes.

• iron-rich foods: beans, dark leafy greens, seeds, blackstrap molasses
• folic acid-rich foods: beans, dark green vegetables, whole grains, citrus
• low-glycemic load carbohydrates: whole grains, most fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts
• protein from plant sources: quinoa, beans (eaten with whole grains) such as lentils, soybeans/tofu, garbanzo beans, as well as nuts, and seeds
• full-fat dairy: whole milk and yogurt, cheese, ice cream
• mono-unsaturated fats: olive oil, nuts, avocado, seeds

*Please note: “…these recommendations are aimed at preventing and reversing ovulatory infertility, which accounts for one quarter or more of all cases of infertility. They won't work for infertility due to physical impediments like blocked fallopian tubes.”

Start Your Baby-Making Engines
awesome almond buckwheat pancakes
breakfast quinoa with cranberries, toasted walnuts, and honey
cornmeal mush with blackstap molasses
greek yogurt breakfast - make sure to use whole milk yogurt

Mamma Mia!
pan-seared rosemary tofu served over buckwheat polenta
simple citrus salad with marinated avocado
olive oil ice cream

Bollywood Baby
mung dal with cashews and carrots served over brown rice pilaf
swiss chard and crisp shallot rolls with cilantro raita
honey sweetened shrikhand

Fertility Fiesta
pinto bean soup over brown rice with red chile and cheese with perfect guacamole
mexican coleslaw
whole-grain mexican wedding cookies

Good Fortune Grub
szechwan tofu triangles in triple pepper sauce served over very green rice
emerald sesame kale
green tea panna cotta

Red, White, and Baby
bean and rice "meat"loaf
creamed kale
maple baked apples with dried fruits and nuts

Bon Appetit Bébé
white bean and vegetable cassoulet with millet crust
frisee and endive salad with olive vinaigrette
frozen honey mousse

Mom-To-Be Munchies
pistachio and almond butter on whole grain graham crackers
kale crunch with greek almond yogurt dip
almond caramel corn

Comments (3) | January 16 - 2:38 PM

category: Lists, News, Recipes, Studies + Trends, Vegan / Veg, Whole Grains

If you read (or listen) to one food-related story this week, let this be it. The benefits of establishing and maintaining relationships with the people who grow, produce, and cook your food become crystal clear after you read this NPR story on polluted, contaminated, and potentially toxic imports finding their way into U.S. food products and markets.

Richard Knox singles out China because they are exporting unsafe food (and base ingredients) to the United States market and to United States food manufacturers. The scary part is this - even though the reject rate with China is far higher than other trade partners, one has to assume the likelihood of an increasing amount of these exports are making it into stores and food supply chains over time. Knox notes, "...in the past year, the FDA rejected more than twice as many food shipments from China as from all other countries combined."

One particularly disturbing passage cites a story told by an FDA staffer who visited a Chinese herbal tea factory,

"...to speed up the drying process, they would lay the tea leaves out on a huge warehouse floor and drive trucks over them so that the exhaust would more rapidly dry the leaves out...the problem there is that the Chinese use leaded gasoline, so they were essentially spewing the lead over all these leaves."

Jean Halloran the director of food safety for Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports) pushes food companies here in the U.S. to take responsibility for the ingredients they are using in their products,

"...you have a responsibility to get on a plane and go over there, and see the plant where that's being manufactured, so that you can see for yourself whether there's a polluted water supply coming into the facility, whether lead-bearing paint chips might be falling into the vats of whatever you're purchasing."

More reasons to stay clear of processed foods. More reasons to get out and support your local farmers.

Links:

NPR: As Imports Increase, a Tense Dependence on China (read/listen to the article)

FDA import refusal report, by country (link)

Comments (1) | May 26 - 12:01 PM

category: News, Studies + Trends

Word on the street is that Chipotle has "off-menu" items available (a la Jamba Juice and more famously, In-N-Out). Seeing as this is our favorite fast-food-type destination, in part because of their direct-your-own tacos/burritos/bols (always with the chile-corn salsa!), but also for their continued commitment to high-quality ingredients, we want to know exactly what might be on said menu.

Chipotle Secret Menu items we've heard of:
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Taco Salads
- Single tacos!

Time Out notes that quesadillas are indeed available, but melting the cheese is an issue due lack of the right equipment. What else do you know about? Any special sauces or undercover salsas? That sort of thing?

