current events

new section!  current events!!
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/11/30/s-510-the-fda-food-safety-modernization-act-the-basics/

UPDATE: The Food Safety Modernization Act passes 73-25. Here is a list of how the Senators voted.
The US Senate is currently voting on the passage of S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, a long-stalled bill that would introduce enhanced governmental oversight of the nation's food producers' safety systems.
Some opponents to the bill assert that it imposes the same one-size-fits all set of legislation on small farmers and producers and giant food conglomerates and factory farms alike, placing a strain on those less equipped to comply with new regulations. They also fear it will raise food prices and all $1.5 billion to the deficit, and too extremely centralize and concentrate governmental control over food producers.
Supporters claim that these measures are necessary to protect the public from compromised food, such as the salmonella-tained eggs that sickened more than 1,600 people this past August.
Key points:
- The FDA would have the authority to issue direct recalls of foods that are suspected to be tainted, rather than relying on individual producers to voluntarily issue recalls.
CNN Radio's Jim Roope speaks with FDA's Associate Commissioner for Food Protection, Dr. Jeff Farrar about the measures the FDA can currently take.
- Food producers would be required to develop written food safety plans, accessible by the government in case of emergency. These would include hazard analysis and a plan for implementing corrective measures.
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required to create a food tracing system that would streamline the process of finding the source of contamination, should an outbreak occur.
- Importers would be required to verify the safety of all imported foods to make sure it's in accordance with U.S. food safety guidelines.

moar cracked yay

http://www.cracked.com/article_18744_7-great-foods-that-were-created-thanks-to-dick-moves.html?wa_user1=3&wa_user2=Weird+World&wa_user3=article&wa_user4=recommended

sweet potato

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pPxR0D-beukJ:www.momswhothink.com/pie-recipes/sweet-potato-pie-recipe.html+sweet+potato+pie&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

But that Jr. Frosty is so good.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/11/11/131243759/wendy-s-new-fries-add-sea-salt-gourmet-cachet-more-sodium?sc=fb&cc=fp

Fancy, flaky, sometimes funky-colored finishing salts are a big gourmet trend.

Wendy's

Now Wendy's, whose also-ran fries lag behind McDonald's for flavor, is trying a sprinkle of sea salt to liven things up.
But the taste upgrade comes at a health cost. The fast-food chain's new fries actually have a lot more sodium than the old ones. That's despite the fact sea salt sold in this country typically has larger grains than regular table salt and can deliver more flavor with less shaking.
Wendy's new fries are called "natural-cut fries with sea salt." According to a company announcement, today marks the launch of the first redesign of its fries in 41 years.
  But the sodium amounts ought to set off a few alarms for the millions of us who already go overboard on the salt. Wendy's confirmed to us that the new medium sized fry goes from 350 milligrams to 500 milligrams. Young, healthy people shouldn't be putting more than about 1 teaspoon of salt, or 2,300 milligrams of sodium, into their bodies each day, the CDC reminds us.
But let's be real. Nobody we know is walking into a fast-food joint looking for health food. And the differences between sea salt and America table salt (rock salt) are minor.
"Basically this is all marketing," Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt: A World History, tells Shots in an e-mail. "Sea sounds a lot better than rock [salt]. But if the product is pure, it is the same," he says.
Wendy's is clearly aiming for taste and coolness here. The chain has launched a Facebook campaign to promote the new fry today, calling it "Fry For All."
"Wendy's has never had the best french fry," marketing chief Ken Calwell admits to USA Today. "If it's not your strength, you can start with a clean sheet."
The new fries are supposed to be better tasting because they leave a bit of the skin on and, of course, have a sexier salt.
Ocala, Fla., food blogger Rick Allen, who tasted the fries back in August when they popped up in the state, gives them an enthusiastic thumbs-up: "These fries are very much like Mom used to make; or better yet, like they used to make and sell at the county fair!"
But as more products feature sea salt, is the trend about to wash up?
Lynn Dornblaser, new products guru at Mintel, tells USA Today. "Sea salt has the potential to grow as fast as low-carb did.... Hopefully, it won't decline as fast."
UPDATE: A Wendy's spokesman confirmed that the sea salt granules the company uses for the new product are larger than table salt. "Although less sea salt is needed, we used an independent lab for testing and found the sodium level increases," he said.