Packing plant, now bankrupt, accounted 60% of US market
USA Today Nov 13, 08 4:43 PM CST
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Kosher meat prices are skyrocketing after the Iowa packing plant that supplied about 60% of the US market declared bankruptcy, USA Today reports, in the wake of a May immigration raid. Agriprocessors, in trouble even before the raid, stopped operating last week. “Stores like mine are struggling all over,” said one deli owner, facing recent price hikes of 30%.
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But Humane Society prez pushes a savvy, mainstream message
New York Times Oct 26, 08 4:23 PM CDT
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The Humane Society has turned into an aggressive political player with a mainstream message, the New York Times reports. The group's head, Wayne Pacelle, just shut down a $100 million slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif., and is pushing for a ballot measure that would require a certain amount of room for farm animals. But he's also made concessions in deals with other states.
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Meat, fat, salt increase heart risk 35%
Canadian Press Oct 21, 08 5:28 AM CDT
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If you eat meat, fried foods, and salty snacks, you're at a significantly higher risk of heart attack regardless of where you live, according to a new Canadian study. The Western diet increases heart attack risk by 35%, while a diet rich in vegetables and fiber cuts that risk by 30%, reports the Canadian Pres s . "The good diet seemed to be protective irrespective of which region of the world you came from, and the bad diet seemed to be harmful," said a researcher.
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ANALYSIS
Open letter to prez candidates calls for overhaul—now
New York Times Oct 12, 08 5:05 PM CDT
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Americans touch it everyday and it’s a matter of national security, but John McCain and Barack Obama haven’t raised the issue while campaigning: America’s food system is in dire need of an overhaul, Michael Pollan writes in an open letter to the candidates in the New York Times . The system is critical to energy, health care, and environmental reform, he writes: “Food is about to demand your attention.”
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To get the best cuts and top quality, more chefs go DIY
New York Times Oct 1, 08 1:17 PM CDT
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Brooklyn eatery Marlow & Sons gets its pork by the pig and beef by the half-ton steer, and it's not alone in its whole-hog approach. A growing number of restaurants are sidestepping industrial meat all together, instead butchering entire carcasses right on the premises. There's some of the old "if you want something done right" mantra involved, but also a question of convenience, reports the New York Times .
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Meat a big climate change contributor, study finds
Guardian (UK) Sep 30, 08 1:21 PM CDT
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To avoid catastrophic global warming, people need to cut way down on their meat and dairy consumption, a new report on climate change says. Four modest servings of meat and about a quart of milk a week are all we should be consuming, the Guardian reports. And the report urges government programs to limit emissions, because consumers won’t make these changes voluntarily.
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Eat-less-meat movement gaining stride with moderation approach
Newsweek Sep 30, 08 11:18 AM CDT
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Sticking to a plant-based diet without denying yourself grandma's pot roast has a name—flexitarian. And whether it's to live longer, save a buck, or because there are better meatless offerings at restaurants, a growing number of Americans are becoming part-time vegetarians, Newsweek reports. "It's not that meat is some sort of evil," one part-timer said, "It's just that we eat excessive amounts of it."
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But new law covers as little as possible: critics
Chicago Tribune Sep 14, 08 2:19 PM CDT
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Grocery shoppers will soon be able to tell their Argentine steak from their Midwest chicken at a glance, as a new federal law mandating nation-of-origin labels kicks in Sept. 30. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) will cover everything from fruit and nuts to beef, lamb, and chicken, reports the Chicago Tribune, but critics are denouncing the measure as limited and toothless.
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GLOSSIES
Chefs, diners can't get enough of salty beef and pork salumi
Details Sep 10, 08 4:05 PM CDT
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Move over, fancy cheese, there's a new kid in town. Cured meat—salumi is the catchall term—is the latest foodie obsession, JJ Goode writes in Details . Salumi ranges from the familiar—think salami and prosciutto—to the more obscure like bresaola, cured beef made by artisans who "rub the lean hind legs of cows with salt and spices and age them in the Alpine breezes."
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Sellers aim to introduce dish to youth market
Wall Street Journal Sep 2, 08 9:16 AM CDT
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Illegal for two decades, whale meat is back on menus in Iceland, and entrepreneurs are hoping to turn young people on to its charms, the Wall Street Journal reports. The food is reminiscent of beef, but costs only half as much—perhaps a mark in its favor for the young. Still, encouraging them to try the stuff is difficult. “It's not going to happen,” says one 20-year-old.
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GLOSSIES
Dealing with people as important as wielding cleaver, writer finds
Esquire Aug 28, 08 11:51 AM CDT
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Tom Chiarella had the perfect customer-butcher relationship—the shop near his home gave him good meat and good advice. But he wanted more. He wanted, as he writes in Esquire , to live on the other side of the counter, "to be a guy with answers." So his Indianapolis meat market let him throw on an apron and try his hand at trimming, grinding, and selling.
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ANALYSIS
Pricier grain, energy make everything more expensive, from cereal to meat
Wall Street Journal Aug 8, 08 1:01 PM CDT
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Soaring grain and energy costs are driving food prices skyward, and big producers are moving to pass price hikes down the food chain to consumers on everything from cereal to meat, the Wall Street Journal reports. And costs won’t likely decrease, with biofuel demand eating up more corn than ever and livestock herds being thinned in response to the higher price of grain.
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OPINION
As California considers cage ban, Kristof looks at animal rights
New York Times Jul 31, 08 9:21 AM CDT
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Californians go to the polls in November with a high-profile ballot initiative to decide: whether to ban factory farms from raising livestock in small cages. For Nicholas D. Kristof, it's an apt moment to consider our transforming attitudes toward animal welfare. The Oregon farm boy turned New York Times columnist is a carnivore, but one who recognizes that "every hamburger patty has a back story."
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NYT provides advice on changing your diet
New York Times Jun 11, 08 9:40 AM CDT
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Curbing the meat craving can be a challenge in a culture that sees it as the main course—so Mark Bittman offers seven ways to ease the shift in the New York Times : Don’t worry about protein. By varying your veggies, you can get the amino acids you need. Buy less meat. The USDA calls 4 ounces per person a serving. Don’t let it define the dish. Design your meal around what you think of as side dishes, like vegetables and grains.
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