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Sampler Platter 05.22.09

by: Jill Richardson

Fri May 22, 2009 at 22:08:08 PM PDT

Hard plastic drinking bottles leach the endocrine disruptor BPA. So says a Harvard study. Let me remind you that there is an anti-BPA bill in Congress right now, cleverly named the Ban Poisonous Additives (BPA) Act. Write your Congresscritters to ask them to co-sponsor it!
Really, I just like the title of this one: The House Aghghghghg! Committee. That's exactly how I feel about the House Ag Committee and it's asshat chairman, Rep. Peterson (D-MN). As Tom Philpott puts it, Peterson is declaring Waxman-Markey is mine, all mine. He wants to derail the Waxman-Markey climate change bill unless the EPA stops using sound science to assess the environmental impacts of ethanol. Of course, if you listen to what Public Citizen has to say about the current state of Waxman-Markey, it might be so watered down already that Peterson isn't really making much of a threat.
Here is a really brilliant point: How many people out there pay the equivalent of $10/gal for bottled water (which is free from the tap) and then say they can't afford organic milk?
Civil Eats takes a fantastic look at how farmworkers are treated. A Slow Food chapter actually highlighted the issue by going as a group to have lunch with some farmworkers. What a great idea!
I am very curious about the film The Garden, about the fight to preserve South Central LA's community garden. It sounds absolutely amazing. If you haven't gotten a chance to see it yet, read a Q&A with the director here.
Farmer Carol Ann talks about whether small farming can feed the world.
Lucky Massachusetts residents now live in the only state that has gay marriage AND calorie labeling on menus at chain restaurants.
Very sad but true graphic: Your waistline in charts.
This picture just drives me nuts. It's a supermarket trying to pretend its a farmers market. Sort of.
Well holy shit. Did you hear about the salmonella/pistachio recall? Turns out Rep. Dennis Cardoza was one of the victims. So that means that at least ONE member of Congress REALLY GETS IT about the need to update food safety laws.

Jill Richardson :: Sampler Platter 05.22.09

Tags: House Ag Committee, Dennis Cardoza, menu labeling, labeling, The Garden, farmworkers, BPA, (All Tags)

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Sampler Platter 05.22.09 | 4 comments

Rep. Cardoza and... (4.00 / 4)

Gary Sheffield, both...

Maybe a bunch of my fellow Mets fans will get on board with fighting for updated food safety laws, too!

:)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

by: JayinPortland @ Sat May 23, 2009 at 08:23:14 AM UTC

Saw on the news ticker that the pistachio facility knew (4.00 / 5)

back in Oct. 6 months before they stopped shipping the pistachios.

http://www.google.com/hostedne...

by: nycstray @ Sat May 23, 2009 at 15:30:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

You're surprised? (4.00 / 1)

"You'll pry these profits from my cold dead fingers."

From The Oligarchs: "You're all disposable, so pay up or and shut up."

And the next Reign of Terror will also come as a surprise to them.

Yankee Frugality: use it up, wear it out, make it last, or do without.

by: Anonymous Bosch @ Mon May 25, 2009 at 00:39:30 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not really (4.00 / 2)

But I have seen some evidence of companies doing quick early recalls and not going down the path to hell and stay in business. :)

This is what I'm not getting when you mention profits. If they had done a recall and cleaned the factory 6mos ago, would they have more profits in their cold dead hands? They had to recall EVERYTHING vs some of the product. Some of that prob was not toxic, but because they let it go on, every bit had to be recalled. So they have lost all of their sales, their name is beyond dirt, and they prob have more than a few lawsuits on their hands. 6 mos ago, they may have been able to just recall certain batches, but after 6 months of product going through there . . . I guess hey lost their gamble. When did the peanut recall start?

by: nycstray @ Mon May 25, 2009 at 02:31:33 AM UTC

[ Parent ]