(article, Culinate staff)
Here’s a quick look at a few food-news items that caught our eye recently. Consumers are responsible for more food waste than any other part of the food chain, says Grist. And that waste comes mostly from the veggies that rot in our crisper drawers — to the tune of an estimated $135 to $175 worth of discarded food for the average family of four. Fast Company’s Exist blog explores the biological roots of the obesity epidemic. Turns out, humans are 'pretty than we need — we’re just hard-wired to stock up on calories. And that’s a problem, considering our ever-growing portion sizes. On the other hand, obesity rates have started to level off, except among teenage boys. Nutritionist Marion Nestle speculates why this may be. The blog Food Safety News looks back on the Food Safety Modernization Act one year after enactment. As you might expect, the FDA is a little behind on its to-do list, but the organization says it is making progress. Civil Eats asserts that it wasn't Paula Deen’s high-fat diet that led to her diabetes, but instead her reliance on processed foods for many of her recipe ingredients. To wash or not to wash? A Los Angeles Times story says that washing pre-washed bagged lettuce could make it dirtier. Amid criticism, several major fast-food chains have abandoned the use of the beef additive referred to as “pink slime” — which is basically beef trimmings treated with ammonium hydroxide. On the sweeter side, check out the fun infographic from America's Test Kitchen on the history of American cakes.