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Category Archives: Food and Nutrition

MA only state to successfully cut food wasts

Washington Post: “Researchers studied the effect of five laws requiring supermarkets and restaurants to reduce waste, part of a broader effort to keep food out of landfills, where it contributes to climate change…Nearly every state-led effort to ban food waste analyzed by researchers appears to be failing — except one, according to a new study.… Continue Reading

Billion-Dollar Bank Accused of Secretly Sending Customers’ Personal and Financial Information to Facebook, Google and Microsoft

The Daily Hodl: “The eighth-largest bank in the US by total assets is accused of secretly collecting personal and financial information from its customers and sharing the data with tech giants. A new class-action lawsuit alleges Capital One engaged in an “outrageous, illegal, and widespread practice of disclosing – without consent – the Nonpublic Personal… Continue Reading

Imports make up growing share of U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable supply

USDA: “Imports play a vital and increasingly important role in ensuring that fresh fruit and vegetables are available year-round in the United States. Since the 2008 completion of the transition to tariff- and quota-free trade among Mexico, Canada, and the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable… Continue Reading

Researchers use AI to map drought-prone regions in Canada

National Drought Mitigation Center: “Drought is a significant threat to Canada’s agriculture, water resources and ecosystems. A recent study by the University of Ottawa and Laval University uses Artificial Intelligence to map drought-prone regions in the country. By using deep-learning techniques and data from the Canadian Drought Monitor and ERA5-Land, the study provides an analysis… Continue Reading

New Axios/Ipsos American Health Index

“As a summer COVID surge continues, the latest Axios/Ipsos American Health Index finds that concern about COVID is ticking up, even as mask use hasn’t changed. However, concern about COVID remains relatively low and in line with other respiratory illnesses, like the flu. When it comes to the top public health worries for the country,… Continue Reading

How Close Are the Planet’s Climate Tipping Points?

The New York Times – article and visualizations [unpaywalled]: “Earth’s warming could trigger sweeping changes in the natural world that would be hard, if not impossible, to reverse. Right now, every moment of every day, we humans are reconfiguring Earth’s climate bit by bit. Hotter summers and wetter storms. Higher seas and fiercer wildfires. The… Continue Reading

Greedflation Report

“U.S. Sen. Bob Casey released his latest “greedflation” report on Wednesday, and this time it takes aim at popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more. This time, Casey is highlighting what he calls “streamflation,” which happens when streaming platforms hike their profits by charging higher prices, despite offering less content and… Continue Reading

The olive oil wars

EDJNet – The European Data Journalism Network: “Italy convinced the world that it was the king of liquid gold by selling Spanish oil, but now Spain has appropriated ‘Made in Italy’. With 283 million olive trees, Spain dominates the global olive oil market: in the 2021/22 season, the last one before drought destroyed its harvest,… Continue Reading

Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission

“The 2024 update of the Lancet Commission on dementia provides new hopeful evidence about dementia prevention, intervention, and care. As people live longer, the number of people who live with dementia continues to rise, even as the age-specific incidence decreases in high-income countries, emphasising the need to identify and implement prevention approaches. We have summarised… Continue Reading

Why, Exactly, are Ultraprocessed Foods so Hard to Resist?

The New York Times [unpaywalled] – “This Study is Trying to Find Out….Ultraprocessed foods encompass a large range of foods and drinks that are made using methods and ingredients you wouldn’t typically use or find in a home kitchen. Sodas, processed meats and flavored yogurts are part of this category, as are most breakfast cereals,… Continue Reading

Here’s how extreme climate is driving inflation

“TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In today’s Climate Classroom, we will be speaking to William S. Becker, a writer for The Hill, a Nexstar-owned property on climate inflation, better known by its new name “climateflation.” No doubt it’s a new term to most, but it’s very real and it’s already hitting us in the wallet— think… Continue Reading

FDA Pulls Food Additive in Citrus Sodas Over Health Risks

Gizmodo: “A problematic ingredient in some soft drinks is now officially being taken off the market. The Food and Drug Administration has revoked its authorization that allows brominated vegetable oil (BVO) to be used in food, following recent research suggesting that it could potentially harm people’s thyroid health. BVO is vegetable oil that’s been modified… Continue Reading