Tag: Food Issues

Closing Thought–19Mar24

I live on the Gulf Coast and part of our economy is that of seafood….the industry down here has taken many hits in the past twenty years….Katrina crapped on our seafood, then came Deepwater Horizon oil spill another dump on our seafood….then there is the Spillway that when opened screws our oyster industry then there is the influx of foreign seafood flooded the markets….like I said many hits and then came one last shot at killing our seafood industry……

A new report from researchers at the Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey suggests that necrotizing fasciitis may no longer be as rare as previously assumed, no thanks to climate change and global warming

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rapid-spreading, life-threatening bacterial disease that destroys the fascia, the tissue under the skin surrounding muscles, fats, and blood vessels. It is caused by a species of bacteria known as Group A streptococcus, also called “flesh-eating bacteria”, and Vibrio vulnificus. These bacteria thrive in warm salt and brackish waters, alternatively entering the body through open wounds or oral ingestion. 

Recent statistics show that necrotizing fasciitis affects about 1 in every 250,000 people in the United States per year [2]. In some other parts of the world where the climate is warmer, it may affect as much as 1 in every 100,000 per year. NF has been termed a “very rare” disease due to these low frequencies of occurrence, but global warming may be causing the increase. 

This recent report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that those statistics may be on the verge of going higher as world waters are getting warmer [3]. Flesh-eating bacteria species (especially Vibrio) thrive in unusually warm waters, and according to the report from the CUH, the few cases of necrotizing fasciitis studied have mostly arisen from the Southeastern U.S coast, the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. 

Experts Warn That ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria May Be Spreading To Seafood, Beaches Due To Climate Change

It just does not pay to be a fisherman on the Gulf Coast anymore….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Why Are Groceries So High?

I have been going back and forth with my friend John of https://johns-web-space.com/ about the price of food and how and why it just keeps getting worse.

Prices go up when gas goes up and the excuse is the cost of transportation but prices never go down when gas goes down….so what drives these continuing price increases?

Americans have had to weather much in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic first began, including price inflation of basic necessities. Grocery bills, especially, are a drain on household finances. But, as recent reports show, inflation is easing across many industries, and yet food prices overall have remained stubbornly high. Not only is that an indication of a deep rot at the heart of the food industry, agribusinesses, and corporate grocery chains, but it is also a clear sign that we need to repair our entire food system.

Reporting on a new Census Bureau survey, USA Today’s Sara Chernikoff found that “[t]he average American household spends more than $1,000 per month on groceries.” And, while it’s not surprising that those residing in expensive states like California have high grocery bills, there’s little relief for those living in states with lower costs of living. An average California family’s weekly grocery bill is $297.72, but an average North Carolina family’s bill is $266.23—nearly as high.

Attempting to downplay this reality, Paul Donovan, chief economist of UBS Global Wealth Management, wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times that Americans might be overestimating how serious inflation is, feeling the pinch most especially when they buy something as small as a candy bar. “[C]onsumers perceive inflation as higher than it actually is,” wrote Donovan. Further, he claimed, “[h]umans are genetically programmed to emphasize bad news over good news when they make decisions.” Donovan is implying that we’re just imagining high grocery bills.

In fact, inflation in the grocery industry has been higher than in other industries, rising 25 percent over the past four years compared to 19 percent overall, and many have pointed to simple greed as the reason: food prices are high because the companies setting prices think they can get away with padding their profits. Since we all have to eat, naturally this hits lower-income families harder, rather like a regressive tax. A new report by the Groundwork Collaborative found that in 2022, “consumers in the bottom quintile of the income spectrum spent 25 percent of their income on groceries, while those in the highest quintile spent under 3.5 percent.”

The Real Reason Your Grocery Bill Is Still So High

There was a time when companies were responsible members of society….that is no longer the case….it is more important to squeeze as much cash out of the consumer as possible and give nothing in return other than a receipt that would make you sick.