And just fyi, McDonald's no longer has an interest in Chipotle, they completely divested their shares toward the end of last year (2006).

Comments (0) | May 24 - 11:11 PM

category: Studies + Trends

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dennis vanEngelsdorp. No doubt in my mind - Dennis is the ultimate bee geek. Because of their pivotal role in our food chain (and also because they are cute), many people are highly concerned and fascinated with the recent bee colony collapses. I was lucky to be present at the Robert Mondavi Winery-sponsored Taste3 Conference two weeks ago when this Pennsylvania-based apiarist delivered his delightful Joy of Bees presentation. In a captivating 20-minutes he celebrates his enthusiasm about bees and examines the most up-to-date theories on Colony Collapse Disorder.

I'll highlight more videos from the conference in the coming week or two, as they are uploaded. Enjoy!

Dennis vanEngelsdorp: The Joy of Bees (link)

Comments (0) | May 22 - 9:59 PM

category: Interviews/Profiles, News, Studies + Trends

Heather Flores is proposing a radical idea. Tear out your lawns and good things will happen. She has written a book about how to turn your yard into a garden and your neighborhood into a community, Food Not Lawns.

Turning our yards back into utilitarian spaces may be one of the most important things we do to combat the industrial food machine. It is the very best example of eating locally and has a positive impact on us by cutting down food miles and educating people (most importantly youth!) about the origins of ingredients. An excerpt from the book:

"...Today, 58 million Americans spend approximately $30 billion every year to maintain over 23 million acres of lawn. That’s an average of over a third of an acre and $517 each. The same size plot of land could still have a small lawn for recreation, plus produce all of the vegetables needed to feed a family of six. The lawns in the United States consume around 270 billion gallons of water a week—enough to water 81 million acres of organic vegetables, all summer long.

Lawns use ten times as many chemicals per acre as industrial farmland. These pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides run off into our groundwater and evaporate into our air, causing widespread pollution and global warming, and greatly increasing our risk of cancer, heart disease, and birth defects. In addition, the pollution emitted from a power mower in just one hour is equal to the amount from a car being driven 350 miles. In fact, lawns use more equipment, labor, fuel, and agricultural toxins than industrial farming, making lawns the largest agricultural sector in the United States..."

Related:
- Redefining American Beauty, by the Yard (New York Times)

- Don't be Wasted on Grass

- How to Organize a Seed Swap

Comments (0) | October 25 - 10:09 AM

category: Eco-Kitchen, Studies + Trends

A small panel of kids and teenagers sound off about milks - from cow to goat, soy to rice. Would love to see the video footage of this tasting.

"...The Tarplin kids were not fans of this milk, but might have future careers in wine criticism: Olivia called it "bland, watery, and sad," while Henry dubbed it "bland, powdery, and insipid." (read more)

Comments (0) | August 21 - 9:58 AM

category: Studies + Trends

Tastings don't have to be limited to wine or cheese. Like we saw with Ann Noble's recent heirloom tomato tasting, and now Sam's (of Becks & Posh fame) fantastic write-up on garlic varietals, all sorts of ingredients can lend themselves to more intensive exercises. Tastings I'd like to do include honey, unrefined nut oils, nut butters, heirloom beans, rices, and sea vegetables. Pick something, rally a few friends and compare the range of tastes, textures, appearances, and smells.

Photo by: Sam Breach

Comments (1) | August 20 - 11:47 AM

category: Events, Studies + Trends

In the fruit world ugly is the new pretty.

Waitrose is to launch a range of "ugly" fruit at a discounted prices...Farming and environmental groups have often criticised supermarkets for rejecting fruit and vegetables for minor blemishes or being mis-shapen. Via BBC

More from Treehugger: The hidden story behind that perfect fruit is the large volume of second grade fruits and vegetables diverted directly to juice makers, with little profit to the farmers, and the plant products industry which farmers must rely on to grow acceptable produce.

Comments (0) | July 21 - 6:44 PM

category: Eco-Kitchen, Studies + Trends

We've been worried about the health considerations related to Teflon use for some time now. Read Marian Burros' article on cutting the cord with your Teflon before the New York Times puts it behind the subscriber wall.

