Consumers Scramble for Cage-Free Eggs

School lunches are improving; Walmart's into sustainability: Mark Bittman

(NEWSER) - Sometimes it’s important for a critic to drop the criticism and offer some praise. In the New York Times , Mark Bittman presents a taste of good news in the food world:

1. Backers of better food policy are gaining real traction: The reauthorized Child Nutrition Act will improve school lunches, while the Food Safety Modernization Act will make our meals safer.

'Kinder, Gentler Birds' don't turn peck-happy

(NEWSER) - Moves to boost the welfare of egg-laying hens by giving them more space will backfire unless the industry switches to more peaceful chickens, says a researcher who claims to have bred a gentler bird. Breeding to maximize output among the white leghorns that lay most of America's eggs has had the side effect of raising their territorial instincts to the point that ferocious attacks are common when they're moved to open pens, Purdue University scientist William Muir tells AP. More»

Humane Society video sparks new battle with farmers

(NEWSER) - A video showing chickens being slammed into metal crates has reignited a battle between the Humane Society and farmers. The footage, shot by an undercover Humane Society volunteer, shows chickens held in battery cages over enormous manure pits and chickens being violently shoved into a euthanizing chamber. "We're asking they not be crammed into cages and crates barely larger than their bodies," says a society rep. More»

Furry friends are also perfect food animal for budding DIY farmers

(NEWSER) - Rabbit as food is a troubling conceit for many Americans—“it’s this weird association with Easter,” a chef says—but the animal is taking off with a small group of budding butchers, urban farmers, and those just enamored of its lean, healthy meat. “This is my gateway animal,” a woman at a recent rabbit-killing seminar who envisions raising the critters in her backyard tells the New York Times . More»

Celebrities lead fight against 'torture in a tin'

(NEWSER) - A growing number of British retailers and restaurants have switched from foie gras to faux gras as part of a nationwide move toward politically correct food. Faux gras is made with liver from free-range poultry blended with goose or duck fat, instead of engorged livers from force-fed birds. Consumers seem to like the ethical alternative, with sales at one store surging 60% last year, Grist reports. More»