This prescient video produced by a media-advocacy organization in California explains the state of food marketing to children in 2006. Unfortunately, most of what the Berkeley Media Studies Group depicts and proposes is still all too true two decades later. The video is particularly strong in explaining what local communities could do to reduce marketing to kids.(Berkeley Media Studies Group; 2006; 15’)
Fighting junk food marketing to kids Read More »
The National Food Museum today announced the official launch of two fascinating new virtual exhibitions: Selling Candy to Kids and The Food Impact Meter.
National Food Museum Announces New Exhibitions Read More »
Bolthouse, one of the two major carrot growers, advertised its baby carrots, a truly healthy food, like Frito-Lay might market its snack foods. How refreshing it was to see commercials that were funny and captivating. While the campaign did not last very long, it certainly got the attention of people in the nutrition and advertising worlds…and enhanced Bolthouse’s reputation.
Bolthouse Carrots – Eat ’Em Like Junk Food Read More »
Dr. Michael Greger has converted his book How Not to Die into a movie. He recounts his own journey (and his grandmother’s) toward a career in medicine and a vegan diet. Greger concludes from his review of countless research reports that a healthy plant-based diet prevents and even reverses heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and others. (Streaming on UnchainedTV; 2025; 77’)
Whole Food, Plant-based Diet Read More »
Notwithstanding safety concerns about the production and degradation of plastic products, this CNBC news segment points out that plastic production has doubled over the past couple of decades. Political efforts to boost oil and gas production makes plastics all the cheaper to produce. Recycling sounds good, but only small amounts of plastic are actually recycled, and the technical challenges to recycle most plastics are daunting. Critics of microplastic pollution argue that the place to start is to cut the use of single-use plastics. (CNBC; 2025; 16’31”)
Microplastics—and the Myth of Recycling Read More »
The NCSA, built on the pillars of education, mentoring, fellowship and recognition, is made up of individuals across all disciplines who proudly represent the confectionery category. The Association is proud to administer the Candy Hall of Fame, which honors people who have dedicated their careers to giving back to the confectionery industry.
Candy Hall of Fame Read More »
Hungry Planet: Yes, Peter Menzel’s book, Hungry Planet, has beautiful photos, but his unique set of photos is really provocative. Menzel traveled around the globe and asked average families to display all the foods they had consumed in a week. Interestingly, but perhaps not so surprisingly, the poorer the country, the fewer processed foods they consumed. The American families’ displays are mostly soda pop, chips, pizza, and other processed foods, with a smattering of fruits and vegetables.
This is your one-stop source for factual information about hunger in countries around the world, from Afghanistan to the United States. For instance, 31 percent of Afghans (compared to 1 percent of people in the USA) experience severe food insecurity, while the prevalence of adult overweight and obesity in the United States is 67.9%. (Global Alliance for Food Security)
Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard Read More »
Anna Lappé takes on agribusiness, arguing that small, sustainable farms are the way to go. Such farms typically use compost and animal manure instead of chemical fertilizer and rotate crops to build the soil, reduce irrigation, and reduce pest populations. This video also notes that eating a more plant-based diet makes much more efficient use of resources. But government subsidies overwhelmingly help large farms (and provide little or no benefit to fruit, vegetable, and nut farmers). One element missing from the film is any discussion of cost, and whether food grown on small farms that market foods regionally can compete with Big Ag. (Real Food Media Project; 2012; 6’29”)
Saving Small Farms Read More »
Plastics are used in every corner of society, from food containers to toys, plastic wrap to automobile parts, and thousands of other products. Plastics come in countless forms and offer huge conveniences, safety, and durability, depending on their use. However, plastics dumped into the ocean or landfills inevitably degrade into minute particles that work their way up the food chain and enter our bodies. There, microplastics may be disrupting hormonal systems, causing cancer, or other health problems. The question is whether individuals and manufacturers can reduce their use of plastic, and whether scientists and engineers can devise replacements that are multi-functional but degrade safely. Those, clearly, will be challenges for the rest of the 21st century. (UN Environment Programme; 2024; 1’01”)
“Plastic was Fantastic” Read More »
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