Kiwi Dairy Producer Eyes Expansion in China

The growing middle class in the world’s fastest growing nations is fueling demand and prices for milk.  New Zealand’s Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd. produces about a third of all internationally traded dairy products.  Fonterra is now building a second dairy farm in China and plans to be involved in multiple Chinese farms to meet the demand for safe, healthy milk.  

Its strategy faltered during the 2008 contaminated milk scandal, because the New Zealand dairy producer had a 43% stake in one of the companies responsible for the tainted milk.  Fonterra wants to help Chinese dairymen back on their feet and simultaneously take advantage of growth opportunities.   

India, another key player, has traditionally been self sufficient in dairy, but trends show that their consumption is growing faster than they can produce it.

France puts rising food prices at top of G-20 Agenda

President Nicolas Sarkozy made food a priority at a meeting of Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations last week.  As Western Europe's largest grain producer, France addressed rising world food prices by proposing to improve transparency in commodities markets.  Some agricultural nations such as the U.S., Canada and Brazil oppose greater regulation, saying that it would make markets a less-effective reflection of supply and demand.  

Insects as Future Source of Meat?

Most of the developing world already eats insects.  They are high in protein, B vitamins, and they are low-fat.  Their taste is nutty.  Insects need less feed than beef or pork and produce less waste.  What's not to love?

Dutch entomologists started promoting insects as food in the 1990's.  This year their festival, "Wageningen--City of Insects," attracted 20,000 visitors.  It's possible that one day in the not-too-distant future, crispy crickets will be as popular as sushi or kiwis.  After all, both kiwis and sushi have been relatively new additions to the Western menu.

Food prices pushing millions into poverty

The World Bank released new data showing that the cost of grain and other staples is just 3 percent below its historic high in 2008 -- a level that touched off food riots in several countries.  World Bank President Robert Zoellick urged major nations to find ways to stabilize world food prices.

Chef Sam Kass to open IACP's New York regional conference Feb. 18

 Chef Sam Kass, First Lady Michelle Obama's Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, will kick off the two-day conference at a plenary session at 2:00 pm., discussing how professional chefs can join the Let's Move! campaign to "change the way our children eat."

Mrs. Obama celebrates first anniversary of Let's Move! in NPR interview

"There is no way that the first lady can or should go into someone's house and tell them what to eat — it doesn't work. It wouldn't work in my household — in fact, I would resent it. But what I do know that parents want is they want help."  --Michelle Obama

Listen to the story on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

Slow Food USA sponsors TEDx Manhattan event with live streaming on Feb. 12

Slow Food USA President Josh Viertel and more than twenty speakers will discuss how to shift the food system to provide good, clean and fair food for everyone.  Tune in at 10:30 a.m. ET, or find a viewing party (or host your own) in your area.

Modernized Food Labels Educate Consumers to Avoid Overweight

In response to a request from First Lady Michelle Obama last year, the Grocery Manufacturers' Association and the Food Marketing Institute announced a voluntary front-of-pack labeling system that will give consumers the information they need to choose healthy foods for themselves and their families.  Unfortunately, GMA's "Nutrition Keys" system preempts work by the Food and Drug Administration, which has been developing labeling guidelines.  Public health experts fear that focus on "positive" nutrients can make junk food seem nutritious.

U.S. Congress passes sweeping child nutrition bill

Today the House of Representatives passed a bill supported by Mrs. Obama that will fund child nutrition measures with $4.5 billion dollars.  Part of the funding will come from a cut in the federal food stamp program.  If President Obama signs the bill into law, the federal government will soon have more power to set school food standards.

Senate approves overhaul of food safety laws

By a vote of 73 to 25, the Senate today approved the biggest overhaul to the United States' food safety laws since the 1930s.

The House has already passed a similar version of the legislation.

Marilyn Monroe's Stuffing Recipe

Was Marilyn Monroe a competent home cook?  There is some evidence that she was, including a delightfully detailed, hand-written recipe for poultry stuffing published in yesterday's New York Times.  Sensuousness and cuisine--a natural pairing.

Fast Food Restaurants Dish Up Unhealthy Marketing to Youth

Can you believe it?  The U. S. fast food industry spent more than $4.2 billion on marketing and advertising in 2009, according to a new study from Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.  Companies are stepping up their marketing to children, and it's working.
 

The full report and tools for consumers and researchers are available at www.fastfoodmarketing.org. Follow the conversation on Twitter at the hashtag #fastfoodfacts.

 

IACP Impacts Chefs Move to Schools

Yesterday IACP members Dan Traster, Judy Rusignuolo and I and a room full of Washington, D.C., culinary professionals attended a Chefs Move to Schools meeting sponsored by the National Restaurant Association DC chapter's educational foundation and Share Our Strength.  The first speaker was everyone's favorite, White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass.  He gave a pep talk and then asked for questions.

I brought up research that came out last week from the Edible Schoolyard.  It said that children who had been in the Edible Schoolyard program in elementary school did not eat more vegetables in middle school.  In fact, they ate less veggies than when they had been in the Edible Schoolyard program.  Kass said the results meant that children and youth need to be supported at every step as they develop. 

We can support young people in school all we like, I replied, but if we don't involve the families, the youth will experience cognitive dissonance when they are eating at home.  My suggestion:  Bring together the first two pillars of the Let's Move campaign against childhood obesity with youth/parent partner cooking classes.  

One pillar seeks to give parents the information they need to provide healthy meals for their families.  The second is to improve school food.  (The third pillar is a goal of sixty minutes a day of physical activity, and the fourth is to eliminate food deserts.)

Interestingly, of the twelve speakers who followed, three of them commented on the importance of family participation.  They mentioned ways they are helping families in their healthy eating programs.  For instance, Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline has a curriculum in use for youth/parent cooking classes.  Many chefs who are adopting a school are considering teaching cooking classes as a way to share their expertise.

Salmonella epidemic and food safety legislation

Recently 170 million infected eggs were recalled from 14 states after more than 1,200 people suffered from salmonella enteritidis in the United States.  New Food and Drug Administration monitoring and safety requirements ironically went into effect last month--too late to prevent the outbreak.

The enormous egg recall may have stimulated the Senate to act on comprehensive food safety legislation.  The bill would set up systems to trace food from farm to table, making it easier to identify infected products, and it would give the FDA power to mandate a recall.

Want to know whether your eggs have been recalled?  Check out http://www.foodsafety.gov/.

Duke University offers online survey for adult picky eaters

Are you a picky eater? Check out Duke University's online survey for adult cautious eaters. While the study population is self-selected rather than randomly chosen, and there is no control group, online access may attract a huge global group of participants and help develop an understanding of whether picky eating has a genetic or behavioral base.