Media, Edition #8: Top Chef Tom Colicchio for improving school food

CNN reports on Top Chef host and judge Tom Colicchio's testimony in support of H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act. While I am generally a fiscal conservative concerned about the mounting national debt, I know from personal experience that investing in good food is well worth the extra expense. I have written here many times that I feel lighter, cleaner, brighter, and more sane when I adhere to my general food principles strictly - not to mention that my face is clearer. My experience corrobates with scientific studies demonstrate that good food helps prevent and heal disease (1). The current obesity epidemic, the cost of good food, and the difficulties faced by the poor and middle classes necessitates a school lunch program where good food is the rule, not the exception.

Government, Edition #1: Senate Bill S510

Really?! In the name of food safety?! I'm normally measured about big political measures, but, occasionally, something is brought to my attention that makes that diplomacy rather difficult. Why it hasn't been all over the news is beyond me.

Senate Bill S510/H.R. 2749 makes it illegal to trade, sell, share, or otherwise distribute any food that is not registered and regulated by the federal government. The idea is that, if the US government outlaws unregistered, unregulated food, then our food will be safer to eat. The problem with the logic is that it's not the food grown in individuals' gardens or small farms that is the problem. Given the opportunity to keep a garden (I live in apartments where gardening is rather difficult, if not impossible), I would guard it from nasty stuff (E. coli, pesticides, herbicides, genetically-modified food-stuffs) with everything I had. I can't even focus enough to go looking for articles showing how it's not independently grown food that's the problem - it's big, industrial food. I guess I'll have to settle with this analysis for now.