"...DuPont, the manufacturer of Teflon, says that its pans are safe and that their surfaces won't decompose, possibly releasing the gas, until the pan's temperature reaches 680 degrees. Some scientists say that an empty pan left on a burner set on high reaches 700 degrees in as little as three minutes. All pans with nonstick coatings are subject to the same problems, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization." (read more)

Comments (0) | June 13 - 6:24 PM

category: Eco-Kitchen, Studies + Trends

We aren't going to pretend we were the first to report that Jamba Juice has "off-menu" items available (a la In-N-Out)....but we did confirm it with a source at Jamba headquarters this week. Our source's favorite secret flavor? PB+J. Some call it "off menu" but "secret" seems so much more mysterious and exciting. We still aren't sure if the undercover "menu" has been adopted by all the Jamba stores (yet), but we'll let you know more as we find out.

Apparently some of these smoothies are back-catalog flavors that have been put out to pasture. Others are flavors that no self-respecting "healthy" food-and-beverage company could get away with having on the actual menu.

Update 6/12/06: It looks like the secret menu has been rolled out officially to all Jamba locations - this is just in the past couple of months, prior to that it was more 'casual' and varied from location to location. From our source at Jamba headquarters.

Secret menu flavors we've heard of:

- Strawberry Shortcake
- White Gummy Bear
- PB+J
- One that tastes just like Starbursts
- One that tastes just like Fruity Pebbles
- Push-up Pops
- One that tastes like Skittles

Know of any others? Add to the comments.

Comments (82) | June 1 - 3:12 PM

category: Menus, Studies + Trends

There is an interesting one-pager by Greg Spotts in Fast Company this month demystifying those char-marks on fast-food chicken items. Fast-food restaurants avoid actual grills in-house, and resort to out-sourcing this part of the production...

"Subway's slogan is "Eat fresh" - but order the Grilled Chicken Breast and Baby Spinach Salad, and you'll get defrosted, pre-cooked chicken strips that have been mechanically branded at a factory to look like they are hot off the grill. Which isn't quite the same thing..."

The article goes on to talk about the "brave new world" of industrial grilling and into detail about how those chicken breasts are...for lack of a better term, manufactured.

"First, naturally low-fat, low-sodium chicken breasts are submerged in a giant "tumble marinator" and saturated with a hearty brew of salt, oil, sugar, chemicals, and fat. Burger King's Tendergrill fillet contains added chicken fat and more than 30 other items..."

( Read more or look for the June 2006 issue )

Comments (0) | May 30 - 5:06 PM

category: Studies + Trends

The Boston Globe reports on the soda industry losing its fizz, while sales of energy drinks like Red Bull and Gatorade during the same period have surged 62%. Our two favorite quotes from the article:

"They're at least as bad as soda," said Caroline M. Apovian, director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at the Boston Medical Center."

"We have something for everyone for every time of the day," said Dave DeCecco, a spokesman for Pepsi-Cola North America."

( Read the full article )

Comments (1) | May 14 - 9:09 PM

category: News, Studies + Trends

Author and honorary prince of chocolate, David Lebovitz gives his thoughts on organic and fair trade chocolates:

...What I like about these organic or Fair Trade chocolates is that the labels are chock-full of information; the region where the chocolate's grown, the climate, how it's harvested, what the growers had for dinner last night, how often they go to the bathroom, etc...

Also, don't forget to make the jump to the comments. There is a lively debate about many of the considerations surrounding organic products and produce - local over organic, pesticide safety and eco-impact, etc.

Comments (0) | February 8 - 10:24 AM

category: Studies + Trends, Superfoods

Sometimes we forget how big an impact the cooking methods we choose can have on the nutritional content of our ingredients. Take a look at this study. The authors obtained and tested 27 different types of vegetables, along with and assortment of herbs, spices and dressings. A sample of what it covers:

Among the vegetables showing the highest phenolic content were the artichoke, beetroot, cabbage, broccoli, red chicory, red chili, and yellow pepper. The authors report that different cultivars cause vegetables of the same family to possess significant different phenolic, flavanol, and ORAC values.

The authors measured the loss of phenolics and antioxidant capacity in vegetables that need to be cooked. Steamed vegetables retained about 80% of the phenolic and ORAC values of raw vegetables; boiled vegetables retained only 30% of antioxidants. The preferred cooking process for vegetables should be steaming at the mildest temperature and for the least possible time to protect phenolics and vitamins.

