Category Archives: agriculture

If you ate today, thank a farmer…and…?

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

Surely you’ve seen this bumper sticker: “If you ate today, thank a farmer.” That’s fine advice — farmers (of various kinds) play a key role in food production. But it’s also pretty narrow advice. It would be more accurate to … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ethics, farmers | 4 Comments

Things that Matter: Drug Residue in Chinese Pork

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

You could tell a lot about your average foodie or food-safety advocate by asking them to list food-related issues by level of importance. Some people tend to focus on the latest feel-good trend (e.g., at least some versions of localism) … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, agriculture, animal welfare, ethics, factory farms, health, international, meat, safety | 4 Comments

Monsanto Wins on Sugar Beets

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

By Karen Gullo, for Bloomberg: Monsanto Wins Reversal of Order to Destroy Sugar Beet Plants Monsanto Co. and the U.S. Agriculture Department won reversal of a judge’s order to destroy genetically modified sugar beet seedlings planted last year, a federal … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biotechnology, ecosystems, ethics, genetic modification, GMO, law, USDA | Comments Off on Monsanto Wins on Sugar Beets

Caution on “Green” Claims for Organics

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

A major UK farmers’ organization is cautioning those of its members who grow organic foods against leaning too heavily on claims that such foods are more environmentally-friendly than non-organics. Here’s the story, by Caroline Stocks, for Farmers Weekly Interactive: Organic … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, environment, farmers, organic | 1 Comment

Using, Regulating and Testing for Antibiotics in Milk

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

Here’s an interesting story about efforts to regulate competitive behaviour in the food industry: By William Neuman, for the NYT: F.D.A and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, factory farms, health, milk, regulation, safety | 2 Comments

Global Food Crisis

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

While many of us in the wealthier parts of the world are busy arguing about just which sub-type of organic lettuce we’re using in our salads, or whether we ought to take an “animal rights” approach versus an “animal welfare” … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, international, public policy | 3 Comments

Horse Meat (again)

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

Two days ago I blogged about Horse Meat Ethics. I discussed the fact that eating horse is considered taboo (in many places), and that slaughtering horses is illegal in the U.S., despite the fact that a) horse is widely eaten … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, agriculture, animal rights, animal welfare, ethics, meat, values | 1 Comment

Horse Meat Ethics

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

In case you didn’t know, slaughtering horses for human consumption is legal in Canada (where I live), but illegal in the U.S. That’s not to say that eating horses is common in Canada. Far from it. But it is apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, animal rights, animal welfare, ethics, law, meat | 9 Comments

Wildlife Farming in Vietnam

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Chris MacDonald

This is an interesting bit about value conflict. In particular, it’s about the dangers of focusing on “natural” foods, when those “natural” foods are either endangered or en route to being so. Here’s the story, by Rachel Nuwer, for Science: … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ethics, health claims, marketing, meat, organic, public policy, values, wildlife | Comments Off on Wildlife Farming in Vietnam

Children, Food, and Indoctrination

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Chris MacDonald

A few weeks back, this video of a precocious kid talking about the ethics of food made the rounds. I wasn’t sure what to say about it. I guess it’s finally time. I don’t like to pick on kids, but … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, agriculture, children, consumerism, ethics, factory farms, farmers, genetic modification, health claims, industrial, kids, local, marketing, meat, organic, values | 4 Comments