Balance of Food

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

CBC Marketplace in Canada breaks down the nutrition in conventional vs. organic eggs

Eggs provide amazing nutrition, versatility, and taste for a relatively low amount. Somehow, the cost ends up being a factor, especially when measured as "mainstream" versus organic or similarly grown eggs.

A $1.80 difference in cost for a dozen eggs comes out to 15¢ per egg.

We are on the side of Team Organic or similarly grown eggs. Taste, quality, and fresh are advantages. "Mainstream" eggs aren't that fresh by the time they get to the grocery store. We would also argue nutritional advantages, including Omega 3s. The chicken's health and sanity, which we believe leads to better eggs, is highly important.

CBC Marketplace took a look at the nutrition stats for "mainstream" vs. big organic sources. They also looked at farm eggs vs. larger organic outlets.

"In Marketplace's test, organic eggs produced on small farms had more nutrients than the big-brand organic eggs sold at Canada's largest grocers under private labels and by two of the largest egg brands in the country."

The general consensus was that the nutrition of "mainstream" eggs and big organic companies were comparable. The organic eggs had a nutritional edge but within 10%.

You can read more analysis from the program on specific brands and comparisons.

We are not generally surprised by the Marketplace results. They were comparable to what we would have concluded without doing any comparisons. If you are making your conclusions based solely on nutrition, and cost is a concern, you have the numbers to justify your decisions.

This winter, I had to find a new source of eggs since my winter source went out of business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I found a different local source that has worked out well.

I haven't bought any eggs from a conventional grocery store in years nor have I purchased organic eggs from a large company in a long time. That may sound like snobbery. Perhaps. My reality is that I don't eat that many eggs. The last eggs I used were for a lime curd.

I will gladly pick cheaper options for some products where I don't see a significant issue in quality. That saved money allows me to make smarter choices in certain categories. Eggs is one of those categories.

Wouldn't pay twice as much as I pay not for my eggs. Glad I don't pay what Canadians pay for eggs (according to the numbers posted by Marketplace). Would rather give the money to local farmers.

Farmers benefit more than consumers with Canada supply management

Peterborough Farmers Market loses perspective on the value of farmers markets

Subway Canada chicken comes up short on chicken, according to CBC Marketplace

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

Balanceoffood.com Canada food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com farmers market coverage

As we noted earlier, "taste, quality, and fresh are advantages." There are dishes you can do with fresh eggs that you would be less likely to try without fresh eggs. In making fresh pasta and aioli, color, fresh, and taste would be crucial. If you are coloring eggs for Easter, the "mainstream" eggs would be useful.

Select what foods are important to you, for whatever your reasons might be, and invest well in them. Maybe you can sacrifice the cost of a high-price, extravagant coffee drink. Buying direct from a farmers market eliminates a costly layer by getting the eggs faster and fresher from the source.

Make your own best choices.

video and photos credit: Marketplace/CBC

Hard to Stomach brings home the ongoing concern of food insecurity

Years ago, we ventured into podcasts on various food topics. We may return to that format in the future.

Hard to Stomach is a podcast devoted to food insecurity issues and the use of food banks. The podcast is from CBC Radio in Canada and focuses on Ontario.

The podcast started out in 2019 with Season 1 host Nana Aba Duncan. The podcast features people on the giving and receiving ends of the food bank transactions.

Season 1 came out well before the pandemic. The contrast between northern and southern Ontario is vast given the difficulty of getting food into Canada's north. As an example, a 2018 paper from the Northern Policy Institute noted that for northern districts such as Kenora, a family of 4 would have to pay out $160 more per month than a similar family from Toronto.

The Hard to Shake podcast episode covered the ignorance and misunderstanding of why people use food banks. The That One Thing podcast episode asked the common question: "what would have helped you when you needed it" in terms of help and food security.

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

Season 1 has 4 episodes that gives the basics of food insecurity. Season 2, hosted by Jason D'Souza, has 3 episodes that delve more into economic uncertainty and affordable housing.

Season 2 comes out well into the pandemic. The podcast noted that while 4.5 million Canadians were food insecure before the pandemic, those numbers grew by by 39%, adding 1.7 million into the food insecure column in the first 2 months.

A Complex Puzzle podcast episode from Season 2 pointed out the great help that Canadians go through CERB and other government help. This will be a contrast to the great lack of help offered up by the U.S. government, thanks mostly to the GOP Senate members.

