Food for Thought (Dec. 4 – Dec. 9)

Food and Health

Santa Clara County’s ban on fast-food toys for kids has had no effect on the nutritional quality of the meals served there, but the restaurants are doing a better job of promoting the right food, or at least not promoting the junk, Stanford researchers say. http://www.foodhealthnews.com/2011/12/fast-food-toy-ban-no-aid-to-nutrition-study-says/

Fats are really the most concentrated source of energy in the foods we eat, and our bodies need that energy. Learn which fats are naughty and which are nice to your health. Then you can make smarter food choices. http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Dec2011/Feature1

When it comes to school meals, adults and kids alike are ready for a change. An extraordinary number of people sent messages to USDA in support of the agency’s proposed standards to improve school meals. http://www.healthyschoolfoodsnow.org/tremendous-support-for-usda-school-meal-changes/

Increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods, especially starches, may boost the risk of breast cancer recurrence, new research finds. http://news.health.com/2011/12/08/starchy-foods-may-boost-risk-of-breast-cancer-recurrence/

Few parents make a habit of feeding their kids Twinkies for breakfast. But children who eat some of the leading brands of cereal are getting just as much or more sugar as is in one of those dessert snacks, according to a new study.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/12/many-kids-cereals-as-sugary-as-desserts-review-finds/

Food Safety

Even in a year when global food prices hit record highs and both restaurant menus and retail food labels got a new look, the safety of the American food supply dominated the headlines and consumers took notice. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/food-safety-eclipses-rising-food-costs-as-top-food-story-of-2011-2011-12-08

Experts in environmental health issues have teamed with major companies to warn food industries to exercise caution when using nano-sized, man-made creations as nutritional additives, flavorings, colorings, or anti-bacterial coatings for packaging.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/12/caution-urged-with-nanoparticles-in-food/

An Ohio State University scientist and colleagues have garnered two food safety grants totaling $2.3 million from USDA. One grant is a three-year, $500,000 award from a $5.4 million University of Maryland study on "Developing Scientifically Based Consensus Food Safety Metrics for Leafy Greens and Tomatoes." The other grant will determine the extent to which wildlife contribute to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria colonization in livestock, and how much that can spread to humans. http://www.dairyherd.com/dairy-news/latest/Food-safety-is-focus-of-23-million-in-grants-135267188.html

FDA has agreed to decide by March 31, 2012 whether bisphenol A, the controversial chemical known as BPA, should be banned from use in food and beverage packaging. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/12/fda-agrees-to-respond-on-bpa-risk-by-march-31/

The non-profit consumer advocacy group, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), submitted a petition to the FDA on December 8, 2011 urging it to require food makers to disclose artificial coloring additives on the front labels of their products.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/12/fda-urged-to-require-front-label-food-coloring-info/

Pre-packaged cookie dough might taste lovely, but you should resist the temptation until it has been properly baked if you want to avoid getting an E. coli infection. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238948.php

Food Assistance

Forty-six million Americans receive food stamps, up about two-thirds from four years ago. As Congress threatens to cut the program, supermarkets, farmers and antipoverty activists have forged a coalition to try to spare it from the chopping block.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/08/BU351M8O6P.DTL

Missouri farmers are eligible for aid from August storms. The declaration makes farmers in 24 northwest and west central parts of the state and 17 bordering counties who suffered losses eligible for emergency loans and assistance. http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/missouri/mo-farmers-eligible-for-aid-from-august-storms/article_1c8f7452-b259-536c-ae16-964608484870.html

These are very desperate times. A Texas woman unable to qualify for food stamps for months walked into a state welfare office with a gun, then shot her two children and killed herself, during a seven-hour standoff, officials said Tuesday, December 6, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/12/06/shooting-welfare-mother-texas.html