Balance of Food

California bacon is a reality even with the unfortunate grace period

California voters passed Proposition 12 in 2018. The goal was to improve lives for the pigs that provide bacon and other pork products. Fresh pork has to be born to sows with at least 24 square feet of space, allowing a breeding pig to turn around and extend its limbs. The proposition also banned widely used gestation crates to protect sows from other pigs.

The law finally went into place as of July 1, though there is a 6-month grace period so some pork sold in California will still be covered by the old rules. We would be very curious if there was labeling as to how well the "old pork rules" pork would sell in the grocery store.

The measure also included space requirements for egg-laying hens and veal calves. They didn't run into the kind of issues over pigs since the pork industry fought back a lot harder. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled 5-4 in favor of Proposition 12.

Massachusetts also passed a similar law that should go into effect soon.

Besides getting better quality bacon and other pork products, the idea is to push the industry nationwide to better standards for pigs across the board. California has enough economic pressure to make a difference at the start. California consumes roughly 13% of the nation’s pork but produces a insignificant amount of the total production.

Those who buy bacon and other pork products at farmers markets are likely getting meat from pigs that are treated much better than the conventional standards in the United States. The idea behind Proposition 12 is that people who shop in grocery stores have that same kind of access.

These are the pigs in Spain that give us jamon iberico. These pigs roam free and eat amazing acorns, the bellota, among other natural foods as part of their diet. They roam freely with not a cage in sight.

The United States isn't alone in the cruelty level of keeping animals but is sadly #1 in this category. This is why buying meat products at farmers markets is gaining in popularity.

This is proof that the U.S. can and should do better by the animals where we get food.

BalanceofFood.com local/state food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com farmers market coverage

During my last trip to San Francisco, I ran into millionaire's bacon. Millionaire's bacon is enhanced with a sweet and spicy flavor.

You shouldn't have to feel like a millionaire to eat quality bacon from well-grown pigs. That level of bacon should be readily available to a farmers market addict or a house spouse frantically shopping with 3 kids in tow at a Ralph's or a Safeway.

video credit: KCRA 3 Sacramento
photo credits: Serious Eats; me

Demand for food banks may not be visible but is ever increasing

"Why is he still complaining about food insecurity and the need for food banks? The economy is doing really well. Those long lines during the pandemic. That was just the pandemic."

We wrote about those long lines 3 years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. We thought these images would make a meaningful impact: spotlighting the number of people who are getting in long lines, lining up hours before the food banks open up.

"Let us remember these images when the pandemic subsides. Hunger is real for a lot of people. They should feel no shame for getting help."

So where are we in 2023?

"We used to spend $1.5 million per year on purchasing food. We spend now up to 1.8 million per month on food." — Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.

Imogen Birchard, a producer on Front Burner from CBC News, pointed out in her story that "In March, when Canada's unemployment rate was hovering at a near record low of 5%, the Daily Bread Food Bank broke their monthly record with 270,000 client visits up from 60(,000) to 70(,)000 pre-pandemic."

Congressional Republicans decided that too many people on food assistance needed to get off the rolls. The age was raised to 55 from 49 for adults without children to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 3 months in a 3-year period unless they work a minimum of 20 hours per week.

This was part of the debt ceiling deal where the Republicans blackmailed the White House to get this concession. Let's not forget that in a "good" economy, people 50-54 already have trouble getting hired.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in new research said the change could result in almost 750,000 adults ages 50 to 54 losing their federal food assistance.

The White House did get work requirements waived for veterans, individuals who are homeless or facing housing instability, and youth aging out of foster care.

3 months of help, not much help within that amount, over a 3-year period when a lot of people can't find regular work. That feels cruel in an actually good economy, which isn't what we have now.

Even if they do find work, hours can easily be cut to below 20 hours a week, putting their limited benefits in danger through no fault of their own.

The numbers show the need is growing for people who work full time. Even with that level of income, some people are struggle to make ends meet without food assistance.