CERB offered $500/week until late September. The benefits were transferred over to enhanced EI (Employment Insurance) even though some lost benefits in the transfer.

The podcast noted that the Ontario government gave $8 million to Feed Ontario at the beginning of COVID-19. The federal government $200 million to organizations across the country. This was in significant contrast to what has happened in the United States.

Season 2 also talks about food sovereignty within communities so they aren't always at the whims of what food banks provide. This also helps communities get better nutrition.

Season 1 is a lot more helpful to explain the impact of food insecurity. Season 2 doesn't really add to the conversation too much. This was a lost opportunity, given how much worse food insecurity has grown in the COVID-19 pandemic. Both seasons will draw a basic map if you know absolutely nothing on the topic.

BalanceofFood.com Canada podcasts coverage

The podcast episodes are not very long. Season 1 has 92 minutes in 4 episodes with Season 2 with 3 episodes that take up 42 minutes combined.

The focus is limited to Ontario within Canada yet the issues discussed could be anywhere in North America.

You can subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about the podcast.

photo credit: Hard to Stomach podcast/CBC Radio

CBC Marketplace story reminds us to be diligent about farmers markets

Know your farmer.

People who love farmers markets who end up in a conversation with someone who doesn't like farmers markets often come up with some variation of "know your farmer."

Subway Canada chicken comes up short on chicken, according to CBC Marketplace

Stories such as the CBC Marketplace investigation into some farmers at Ontario farmers markets being less than trustworthy about the source of their produce can make people more skeptical about farmers markets.

Veteran patrons of farmers markets can point to a few reasons why these farmers should not have been trusted. Some of the food in the story had stickers on them. In one instance, the pepper claimed as local in Canada actually came from Mexico. Other produce had boxes that indicated the produce came from somewhere else.

Perhaps these same veteran patrons pay close attention and the average person might not know what to expect at farmers markets. So let's give some tips so even people off the street can tell which food is really local. Even if a farmer doesn't do some of these tips, that farmer can still be local, but use this as a general guide.

• If the produce has stickers on them at a farmers market, just walk away. If you see where stickers might have been on a food, just walk away.
• If you see discarded wholesale packaging, walk away. Local produce growers don't have wholesale packaging.
• Know what is in season. I know when blueberry season comes where I live. I know strawberries come before blueberries. Also, look at other stands: they pretty much should have the same fruit at all the stands. Certain produce can be grown in a greenhouse but berries aren't usually in that group.
• Local means local. I've seen people ask for citrus and olive oil in a Midwestern farmers market. Those foods are great but not local in that setting. A grocery store can handle those needs.
• Cheaper in a grocery store is a target goal, Cheaper at a farmers market often means the produce isn't local. Surprising, as food travels a longer distance, that food can be cheaper but not as fresh. A 50¢ difference per pint is not a concern. But a huge difference, however tempting, is not worth the cost.
• If the produce looks too good, that could be a sign. Real local fruit and vegetables can be imperfect. Heirloom tomatoes comes from local farms. Different varieties of fruit come from local farms. Some farmers, if you are nice and know you, will sell "seconds," often fruit that has blemishes or imperfections. That fruit can cost less and still taste wonderful in a pie.
• Offer to visit the farmer. A couple of the real farmers in the story mentioned this. 
• Talk to your farmer. Engage them in conversation. Ask questions. A real aboveboard farmer wants to tell the story of the food. Veteran patrons really do know their farmer and can spot BS above and beyond a single conversation.

The CBC Marketplace story points out that in California, "each stand is inspected and vendors are required to display a certificate that outlines the produce they grow."

"In Canada it falls to the provinces to decide whether to regulate the industry … Ontario has no regulations that penalize resellers for lying about growing the produce they sell at farmers markets."

Check to see what the standards are where you live. For example, Chicago and Illinois have standards, but Green City Market is extra diligent. Farmers can't sell anything that isn't local. Here is Green City Market's certification link.

Ultimately, the best way to tell is taste. The farmers market food may be more expensive but the food is supposed to taste so good that the extra money is worth the cost to get great tasting produce.

As diligent as one can be, sometimes you run into a bad vendor or a bad item from a good vendor. The farmers markets offer a variety of options to best suit your taste. Over time, you end up with your favorites.

The farmers market is made for relationships. Trying a farmers market once won't produce the same value as a farmers market over extended time. "Know your farmer" does take time but a good farmer-customer relationship yields a bountiful harvest.

