reading this week

Startups Try to Reroute Food Waste to the Hungry (NPR)
Really interesting article about ways to save food that would otherwise be wasted. This is no small feat - but these groups are doing amazing work. One group has saved over 300,000 pounds of food so far!

Whole Foods' New Produce Ratings: Transparency Bears Fruit (Civil Eats)
Whole Foods is introducing new ratings for their produce and flowers, similar to those used for their meat products. The model is a "good," "better," "best system. I really appreciate that these labels won't just take into account the environmental conditions under which the products are grown, but also the treatment of those people who grow them and harvest them. I'm a huge fan of transparency, and Whole Foods is a leader in this regard.

Scientists Say 'No Consensus on GMO Food Safety' (Food Democracy Now)
A group of scientists and physicians released a statement asserting that no scientific consensus has been reached on the safety of GMOs. This is important because many groups are using "science" to back up their positions about the safety and/or danger of GMOs. I actually think that one of the best arguments for GMO labeling is exactly this - we don't KNOW what GMOs do. So until we do, shouldn't products be labeled?

FDA Ruling Would All but Eliminate Trans Fats (NY Times)
The FDA has proposed eliminating artificial trans fats, a major known contributor to heart disease. They'd eliminate them by removing the "generally recognized as safe" label and requiring companies to prove they are safe, which is unlikely considering the medical evidence. It's being lauded as a big step in public health, and it is, but knowing the FDA, it seems like anything can happen.