Food & Drink

Chinese revolt over government plan to ban BBQ in order to fight epic smog problem

"China web-users were furious Thursday over plans to tackle pollution with a ban on barbecues, wryly asking if Beijing would stamp out fried food and normal bodily functions in its war on smog. The controversial measure is being explored as Beijing aims to confront the heavy pollution which has choked large swathes of the country in recent weeks. State media said Wednesday that the country’s environmental watchdog had issued draft guidelines advising major cities to adopt legislation banning 'barbecue-related activities'. Barbequed food is a favourite dish in China, particularly lamb skewers, a speciality of the north-western region of Xinjiang." Continue reading →

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FDA Going After Raw Milk Cheese Despite Absence of a Single Documented Case in 23 Years

"A newly released 189-page report from the FDA and Health Canada concludes that there is 'a 50- to 160-fold increase in the risk of listeriosis from a serving of soft-ripened raw-milk cheese, compared with cheese made from pasteurized milk.' As a result, they want to see raw milk cheeses like camembert and brie either subject to unprecedented testing, processing similar to pasteurization, or else banned completely. But the actual real-life data presented in the report of illnesses worldwide from listeriosis in soft cheese over a 23-year period between 1986 and 2008 show not a single documented illness in the U.S. from listeriosis due to tainted brie or camembert." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFDA Going After Raw Milk Cheese Despite Absence of a Single Documented Case in 23 Years

The Fed Is Blowing More Bubbles

"As if any more evidence were needed (see my CB post earlier this week) that the Fed has succeeded, either through ignorance or design, in igniting new asset bubbles throughout the economy, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City just released a survey of bankers that confirms a continuing rise in U.S. farmland prices. The chart below from the report by the Kansas City Fed puts this stunning trend in temporal perspective and reveals that it extends across all farmland, including irrigated cropland and ranchland." Continue reading →

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From Watery Bourbon To Horse-Meat Chili: Hidden Inflation Is Everywhere

"We’ve had an endless series of products whose ingredients have been cheapened in order to maintain the price. Consumers won’t be able to taste the difference, the theory goes. So, as the horse-meat lasagna scandal in Europe is spiraling beautifully out of control, we’re now getting hit where it hurts: Maker’s Mark is watering down its bourbon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrom Watery Bourbon To Horse-Meat Chili: Hidden Inflation Is Everywhere

Rising incomes fuel India’s growing appetite for meat

"India’s booming middle-class is driving the demand for meat in a country with a traditionally low intake — a survey in 2006 showed that 40 percent of the population were vegetarian. Members of the Jain faith and some groups within India’s majority Hindu religion hold vegetarianism as an ideal. Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi espoused a meat-free diet as part of his non-violent philosophy. But fewer of the younger generation appear to feel the same. With chicken a favourite meat, the rapid rise of the domestic poultry market is a good indication of changing diets." Continue reading →

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Florida growers leery of cost of FDA’s new food safety rules

"It remains to be seen how the new rules — 1,200 pages total to be published in the Federal Register — will affect Florida growers and shippers. The act, signed into law by President Barack Obama two years ago, represents a major shift in the agency's approach to food safety — from reaction to foodborne illnesses to a focus on prevention of microbial contamination. The rules to put the law into effect have been stalled in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for more than a year." Continue reading →

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Food Freedom vs. Regulatory Busybodies

"Cottage food laws, state laws permitting people to sell some foods prepared in the home, are one such development. In California, the state’s new cottage food law (which I wrote about previously here) appears to be a huge hit just a month into its existence. The law has already helped formerly illicit sellers to enter the legal food market. State laws permitting cottage foods are quickly catching up with the demand for looser regulations. Nearly three-dozen states now have cottage food laws in place. And advocates in other states—including Minnesota and Alabama—are pushing to add their states to the growing list." Continue reading →

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How to Order a Pizza With Bitcoins

"The aptly, albeit somewhat unimaginatively, named Pizzaforcoins.com makes it possible for anyone to place a pizza order and pay for it using Bitcoins. To place an order, enter your name and address. The site then redirects you to an online order menu that has various options and their respective prices (in BTC). Once a selection is made, Pizzaforcoins verifies that the payment has been made and an order is placed within 10 minutes. Orders can currently only be placed with Domino's Pizza, but the site's fine print indicates that they'll soon be adding Pizza Hut and Papa John's into the mix." Continue reading →

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Jail Time For Obamacare Supermarket Food Labeling

"The proposed regulation would require store owners to label prepared, unpackaged foods found in salad bars and food bars, soups and bakery items. Erik Lieberman, regulatory counsel at the Food Marketing Institute, said testing foods for nutritional data will require either expensive software or even more costly off-site laboratory assessments. Failure to get it right comes with stiff penalties: 'If you get it wrong, it's a federal crime, and you could face jail time and thousands of dollars worth of fines.' The FDA says much of ObamaCare is aimed at helping Americans live healthier lives, and these proposed labeling requirements would help them do just that." Continue reading →

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