Author Archives: Chris MacDonald

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About Chris MacDonald

I'm a philosopher who teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University's Ted Rogers School of Management in Toronto, Canada. Most of my scholarly research is on business ethics and moral philosophy.

Ethics, Evidence, and Salt

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

One of the biggest problems for consumers hoping to choose foods wisely (and for regulators hoping to help consumers in that regard) lies in the difficulty in getting good, clear advice. Even salt (discussed in yesterday’s posting as well) is … Continue reading →

Posted in nutrition, public policy, regulation, science, taste | Comments Off on Ethics, Evidence, and Salt

Genetics of Love of Salt

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Salt is among the biggest villains, and biggest heroes, of the culinary world. Too much salt is bad for you (though just how bad is, I take it, controversial.) Salt is also delicious. Hence, of course, the problem. And it … Continue reading →

Posted in genes, nutrition, regulation, taste | 1 Comment

Study: Intensive Agriculture is Good

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Is intensive agriculture good or bad? Was the Green Revolution one of the best, or one of the worst, things ever to happen on this planet? In that regard, check out this article by Richard Black, for the BBC: Green … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, carbon, ecosystems, green revolution | Comments Off on Study: Intensive Agriculture is Good

The Challenges of Organic Certification

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

Once upon a time, the only question we had about our food was “is it edible?” If so, we ate it. Today, an increasing number of consumers have a lot more questions. Is it free-range? Is it low-fat? Is it … Continue reading →

Posted in certifiction, organic | Tagged | 1 Comment

Restaurant Safety & Alienation

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

From the Associated Press: Researcher finds lax food safety in restaurants A review of restaurant food safety practices found that a typical kitchen worker cross-contaminates food with potentially dangerous pathogens about once per hour. Among the risky behaviors cited were … Continue reading →

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Welcome to my new ‘Food Ethics’ blog

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

This is a new blog about ethical issues that arise in growing, shipping, processing, selling, regulating, and eating food. Food is a hot issue these days — that is, people are talking (and writing) a lot about what kinds of … Continue reading →

Posted in animal welfare, ecosystems, genetic modification, local, organic, regulation, safety, subsidies | Comments Off on Welcome to my new ‘Food Ethics’ blog