"The greatest concern and that that I want to impart is unemployment is low. And if we get to a situation where combating inflation through higher interest rates results in a slowing down of the economy and increased unemployment rates, we will be in a state that food banks have never been in before. Well, we're there now, but we will be. It's a crisis on a crisis on a crisis, and we're just getting to that third one." — said Hetherington.

While we dispute the employment numbers in both Canada and the United States, Hetherington makes a good point in one regard. A bad situation will become worse if (when?) employed people get tossed out of their jobs.

Food banks are dealing with one variable that usually isn't a factor. The rising costs of food mean they can't buy as much food for the same amount of money. Their food dollars don't go as far, just like their clients.

France has rules on supermarkets to reduce food waste. Spain was working on a similar law. Farmers struggle to get all their crops picked due to worker shortages.

Food banks now more important than ever in COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

A "capitalist" society struggles with the idea of making sure people can get food because there must be payment. Food being wasted. People desperately needing food. We should make this work.

"I've tossed the idea by the board of directors of maybe we should you know, we have 200 food banks in the city of Toronto maybe we should shut them down and just distribute food at one location until government policy changes and that location being City Hall or Queen's Park. And and so if you need food and we serve about 12,000 per day, the 12,000 people would be inconvenienced and they'd have to come to two to Queen's Park to pick up their food. And we would do that every single day, every single day, until policy change happens. That's not like us. That's, you know, we're not that kind of an organization. But at some point we have to say enough is enough." — said Hetherington.

The lines from 2020 were a visual reminder of the impact of food insecurity in rich countries. Hetherington is suggesting another visual impact. Queen's Park is where the Ontario provincial government meets.

"But at some point we have to say enough is enough." Will that be enough for us to see what is happening with food insecurity? Should we do better before then?

photo credit: Neil Blake/Grand Rapids Press/AP

Celebrating Full Frontal with Samantha Bee for fighting for a better food system

As an actual journalist, I bemoan what passes for food journalism. The best reporters on the food system in the United States have been comedians, such as Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and yes, Samantha Bee.

For 7 years, Samantha Bee took on topics real journalists were afraid to confront. Samantha Bee might have been afraid yet she did segments on important issues such as school lunch funding.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS ended its run over the terribly awful Warner Bros. Discovery merger with the new TBS management making several stupid mistakes, one of them cancelling the show. We had hope the show could find a new home but that seems highly unlikely.

Having a half hour a single day a week meant the show couldn't cover as much as The Daily Show did. Still, we would love to celebrate what we had.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee makes the case for universal free lunch

The stigma of lunch debt. The pandemic led to the USDA to waive price as an issue for the cost of school lunches. Those waivers pretty much expired about a year ago.

The economic numbers don't reflect the number of people unemployed or sharply underemployed, many of whom have children who go to school. Feeding lunch to children is crucial to their ability to learn, which benefits everyone in society.

Since the GOP controls the House, there will be zero legislation to improve the situation.

The food system is also about who is involved in your food

The impact on immigrants, no matter their status, makes a gigantic impact on the U.S. food system from farm workers to restaurant workers and even chef/owner immigrants. Samantha Bee is an immigrant from Canada (that counts) so Bee and Padma Lakshmi, host of Top Chef, talked about the impact of immigration on food.

"I think the food landscape in this country would be completely different without immigrant labor," said Lakshmi. "We all have a responsibility to reach down and pull up the people who really break their back for you day in and day out."

Bee spotlights Cristina Martinez, who runs a popular barbacoa restaurant. Martinez explained in Spanish that she came to the United States to escape her abusive now ex-husband.

The food insecurity coverage in most mainstream journalism during the pandemic was about the visual of long lines for food pantries. Once again, Samantha Bee points out the food insecurity before the pandemic and the loss of school lunches since children weren't going to school.

BalanceofFood.com school lunch coverage

BalanceofFood.com U.S. food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com television coverage

The Daily Show is in transition after Trevor Noah left. The future of these late-night shows, once so crucial to supplementing journalism, is really up in the air.

