Category: Food

Water-wise farming technique

Michigan-State-University-Water-Retention-SWRT-Researchers at Michigan State University designed some techniques using water retention membrane (a fancy word for plastic sheets, I think) buried under the soil to help retain water where the plants need it, without inhibiting their growth.  It worked well, increasing yield to around 150% of normal.  We’ll be needing more clever ideas like this in the coming years as global warming increases its impact on our way of life.  Read more here.

Burger-making machine

Watch out, burger flippers of the world…Momentum Machines is looking to put you out of work with their new hamburger-making machine.  It slices the toppings on demand, offers custom meat grinds (mixing multiple meats, for example), and can produce around six burgers per minute.  This photo here is of an actual burger produced by the machine, and you know what?  It looks like the promotional pictures restaurants use for their burgers…you know, the pictures that look NOTHING LIKE the actual burger they serve you.  After the horrible experience I had at McDonald’s over the weekend (see the picture below)…I think this is the coolest machine ever made.  Read more about it over at Gizmag.

This was half of the Angus burger McDonald’s served me over the weekend. Sloppy construction. Giant glob of mayo (not shown). A couple slices of onions (when I has specifically asked for NO ONIONS).  If this is the best humans can do, I’d rather have a machine-made burger!

GMO labeling law fails in CA

California failed to pass Proposition 37, which would have required labeling of foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.  This came as  a surprise given the initial public support, though the money raised by the opposition managed to sway voters in the end.  For a law that would not have outlawed anything, just required labeling, it’s really sad California couldn’t get this passed.

I feel it’s inevitable that laws like this will come to be…and until then, if this is an issue you care about, shop for organic fruits and vegetables, and check out the Non-GMO Shopping Guide for more shopping advice.  In general, unless labeled as being Non-GMO (see label above), avoid corn, soybeans, canola, cottonseed, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, and ingredients derived from these (like ‘sugar’, instead of ‘pure cane sugar’, as it is likely to have some GM sugar beets in it).

A quick GMO summary

Check out the Huffington Post for a great, short summary of what you should know about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).  I’m quoting the key points below, but read the full article for the explanations, details, and supporting facts:

  1. GMOs have never undergone standard testing or regulation for human safety.
  2. But we know that GMOs have proven harmful in animal studies.
  3. And the most widely used GMOs are paired with an herbicide linked to serious health risks.
  4. The consequences of GMO technology are inherently unpredictable.
  5. GMO makers intimidate and silence farmers and scientists.
  6. GMOs undermine our food security.
  7. GMOs aren’t needed in the first place, so why would we take on these risks and harms?

Voters in California have the opportunity this year to force companies to indicate if the food they produce contains GMOs.  If CA votes to implement that, it’s likely to start a nationwide movement not to ban GMOs, but to at least let people know whether or not they’re consuming GMOs so they can make the choice for themselves.

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