What’s ‘Processed’ Food?

What’s ‘Processed’ Food?

If you’ve read any nutritional advice lately, you’ve probably encountered one hard-and-fast rule: Avoid processed foods. But what does “processed” mean? On one level, anything humans do to food — slicing fruit, cooking beans, fermenting cabbage...
Eating in the Dark

Eating in the Dark

I’m sick of writing about labeling genetically engineered foods. I’m sick of it because there’s really one thing to say, and I’ve said it before: Americans have a right to know how their food is produced. Period. The fact is that most processed...
Indonesia on Fire

Indonesia on Fire

Students at the vocational high school in Pontianak, Indonesia always start their week with a ritual that’s familiar to many American students: a flag-raising ceremony. They line up in the central courtyard to sing the national anthem and pledge their...
Is It Time to Put Down the Bacon?

Is It Time to Put Down the Bacon?

By now you’ve probably heard the sobering news: Red meat may cause cancer. And bacon and other popular processed meats definitely do, the World Health Organization says. Does that mean we all need to quit eating processed meats — no pun intended — cold turkey?...
Kraft’s Mac and Cheese: Less Toxic, Still Bad

Kraft’s Mac and Cheese: Less Toxic, Still Bad

Kraft made news the other day with this announcement: Beginning next year, its macaroni and cheese will no longer contain artificial preservatives or colors. That’s nice. One of the favorite foods of American kids will more closely resemble something that actually...