Hungry for Change

The enviropig? Mad cow-resistant cattle?

These beasts sound like something out of a Margaret Atwood novel, but the reality is not as futuristic. In fact, these animals, among others, are examples of genetically engineered livestock that the Food and Drug Administration is considering condoning for the American food supply, according to Reuters.

The engineered animals stand to provide environmental and health-related benefits—pigs altered to produce less toxic manure, for example, or goats that, with genetic changes to their milk protein, could provide anti-clotting therapy for people with a rare disorder called hereditary antithrombin deficiency. More

Could flashy packaging sell these carrots? (Photo: mattieb/Creative Commons)

Take a look at a kindergartener who's allowed to dress herself, and you'll probably see stripes paired with polka dots, neons mixed with pastels. Kids like color. They're drawn to visual stimulation like moths to a lamp.

And that's what the baby-carrot industry is banking on with its first-ever marketing campaign that'll package carrots in flashy, hip bags.

Taking a cue from the junk food industry, nearly 50 carrot growers are committing to a $25 million effort that will put carrots in bags that look better suited to serve Doritos.

The carrot coalition is also planning for catchy slogans, vending machine placement, seasonal themes in ad campaigns, and television spots that will boost street cred for the little veggies.

Will it work? More

Flood victims gather in a Niger shelter after being forced from their homes by high waters. An estimated 200,000 people have been displaced by flooding in the country. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

On the back of a withering food crisis, Niger in recent days has faced a second calamity: flooding from heavy rains. Like many residents in Pakistan, 200,000 people already fighting poverty have been forced from their homes or have had their crops ruined. 

View photos of the flooding and a compelling audio slideshow from the BBC. More

How far did those noodles travel? Check the label. (Photo: Wallslide/Creative Commons)

Japan has launched a savvy plan to tell consumers how many miles their food traveled to reach grocery store shelves: the mileage is being put right on the packaging.

Each item is assigned POCO units, which are calculated by multiplying the distance traveled to market with the weight of the product.

Not only will Japan reduce its carbon footprint by raising POCO awareness, the thinking goes, it will also increase self-sufficiency.

One problem, Treehugger notes, is that determining the carbon impact of something is a little more complex than a multiplication problem. More

The frenzy that breaks when your favorite food truck tweets its location is sometimes the best part of the meal. Racing to the newly announced location gives avid followers a feeling of insiderly excitation, akin to spotting a celebrity or being in a club. 

But if your days are spent tethered to a desk, a one-hour lunch break doesn't really allow for an Indiana Jones-esque adventure.

That's why desk-bound gourmets are salivating over Bing's new Food Cart Finder. It cuts out the guess work.

A Polish food truck parks on Jefferson Street in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: Stu Spivack)

Announced yesterday, an added layer to Bing's map feature identifies food cart locations and offers reviews, menus, and updates on the cart's status. More

A seaside meal in Spain. UNESCO May give this meal international protection. (Photo: Reuters Pictures).

Shove over, Angkor Wat! Scooch down, Acropolis! Give way, Great Pyramid at Giza!

It's time to make room for a new cultural landmark that needs U.N. protection: grilled fish with olive oil!

That's right: Italy is pushing a proposal to have the Mediterranean Diet—characterized by fresh fruits and vegetables, grilled lean meats, and olive oil—as an "intangible" element of world heritage that needs protection.

Italy was joined by Morocco, Spain and Greece when it first attempted to protect its culinary heritage four years ago. While that initial try fizzled, the Italian proposal is now up for a final vote in November to join the UNESCO list.

If approved, the food of the Romans, the Greeks and Fabio would join Sicilian Puppet Theater and the Tango on the intangible heritage lists. More

No need to toss the tomatoes. Use 'em! (Photo: avlxyz/Creative Commons)

We've all done it: You stroll into the farmers market, almost giddy at the sight of fresh, stacked, glistening produce.

Before you know it, you're drunk on the juices of raspberry samples, delirious from a dixie cup of heirloom squash.

As you return home and come down from your produce high, six pounds of tomatoes now resting on your countertop, you realize: what the heck am I gonna do with six pounds of tomatoes?

You're in luck. Endless Simmer has 100 recipes for putting those round red globes of goodness to use. Check out their tomato solutions here.

Quick Study: Organic Food

Related Stories: Doctor'sOrders: Will a Prescription of Produce Cure Obesity? | Virtual Supermarket Delivers Groceries to Food Deserts

Half a billion eggs have been declared unsafe to eat. (Photo: Ivy Dawned/Creative Commons)

Back in 1999, then-President Bill Clinton called for the elimination of all egg-based salmonella cases by 2010.

Eleven years later, almost no progress has been made.

According to recent estimates, half a billion eggs are being recalled in the latest salmonella outbreak, stoking the already heated debate about food safety.

Sherri McGarry, emergency coordinator for the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, threw one more matchstick into the flames with her statement in a conference call this week that this outbreak could have been prevented if new food safety rules had been implemented earlier. More

Bananas crossed with green pepper genes could be spared the bacteria that's been plaguing them for 40 years. (Photo: gailf548/Creative Commons)

Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW), a devastating disease that attacks the smile-shaped fruit of eastern and central Africa, has finally met its match: the green pepper.

Scientists have genetically modified bananas with two genes from green peppers.

The researchers found that the pepper modification effectively warded off the unstoppable bacteria that has created half a billion dollars in damage annually and destroyed entire plantations.

The green pepper genes halt the spread of wilt from banana to banana by killling banana cells once they come into contact with the disease-causing bacteria. More

Wanna save dough? Start with fruit! (Photo: jessica mullen/Creative Commons)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—colloquially known as "food stamps"—could make some veggie-friendly changes in the future if a pilot project in Boston proves successful.

According to the Boston Herald, several thousand western Massachusetts SNAP recipients are partaking in an experiment aimed at combating obesity and improving nutrition by offering a food stamp discount on fruit and veggies.

The selected families—who will receive a 30-cent discount for each dollar they spend on produce—will be tracked by officials for 15 months to gauge if the program is successful at altering eating habits.  More