Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Junk Food Diet (Stunt)

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

[Spoiler: no, this is not a new miracle diet.] Hey, guess what! You can lose weight by eating junk food. Huh? Lose weight by eating junk food? No, it’s not the latest nutty tabloid headline; it’s an experiment that an … Continue reading →

Posted in diets, junk food, nutrition | 1 Comment

Peter Singer & the Reasons for Protecting Animals

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Here’s a recent piece by philosopher Peter Singer, in Forbes magazine: Animal Advocates Surpass NRA In Political Influence. …With wider public support, animal advocates gained serious political clout. By 2015 Humane USA eclipsed the National Rifle Association in the influence … Continue reading →

Posted in animal rights, animal welfare, ethics, meat, public policy, values, vegetarianism | 5 Comments

Will Chefs Serve GM Salmon?

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Will chefs at your better restaurants serve the genetically-modified salmon that is very likely soon to be approved by the FDA and that will likely be available for purchase by 2010? Interesting question! For a hint at the answer, see … Continue reading →

Posted in aquaculture, biotechnology, ethics, genetic modification, GMO, restaurants | Comments Off on Will Chefs Serve GM Salmon?

Silk’s Non-Organic Soymilk

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Here’s an interesting piece about the delicate matter of marketing products at the (apparently) fragile intersection of terms like “organic” and “natural” and “GM-free.” By Melanie Warner, for Bnet: How Silk Soymilk’s Cost-Cutting Dis of Organic Backfired Back in early … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, genetic modification, labeling, organic | 7 Comments

GM Foods and PLU Codes

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Can PLU (Price Look-Up) codes help concerned consumers avoid genetically-modified foods? No. The idea that a 5-digit PLU beginning with “8” is a reliable guide to the genetic characteristics of a piece of produce has spread around the internet like … Continue reading →

Posted in biotechnology, certifiction, ethics, genetic modification, GMO, labeling, organic | 19 Comments

Meat Production and Utopian Fantasies

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Meat production is perhaps the big ethical issue in the realm of food. Not that long ago, vegetarianism and veganism were the domain of hippies and university undergraduates, but not any longer. Now that the ecological impact of meat production … Continue reading →

Posted in consumerism, ecosystems, environment, farmers, meat, public policy, vegan, vegetarianism | 5 Comments

Should Grandma Drink Bottled Water?

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Here’s a thought about health warnings related to foods and food packaging. A few months ago my grandmother told me she had stopped drinking bottled water. Why? Because she had heard on the news that there are chemicals in plastic … Continue reading →

Posted in consumerism, elderly, kids, labeling, media, safety, science, water | Comments Off on Should Grandma Drink Bottled Water?

Dangers of Hotdogs

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

This blog is relatively new, but I’ve been blogging about certain kinds of food ethics issues on my Business Ethics Blog for years. Here’s a topic that has been on my mind recently: hotdog safety. The basic problem is that … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, kids, labeling, safety | Comments Off on Dangers of Hotdogs