What's Eating America devotes cable news time to important food issues

How Trevor Noah and The Daily Show poked fun at the food supply

The MSNBC series was brief and mostly got on the air thanks to the popularity of Andrew Zimmern. This is the exception in cable news, not the norm. While the Trevor Noah version wasn't as diligent about the food supply system, Roy Wood Jr. could have his own show on the topic.

In a TikTok world, the idea of 7-8 minutes for a segment devoted to a food policy concern with humor and significance finding a happy partnership feel wonderful but may be only a pipe dream.

The Food Network and Cooking Channel, both owned by Discovery, the group that took down Samantha Bee's program, would be the ideal place for a block of programming once a week on actual food policy issues. Over the air stations are required to run educational programming. We could check that box, though cable channels don't have that requirement.

photo and video credits: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee/TBS

Grocery rebate is a nice idea but only a short-term solution to rising food prices

Is a grocery rebate a grocery rebate if the rebate isn't tied to groceries? The Canadian federal budget has called for a grocery rebate targeted to 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families. The total of the rebate would reach $467 for eligible couples with children; $234 for single Canadians without children; and $225 for seniors, on average.

The money would show up as a one-time rebate through the goods and services tax (GST) rebate system.

Our American readers might wonder why the [bleep] we are writing about an initiative in Canada instead of the United States. The Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives so there will be no bills concerning high food prices unless the Dems win back control in the fall of 2024. Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party (centrist party) has a minority federal government with help from the left of centre (center) New Democratic Party.

A bit of money will help but if you think grocery store prices are bad in the United States now, Canadians generally pay a lot more for groceries in their country in urban places such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal. Rural places pay even more, whether that be Atlantic Canada or places such as Nunavut.

$467 will help a family in Toronto but not as much in Iqlauit, the capital of Nunavut.

Still, some grocery help is better than zero help. Yes, we are looking at the GOP-controlled House.

About That from CBC News Explore is part of a new trend in TV journalism going online and ideally delving more in depth with explaining the impact of the grocery rebate in Canada. Anchor Andrew Chang uses the whiteboard to go through the numbers and the significance of Canadians' personal budgets.

The U.S. has 24-hour cable news channels, 2 of which broadcast actual news. Steve Kornacki of MSNBC would have fun with a whiteboard but again, U.S. federal politics won't introduce anything new to help food prices until at least 2025.

CTV News also broke down elements of the grocery rebate, such as how Canadians would spend the money and answering questions about the rebate itself.

Besides high grocery prices, Canada also suffers from a monopoly on major grocery stores in Canada. The United States has had a wide-open regional battle that brings prices down. The Kroger-Albertsons merger will make things worse in the United States.

Comparison shopping helps you pay less for groceries, provided you have the energy and time to pull this off.

The Backbench podcast had an episode on soaring food costs. The Commons podcast delved into that monopoly and how the Competition Bureau is more of a theory than a relevant force.

Make the switch from grocery store eggs to eggs from local farmers

Shopping for vegetables is a reality, not a political stunt

You can reduce food costs despite inflation

Appreciate quality in grocery staples when shopping

Think food prices are high? Try the northern territories of Canada

The grocery rebate is psychological. The government is doing something. Are they addressing the virtual monopoly of Canadian grocery stores? Are they making grocery store CEOs nervous with threats of diversifying their dominance? No and no. They are offering a token amount of money.

I took advantage of a $25 gift card to my local grocery store. This would have had more value in 2020 or even 2022. Still, $25 made a difference. I did spend more but I will eat all of the food I bought. Psychologically, this was a boost. A reminder of the wonderful gift I got that I could definitely use.

I still have a gift card for food delivery. That is out of my comfort zone since I tend to cook more. Grocery store prices still don't compare to the cost of eating out, even these days.

Qu'ils mangent de la brioche | Let them eat cake

When I visited Paris a few years back, I was struck with how cheap baguettes were. They were amazing in taste and texture yet they were relatively cheap.

