Monthly Archives: June 2015

The Jolly (Micro) Green Giant | Lucky Peach

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It’s a sunny day at Windfall Farms in upstate New York, and Morse Pitts, the owner, is trying to explain to me one of the many reasons his microgreens cost so damn much: anywhere from sixteen to sixty-four dollars for a quarter pound, which barely enough to fill a bowl. But he tells me that’s still far from breaking even.

First off: every shoot sold comes from a single seed. A sunflower shoot takes up to three weeks to mature. New seeds are planted twice a week for the duration of winter—which, this past year, lasted four and a half months. To keep their stand at the Union Square Greenmarket sticked they had to plant over 750 pounds of sunflower seeds (at $185 per 50-pound bag)—and that’s one of the dozen-plus microgreens they sell. They also grow micro mesclun, mustard, pea greens, sunflower shoots, amaranth, buckwheat, Hong Vit radish, arugula, and an assortment of edible flowers. The flavor of these greens is intense (also, they’re cute), and they’re considered the gold standard by many New York chefs. But the real reason Pitts grows them is so that his dozen or so workers have something to do in the slow months.

via The Jolly (Micro) Green Giant | Lucky Peach.

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Is Jail Time the Solution to America’s Food Safety Problem? – Eater

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For the first time in history, individual decision-makers are facing criminal charges for contaminated food.

It’s been more than eight years since nine people died and more than 700 were sickened from peanut butter processed at Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Yet the executives held responsible are just now hearing their punishment: In about two weeks, two brothers, former PCA owner Stewart Parnell and broker Michael Parnell, will stand before the court to receive their jail sentences. Legal experts believe they could face 30 years of jail time, which would essentially be a life sentence for the 60-year-old Stewart Parnell.

At the trial, prosecutors filed thousands of pages of court documents showing peanut butter contaminated with salmonella was knowingly shipped and laboratory documents were forged to conceal test results. Federal inspectors reported a leaky roof as well as rat and cockroach infestations in the plant. In court documents reported by the Wall Street Journal, Stewart Parnell wrote the following email: “Shit, just ship it. I cannot afford to loose [sic] another customer.” (His lawyers did not reply to our inquiry.)

For the first time in history, individual-decision makers responsible for selling food contaminated with foodborne bacteria are facing criminal charges that could lead to jail time, and corporations are paying out huge fines. In May 2015, ConAgra agreed to pay $11.2 million, the largest fine ever for a food safety case, after pleading guilty to shipping contaminated Peter Pan peanut butter in 2006 and 2007 that sickened at least 700 people in 47 states. The fines have raised eyebrows, and the threat of a long prison sentence for the Parnells sends a strong message.

via Is Jail Time the Solution to America’s Food Safety Problem? – Eater.

Watch the Trailer for ‘Caffeinated,’ Coming to Theaters July 14 – Eater

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The film takes viewers from farm to cup.

For those who are curious about exactly where their coffee comes from, Caffeinated attempts to tell the story. From filmmakers Vishal Solanki and Hanh Nguyen, the documentary explores America’s most populous coffee-drinking cities and producing countries, featuring interviews with both connoisseurs and farmers. Caffeinated will see a nationwide release in select theaters and streaming services on July 14. See the official trailer above.

via Watch the Trailer for ‘Caffeinated,’ Coming to Theaters July 14 – Eater.

New USDA Search Tool Helps You Find A Farmers Market Near You

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Are you looking for a farmers market in Missoula, Montana that sells both eggs and cut flowers? How about one in Birmingham, Alabama that accepts food stamps? Or one to visit while on vacation in Sitka, Alaska?

The government is here to help. The U.S. Department of Agriculture just launched a great new section on its website that lets you search a national directory of farmers markets to find exactly the one you’re looking for.

The site lets you search for farmers markets by location, available products, accepted payments and even, bizarrely, the type of location. This last option will surely be a boon to those with a strict policy of only patronizing farmers markets located in religious institutions or closed-off streets.

The USDA actually made some of this data available to developers last May, so the Apple App Store already contains a few apps that can help you find a local farmers market. And a site called Local Harvest has long collected and shared its own list of farmers markets, small farms and CSAs.

But the USDA’s new search tool is fast and user-friendly, and is closer to the source of information than any of these other contenders.