I am sick of hearing how low our inflation is these days…..apparently food is not considered in the equation….for people living on a budget inflation is killing them….both literally and physically.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Food And Slave Labor

There are things about our food chain that most do not know…..did you know that some food suppliers use prison labor?

That’s right prison labor.

In a sweeping two-year investigation, the AP found that goods linked to the forced labor of US prisoners wind up in the supply chains of a dizzying array of products, from Frosted Flakes cereal and Ball Park hot dogs to Gold Medal flour and Coca-Cola beverages. They’re on the shelves of most supermarkets, including Kroger, Target, Aldi, and Whole Foods. Many of the companies buying directly from prisons are violating their own policies against the use of such labor. But it’s completely legal, dating back largely to the need for labor to help rebuild the South’s shattered economy after the Civil War. Enshrined in the Constitution by the 13th Amendment, slavery and involuntary servitude are banned—except as punishment for a crime. Takeaways from the AP’s investigation:

  • People of color are disproportionately affected: Goods tied to prison labor have morphed into a massive multibillion-dollar empire, extending far beyond stamping license plates or working on road crews. The 2 million currently imprisoned are disproportionately people of color. Some are sentenced to hard labor and forced to work—or face punishment—and are sometimes paid pennies an hour or nothing at all. They’re often excluded from protections guaranteed to almost all other full-time workers.
  • The businesses that benefit: The AP linked hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of transactions to agriculture-based prison labor in state and federal facilities over the past six years. Those figures include everything from people leased out to work at private businesses to farmed goods and livestock sold on the open market. Reporters also found prison labor in the supply chains of giants like McDonald’s, Walmart, and Costco—and in the supply chains of goods being shipped all over the world, including to countries that have been slapped with import bans by Washington for using prison and forced labor.
  • Wide range of jobs: The country’s prison work programs employ around 800,000 people, and the vast majority toil at tasks like maintaining prisons, laundry, or kitchen work. But inmates also are contracted out to private companies in industries with labor shortages, doing some of the country’s dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in poultry plants, meat-processing centers, and sawmills. In Idaho, they’ve sorted and packed the state’s famous potatoes. In Kansas, they’ve worked at Russell Stover making chocolates.
  • From the companies: Mammoth commodity traders like Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels Midland, and Consolidated Grain and Barge have been scooping up millions of dollars’ worth of soy, corn, and wheat straight from prison farms. Cargill acknowledged that, adding that “we are now … determining the appropriate remedial action.” McDonald’s said it would investigate links to any such labor, and Archer Daniels Midland and General Mills, which produces Gold Medal flour, pointed to their policies restricting suppliers from using forced labor. Whole Foods responded flatly that it “does not allow the use of prison labor in products sold at our stores.”
  • From the prisons: Corrections officials and other proponents note that not all work is forced, and that prison jobs save taxpayers money. They also say workers are learning skills, potentially shaving time off sentences, and given a sense of purpose, which could ward off repeat offenses. “A lot of these guys come from homes where they’ve never understood work and they’ve never understood the feeling at the end of the day for a job well done,” said David Farabough, who oversees Arkansas’ prison farms.

This is messed up!

Cheap labor and no price decreases just more profit while the consumer foots the bill.

I know it is for a fact…. I had a relative that was sent to one of these private ‘workhouses’ where they put him to work in a leading chicken packing planet one of the larger ones in the South…..he was paid $1.10 an hour and by the time everybody took their part of the paycheck he was lucky to have $5 a week to buy essential and pay his restitution.

It is a great way for the private prison system to make lots of money with very little pay out in return….plus the state pays them for housing an inmate.

Think about that when going to the market….never mind most could care less.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–12Jan24

Damn I love a good burger!

And then there are things like the Big Mac.

Do you like the Big Mac? How about a double Big Mac….interested?

Well Bubba you can have it your way for a limited time….coming soon to a menu near you.

The chain just announced it will be taking its Big Mac and multiplying the meat by two for a returning menu item. That’s right: the Double Big Mac, with its four (count ’em, four) burger patties, is back after a four-year hiatus.

