Tea Bird

Financial Meltdown Worsens Food Crisis

A big part of this problem is that the “Green Revolution” brought the need for synthetic fertilizer to the developing world. This is but one of the consequences.
From the Washington Post:

As shock waves from the credit crisis began to spread around the world last month, China scrambled to protect itself. Among the most [...]

Melamine Now Found in Eggs in China

From CNN:

The discovery of excessive levels of the industrial chemical melamine in Chinese eggs has prompted the Hong Kong authorities to expand health tests to include meat products imported from China, a senior official said Sunday.
The move follows the announcement late Saturday that Hong Kong testers had found 4.7 parts per million of melamine [...]

Grape Juice Can Have the Same Health Benefits as Red Wine

From the New York Times:

By now the cardiovascular benefits of a daily glass of wine are well known. But many teetotalers wonder whether they can reap the same rewards from wine’s unfermented sibling, or are they simply left out altogether.
Grape juice may not provide much buzz, but you can still toast to good health [...]

China’s baby-milk scandal: Formula for disaster

From The Economist:

A scandal in China over deadly baby milk
“QUALITY and safety are the foundations of social harmony,” proclaim posters at the headquarters of the Sanlu Group in Shijiazhuang, capital of China’s northern province of Hebei. Sanlu was until recently one of China’s biggest producers of milk powder. Now, dozens of people, many clutching [...]

How to make a ‘proper’ cup of tea!

As a big tea drinker, I couldn’t pass this instructable up:

It is a well-known fact that since the Americans tried to make tea in Boston Harbor, using harbour water, they have had a hard time making a ‘proper’ cup of tea!

As a ‘proper’ Englishwoman, I will instruct those of you (especially all my friends [...]

Don’t Let Power Outage Cause Food Poisoning

For readers affected by this week’s Ike-related wind storms, some advice from WTAE-TV:

For thousands of people without power, the main concern right now is the loss of their refrigerators, and the loss medications and foods that need to keep cool.
Raw fruit and vegetables are safe to eat, but if they’re cooked or an [...]

Don’t Let Power Outage Cause Food Poisoning

From WTAE:

For thousands of people without power, the main concern right now is the loss of their refrigerators, and the loss medications and foods that need to keep cool.
Raw fruit and vegetables are safe to eat, but if they’re cooked or an open can of juice throw them away after six hours.
Dr. David Rottinghaus is [...]

Big Corn And Obesity

Yglesias wants someone to take on the corn industry as a whole. Ezra chimes in here and explains that pretty much every ingredient you can’t pronounce is made of corn.

How the Amish Avoid Obesity

We’re good at not starving, but not so good at being sedentary, although we try hard.
From Live Science (emphases mine):

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore studying Old Order Amish - the Amish sect that shuns most modern conveniences - found that middle-aged Amish adults with the so-called “obesity gene” [...]

Tainted milk in China kills second child

As noted at Food Prof:

This was a leading cause of death for infants in the US until the early 20th century when milk sanitation was taken seriously. Its alternative, breastfeeding, of course would keep kids safe. CNN.com:

Government inspectors are testing baby formula around China after a manufacturer recalled thousands of tons of [...]