The French society incorporates that philosophy to this day, making sure bread is accessible to everyone.

The cheap food in the United States and Canada is usually made with high-fructose corn syrup and poor quality ingredients, which further amplifies the struggles of basic nutrition in countries where people have trouble buying even cheap groceries.

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

$467 or $234 is like fixing a pothole in the spring. Nice but the potholes will come back. Better government leadership would address long-term society solutions. A grocery rebate will fix that pothole in Canada while Americans have a GOP-lead House who won't acknowledge those potholes exist.

video and photo credit: CBC News Explore

The difficulty in finding the old Grade B maple syrup

Spring time means maple syrup. The prime time to attach the buckets to the taps of maple trees in Quebec and Vermont.

Buying maple syrup used to be simple, especially if you loved the dark stuff. You didn't have to look for fancy or vague adjectives. All you needed to see was Grade B. There were several Grade As with different descriptions but if the label said Grade A, you could ignore the bottle.

The powers that be changed all of them to be Grade A variations. Ugh. Now you had to read the various descriptions. Unlike the above photo, you didn't have the comparison as you stared at maple syrup containers in the grocery store.

If your palate debates between the subtle nuances of Golden Delicate Taste and Amber Rich Taste, you might not appreciate where some of us are in the maple syrup world. Dark is better and not as easy to find.

Every grocery store, conventional or upscale, had Golden Delicate Taste and Amber Rich Taste. As easy to find as Log Cabin syrup (buy real maple syrup instead).

Finding Dark Robust Taste was also relatively easy to find. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods had Dark Robust Taste along with some conventional grocery stores.

All of these new descriptions were Grade A maple syrups under the old and new classifications. So what about the old Grade B?

Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste was impossible to find at conventional grocery stores. No tag, no product. Trader Joe's does not carry this category either. Whole Foods doesn't carry this category in its house brand. We did find a bottle of Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste maple syrup at Whole Foods.

So good news. We found one bottle at one store. Wow. Except. The cost differential between the old Grade A and the Grade B was visible but not significant.

When we shopped for this Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste at the Whole Foods store, the Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste maple syrup was $19.49 for a 16 oz. container. The Whole Foods version of Dark Robust Taste (next best) was $18.29 for a 32 oz. container.

More than twice as expensive as the next level. No Whole Foods discount for the good stuff. The old Grade B should be more expensive but not by this much.

The old Grade B was typically produced later in the season. Dark, thicker, more minerals, more maple flavor.

You could make a Golden Delicate Taste level argument that conventional stores shouldn't have to carry the old Grade B maple syrup aka Very Dark Strong Taste. They did before the reconfiguration.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Carrying the Very Dark Strong Taste category is in their wheelhouse. They don't.

We don't think there is a maple syrup conspiracy to hide the good stuff from us. We also don't believe in coincidences.

What was Grade B was easier to find under the old system.

The maple syrup story as told in a new documentary

If you don't have a maple syrup preference — if you have childhood memories of the Log Cabin bottle — you might not even know that the old Grade B is so hard to find. Most shoppers stare at 3 choices: Golden Delicate Taste; Amber Rich Taste; and Dark Robust Taste. How can consumers choose when Very Dark Strong Taste is invisible on shelves?

Imagine if all you saw on Sex in the City was Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda without Samantha. Let's be honest: Samantha is the equivalent of Very Dark Strong Taste. Why Sex in the City was better than And Just Like That.

I won't judge you if your ideal maple syrup is either Carrie, Charlotte, or Miranda. I may not eat pancakes at your house. I want you to have those options. I just want my Samantha on pancakes, waffles, French toast, and as a sweetener in avocado chocolate pudding.

Dark maple syrup lovers want to find what they want. You shouldn't need a fine print reader in a grocery aisle to figure out what is out there and all options on the table should be on grocery store shelves.

Daily Show has fun with Quebec maple syrup heist

We can't mention maple syrup and not refer back to the Daily Show coverage of the maple syrup heist in Quebec. You might know the Vermont version more than the Quebec version. Maple syrup is valuable in Quebec.