( Read the entire summary )

Comments (0) | February 6 - 5:09 PM

category: Studies + Trends, Superfoods

Jancis Robinson contributing to the San Francisco Chronicle writes about the growing number of French wineries going bio-dynamic. She rattles off a laundry list of French producers who have moved over entirely to biodynamic viticulture and talks about how this method of growing differs from modern 'conventional' farming methods.

To the outsider, his vineyards look a mess, and his vines with their yellow-green leaves look much less regular than the dark green ones of his neighbors with their bare, herbicided soil underneath. He snorted at these over-fertilized plants, the added nitrogen darkening their leaves. ( Read More )

Comments (0) | February 2 - 1:37 PM

category: Organic Wine / Beer, Studies + Trends

Time to get rid of those non-stick pots and pans you love so much. No, really...it's time to let them go, cut the cord. You've read all the reports about the nasty chemicals in those slick surfaces. Well, today the EPA took action.

It all started in the late 90's, when some of these man-made chemicals (the ones used to make Teflon and many other slick surfaces) started showing up in the blood of the general population. In fact, the chemicals were turning up all over the place: the environment, the people, food - you name it. The EPA began to look into these chemical compounds and similar chemicals as well (they main chemical they are generally concerned about is referred to as PFOA). Based on the adverse effects and developmental problems they found in studies on laboratory animals they've decided to take a closer look at the potential impact on humans and in the meantime invited a handful of manufacturers, including DuPont, to participate in a phase-out plan.

Here's what the EPA had to say about the effects of PFOA's on animals:

"...An extensive array of animal toxicity studies have been conducted in rodents and monkeys. These studies have shown that APFO exposure can result in a variety of toxic effects in animals including liver toxicity, developmental toxicity, and immunotoxicity. In addition, rodent bioassays have shown that chronic APFO exposure is associated with a variety of tumor types..."

In an article titled, Harmful Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated by 2015, The Washington Post has reported that eight companies including DuPont agreed to a pact of sorts - agreeing to eliminate PFOAs from all consumer products coated with the non-stick material. The article goes on to say that the chemical would "still be used to manufacture Teflon and similar products, processes will be developed to ensure that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would not be released into the environment from finished products or manufacturing plants."

We aren't exactly sure what that means, but it sounds like they are still going to be using PFOAs.

The EPA site states that corporate commitments to the program with be posted to this website.

Comments (0) | January 27 - 9:27 PM

category: News, Studies + Trends

Take a look at this fantastic collection of sixty images shot by Farah Ravon - they offer up a unique visual diary of her food experience while traveling in Iran. You'll see shaami, tea service, lots of different yogurt preparations, lavish spreads/banquets, faaloodeh, crispy rice, koofteh, corn over hot coals, noon panjereh-ee, pomegranates, and lavash. Notice the the different cooking techniques, family tables brimming with carefully prepared food, and colorful flatware.

Click on the large main photograph to move through the gallery.

Comments (1) | January 25 - 10:11 AM

category: Interviews/Profiles, Studies + Trends

Built on the site of a retired, classic, New York City neighborhood bakery is a new project...codename: Birdbath. In this eco-friendly establishment the baking flours are organic, the floors are recycled cork, and the walls are slathered in Atomic Red milk paint made up of 99% food grade ingredients. Other walls are made from wheat board and sunflower seeds husks - hence the codename. It's open, and there are cookies to be had. No official name...but it's open - 223 First Avenue, NYC.

Comments (1) | January 16 - 11:16 PM

category: Eco-Kitchen, Studies + Trends

Consumer Reports focuses its attention on when it really pays to buy organic products (assuming the majority of people aren't going to buy organic 100% of the time). The article provides insight on where to find the best-priced organic products and which items you want to be sure to buy organic - Apples versus avocados? Celery versus cauliflower? A couple excerpts from the feature:

"...be aware that as more consumers are turning to organic products, some of the country’s largest food producers are trying to chip away at what organic labels promise to deliver."

"According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables exposes you to about 20 pesticides a day on average. If you eat the 12 least contaminated, you’re exposed to about two pesticides a day." (Read the article)

Comments (0) | January 10 - 10:47 AM

category: News, Studies + Trends

If you've ever taken a few extra minutes to sit outside a Costco, Price Club, PriceCo, or whatever they are called now - you will observe lots of people stocking up on massive quantities of low quality cooking fats and oils. They take these ingredients back to their restaurants and serve them to you, and you pay for them.

