School lunches get a new look
By Nathan Smith
It’s that time of year again. Backpacks are packed with fresh supplies, new shoes are being tied, and school bells are beckoning kids across Texas and the nation. If your child chooses to buy the school lunch instead of packing their own, the lunch line will look a little different this year.
Earlier this spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new meal pattern for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. The new requirements will go into effect this school year.
The new rules governing school nutrition include:
read moreTruth in rising food prices
By Amanda Hill
I keep a close eye on food prices—mostly for my own family’s budget, but also for Texas Farm Bureau’s Grocery Price Watch. I wonder, though, how many shoppers know why food prices increase.
If you watch the news, you’ve probably heard stories about how the devastating U.S. drought—a drought that caused billions of dollars in damage to Texas crops last year—will cause you to pay more at the grocery store. The stories make it seem as though you’ll shell out a whole lot more on your next shopping trip, due directly to crop shortages from parched lands.
read moreFarm Fresh: Exploring Texas farmers markets
By Amanda Hill
Nothing says summer more than taking a big bite of a plump, fresh Texas peach and having the juice drip down your chin. Fresh fruits and vegetables are found in abundance this summer at farmers markets all over the state.
I love wandering a good farmers market. The bright colors, the hustle and bustle, the great people watching—and the chance to meet the farmers who grew the fresh produce before me.
There are always some items I expect to see, like tomatoes picked straight from a vine or peaches plucked from a Hill Country tree.
read moreMad Cow Disease—Should you be concerned?
By Mike Barnett
Mad Cow Disease—should you be concerned?
You bet. Anything that might affect your family’s health demands your attention. But you should also be informed.
The discovery of a dairy cow this week with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)—also known as mad cow disease—has sparked headlines and worries across the U.S.
Many remember Great Britain in the early 1990s when a massive BSE outbreak of the British cow herd affected the country’s food supply. People died from variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), which some think is linked to BSE.
read morePink slime: What’s the big deal?
By Nathan Smith
For weeks now we’ve heard about “pink slime,” or lean finely textured beef (LFTB).
We’ve heard from “shocking” news reports that pink slime lurks like some sci-fi monster waiting to devour innocent consumers.
Since the first ABC news report, the media seems to be hell-bent to scare Americans away from beef.
All the hype made me wonder. Is this stuff safe?
Not being a scientist or expert myself, I started digging to find the truth about “pink slime.” After all, we have the right to know what’s in our food and where it comes from.
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