Cabanes à sucre aka sugar shacks is a part of the Quebec culture tied to maple syrup.

How the climate crisis is affecting maple syrup (Ici/Radio-Canada)

Why we should appreciate maple syrup, especially good quality maple syrup.

photo credits: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers; me; The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Percy film is a useful tool to learn more about the dangers of GMOs

Based on a true story. What an amazing, actually true story. Not just the saga of Percy Schmeiser, a Saskatchewan farmer on the wrong side of Monsanto, but the thousands of farmers forced to settle with the large conglomerate.

We have written a lot about glyphosate and its impact on corn and soybeans as well as the feed that goes into animals that we eat.

Percy, otherwise known as Percy vs. Goliath, tells that story in a straightforward presentation. Not building characters but acting out the actual story, within reason. A direction that will help explain significantly complex material through a feature film setup.

From the review: "The film doesn't waste time in the beginning with an elaborate open. We pretty much are there at the beginning with the start of the story. The film is a blow-by-blow essence of the actual story. We apparently aren't here for character development, except for when Percy buys a large tractor in the beginning of the film."

Percy is a troubled film due to the absolutely terrible dialogue. Our sibling blog, Canadian Crossing.com, has a full review.

Canadian film review: Percy

We wrote about a very troubled film called Food Evolution full of questionable editing and deception and lies. Here are the stories we wrote on the topic.

Buying truly natural food is the best way to avoid Monsanto GMOs

Film review: Food Evolution

Food Evolution tries to show us GMOs aren't all bad

There are prominent Americans in the cast of this Canadian film. Christopher Walken plays Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser. Christina Ricci and Zach Braff plays supporters of Schmeiser's case.

What's Tempting: GMO-free Cheerios

From the review: "Glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Roundup, is a disaster to the American and Canadian farming industry. You may know the phrase GMO; you will learn a lot more about it in the film."

BalanceofFood.com film coverage

We are great believers in buying local from nearby farmers that are not plugged into a world that is glyphosate. If you are new to this idea, watching Percy can help you, even with this level of dialogue.

Percy is available on demand in the United States and on Crave in Canada.

photo credit: Percy
video credit: YouTube/Mongrel Media

Make the switch from grocery store eggs to eggs from local farmers

We've seen the memes about how expensive eggs have become of late. Supply chain issues, grocery store greed. You don't care why the price is going up; you just want the price increases to stop and maybe, perhaps go down in price.

You could say eggs are eggs-pensive. (ha ha)

I don't buy eggs that often. Then again, the price of the eggs I buy isn't being jacked up by supply chain issues and grocery store greed.

I buy my eggs at farmers markets: local, great quality eggs not affected by supply chain issues. Hens that are treated well and lay beautiful eggs. The price I generally pay may be shocking to some readers: $6-$7 per dozen. The price of a single egg — at $6/dozen — is 50¢ per egg.

If you buy grocery store eggs, you never thought about paying 50¢ per egg. Your argument before the huge price increases could be that people were idiotic to pay 50¢ per egg. They might pay $6 for a fancy coffee drink yet $6 is too much for a dozen eggs.

Simplifying dinner could start from breaking a couple of eggs

Is the cost of fresh produce worth the price?

Years ago, I wrote for Marketing News about a politician complaining about the cost of breakfast cereal. This was so long ago that Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was a representative in Congress before becoming a senator and the current Senate majority leader.

I joked about the Roseanne TV show suggestion of buying generic cereal and putting it into the brand name box. I broke down the cost of a 1 oz. serving to show the relative insignificant cost of a bowl of cereal.

An individual egg supplies fat and protein that is versatile and boosts nutrition whether the egg is a supporting player or the star of the dish. Good quality eggs are worth 50¢ per egg to you and the farmer.

Egg prices are up 60%. That’s absurd. People are paying up upwards of $6 and $7 for a dozen eggs.

