Food and Farming
The Fake Thing
New rule (as Bill Maher would say): If you make billions of dollars a year selling unhealthy food, you don't get to tell us to work out. It was one thing when Cookie Monster began telling kids to eat vegetables. Cookie Monster doesn't earn a living by selling cookies,...
The Food Stamp Fracas
"Stop the moochers!" shouted a flock of GOP budget whackers in the House of Representatives. It was back in July, before they flapped away for their five-week long summer break. This was the battle cry of conservative House lawmakers as they ripped all food stamp...
Hold the Pomposity
Ruth Bourdain of Twitter fame has been revealed! If you're like me, you had no idea there ever was someone named Ruth Bourdain on Twitter, or that she was a satirical character made up by an anonymous — but very funny — prankster. Now that "her" identity was exposed...
Coke’s Green Lipstick
Coke's going green. Or, at least, it wants you to think it is. There's no denying that part of Coca-Cola has gone green: the label — in one South American country. In Argentina, the world's No. 1 soft drink company now sells a new product called Coca-Cola Life with a...
Waiting for Wendy’s
Don't eat at Wendy's this week. Across the country, people are picketing restaurants, calling corporate offices, and signing petitions against the fast food chain through August 11. What's this Week of Action against Wendy's about? For years, the company has bucked...
Beefing Up Food Safety
In a 1968 comedy called The Secret War of Harry Frigg, Paul Newman is captured during World War II in Italy. After the prisoner of war spends several weeks trying to escape, his captor tells him some great news: The guards now have bullets in their guns. The Food and...
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...
