Climate change: how a warming world is a threat to our food supplies. When the Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, it was in protest at heavy-handed treatment and harassment in the province where he lived.
But a host of new studies suggest that a major factor in the subsequent uprisings, which became known as the Arab spring, was food insecurity. Drought, rocketing bread prices, food and water shortages have all blighted parts of the Middle East. Analysts at the Centre for American Progress in Washington say a combination of food shortages and other environmental factors exacerbated the already tense politics of the region. As the Observer reports today, an as-yet unpublished US government study indicates that the world needs to prepare for much more of the same, as food prices spiral and longstanding agricultural practices are disrupted by climate change. U.N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try. Ants are sweet, nutty little insects, aren't they?
I'm not talking about their personalities, but how they taste. Stinkbugs have an apple flavor, and red agave worms are spicy. A bite of tree worm apparently brings pork rinds to mind. The rise of the protein drinks for ordinary people. 6 June 2013Last updated at 10:24 ET By Duncan Walker BBC News Magazine Protein products are increasingly being marketed in supermarkets to ordinary people.
Do they serve any real purpose for non-athletes? The "sport-related" protein product sector is booming. 24 TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Think About Food. Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, co-founders of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank compiled a list of powerful TED Talks that are helping to save our global food system.
The range of topics vary from obesity and hunger to urban gardening to the way food is marketed to children. We realize it’s a long list, but consider choosing these videos over the crappy reality shows that rot what’s left of the functioning cells in your brain after a long day at the office. Before you know it, you’ll be wishing there were a few more to peruse. UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger. Figures show 2012 was 'toughest year' for dairy - 5/14/2013. Arsenic Levels in Chicken Raise Health Concerns. Levels of inorganic arsenic found in samples of chicken may be responsible for a slight increase in cancer risk to consumers over their lifetimes, according to a study by researchers at John Hopkins University published this week.
That research comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration two weeks ago by the Center for Food Safety and eight other government watchdog organizations which demands that the FDA respond to a three-year-old petition to disallow compounds containing arsenic from food animal feed. Insects au Gratin workshops. What if you could design your dinner with a click?
Will 3D printing technologies finally take over our kitchens? Explore the future of food, debate the consumption of insects as a potential alternative to traditional livestock, and watch a live 3D food-printing demo. Consider issues such as food production waste, overpopulation, deforestation and climate change.
You will have the opportunity to explore the potential of insect flour and printing. Draw the shape of future food and experiment with new emerging technologies. Susana Soares, speculative designer, London South Bank University Collaborators:Steak Studio, design and production, www.steakstudio.com Guest speakers:Dr Peter Walters, engineer, Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England Dr Kenneth Spears, food scientist, London South Bank University.
Media Centre: No green economy without blue economy, says FAO. Sustainability, nutrition, among priorities in the Pacific, says FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. 12 April 2013, Apia, Samoa/Rome – Efforts to end hunger and fight the effects of climate change in the Pacific Islands will hinge on the success of sustainable development, including wise use of oceans and fisheries, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told ministers from the region today.
“There can be no truly ‘green economy’ without a ‘blue economy’, one that makes the sustainable development of oceans and fishery resources a priority,” Graziano da Silva said. “The importance of capture fisheries and aquaculture cannot be neglected. They provide over 3 billion people with about 15 percent of their average per capita intake of animal protein. And these two activities contribute over 200 million jobs globally,” Danone baby milk rationed in the UK over China 'export' fear. 8 April 2013Last updated at 14:20 ET Demand for foreign-made baby milk in China is strong after contaminated baby formula killed six infants in 2008 Retailers in the UK are rationing sales of powdered baby milk because of a surge in demand in China.
Danone, the manufacturer of Aptamil and Cow and Gate baby milk powder, said most supermarkets were introducing a restriction of two cans per customer. Brazil supermarkets 'to avoid Amazon meat' 25 March 2013Last updated at 18:45 ET Farmers use fire to clear land for cattle, destroying huge swathes of rainforest in the Amazon region.
The main group representing supermarkets in Brazil says it will no longer sell meat from cattle raised in the rainforest. How Food Porn Is Made.