The Double Big Mac features four 100% all-beef patties and is topped with pickles, shredded lettuce, finely chopped onions, a slice of American cheese and Big Mac sauce, all sandwiched between a sesame seed bun.

The hefty hamburger will be available at participating McDonald’s restaurants nationwide starting Wednesday, Jan. 24, for a limited time. A McDonald’s USA spokesperson says the price of the Double Big Mac is determined by each individual restaurant and may vary by location.

The regular Big Mac already costs about $7…..that would make a double to cost about $14….seriously?

Who the Hell is that stupid?

That was rhetorical no need to answer.

For about $4 more I can have the best burger in my area…and this burger is a bison burger.

For those weight watchers….the double Big Mac will have 740 calories and that does not include the fries or the sugary drink.

It also has 46g of carbs…..45g of fats…..and 1370 mg or sodium.

In other words while you are enjoying a trendy crappy meal you can entertain yourself by listening to your arteries slam shut.

This is a stupid idea and even stupider idea to eat this junk.

Of course that is my personal opinion and not a professional one.

I hope everyone has a great weekend….and as always….Be well and Be Safe.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Christmas Eve–2023

Just one day before the big day….the day when presents are opened and food is consumed and family has joy and humor around the communal table.

Speaking of this time of year and a fan favorite during the festivities….gingerbread.

As yummy as this may be what do you know of the delectable tasting yummy?

Come On!  You guys know I cannot let something go by without throwing some history in your direction….and so it is with gingerbread.

Gingerbread may be considered an indulgent treat if you’re only considering the calorie content. But it’s Christmas, and indulging in a treat or two can be a fun and healthy part of life – especially when this classic biscuit includes many nutrients that may benefit your health.

Gingerbread is believed to have originated in its earliest form in 2400BC ancient Greece. Surprisingly, this recipe didn’t contain any ginger at all – and was actually a honey cake.

But the version of gingerbread we know and love today didn’t start to take shape until the 11th century when Crusaders returned from their travels in the Middle East with ginger in hand. Ginger was first cultivated in ancient China, where it was commonly used as a medical treatment.

This led to the cooks of nobility in Europe to begin experimenting with ginger in their cooking. As ginger and other spices became more affordable to the masses in the mid-1600s, gingerbread caught on.

The original term “gingerbread” referred to preserved ginger, which was developed into a confection made with honey and spices. Later, the term was used to refer to the French confectionery pain d’epices (spice bread) and the German Lebkuchen or Pfefferkuchen (pepperbread or pepper cake).

But the gingerbread house, which is now a staple of modern Christmas traditions, is believed to have been invented in 18th-century Germany, thanks to the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm. The practice then spread to England at some point during the 19th century.

Queen Elizabeth I is credited with creating the first gingerbread men. She would delight visiting dignitaries with gingerbread figures baked into their likeness.

Despite its ancient origins, baking gingerbread during the holiday season remains a celebrated tradition in many parts of the world.

Gingerbread is a delicious yet ancient staple of the holiday season — and its spices may have some surprising health benefits

See that did not hurt much now did it?

This is it for me today….

In case you are not around for Christmas let me take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

I will see you guys when life calms down again.

“lego ergo scribo”

chuq

Stop Eating Meat!

For decades we have heard that cow farts(Burps) is the culprit that is putting dangerous amounts of gases into our atmosphere….and recently the rash of ‘plant based’ food is becoming a fad that makes some happy and others it is a waste of time.

Ask yourself what would actually happen if we all stopped eating meat?

Humans eat a stunning amount of meat every year — some 800 billion pounds of it, enough flesh to fill roughly 28 million dump trucks. Our carnivorous cravings, particularly in industrialized, beef-guzzling countries like the United States, are one reason the planet is warming as fast as it is. Raising animals consumes a lot of land that could otherwise soak up carbon. Cows, sheep, and goats spew heat-trapping methane. And to grow the corn, soy, and other plants that those animals eat, farmers spray fertilizer that emits nitrous oxide, another potent planet-warming gas.