Why? Corporate greed.

Cal-Maine, the largest egg producer in the US, is raking record profits — $198 million in its latest quarter.

That’s a 65% increase from a year ago.

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) January 20, 2023

I have a vegan friend who posts a lot of vegan information on Facebook. She would gladly offer that you don't have to use chicken eggs as in the above examples. Avocadoes are a lot more expensive than bananas, if price is your primary objective.

Some of these methods require more time, such as the flaxseed and chia seed. If you live in a snowy, cold climate, a substitute can help if traveling to the store is uncertain. Flaxseed (4:1) and chia seed (3:1) are good Omega-3 sources.

You can still eat eggs and use these suggestions. My friend wants people to ideally go vegan while I suggest that omnivores come up with a nice balance. Baking is a great way to use a substitute while still having scrambled eggs. If you wonder why the blog is named BalanceofFood, this is part of our philosophy.

Egg recall proves food producers are 'too big to fail'

Food review: Just Crack an Egg

BalanceofFood.com farmers market coverage

Food inflation is a real factor in the United States and all over the world. Some products can be bought purely on cost while other products are worth more by paying more. Eggs would certainly qualify in the latter category. If you have a choice between paying $7.25 for a dozen regular eggs at a grocery store vs. $6 for local, better-grown farmers eggs, the latter choice is the ideal one on multiple levels.

meme credit: @carnivorecabal/Instagram/Gizmodo
Twitter capture: @RBReich
photo credit: Nana's Recipe Picks/Facebook

Enjoy foods where you travel but be careful what you bring back

I arrived back from Canada earlier this week. I did bring back some Canadian treats. Ketchup chips. Butter tarts. I brought in all of this food legally. I have missed Canadian treats.

In preparing for the trip, I was thinking back to the time of Canadian fat cakes. Well, not actual Canadian fat cakes because they aren't real. Smuggling them back into the United States would not have been a crime, even if they existed.

The Canadian fat cakes episode of iCarly is now 10 years old. Jennette McCurdy, who played Sam, the one obsessed with Canadian fat cakes, is now retired from acting.

That may be more about what we learned in her memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died.

McCurdy talked about weight issues she had due in part to the stress her mother put on her. Having to pretend to be obsessed about a fictional treat, even as lovely as one as Canadian fat cakes, had to be difficult. I don't know much about her acting ability, but Sam had me jonesing for Canadian fat cakes.

I loved how the writers noted the contrast that American fat cakes had "corn fat" while Canadian fat cakes had "cane fat." This was 10 years ago. There was a time where I would have brought over Canadian Twinkies, back when there was a difference. The Jos. Louis cakes, which are real, have the dreaded glucose-fructose aka high-fructose corn syrup.

Your humble narrator hasn't been able to "smuggle" food in from Canada in about 3 years. If I were driving, my trunk would overflow from all the Canadian food I would love to bring back to the United States. All of it legally.

The rules haven't changed. Live food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat, are definitely not allowed. Foods that were never alive, such as ketchup chips, butter tarts, and the proverbial Canadian fat cakes, aren't a problem.

These rules also apply to entering other countries from the United States. Each country has their own rules for what you can bring into that country.

Australia has very strict rules on bringing anything into that country.  

iCarly hits Canada in search of Canadian Fat Cakes

Temptation of the Week: Canadian fat cakes

Celebrating the Michelle Obama legacy for food and nutrition

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

When traveling, enjoy the food of where you are. Bring some home as a souvenir. Just remember to follow the rules of where you are going. 

photos credit: iCarly

Shopping for vegetables is a reality, not a political stunt

Home-Ec was Episode 16 in Season 3 of Roseanne back in 1991. Roseanne ends up taking the home economics class Darlene is in to the Buy 'n Bag supermarket. Her tips are surprisingly sharp, including buying the generic cereal and putting the cereal into the name brand box.

The opposite end of that scale was watching Mehmet Oz shop for crudité in a video designed to show his "regular side" in his run to be the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania to replace Pat Toomey (R-PA).

