Monthly Archives: August 2010

Does it Matter if Consumers Understand Food Labels?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

I recently expressed my doubts about the power of food labels to empower consumers across the full range of ethical issues related to food. But, at least implicitly, I accepted that nutrition labelling is the exception, the obviously-empowering form of … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, consumerism, labeling, nutrition, values | 3 Comments

Corporate Ethics, Evidence, and Fructose

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Evidence seems to be mounting that not all sugars are created equal. See this story by Leslie Beck, writing for the Globe & Mail: Fructose can trigger cancer cells to grow faster, study finds It’s been blamed for a host … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, nutrition, science | Comments Off on Corporate Ethics, Evidence, and Fructose

Are Labels the Answer (to Everything)?

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

An increasing number of issues are generating calls for labelling of food and beverages. In addition to the labelling required by most governments (size, ingredients, nutritional characteristics) there are now calls for labelling nation of origin, carbon footprint, water footprint, … Continue reading →

Posted in certifiction, consumerism, labeling | 2 Comments

Food Labelling and Discrimination

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Food labelling is generally thought of as kind of an obviously good thing. Labelling provides information. And information, as they say, is power. And (spelling out the unstated premises, here) it is good to give consumers power. But power (as … Continue reading →

Posted in farmers, fisheries, labeling, local | 2 Comments

Ethical Birthing for Calves & the Micromanagement of Farming

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

If you thought the only ethical issue about the treatment of calves was the way veal calves are raised, think again. Here’s the story, from TVNZ: Calf-killing practice sparks mixed debate. A Close Up poll of almost 10,000 people tonight … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, animal welfare, consumerism, ethics, farmers, values | 1 Comment

Natural Chicken

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

When is a “natural chicken” not a natural chicken, and what does that mean, anyway? Here’s the story, from Food Safety News: The Truth Behind ‘Natural’ Chicken A disagreement among poultry producers about whether chicken injected with salt, water, and … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ethics, labeling, nutrition, regulation | Comments Off on Natural Chicken

Milk and Meat from the Offspring of Clones

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

OK, so lots of people are put off by the idea of eating cloned cows or pigs, or drinking the milk of cloned cows. Some of those people have genuine ethical concerns; others are just subject to the “yuck factor.” … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, animal welfare, biotechnology, cloning, ethics, international, regulation, science | 2 Comments