Pre-Chewed News

Hey guys! TGIF! Thanks for some very interesting feedback on yesterday’s post! I love respectful debates.

So, yea, there’s way too much going on in the food world for me to hog all the info. myself. If you’re following me on Twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen me mention a lot of this stuff. If you’re not following me on Twitter, all I ask is why not?!

Lion Meat, New Foods & Food Recalls (Oh my?)

• Did you catch the news about the restaurant-owner in Arizona who attempted to serve lion meat in celebration of the World Cup? Granted, the whole thing made me cringe and I had to reflect on the premise of carnism (see yesterday’s post). What I found most interesting, however, is the legal and regulatory issues — apparently it IS legal to eat lion meat, however, it is not the USDA that inspects “lions bred for meat” but the FDA. Read more here.
• The U.S. Dietary Guidelines are reviewed every 5 years and a new draft has just been completed for 2010! However, not much seems to have changed (still advocating low-fat, health-myths). See here for more info. and here for an opinion piece (I somewhat agree…obvs. not w/ the eating-animals portions)
• On Monsanto winning an appeal re its GM alfalfa, & its monopolization of agriculture: here and here
• Luna Bar has announced two new flavors: Blueberry Bliss and Vanilla Almond: 180-190 calories,5-6g fat, 3g fiber. They both appear to be vegan.
• ConAgra foods is recalling its Marie Callendar’s brand cheesy chicken and rice entrees. Click here. A good reason to stop buying crappy frozen meals altogether
• Kellogg Co. is recalling 28 million boxes of its cereals (Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops & Honey Smacks) with “better-if-used-before” dates ranging from March 26, 2011, to June 22, 2011. Apparently there is a waxy smell from the packaging that can make people sick. See here.
• The European Parliament recently supported proposals to extend country of origin labeling (COOL) to all meat, poultry and fish and dairy products. Click here. Does anyone know of similar efforts in the US?
• Mission Foods announced it will, finally, start selling whole-wheat flour tortillas. See here. This is great news…IF they take out some of the other crap lurking in most of their tortillas, such as small traces of hydrogenated oils and weird preservatives and chemicals. Baby steps?

Deals

• Participating Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations in CA, AZ & NV (excluding San Diego county, Texas, Hawaii, Ralphs stores, casinos, campus or airport locations) are offering a free 12 0z. Iced Americano, Iced Coffee or Iced Tea on Tues., June 29th, 4-7 p.m. Click here for deets.

Michael Pollan (yes, he deserves his own section of news <3)

• Last night on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams – interview regarding when/why its a good investment to buy organic here “Food is too important to economize” – Pollan, I love you. In a strictly platonic way, of course
• June 19 interview in the Seattle Times here

Fat Acceptance?

• ABC’s new show “Huge,” featuring Hair Spray‘s Nikki Blonsky, will begin airing this upcoming Monday, June 28th. ABC describes the show as follows: “Funny, heartbreaking and provocative, Huge follows the lives of seven teens and the staff at a weight-loss camp, as they look beneath the surface to discover their true selves and the truth about each other.” You say “weight loss camp” and I immediately feel uncomfortable. However, what I then find super-interesting is that the site hosts a section called “Live Huge,” featuring a “self-esteem coach,” & health/fitness/nutrition tips. Self-described as “At ABC Family, we believe that healthy living means living life to the fullest. In order to live your best life, it’s important to take care of yourself — physically, mentally and emotionally. Here you’ll be given tips on how to eat nutritious snacks and meals, add exercise into your busy life, and build a stronger, more positive sense of self — because living a healthy life means having healthy self-esteem too!” While I obvs. haven’t seen the show yet, advocating holistic health (physical, mental, emotional) seems like a noble premise. And, call me naive, the “Live Huge” site sounds like a great resource for kids and young adults. When I was at my heaviest, I felt like the ultimate “fix” would be losing weight. Now that I’ve lost the weight, the real battle has been mending the self-esteem and recognizing how happiness and thinness are not necessary correlatives.

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. Stop by later for an awesome give-away!

Tags: carnism, Country of Origin Labeling, Fat Acceptance, FDA, Huge, michael pollan, USDA