The Juicy Bits
As we enter yet another turbulent March (remember the start of lockdown 2020?), I'm finding peace in homemade pizza. I'm not alone. At least two major food publications are now spotlighting how to make legit Neapolitan pizza at home. Plus, there's at least one new pizza tome in this spring's crop of more than 50 notable cookbooks. And remember that whole climate change thing? It's made "spring" planting less predictable for most farmers, but in Alaska there's an upside: warmer temps are extending the state's growing season and could eventually increase agricultural revenues. In less promising news, the UN just released a report showing how plastic pollution in soil has become worse than plastics in the world's oceans. Grab that reusable water bottle. And if you're trying to "buy American" at the meat counter, you might want to voice your opinion in a new USDA survey. Current regulations allow meat labeled "Product of USA" to come from anywhere in the world. The survey asks: Do you really care? Should food labels mean what they say? Survey link is below...
Cooking
At-Home Pizza Gets The Spotlight
Image Source: Christopher Testani
Maybe it's the ovens. A bevy of new portable pizza ovens have made it easy to bake bubbly Neapolitan-style pies at home. Or maybe it's the steady flow of pizza cookbooks. Or the flood of drool-worthy Instagram photos and TikTok videos. Or just the simple comfort of eating a warm slice. Either way, making pizza at home is so popular right now that several food publications are giving it the how-to star treatment.
Restaurants
Restaurants Lobby To Replenish Revitalization Fund
Image Source: andresr/E+/Getty Images
In 2020, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) promised $60 billion in funding, but it was cut to $28.6 billion. That fund was exhausted within a month, and by the end of 2021, more than 100,000 US restaurants closed permanently, according to the National Restaurant Association (NRA). When the omicron variant hit, 88% of US restaurants lost customers again. The NRA is now pleading with lawmakers to reconsider the $48 billion in pending fund applications to avoid another wave of permanent closures.
Beverages
French Brewers Make Blue Beer
Image Source: Reuters/Ardee Napolitano
Beer innovations never cease. The French brewer Hoppy Urban Brew (HUB) recently partnered with a local producer of spirulina (blue-green agae) to make blue-colored beer. Called "Line," the beer sold so well that HUB is ramping up production to meet growing demand. Only the blue "phycocyanin" pigment of spirulina is added to the brew, which tasters describe as light, hoppy, and fruity without a hint of pond scum.
Supply Chain
Organic Produce Sales Surpass $9 Billion
Image Source: Food Industry Executive
Organic fruit and vegetable sales continue to outpace sales of conventional produce. In 2021, organic sales increased 5.5%, compared to a 1.9% increase for conventional produce. While the dollar share of organic in the marketplace hovers around 12%, total organic produce sales soared to $9.2 billion in 2021, the highest sales figures to date. Fresh organic berries, salads, and bananas lead the growth.
Agriculture
Climate Change Extends Alaska's Growing Season And Potential Profits
Image Source: NRCS Alaska/Flickr
In 2019, temps in Anchorage Alaska reached 90ºF for the first time on record. While global warming has fanned wildfires and destroyed crops in some US states, it may eventually increase Alaska's agricultural revenue. Climate modeling from the International Arctic Research Center suggests that the state's frost-free seasons will soon increase by several weeks, allowing farmers to grow significantly more cucumbers, sweet corn, tomatoes and other warm-weather crops.
Regulations
USDA Surveys Americans: Do You Care If "American" Meat Actually Comes From The US?
Image Source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Food product "Country of Origin" labels seem pretty straightforward. However, current US regulations allow meat labeled "Product of USA" to legally come from cattle and hogs raised and slaughtered anywhere in the world. That's one reason why only four multinational meat processors control 80% of the "American" meat market. Do you care if the "Product of USA" label means what it says? Voice your opinion in this USDA survey.
Health
NIH To Spend $170 Million On Precision Nutrition Research
Image Source: Forbes/Getty
Dietary guidelines for Americans often take a one-size-fits-all approach. Precision nutrition takes a more personalized angle, incorporating an individual's genetics, metabolism, gut microbes, lifestyle, and various biological, environmental, and social factors. Over the next 5 years, the National Institutes of Health will devote $170 million to develop this promising new field of research. Up to 10,000 Americans will participate in studies that aim to customize recommendations on what to eat for optimal health.
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Science
Why Do We Like Sour Food?
Image Source: The Atlantic
Tastes that we perceive, including sweet, salty, bitter, and umami, can be traced to biological needs. Sweet foods are sources of needed calories and salty foods provide the mineral needed for proper fluid balance and nerve function. But there's no known biological need for sour foods. And yet we love them, at least up to a certain concentration. Scientists have recently dug deeper into the acidic conundrum and come up with some interesting theories on why we love lemonade as much as kimchi and yogurt.
Last Bite
Did Eating Meat Really Make Us Human?
Image Source: Magone /Getty Images
Two million years ago, Homo erectus emerged with a larger brain, smaller gut, and longer limbs than our ancestors. According to conventional wisdom, these evolutionary changes were made possible by eating meat. Not so fast, says new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In this controversial report, scientists reveal evidence that Neanderthals consumed hefty portions of starchy carbohydrates as they expanded across eastern Africa and into Europe, casting doubt on the theory that meat-eating is what made us human.
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