There isn't much transparency once you walk in the front door of a restaurant - but there is plenty of transparency observing what people are buying for their restaurants on a Sunday at the warehouse stores, or peeking in the back of a Sysco restaurant supply truck. Most kitchens are off limits to the dining public, and consumers are more than happy to turn a blind eye to the ingredients going into their food behind those closed doors - just so long as everything tastes pretty good and there are no roaches in the kitchens. Big mistake.

We've all been wrapped up in trans-fats lately, and people are actively avoiding trans-fat laden products, but what about when you eat out? While food manufacturers have been busy bees - actively stripping products of trans-fats, restaurants are not required to disclose the trans-fat content of their food and they are lagging far, far behind.

This article in the Des Moines Register quotes a spokeswoman from Yum! Brands (parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) as saying the company is only in the "early stages of exploring" its options for transfats. Looks like you can load up on a whopping 14 grams in one sitting if you go for the KFC Chicken Pot Pie. Read the article to see what's in those Mickey D french fries, or that Nachos Bell Grande. Keep in mind the Dietary Guidelines Advisory committee recommends limiting trans fat consumption to about 2 grams per day - this includes naturally occurring trans fats in meat and dairy. So, a couple fries and it look like you're screwed.

The article primarily cites a study done by CSPI, Center for Science in the Public Interest. Read more about the CSPI survey here. Or download the PDF. Another reason to cook at home more often.

Comments (0) | January 4 - 11:04 AM

category: News, Studies + Trends

In 2001 the average American consumed 63 pounds of high fructose corn syrup (does anyone have a more recent number?). Chances are you are consuming more HFCS than sugar, and if you look close enough, you will realize it is a staple in many processed foods. You are likely to see it in your yogurt and cereal and in your crackers and sodas. A few articles in case you are interested in reading more:

Accidental Hedonist on HFCS:

"What they don't say is that HFCS is a man-made product. HFCS is not a naturally occuring product, and I don't mean that in the same way I mean that All-Purpose Flour isn't a naturally occuring product. I mean it in the sense that HFCS must be made in a controlled environment, and enzymes not natural to corn products must be purposefully introduced to cornstarch in a very specific order for HFCS to exist." ( Read More )

Mores on HFCS:

- Seattle Times: High Fructose Fueling Obesity

- Weston A. Price: The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup

- Kim Severson back in her Chronicle days

- A compilation of articles at Men's Stuff

Comments (3) | December 27 - 9:30 AM

category: Studies + Trends, Sweeteners

The Green Guide sounds off on silicon bakeware safety:

Silicone bakeware is relatively new on the U.S. market. However, it has been used for years in Europe and by professional bakers. Silicone bakeware is made of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved food-grade silicone. According to the FDA, silicone pans and molds are appropriate for all foods. Although the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has not tested silicone bakeware, their toxicologist suggests that it is safe for use. ( Read more )

Comments (1) | December 18 - 9:00 PM

category: New Products, Studies + Trends

A big thank you and warm hello to everyone who visited Mighty Foods during its first week. We were very excited to welcome visitors from all over the globe. If you look a this snapshot of our statistics map, from the other night, you can see readers from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bombay, Kuwait, Eqypt, Slovakia, Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, Canada - and of course the big contingent of visitors from the U.S. Welcome!

Comments (0) | December 13 - 10:13 AM

category: Studies + Trends

Sam Roe (no kidding) and Michael Hawthorne file a multi-faceted report on seafood, highly contaminated with mercury, being sold in supermarkets throughout Chicago.

"In one of the nation's most comprehensive studies of mercury in commercial fish, testing by the newspaper showed that a variety of popular seafood was so tainted that federal regulators could confiscate the fish for violating food safety rules.

The testing also showed that mercury is more pervasive in fish than what the government has told the public, making it difficult for consumers to avoid the problem, no matter where they shop." ( Read more. )

Comments (0) | December 13 - 10:10 AM

category: News, Studies + Trends

No time like the present to start exploring more natural-refined sweeteners. After Huricane Katrina delivered a blow to the United State's prime sugar cane region, prices for refined sugar are set to skyrocket. The Dallas Morning News reports on the variables that are alligning to cause a sugar spike:

"On Aug. 19, before Hurricane Katrina pounded the sugar-rich gulf region, large users could buy refined beet and cane sugar for up to 28 cents a pound, according to Milling & Baking News. By Dec. 2, that price had climbed to 42 cents a pound – the largest mid-year jump since at least 1982..."