For all those reasons, and many more, activists and scientists have called for people to eat less meat or abstain altogether. At last year’s United Nations climate conference in Egypt, activists chanted slogans like “Let’s be vegan, let’s be free.” At this year’s conference, which starts November 30, world leaders are expected to talk about ways to shift diets toward plant-based foods as a way to lower animal agriculture’s climate pollution, the source of 15 percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Cutting out meat can be an effective tool: The average vegan diet is linked to about one-quarter the greenhouse gas emissions of a meat-intensive one, according to a paper published in Nature in July.

But what would happen if everyone actually stopped eating meat tomorrow?

“It would have huge consequences — a lot of them probably not anticipated,” said Keith Wiebe, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Such a quick shift probably wouldn’t cause the sort of turmoil that would come if the planet immediately ditched fossil fuels. But still, the upshot could be tumultuous, upending economies, leaving people jobless, and threatening food security in places that don’t have many nutritious alternatives.

Livestock accounts for about 40 percent of agricultural production in rich countries and 20 percent in low-income countries, and it’s vital — economically and nutritionally — to the lives of 1.3 billion people across the world, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. One-third of the protein and nearly one-fifth of the calories that people eat around the world come from animals.

What Would Happen if Everyone Stopped Eating Meat Tomorrow?

These people state that 15% of greenhouse gases comes from the cow and such farting….what the neglected to tell you is the we humans throw away too much food whether meat or pant based and 30% of greenhouse gases comes from landfills that we load up with the scraps.

I was born a predatory and I shall die a predatory….is that simple enough?

If plant based stuff is so good then why does it taste like meat?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Closing Thought–27Nov23

I thought it was about time for me to reinstate the ‘Closing Thought’ portion of my day.

EGG PRICES

A few months ago the word came out that many chickens had to be destroyed because of Avian Flu and there would be a shortage of eggs for market….as soon as word got out supermarkets in my area raised prices of eggs to 6 and 7 dollars a dozen….not all followed suit but the chain stores seem to be more inclined to do so.

I said then that it was all so much bullsh*t.

There has been a legal ruling against some egg producers….

An Illinois jury ruled this week that several major egg producers conspired to limit the country’s supply of eggs in order to raise prices in a case stemming from a federal lawsuit originally filed 12 years ago, per the AP. Kraft Foods, the Kellogg Company, General Mills, and Nestle USA alleged in the lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that producers used various means to limit the US domestic supply of eggs to increase the prices of eggs and egg products during the 2000s, causing them to overpay for eggs. The time frame of the conspiracy was an issue throughout the case; jurors ultimately determined damages occurred between 2004-2008. A jury unanimously delivered its verdict Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois and damages will be decided in a trial scheduled for next week.

The jury found the egg suppliers and trade groups who participated in the conspiracy were Cal-Maine Foods, United Egg Producers, United States Egg Marketers, and Rose Acre Farms, the family company of John Rust, who’s running for Indiana’s US Senate seat in 2024. Court documents show the defendants denied the claims. However, the jury found the egg suppliers exported eggs to reduce the overall supply in the domestic market, as well as limiting the number of chickens through means including cage space, early slaughter, and flock reduction, court documents say.

The jury found the egg suppliers and trade groups who participated in the conspiracy were Cal-Maine Foods, United Egg Producers, United States Egg Marketers, and Rose Acre Farms, the family company of John Rust, who’s running for Indiana’s US Senate seat in 2024. Court documents show the defendants denied the claims. However, the jury found the egg suppliers exported eggs to reduce the overall supply in the domestic market, as well as limiting the number of chickens through means including cage space, early slaughter, and flock reduction, court documents say.