To see the segment, click here to get to the CBC Marketplace Web site.

photos credit: CBC Marketplace

Celebrating the Michelle Obama legacy for food and nutrition

Michelle Obama will leave behind an incredible legacy as First Lady of the United States on food, nutrition, childhood obesity, and school lunches. Let's Move made an impact on trying to get kids to spend less time on screens and more time playing.

The First Lady used television well in a natural manner to spread the message. iCarly fit in well to attracting young people to hear the message. The Biggest Loser was a natural fit with people trying to lose weight. Let's not forget the many talk show appearances from Ellen to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

You might think that her natural grace and flair comes easy. Some of us still can't shake the image of Nancy Reagan on Diff'rent Strokes talking about drug abuse. Nancy Reagan used to be an actress.

Like Batman, Michelle Obama had her list of enemies: Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Chicago Tribune, Basil Marceaux, James Sensenbrenner, those against federal school lunch programs. Instead of being constructive, they were destructive. Obama played it cool every time, even when the other side won significant victories. As she noted during the 2016 election campaign, "when they go low, we go high."

The White House organic garden started out as a powerful symbol but also proved beneficial to people in the capital city with bountiful produce.

Regardless of who the next president of the United States was going to be, Michelle Obama's legacy needs to be applauded. Michelle Obama, private citizen, will still have a platform after January 20 and we hope she takes advantage of that opportunity. The Obamas are staying in Washington until Sasha graduates from high school. The organic garden isn't too far away from their new home, if the new tenants will let her.

Her enemies, who fought hard and mostly without facts, will work to destroy anything Obama accomplished in her 8 years in that role. They can't take away her legacy, the idea that someone with power wanted people to eat better and exercise more. Obama talked about "vegetable feasts," not "federal food nannies." Her positivity can't be shattered.

Since there will be significant changes in the government, keeping the legacy of Michelle Obama alive requires the help of the people. We have touted the need for government to help where it can. The American people need to help out that legacy. Fight for school lunch reform. Encourage people to grow gardens. Focus on new food labels with an emphasis on added sugars.

The fear is that her legacy reads more like an obituary. Let's not make this an obituary.

BalanceofFood.com U.S. food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com Congress food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com school lunch coverage

Here are a few stories we have written over the years about Michelle Obama. The articles are in reverse chronological order so you can go back to the beginning.

2016

5 questions you should ask presidential candidates about U.S. food policy

2015

Appreciating Jon Stewart, The Daily Show on food and nutrition

President Obama needs to replace Sam Kass with a nutrition czar

2014

Saying goodbye to the Colbert Report

Election Day back when school lunch reform made headlines

Michelle Obama fights back against GOP school lunch cuts

2013

Barack Obama has 4 more years to improve U.S. food supply, but we need to help

2012

Election Day through the eyes of the food supply

BalanceofFood.com endorses Michelle Obama to be First Lady for 4 more years

Sarah Palin's diet/fitness philosophy likely similar to Michelle Obama's approach

iCarly tries to make veggies 'wacky' to appeal to young children

Michelle Obama talks of vegetable feasts on 'Daily Show'

Michelle Obama uses 'Biggest Loser' to push 'Let's Move'

Latest school lunch improvements prove it's important who gets elected

Temptation of the Week: Resist the non-existent message that government wants to tell you what to eat

2012 braces to be rough political year for food advocacy

2011

Rep. James Sensenbrenner latest to pile onto Michelle Obama

'Federal Food Nannies' aren't real, despite Chicago Tribune editorial

What should Michelle Obama do if she wants to order fast food in public?

Christie, Huckabee stand up for Michelle Obama, but repeat Sarah Palin's lies in the process

Rush Limbaugh better off learning Michelle Obama's 'rules' before he criticizes them

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

2010

Obama signs school lunch bill, still waiting on food safety bill

Sarah Palin could help improve food supply if she argued policy, not politics

Seek out White House reminders of fresh local food

Basil Marceaux's paranoia aside, government will never measure waistlines

Michelle Obama also strikes the balance of food

Going back to 1970s might be best way to cut future childhood obesity

Should hear soon about White House childhood obesity task force

Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' gets Kids Choice Award seal of approval

Michelle Obama takes obesity fight straight to corporations

2009

Has Barack Obama found the Balance of Food?

