News and Commentary from Dave Carter The true cost of unhealthy food From Natural Foods Merchandiser Magazine, May 2010
Lessons from meat production
Unsavory practices in meat processing have captured the public spotlight in recent months. The Oscar-nominate documentary, Food Inc., stunned audiences across the country with scenes depicting the dark recesses of the food-processing business. More recently, articles in Time, the The New York Times and other media outlets have generated a firestorm of public discussion on meat-processing practices.
One topic, however, seems largely absent from these discussions: price. It’s a sore subject, but the food system cannot be reformed without increasing the prices customers pay. more>>
The backside of antibiotics in agriculture
From naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com February 16, 2010
Katie Couric’s report on antibiotics in agriculture will likely spur a new wave of consumers seeking natural meat and poultry. Unfortunately, the labels on many products—even in natural food stores—are giving those customers a bum steer…literally. more>>
Irradiation as the answer?
From naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com January 13, 2010
It’s no secret that the meat industry took a public relations shellacking in 2009. The constant barrage of stories regarding E.coli 0157:H7, salmonella and ammonia-washed ground beef did little to instill consumer confidence in the nation’s meat supply. more>>
Future farmers glimpsed at FFA
From Natural Foods Merchandiser.com November 5, 2009
The sea of 60,000 high school students in blue jackets roaming the convention center in Indianapolis in late October offered a glimpse into the future of U.S. food production.
The annual convention of the FFA (formerly known as the Future Farmers of America) each year brings together thousands of farm kids and other students with a passion for agriculture. Through the decades, the usual players in conventional agriculture have largely underwritten FFA activities. more>>
The Traceability Trend
From Natural Foods Merchandiser Magazine, November 2009
Three decades ago, conventional wisdom—and conventional food producers—assumed that customers cared only about cheap and convenient food. The future they envisioned was based upon generic food—plain white boxes with plain black labels proclaiming “corn flakes,” “soda crackers” and my all-time favorite … “beer.” more>>
If the carbon footprint fits...
From Bison World Magazine, Winter 2008
The question from a reporter caught me a little off guard the other day.
“A recent study has measured the carbon footprint of various foods, and meat came out as the most damaging. Would you describe bison as the least damaging meat?”
I paused for a moment before saying, “No.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. more>>
