FDA Announces a New Food Label

The FDA announced an updated food label on Friday, with more realistic serving sizes, and sections distinguishing added sugar from natural sugar. The new labels will be implemented by July 2018, which seems like an unnecessarily long time, and isn’t the format that the Institute of Medicine recommended to best serve consumers. The new label is a great step in the right direction by using better serving sizes for the packaging and allowing consumers to see how much sugar was added. The calorie count will also be bold, in large font to catch the buyer’s attention. The Grocery Manufacturers Association rejected the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation, so it’s clear the FDA is swayed by the GMA’s wants and needs. The good news is the label is moving in the right direction, the bad news is the transition will take a very long time, and also doesn’t have the consumer’s best interests at heart.

Floating Food Forest to Set Sail in NY This Summer

Swale is a barge that will be sailing on New York waterways this summer, filled with growing plants to help feed the city’s hungry residents. The message of Swale is that healthy food is a basic human right, not a commodity. All food grown on the barge will be free, and is grown sustainably. Growing food for consumption on public land is outlawed in NYC, so the founders of Swale also hope the floating food forest calls attention to the need to change that policy. We need to rethink how we use public spaces and abandoned lots, and also how we view the food supply. Every person should have access to healthy food, and there are plenty of places to grow produce, it’s just a matter of challenging policies and calling attention to the issues. Swale sets sail at the end of June, and will dock at several points around the city.

Celebrity Chefs to Press Congress on Food Waste

Celebrity chefs such as Tom Colicchio of Top Chef will be attending a hearing held by the House Agriculture Committee to discuss the food waste issue in the United States. Americans throw out 70 billion tons of food each year, and spend approximately $218 billion on food waste, from growing it to throwing it out. The celebrity chefs will testify and call for legislative fixes to the food waste problem, and hope to call nationwide attention to the issue. We love that celebrities are using their spotlight for social issues, and hope to see some good come out of this hearing. Stay tuned for details!