A geek at the peak, in a world at the peak
As a nice reminder of just how linked our global climate and food supply is, bluefin tuna off the California coast are showing levels of radiation indicating exposure at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. It’s not a high enough level to cause immediate concern, though should serve as a reminder of just how small this planet is, and how the actions of one country can affect the others.
Read more over at Scientific American.
Wow, talk about genetically modified food. A BLUE strawberry? Crazy stuff. It seems the goal wasn’t to create a blue strawberry, but rather, one that would be resistant to freezing – which this one is – and the color was just a side effect. Scientists took the gene that makes a type of antifreeze in flounder fish, and added it to an otherwise normal strawberry planet. This abomination is the result. This GMO field is one that really scares me…I recognize we may require widespread adoption of GMO in order to feed growing populations, but I’m concerned about the unknown side effects of creating living organisms like these.
Read more over at Care2.
As a follow-up to the story about pink slime in school lunches, the USDA has essentially given it the green light. While officially it will be up to the individual schools to decide if they want to serve this to their kids or not, the reality is that with school budgets already incredibly reduced nationwide, they have no choice but to save a buck or two wherever they can. It’s what the taxpayers are asking for – increased efficiency in schools, reduced expenses, without really considering the consequences of that request. Sigh.
So, what can you do if this is something you care about as a parent? Well it’s simple – pack a lunch for your kid(s). Also face the reality, that while disgusting and potentially bacteria-laden (micro-biologists consider this a high risk food product), this pink slime is theoretically OK to eat and the real impact on a body is probably minimal, especially if ingested in moderation.
Ok, so some of you are reading this headline and are a bit confused, I realized. Pink slime? Yeah, it’s what passes for hamburger in our schools and fast food restaurants. Treehugger has a recent article about a whistleblower from this industry, check it out for all sorts of background info.
Anyway, there’s a petition at change.org to ask the USDA to stop the use of pink slime in the National School Lunch Program. They’re closing in on their goal of 300,000 signatures and need your help! You can find the petition here.
When you order a hamburger from a fast food restaurant, what do you think you’re eating? Just meat? Yeah, you wish. The actual percentage that’s real muscle tissue ranges from 2-15%. What’s the rest? Ammonia-treated trimmings, or ‘pink slime’ as it’s been described. McDonald’s recently announced they’ll stop using pink slime, now what about the rest of them? Check out the video below, and for more on this, read this article at Care2.
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.