Why White House organic vegetable garden is so important

photo credit: iCarly/Nickleodeon

Ellie Krieger back on TV with Ellie's Real Good Food

Ellie Krieger was a natural on TV on the Food Network in the days when that channel had some nutrition information in its shows. Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger ran on the Food Network from 2006-2011.

Krieger has shifted her TV home to PBS and even used Kickstarter to raise funds for Ellie's Real Good Food.

The Food Network and Cooking Channel feature a lot of food but not too much on nutrition. How to Live to 100 is a rare exception, though Jason Wrobel is as obnoxious a host as one can find even if his information is solid and useful.

PBS doesn't even have too many nutrition options. A telegenic registered dietitian wanting to talk nutrition on television is a rare sight.

The Washington Post adds Ellie Krieger to provide much-needed nutrition advice

Krieger also started writing in late 2014 for The Washington Post. She started doing biweekly online chats, though those chats have stopped.

Episode 2 had a chocolate theme. Krieger talked about the properties of chocolate and cocoa powder. Her presentation plays on food that is tasty and also good for you. She was clear about options within the recipe, even offering that you don't have to add sugar in making a coffee chocolate milkshake.

She recommended using dark chocolate with 60%-70% cocoa solids as the perfect mix "of taste and health." Krieger noted that the higher percentage "of cocoa solids that's in chocolate, the more of the good antioxidants it has, the more deep dark chocolate flavor but also the more bitter it is, so if you use 100% cocoa solids, it would be basically like baking chocolate."

We even learn the difference between natural cocoa powder (left) and Dutch cocoa powder (right).

The debut episode covers make-ahead recipes such as blueberry-chia overnight oats and turkey-stuffed pizza pockets. Episode 3 dealt with carbohydrate options; Krieger did a video chat with a woman who cooks different dinners for her family (with carbs) and for herself (no carbs). She had a low-carb dish that involved chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and penne pasta.

Krieger has a very relaxed style, slightly more relaxed than in the days of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.

For all the talk about food and losing weight, the reality shows are virtually only about exercise and the food shows are about what tastes good, nutrition be damned. Krieger has been a notable exception.

The opening segment designed to be more creative is a work in progress. The segment drags the show down. A better placement would be in the middle of the show, maybe a segment breaking down nutrition of ingredients on the show. Breaking up the show in the beginning is a bit jarring; that breaks works better later in the show.

For more information about the show and where and when the show airs in your market, click here. Ellie's Real Good Food airs on PBS stations across the country. Check your local listings.

photos credit: Ellie's Real Good Food/PBS

Fed Up speaks to limited truth along with whining and exploitation

In the course of covering food policy, we've seen a lot of films about improving the food supply or pointing out the faults of those who supply food. Most of the films fall into the category of helpful but naive.

To be clear, we enjoy these films. Seeing them every so often is a great reminder that we can and should do a better job with our food supply, especially in the United States.

In August 2014, we wrote about a pair of films that had the appearance of being noteworthy films but ran into a few problems. Farmland was released from Big Food and its praise, at least in my Facebook feed, looked to be misguided at best.

Fed Up had a more sincere purpose but had credibility issues with the significant presence of Katie Couric. We did something we rarely do on this blog: we came to conclusions based on not having seen the film. Our conclusions came from the trailer and information we read about the project. We hadn't seen the film.

The premise of Fed Up is rather good: the food industry tries to trick people into eating food based on questionable claims. This is not a shocker by any means. "The USDA is more about promoting U.S. food than about healthy food!?" Anyone who has seen any of these films know this to be true: this is literally not news.

How would the film deliver on this message and did the film actually meet the low standards we assigned to the film in August 2014?

We saw the film recently and can tell the whole story of Fed Up.

Farmland is propaganda, but Katie Couric doesn't help Fed Up credibility

BalanceofFood film coverage

The film goes back and forth between examples of the food industry's practices, strong political lobbying in Washington, and actual teenagers who are rather obese.

However, we never get a sense of the flow of the film. We know there are problems in companies and politics. We know that teenagers are becoming larger on average. There is no fluidity between any of the segments.

Couric's "journalism" sense is usually lazy, self-serving, and anti-Democratic Party. You can find TV journalists that are anti-Democratic Party and anti-Republican Party, but Couric never seems to understand what journalism actually does.