Bloomberg Law reports lawyers for Cal-Maine Foods “appeared stunned by the verdict,” with two lawyers dropping their heads to their chests and leave them there. For the first time, the defendants have been held liable for their antitrust violations,” Brandon Fox, an attorney representing the food manufacturers, said in a statement. “We are now going to turn our attention to the damages phase.” Bloomberg Law reports the same jury will decide the damages amount in a trial slated for next Wednesday, and whatever number they settle on will be trebled.

I say good!  Make the bastards pay and the candidate should withdraw for being a money grubbing tool.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Fixing The Food System

I have never made it a secret that I believe the big agribusinesses are not a great idea…..for one is they are destroying the environment and for two the whole GMO craze does nothing for4 the quality of the produce just the quantity.

I have been growing my own produce for many years because I cannot stand the taste of the GMO crap…that basically has little to no actual taste it just last longer on the shelves.

Since the whole agribusiness is so entrenched in our system these days and young people have little idea what real produce or meat actually taste like is it here to stay or can it be fixed?

While the article I reference is basically tackling the meat industry it still bears exposure…..I offer it up as to make sure that I try to be as balanced as I possibly can (and it is not an easy trip for me)….

In addition to being the main cause of animal cruelty in the world, factory farming is a primary source of environmental degradation. The industrialized meat industry accounts for 37 percent of worldwide emissions of methane, a global warming gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first two decades after its release. It is also responsible for 65 percent of human-made emissions of nitrous oxide—a gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide—that depletes the ozone layer, which protects the Earth’s surface from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Factory farming also depletes the planet’s fresh water. Just a single egg takes more than 50 gallons of water to produce. A pound of chicken, 468 gallons. A gallon of milk, 880 gallons. A pound of beef, 1,800 gallons. It also requires vast tracts of land, which means the industrial meat industry is also the cause of massive deforestation around the globe, destroying ecosystems, threatening Indigenous communities and their traditional ways of life, and endangering a host of wildlife. Data shows that companies in the supply chain of JBS, the world’s largest supplier of meat, are potentially responsible for the destruction of up to 124 square miles of Brazilian rainforest every single year to produce beef that is exported around the globe.

How to Fix Our Food System

Eliminate meat?

I am an old fart and that just is not going to happen….this article sounds more like an ad for the ‘plant based’ con job.

And to be fair here is a rebuttal to the meat thing….

Bev Turner brilliantly pulled apart a climate scientist on his dictate encouraging Britons to give up meat.

The GB News host, in a lively debate on Britain’s Newsroom delivered a withering summation of the advice being offered by environmental campaigner, Donnachadh McCarthy.

She said: “I think if we’re worried about farty cows, we’ve been had, Donnachadh, we’ve been had. Because the biggest landowner in America now is Bill Gates.

“I’m sure you’re aware of this. And what does Bill Gates want to do?

“He wants to make money out of us not eating meat because he’s not putting cows on those fields.

“He’s putting solar panels and he’s encouraging us whilst building factories of fake meat. And you talk about health.

“A good steak full of protein with some vegetables is better for you than a bowl of vegetarian pasta, all the carbohydrates we’ll eat in their place.

https://www.gbnews.com/news/meat-free-ban-news-bev-turner-climate-scientist-video-interview

Here!  Here!  I will take my protein the old fashion way….meat and veggies…..

Then there is the plant thing….

If we depend on plants for all our eating needs would that not be just as bad for the environment…..like more fertilizer run-off….more pesticides….etc all making its way into our ground water supply.

Something needs to be done but what?

I try to use small farm producers when I can and grow many of my own veggies….I know that is small potatoes (no pun intended) but surely we can find a solution to the problem of huge agribusiness.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“All You Can Eat”

I live of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in the last 20+ years we have had casinos, lots of them, to attract tourists and generate tax revenue and each of these establishments has advertised their buffets….basically because there are about a bazillion seniors in the area and for some unknown reason they are drawn to buffets.

Each casino tries top the next on buffets….one bills its wide array of crab, another its prime rib and yet another with ‘international cuisine’….but sadly the days of the $1.99 buffet are no more….now a days it starts at $20 and goes up from there.

