food

Vernon Hugh Bowman lives outside the small town of Sandborn, Ind.

National

Farmer's Fight With Monsanto Reaches The Supreme Court

8:35pm February 18, 2013

by Dan Charles

On its surface, the case is about whether farmers can use seeds derived from patented crops. But the bigger question is, how much control does a company have over its patented products once they're in the hands of consumers?

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Arts

Sometimes, Food Additives Are Pretty Innocuous

1:03pm February 18, 2013

The uproar over what critics call "pink slime" in some ground beef refocused attention on what's in the food we eat. Most packaged foods contain at least one item you wouldn't recognize. But many food experts caution that just because you don't know an ingredient doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it. This segment was originally broadcast on April 11, 2012.

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Oregon State University has been growing a variety of hazelnut trees over the years to develop blight-resistant breeds.

Growing Resistance, Oregon Hazelnuts Battle Blight

6:42am February 18, 2013

by Deena Prichep

Carefully developed breeds are overpowering Eastern filbert blight, which had threatened to crush the U.S. hazelnut industry.

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A sockeye salmon that was caught from the research vessel Miss Delta off the coast of Vancouver is examined. The MSC has certified the fish as "sustainable" even though there is concern from scientists and environmentalists.

Conditions Allow For More Sustainable-Labeled Seafood

1:24pm February 13, 2013

Most fisheries certified by the MSC system have conditions that spell out how they have to change their operations to comply with MSC standards. But they can still be labeled "certified sustainable seafood" even though they have years to comply.

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Capt. Art Gaeten holds a blue shark that was caught during a research trip in Nova Scotia. Scientists are studying the impact of swordfish fishing methods on the shark population.

Is Sustainable-Labeled Seafood Really Sustainable?

1:19pm February 13, 2013

Industry demand for the "sustainable seafood" label, issued by the Marine Stewardship Council, is increasing. But some environmentalists fear fisheries are being certified despite evidence showing that the fish population is in trouble — or when there's not enough information to know the impact on the oceans.

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With too little distilled bourbon to meet demand, Maker's Mark is lowering the product's alcohol content from 90 to 84 proof.

Arts

Less Potent Maker's Mark Not Going Down Smoothly In Kentucky

7:58pm February 11, 2013

by Gabe Bullard

The distillery says it must lower its bourbon's alcohol content to meet demand. The company says consumers won't notice the change, but in bourbon country, Maker's Mark fans aren't too happy about the plan.

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The China Twist by Wen-Szu Lin chronicles the author's (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to bring Auntie Anne's pretzels to China.

Auntie Anne's Pretzels In Beijing: Why The Chinese Didn't Bite

11:41am February 11, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

It's the entrepreneurs' dream: tapping into China's market of 1.3 billion people. That dream fueled the efforts of two Chinese-American MBAs to take the soft-pretzel franchise — a staple of U.S. shopping malls — to China. Cultural and financial barriers, however, led to a far more challenging reality.

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The seed library is a partnership between the Basalt Public Library and the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute. Seed packets encourage gardeners to write their names and take credit for their harvested seeds.

National

How To Save A Public Library: Make It A Seed Bank

3:07pm February 02, 2013

by Luke Runyon

A small-town library in Colorado is lending more than just books. Patrons can now check out seeds and farm them. After the crops are harvested, the patrons return the seeds from the best fruits and vegetables so the library can lend them out to others.

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World News

Where's The Beef? Burger King Finds Horsemeat In Its U.K. Patties

8:21pm February 01, 2013

by Vicki Barker

The fast food giant said this week that some of its burgers in Britain and Ireland were found to contain horsemeat. That's prompted a Twitter campaign and threats of a boycott.

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PepsiCo's product line ranges from salty chips and its sugary namesake drink to more healthful fare like hummus and yogurt. In 2010, the company announced plans to cut sugar, fat and sodium in its products to address health and nutrition concerns.

Health & Safety

How One Man Tried To Slim Down Big Soda From The Inside

8:42am January 31, 2013

by Dan Charles

Public health expert Derek Yach surprised nutrition advocates when he joined PepsiCo six years ago. He got the company to cut salt, sugar and fat from some popular products like chips and soda. But critics say he did more harm than good.

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