Food News Archive:
Getting Fresh with Fish
Seafood lovers are having a heck of a time lately figuring out what to eat. Fish populations are threatened these days by overfishing. Some fishing methods are harmful to the environment or other sea creatures who share the ocean. At the same time, fish raised in "farms" produce tons of waste, which is not all that ecologically friendly. Barring the end of sushi forever, what's a person to do?
Scientists have come to our rescue once again. There are hundreds of web pages online focused on this topic, and they have good news: not all fish farms are bad, and there are fishing methods in well-managed habitats that are sustainable.
>Learn more from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has scientific studies backing up their ratings on different seafood. You can even print out a wallet-size list of regional seafood to guide your choices at your favorite sushi restaurant.
Farm Subsidies Database Shows Flaw in the System
The Environmental Working Group has recently released their Farm Bill 2007 database, the first public analysis of USDA records of individuals and corporations that receive federal farm subsidies.
A program that was began in part to support rural farmers has exploded, legally, into a refund machine for large agri-business, corporations, and more. An MSNBC article gives familiar names of individuals who have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in subsidies, including Scottie Pippen and David Rockefeller.
Although press coverage has focused on the celebrity sightings in the database, the real message is that the farm subsidy system is no longer working the way it's supposed to. It's time for a new program that helps our small farmers survive.
To access the database, go to http://www.ewg.org/farm.