( Read more - reg. required )

Comments (0) | December 12 - 10:39 PM

category: Studies + Trends

If you are to believe a report published by the Food Business Review, 2006 is going to be the year of flax, superfruits, whole grains, and organics. Amen.

A few highlights:

- Organics are going mainstream and fast. In 2005, brands like Ragu, Orville Redenbacher and Ocean Spray all added organic variants. Expect to see even more mass-market brands take the plunge in 2006.

-According to researchers at Tufts University, an estimated 40% of Americans eat no whole grain foods at all. Expect that number to change in the wake of a deluge of new products that hit the market in 2005 that are almost certain to be followed by even more items in 2006.

- One reason that obesity is so prevalent these days is that consumers have lost all sense of what a reasonable portion is. One answer to this problem could be calorie-controlled packaging...

( Read the entire report )

Comments (0) | December 12 - 10:29 AM

category: Studies + Trends, Superfoods, Whole Grains

What would a weeks worth of food look like in your household? Hungry Planet presents a study revealing how people eat around the globe. In many cases it is a fascinating collision of tradition and globalization. Through riveting portraits and detailed text, thirty families in twenty-four countries are profiled. From Ecuador to Egypt, Guatemala to Great Britain, Peter Menzel took the portraits and Faith D'Alusio constructed the text.

This is a book that should top every holiday wish list.

Comments (1) | December 9 - 10:36 AM

category: Book Reviews, Gift Ideas, Studies + Trends

An essay worth a second look by Fedco-Seeds on the importance of seed diversity, triggered by the Monsanto purchase of Seminis for $1.4 billion in cash and assumed debt earlier this year. The acquisition prompted the Fedco co-op to drop Seimini seeds from their catalog after a general assessment and feedback from customers.

With the absorption of Seminis, Monsanto vaulted ahead of DuPont as the world's largest seed company. After the merger, for the first time the world's top ten seed companies control half the market. In fact, the four biggest ones have 36%.

Customer comments included the following:

- You don't need to sell your soul for a Sunsugar.
- Monsanto should be Rounded Up and composted.

and our personal favorite,

- We'll survive on the sweet tastiness of the moral high ground.

( Read the entire article )

Comments (0) | December 9 - 8:35 AM

category: News, Studies + Trends

This is the sort of thing that makes you think sippy cups might not be such a good idea.

BPA is used in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. The plastics are used in many food and drink packaging applications. Resins are commonly used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, milk container linings, bottle tops, water supply pipes and dental sealants.

Time to get rid of those plastic water bottles, and start buying your dairy in glass.

Comments (1) | December 7 - 12:31 PM

category: Studies + Trends

According to recent a recent study, our favorite cooked cabbage condiments might be in the midst of an unlikely public relations make-over - into public health superheroes.

“Our study shows that kimchi can effectively ward off food poisoning by varying the ingredients or fermentation temperature,”....“When eating foods susceptible to harmful bacteria, such as meat and fish, one can prevent food poisoning by accompanying them with kimchi.” ( Read entire article )

Another article speaks to the new wave of popularity for sauerkraut. ( Read entire article )

Comments (0) | November 27 - 1:19 PM

category: News, Studies + Trends, Superfoods

Apparently there is such a thing as a free lunch - but you want to be sure you take it without a side order of food posioning.

"...the diners find their food by digging through garbage. They call themselves freegans, a play on the words "free" and "vegan"-- a vegetarian who avoids all animal products, including dairy. In an ideological rejection of consumer waste, they only eat food that's been discarded. And in New York City, at least, they never go hungry." Read more.

Comments (0) | November 25 - 7:18 AM

category: News, Studies + Trends, Vegan / Veg

Deep sea drinking water is expected to becoming a booming export niche for the Hawaiian economy. Pipes deliver deep sea drinking water (marketed as a nutrient-rich alternative to tap and spring water) to a few production facilities in Hawaii. The bulk of the bottled water is then sold to the Japanese market with one company, Koyo USA Corp. exporting roughly 300,000 bottles a day to the island nation - with the big 1.5L bottles fetching $6 a pop. You do the math.

Comments (0) | November 19 - 1:29 PM

category: New Products, News, Studies + Trends