Oz picks out store brand salsa and guacamole among his purchases, lambastes the price of said purchases, and blames the high food prices on President Joe Biden. Oz, as you may have guessed, is from the Republican Party, so he blames the current president, who is from the Democratic Party.

As we've learned in the 1970s, the president is not responsible for inflation, regardless of party. The companies who are making record profits off of inflation are much more likely to donate to the elephants (GOP) than donkeys (Dems).

"Guys, that's $20 for crudité and that doesn’t even include the tequila."

In the video, the vegetables add up to $10. Not all of that would go into a crudité. The guacamole was $4 and the salsa was $6.

If Oz really wanted to save money, he could make homemade salsa and guacamole. The taste would improve and you save money. Buying from local farmers markets ensure that the money would stay in Pennsylvania instead of buying a salsa from New York City.

In PA we call this a... veggie tray https://t.co/nDp0Uw27zd

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) August 15, 2022

Food prices were a concern even before the pandemic. Wages have been stagnant in terms of buying power for 40 years. Will Oz do anything about that? No.

Cheap, processed foods are often inexpensive compared to fresh produce in the supermarket. Will Oz do anything about that? No.

Food ads are dominated with relatively, unhealthy foods, while we, especially kids, don't see ads for fresh produce. Will Oz do anything about that? No.

You can reduce food costs despite inflation

Leaving avocados and oranges whole encourages learning about produce

Vending machines in France show new way to get produce from farmers

Showing kids that fruits and vegetables have merit through watching ads

"If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in the position of having to lie about it constantly," Rachel Tripp, Oz's senior communications adviser, said in a statement.

You would think someone working for a person who is an actual doctor would not be so inaccurate about health. Fetterman, the current lieutenant governor, is running against Oz on the Democratic side of the ballot.

Fetterman responded in a tweet. "I had a stroke. I survived it. I'm truly so grateful to still be here today. I know politics can be nasty, but even then, I could *never* imagine ridiculing someone for their health challenges."

Dine in restaurants when you feel safe, not because of a political stunt

Erin O'Toole, then leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, has his own cheap, food-related political stunt last year. Half off food but only Mondays and Wednesdays for a month. Paying the full amount to find a safer place to eat vs. a risk with a small savings. 

O'Toole lost that election and was soon booted out as the party leader, not because of this political stunt. This notion of needing to pull cheap, political stunts generally comes from conservative parties. O'Toole stole this idea from the UK Conservatives. 

If John Fetterman was pulling a similar stunt, we would crack down just as tough. Democratic and liberal politicians generally want to help people through government action. The other side is the dominant force behind cheap political stunts.

BalanceofFood.com farmers market coverage

Politicians of all stripes would benefit from a grocery store experience like what Roseanne gave in that episode. They should know how poor people actually shop. They aren't building crudité or even a veggie tray. They know their kids need nutritious food but aren't sure how to make that work, given the discrepancies at the grocery store. No political stunt will help them feed themselves and their kids.

photo credit: @DrOz
Twitter capture: @JohnFetterman

Canada help for U.S. baby formula shortage thwarted by poor trade deal

We heavily endorse breastfeeding here at BalanceofFood.com. We recognize the realities of baby formula.

The United States is suffering a baby formula shortage. While there are several factors involved, the United States can't import baby formula from Canada thanks to a truly stupid trade deal aka NAFTA 2.0.

Our sibling blog — CanadianCrossing.com — has an extensive story this morning on all the details.

Podcast: Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and the politics of breastfeeding

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

One intriguing development is that the standards for baby formula in Canada and Europe are significantly higher than the standards in the United States. Once the shortages are fixed, the U.S. should look to increase the standards for baby formula. After all, why shouldn't babies get the best, unless there is some political reason.

As our colleagues note: "The party of the crybaby toddler is the party that is trying to take advantage of the political ramifications of the baby formula shortages."

photo credit: Dairy Farmers of Canada