It’s also a powerful sign of how far the farmers market movement has come in recent years. Not so long ago, farmers markets were rare enough — at least outside affluent pockets of California — that there would have been no point in looking for a very specific type of farmers market, or one in a very specific place. If you even knew about the joys of farmers market shopping, you would take what you could get.

Now, though, USDA data shows that more than 8,200 farmers markets are operating across the country — enough that you really do need an app or a website to sift through them all.

via New USDA Search Tool Helps You Find A Farmers Market Near You.

 

And here’s the link to USDA site:

http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/default.aspx#

 

The Least Sustainable Seafood – Fish You Shouldn’t Eat

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It may seem like the ocean is just a bottomless pit of fish sticks and sushi, but the reality is that our supply of seafood is finite. Through rampant overfishing and just generally treating the ocean like a cheap buffet, we’ve depleted the populations and ruined the habitats of some truly delicious fish.

To find out which species are in the most danger, we spoke with Reid Bogert, sustainability coordinator at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, who in addition to scaring us skate (zing!), offered some tasty alternatives. Read on to learn more about which salmon is safe, which seafood certifications to look for, and why grouper are basically screwed.

via The Least Sustainable Seafood – Fish You Shouldn’t Eat.

What the FDA’s Trans Fats ‘Phase Out’ Really Means – Eater

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e Food and Drug Administration announced its plan today to phase out trans fats from the American food industry. Two years ago, the FDA acknowledged that trans fats were probably unsafe for human consumption, but until now, there was no national policy on their use in the food industry. This new decision, designed to be implemented over the next three years, was motivated by nearly two decades of research showing major health risks associated with the food additive. In its announcement, the FDA noted that artificial trans fats “are not ‘generally recognized as safe’ (GRAS) for use in human food.” More bluntly, they’re very bad for you.

via What the FDA’s Trans Fats ‘Phase Out’ Really Means – Eater.

Why the FDA’s new ban on trans fats may be most important change in our food supply ever – The Washington Post

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When all the talk tends to center around how the U.S. food system is failing people, it can be easy to forget its successes. But one of those instances has been brought to the forefront this morning.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it will implement a new near-zero tolerance ban of partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of trans fats. Food companies will be given three years to phase the ingredient out of their offerings. The decision comes on the heels of a 2013 announcement that a ban was imminent.

And it is a very big deal.

“It’s probably the single m

via Why the FDA’s new ban on trans fats may be most important change in our food supply ever – The Washington Post.

Facing Consumer Pressure, Companies Start to Seek Safe Alternatives to BPA – The New York Times

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For consumers, figuring out which canned foods and plastics contain the controversial chemical known as BPA can be nearly impossible. But determining whether newer alternatives are any safer may be even more difficult.

Some food giants like General Mills and the Campbell Soup Company have shifted away from using bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical commonly used in the coatings of canned goods to ward off botulism and spoilage. But in many instances, some health advocates say, companies do not disclose which products are now BPA-free.

More worrisome, these advocates and scientists say, is a lack of information about alternatives, and a growing body of evidence suggesting that some newer options may not be any safer.

“We do want to push companies away from it, because it is a known toxin,” said RenĂ©e Sharp, the director of research for the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. “At the same time, we are also definitely worried about the chemicals coming on the market and we don’t have a lot of good information about a number of them.”

Studies linking BPA to developmental and reproductive health problems go back decades, and researchers, health advocates and even the federal government have voiced concerns about the chemical for years. But an enormous body of conflicting evidence has slowed efforts to regulate BPA more tightly.

via Facing Consumer Pressure, Companies Start to Seek Safe Alternatives to BPA – The New York Times.

Lobsters Pee From Their Faces And 8 More Facts About Our Favorite Crustaceans

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If there’s one thing that any lobster lover knows for sure, it’s that this crustacean is absolutely delicious — especially when paired with warm, melted butter. Other than that, most of us don’t know much about this bottom-dweller of the sea. And there might be a reason for that.

A bit of research on lobsters reveals that they have a bizarre past and are known to exhibit some unique behaviors (for instance, they pee from their faces). Intrigued? Read on to learn nine strange facts about the crustacean in honor of National Lobster Day.

via Lobsters Pee From Their Faces And 8 More Facts About Our Favorite Crustaceans.