The 4 Biggest Food Stories of the Year (And What They Taught Us) | Civil Eats

The 4 Biggest Food Stories of the Year (And What They Taught Us)

Last year, I wrapped up the year in food and nutrition stories with a detailed chronological summary. This time, I want to highlight four of the year’s most significant events in the realm of food, food politics, and nutrition — and the lessons they imparted.

1. Glue, Scrape, and Slime. 2012 was the year where disturbing ingredients in our food supply — with particularly heinous food safety implications — came to light. There was tuna scrape in sushi. And who can forget “meat glue”? As alarming as those stories were, this year will forever be remembered as the year of “pink slime” (also known as mechanically separated meat, or — as Beef Products Inc. refers to it — “lean finely textured beef”).

This ammonia-treated scrap meat — the same one phased out by fast-food giants — has been widely used since the early 1990s and was a staple in school cafeterias despite its shoddy food safety reputationA petition drafted by blogger Bettina Elias Siegel to eliminate pink slime from school cafeterias quickly earned over 250,000 signatures.

In a victorious epilogue, 47 states did not purchase pink slime for the 2012-2013 school year, and ground beef processors saw production of the controversial ingredient — and its sales — plummet.

Just days ago, the pink slime saga reawakened when a former BPI employee — and author of a recently-released book on “pink slime” — sued ABC News, Diane Sawyer, and Siegel, among others, for defamation. Stay tuned.

The Lesson: These slimes, scrapes, and glues are further evidence that the industrialized food system is, more often than not, a food safety terror, barely held together by a deeply flawed model that continually puts our health at risk. They also demonstrate the importance of regulating food safety and gaining an understanding of where the food we eat comes from. The strong rejection of “pink slime” was also a testament to food activists’ grassroot efforts.

2. Proposition 37. Food activists around the world kept a close eye on California this past November when the time came to vote on Proposition 37 — a ballot initiative to label genetically modified organisms in food.

Although it was a close race, Prop 37 did not pass (as renowned public health lawyer Michele Simon pointed out, it was in large part due to Big Ag’s lies, dirty tricks, and seemingly bottomless pockets).

The Lesson: The concern over genetically modified crops will only continue to increase in the United States — especially since 50 countries already have labeling laws in place.

newsmatch 2023 banner - donate to support civil eats

Proposition 37 served as a conduit for individuals throughout the “good food” movement to put dietary preferences aside and band together for a common cause. The defeat of Proposition 37 was also a wake-up as to just how powerful of machines Big Food and Big Ag are, and their ability to fund a battle against sound public health policy. In the meantime, states like Washington and Vermont are working on GMO labeling initiatives.

3. Hostess Shuts Down. After years of dismal finances and organizational musical chairs, Hostess Brands declared bankruptcy and shut down operations after an 80-year run (in an incredible display of hubris, the company blamed unionized workers).

While some lamented the demise of the Twinkie (an icon of processed food, if there ever was one), it was the blatant examples of corporate greed — like putting employee pensions toward executive pay — that turned this story into a cautionary tale of business gone wrong (and unethical).

The Lesson: While Big Food is often cited for its constant production of highly processed and minimally nutritious foods, it is just as important to keep an eye on its corporate structures that propagate, and worsen, issues of income and social inequity.

4. The Toxic Food Environment. Conversations about food, nutrition, and health must also touch on environmental factors. This year, arsenic in chicken feed — and rice — understandably caused concern. The health risks of pesticides, meanwhile, (finally!) received acknowledgement from even relatively conservative health organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Lesson: The health of our food and agricultural system is entirely dependent on the health of our environment. It is crucial to have effective environmental policies in place that allow us to produce foods that do not come with added public health risks.

We’ll bring the news to you.

Get the weekly Civil Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox.

As the famous saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” For the sake of the health of our planet and fellow beings, may this year’s food lessons be remembered and well-integrated as we move forward.

This post originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

Andy Bellatti, MS, RD is a Las Vegas-based nutritionist with a plant-centric and whole-food focus who takes an interest in food politics, deceptive food marketing, sustainability, and social justice. His work has been published in Grist, The Huffington Post, Today’s Dietitian, Food Safety News, and Civil Eats, among others. He is also the creator and co-founder of Dietitians for Professional Integrity, a group that advocates for ethical and socially responsible partnerships within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You can read more of his work on his Small Bites blog and can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Read more >

Like the story?
Join the conversation.

    More from

    General

    Featured

    Injured divers work on various exercises in a small rehabilitation room at the hospital. Dr. Henzel Roberto Pérez, the deputy director of information management at the hospital, said that one of the many problems with the lobster diving industry is “Children are working for these companies. At least one of the companies is from the United States.” (Photo credit: Jacky Muniello)

    Diving—and Dying—for Red Gold: The Human Cost of Honduran Lobster

    The Walton Family Foundation invested in a Honduran lobster fishery, targeting its sustainability and touting its success. Ten years later, thousands of workers have been injured or killed. 

    Popular

    This #GivingTuesday, Help Us Celebrate Our Successes

    prize winning squash for giving tuesday!

    Can Virtual Fences Help More Ranchers Adopt Regenerative Grazing Practices?

    A goat grazing with one of them virtual fencing collars on its neck. (Photo credit: Lisa Held)

    With Season 2, ‘High on the Hog’ Deepens the Story of the Nation’s Black Food Traditions

    Stephen Satterfield and Jessica B. Harris watching the sunset at the beach, in a still from Netflix's High on the Hog Season 2. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

    Op-ed: Walmart’s Outsized Catch

    Photo of a shark swimming through a school of fish, with a gritty overlay including walmart's yellow and blue colors. (Photo credit: Scott Carr, Getty Images, illustration by Civil Eats)