Food

FSANZ and the Food Labelling Law & Policy Review: intending to keep consumers ignorant for international biotech companies' bene

North Coast Voices - March 18, 2010 - 12:15am


Hat tip to MADGE for pointing out the fact that the Food Labelling Law & Policy Review March 2010 Issues Consultation Paper seems to suggest that it would be acceptable for the general public and individual consumers/shoppers to be deliberately kept in the dark concerning certain food ingredients and/or preparation processes: Read more »

Monsanto's greed exceeds itself

North Coast Voices - March 12, 2010 - 12:10am


Anyone who has been following the fortunes of biotech companies associated with genetically modified seed will recall Monsanto & Co's oft repeated claim that it's really in the business of feeding the world and not the simple pursuit of profit.

Once more in 2010 this monopolisitic multinational's actions give lie to the PR spin, as it is discovered trying to assert royalty rights over Cefetra's imported animal feed product made from GMO Roundup-ready soybean and accusing this company and others of infringing its patent.
The ruling mentioned below appears to be an interim opinion with the court's final ruling expected sometime later in the year.
Read more »

Why Kellogg’s thinks the food industry is feline, and governments should act on labelling

Croakey Health Blog - March 8, 2010 - 10:03am

Margo Saunders, a public health policy consultant in Canberra, reports on a recent public lecture by a senior Kellogg Company executive, John Bryant:

“Thanks to the power of pervasive advertising, the Kellogg’s cereal mascots Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes – ‘They’re g-r-r-reat!’) and Snap, Crackle and Pop (Rice Krispies) were as much a part of an American childhood as Roy Rogers (who appeared in commercials for a Kellogg’s competitor).

But Kellogg’s has not exactly had an easy time of it in Australia lately, with the company attracting criticism from CHOICE and Parents Jury for poor nutritional content and misleading advertising, and facing legal action in the United States for various product claims (see here, and here). Read more »

The Future of...the Hot Dog?

Popular Science - March 2, 2010 - 5:00am

According to both common sense and the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are two truths about hot dogs which neither science nor industry can afford to ignore: kids love hot dogs, and hot dogs are the perfect size and shape for a child to choke on. To wit: "If you were to take the best engineers in the world and asked them to design a perfect plug for a child's airway, you couldn't do better than a hot dog," one AAP doctor said.

As such, the hot dog is in need of a redesign. So the folks at Fast Company took a look at California design house RKS's quest to cook up a completely rethought hot dog, and they did it using a design tool that is decidedly child-approved: the Play-Doh Fun Factory. Read more »

Onya Burkie!

North Coast Voices - March 10, 2010 - 12:05am

One of the most sensible government backflips in years; "The Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has reversed a decision that came in just eight days ago allowing beef imports from countries which have had BSE, better known as mad cow disease. Instead there'll be two years of analysis."
Onya Burkie! Leave the creation of shonky biosecurity policies to the likes of former Howard Government ministers if they ever return to power - you just concentrate on keeping Australian primary production as clean, disease free and safe as possible.

Epic food fail

Harrangueman - March 6, 2010 - 8:43am

Supposition: That Chinese food gives me incredible gut pain the following day.

Proof: The second last time I ate Chinese I went to hospital the next day with acute gut pain. Also, right now, I am in acute pain. And er ... I ate Chinese food last night...

Assessment: Jesus fucking Christ, stop eating Chinese food already (mentally smacks self over the head with a rolled up newspaper).

PS Thai food, no problems. What's up with that?

The First Sushi In Space, Caught on Video

Popular Science - February 27, 2010 - 8:52am

In December, Soichi Noguchi promised to become the first sushi chef in space. But, though we've been avidly following his Twitter feed and impressive Twitpics from the ISS, there've been no sightings of the astronaut's culinary side.

Until now. Read more »

Coming Soon: A Radiant Cooker That Can Deep-Fry Foods Without Oil

Popular Science - February 17, 2010 - 4:59am

An oil-free deep fryer, which its inventor hopes could hit the market later this year, could let health-conscious consumers have their donuts and eat them, too.

Call it an infrared-wave, radiant fryer, or miracle oven -- it makes french fries with half the fat, no engineered chemicals like Olestra, and the same crispy, oily goodness we all know and love.

The radiant fryer, developed at Purdue University by food scientist Kevin Keener, is meant for foods with just a little bit of oil on them already, like the par-cooked chicken nuggets, hash browns and french fries you'd find at a fast-food restaurant. And that's the target, Keener said.

"You can dial in (a heat level) for a certain product. That would allow a restaurateur to provide on-demand products," he said. "You'd pay your money, and within two minutes, your order is coming out of the fryer hot onto the bun and they are putting it on your plate." Read more »