Food / Farming - OtherWords

Fighting Obesity in the Classroom

As a co-founder and the current creative director of the Rancho La Puerta fitness resort and Golden Door spas, Deborah Szekely has long been known as a pioneer in health and wellness. She’s now focusing on a new target audience: our nation’s children.

Petroleum and Silly Putty on the Menu

by Emily Schwartz Greco

Chicken McNuggets sold in the United States contain more fat and have more calories than the same item that McDonald’s sells in the U.K., CNN reports.

Banks Profit While Our Farmers Fail

by Lisa Griffith

A recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago indicated that 11 percent of Wisconsin farmers with existing lines of credit may not have credit extended next year; this is especially significant because of the a 56 percent decline in net farm income in 2009. Dairy farmers have received prices far below their costs of production for nearly two years. With eroding equity, many are in immediate danger of losing their farms.

American Gothic, 2010

by Khalil Bendib

Community Gardens Don’t Excuse What Kraft Did to American Food

by Kristi Ceccarossi

This spring, to mark what is the start of the growing season for most of us, the marketing machine at Triscuit is breaking ground on more than 50 community gardens in dozens of cities around the country.

Thanks for Nothing, Monsanto

by Jim Hightower

Monsanto Corp. became a veritable Frankenstein in the 1990s, genetically engineering new organisms in an effort to fool Mother Nature for fun and profit. But Momma got mad–and now she’s kicking Monsanto’s butt all across the country.

Pollan Digests the Latest Food Politics Books

by Emily Schwartz Greco

In his essay in the June 10 edition of the New York Review of Books, Michael Pollan discusses five new books on food politics, a diverse movement that’s about more than how broccoli sprouts taste so much better than wedges of pesticide-imbued iceberg lettuce.

Safe Food, from Soil to Plate

by Amanda Hitt

Americans need to adopt a broader approach to evaluating the quality of their food, from soil to plate. We must consider the integrity of the overall production process in addition to evaluating the immediate safety of the food that reaches the consumer. While outbreaks and hospitalizations grab headlines, there are unseen other costs to our current production system.

Financial Reform Bill Could Stabilize Commodities

by Emily Schwartz Greco

The financial reform bill that has finally cleared the Senate would help stabilize commodities markets, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

Monsanto Seed Delivery Angers Haitian Activists

by Emily Schwartz Greco

Small-scale Haitian farmers are furious about Monsanto’s efforts to “help” their country, Beverly Bell writes.

Food and Farming