But yet the crowds still flock to the deal of the century.

We Americans love our buffets….especially the elderly and the obese….

Being the history buff that I am I had to research buffets and their origins.

Excess and America have always played in the same sandbox. From our portion sizes to our wines to our politics, we Americans like things big. There’s no better example of our love of excess than the buffet, that cultural touchstone of culinary decadence that is so archetypally American. When all is said and done, what is more American than the almighty buffet?

Despite its ability to represent our ethos so perfectly, the word buffet originated in France. It comes from the 12th century bufet, meaning bench or stool. Since the 19th century, the word buffet in English has referred to a meal served from a sideboard.

And it’s not just its name that comes from elsewhere, either. History provides us with images of gods and nobles, royalty and the rich, even esteemed biblical figures, bathed in bread and meats, grapes and wine, gold and silver, sharing momentous occasions, sharing communal dining, and sharing rewards reaped from the wealth of abundance. These are images of the wealthy sharing, in essence, what we have come to know as the buffet.

The American iteration of this culinary institution owes some props to the Swedes, for the concept of the smörgåsbord or “smorgasbord” – a side table where one could opt for a pre-dinner drink or snack – that came to the States in 1939 during New York’s World Fair. The smorgasbord, which literally means “butter-goose table,” was an excuse to ease into the main meal by standing among family, friends, or peers, celebrating the initiation of dinner.

https://vinepair.com/articles/the-buffet-a-cultural-history-of-an-american-institution/

Basically we Americans can thank the World Fair for the introduction…..but of course we had to add our little take on things and the American ‘all you can eat’ buffet was born.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And Let The World Go Hungry

The news has been released that the world has 700 million hungry people and yet in the same time military spending reached a new all-time record of Total global military expenditure increased by 3.7 per cent in real terms in 2022, to reach a new high of $2240 billion.

But let’s look at the new hunger stats….

The number of humans going hungry stood at an estimated 735 million in 2022, an increase of 122 million people since 2019. That roughly 20% jump is being attributed to the COVID pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, per a new report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization and four additional UN bodies on Wednesday, reports the Guardian. The 2023 edition of the annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report tracks the fluctuations over that three-year period, reporting 7.9% of the world’s population faced chronic hunger in 2019. That figure hit 9.3% in 2021 and stood at 9.2% in 2022. “No progress was made on food insecurity at the global level” in 2022, the report points out.

A standout paragraph from the report’s executive summary: “The economic recovery from the pandemic helped to stem the rising tide of hunger at least at the global level. However, the positive effect could have been even larger without the countervailing winds caused by the global repercussions of the war in Ukraine and rising prices of food, agricultural inputs and energy, together with other drivers of food insecurity such as conflicts and weather-related events.”

The report notes that hunger is not spread across the world equally: The portion of the population facing hunger stands at almost 20% in Africa, compared to 8.5% in Asia, 6.5% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7% in Oceania. Current projections put the number of chronically undernourished people at nearly 600 million in 2030. That figure is about 119 million people higher than it would have been had neither the pandemic nor the war in Ukraine happened, and makes clear “the immense challenge of achieving the [Sustainable Development Goal] target to eradicate hunger.”

“There are rays of hope,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said upon the release of the report. “Some regions are on track to achieve some 2030 nutrition targets. But overall, we need an intense and immediate global effort … we must build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity-from conflict to climate.” Meanwhile, the AP reports on mounting concerns that Russia will not extend the UN-brokered deal that has been in place since last summer and has allowed grain to be exported from Ukraine to developing nations that rely on it. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is up for its fourth renewal Monday; in the case of the last two renewals, Russia made similar threats before permitting two-month extensions.

I think it is a crying damn shame that bullets are a priority over food or that food is being used as a weapon.

Another shame is that we live in an uncaring world ruled by ‘influencers’ on the inter web…a they determine what we care about….how sad is that?

Enough said.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”