Food and Farming
Size Matters
They're found in M&Ms, Dunkin' Donuts, Jell-O pudding, and even Pop-Tarts. Scientists don't know if they're safe to eat. The government doesn't regulate these things. Even food manufacturers often don't know this technology is in the food they sell. You probably...
McFinancial Planning
At last, a fast food giant that gives a damn about the economic hardships low-wage workers face. Not only does McDonald's care, but, by golly, the good executives who sit atop the Golden Arches are goosing-up the meager $8.25 an hour that their workers have been...
Putting Government Waste on Auto-Pilot
Remember when the House rejected a trillion-dollar version of the Farm Bill nearly a month ago? I predicted the subsidy apologists would be back. Unfortunately, I was right. They struck with a stealth attack at about 8 p.m. one week after July Fourth. House Republican...
A Big Season for Falling Stars
Reversals of fortune can be breathtaking. One minute, people are riding high, surfing the wave of life. The next, they tip over like capsized canoes. Take Paula Deen. This Typhoid Mary of the obesity epidemic made untold fortunes in becoming the unchallenged champion...
Canning Ain’t Rocket Science
When I arrived to help my friends Tom and Terri with their garden, they eagerly showed me a 10-pound zucchini. "I just wanted to see how big it would get," Tom said, explaining why he didn't pick it when it was smaller. "Do you want it?" "I'll take it," I replied,...
Padding the Bottom Line by Gouging the Customer
Mothers the world over have told their children a zillion times: "Stop playing with your food!" I now share their frustration. I'd like to yell at the conglomerate packagers of America's victuals: "Stop playing with our food!" Actually, they're playing with our heads,...
Michigan’s Snappy Innovation
The Farm Bill's recent defeat in the House of Representatives opens up a second chance to get food policy right — including the food aid we give struggling individuals and families. A Michigan and Ohio program could provide some inspiration. The legislation would have...
The 2013 Corporate Chutzpah Award
What's simply delicious, even if it's genetically engineered? Irony. For years, advocates of growing crops with genes from other species spliced into their DNA have claimed that this newfangled farming increases crop yields, reduces pesticide use, and provides a host...
Corporate Witchcraft
Eat Real
Is it just my friends, or is nearly everyone on an absurd diet these days? One friend says she's on a "primal" diet. She's trying to eat like cavemen and will devour wild game when she can get it. Another goes on a month-long "detox" fast each year. Somehow, he...