The film is obsessed over the McGovern Report from 1978 and how its findings were changed to satisfy the food industry. This is an actual theme of the film. The film never mentions Earl Butz, the Secretary of Agriculture under Richard M. Nixon, who started the growing policies that has led to cheap corn and high-fructose corn syrup.

Everything about the McGovern Report is likely true, but it's a tiny part of the story. Typical Couric journalism.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is attacked in the film for supporting a frozen pizza manufacturer that supplies school lunches over the tomato paste being a vegetable issue. Again, everything in the situation is true, but a tiny part of the tomato paste story.

A bipartisan example is given that involved Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) and Sen. John Breaux (D-LA). Mentioning a senator from each major party might technically be bipartisan, but Breaux was one of the more conservative Democratic senators at the time. Touting Craig is more hilarious, given how his Senate career ended.

Bill Clinton is in the film, and Couric asks him defensive questions that are very shallow and vague. Politicians of all stripes have certainly contributed to this mess. Watching Couric try to pin this on Clinton is rather hilarious. After all, the problem is very huge yet one person can turn things around. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have done more than anyone else in power, though we can debate whether Michelle Obama has any real power, and look at the small impact they have had. Couric criticizes Michelle Obama for her actions in the film.

The film mentions the 6¢ increase in school lunches without pointing out that it was the first non-inflationary increase in school lunch funding since 1974. The film also doesn't point out that Republicans and conservative Democratic politicians watered down that increase to 6¢.

Blanche Lincoln, who worked hard to cut school lunch increase, lost her Senate race

Fed Up spends little time on high-fructose corn syrup even as it rails against the food industry. Dr. Robert Lustig is the expert used in the film to diminish the impact of high-fructose corn syrup, even if that contradicts his own findings. Michael Pollan gives the issue some serious attention but only for the few seconds he is on screen.

Enough about the politics: what about the children. We see the teenagers who are struggling with their weight, their home lives aren't helping as the problems are often generational. One kid talks about the Southern food heritage and how it can't be overcome.

One kid ends up getting lap band surgery since there are apparently no other options for this person.

Watching these kids in Fed Up is like the Sally Struthers commercials where people are starving except they leave out the part on how you can help. That is a serious problem with this film. We see things are bad but don't get a way to help the situation.

We watch as this young person gets lap band surgery but little about what happens after the surgery. Another kid loses some weight and gains it back again. Yes, this is reality but the film exploits these young people without making their segments meaningful.

Given the low expectations of this film, we were not surprised that the film was even worse than our expectations. If you woke up from a 40-year coma and wanted to learn about what has happened to the food supply, there are parts of the film where you will learn something.

For those in a serious fight to do something about the food supply, Fed Up is mostly whining, exploitation, and incomplete on a number of key subjects. We honestly feel bad for the other people who worked on this film; their talents would have been better off in a separate film where no one gave directions to Katie Couric.

video credit: YouTube/RADiUS

Mark Bittman: Sell out or realist?

Mark Bittman is leaving the food policy beat after 5 years at The New York Times in part because "this column has run its course." Bittman is leaving The New York Times "to take a central role in a year-old food company."

If Mark Bittman feels that way, imagine how I feel after 10 years of covering the beat without the money, fame, and influence he has had.

A journalist friend of mine who covers the food beat still has a job, but her workload got cut back recently. She would do well in the NYT role as would I because we are still committed to food policy journalism.

"I've raised the topics I thought I should; I made the best arguments around those subjects where I was capable; I threw my heart and energy into it; and to a large extent have said what I had to say."

Though I have been doing this blog for 10 years, I can relate to this sentiment. You have seen fewer stories recently at BalanceofFood.com because to some extent, I have spoken what needs to be said on a number of issues. But I still think strong, good voices should be heard on food and nutrition.

The fact that Bittman went after Tamar Haspel's "ridiculous stance" on "expressing disdain for salads" is all the more reason for him to stay around.

A year or two ago, I would have ripped into Haspel over her take on salads. Maybe I understand Bittman more than I care to admit.

"I've been surprised by the lack of progress in other areas. I would have bet that we'd have gotten antibiotics out of the food supply by now, because the downside of their abuse is so clear. That hasn't happened, largely through a lack of conviction on the part of the Obama administration (no industry is going to voluntarily stop using an ingredient if it believes it benefits its business)."

As someone who has covered food and politics, I have not been surprised at a lack of progress. Criticizing the Obama administration is perfectly fine, but understand that every single positive change from government has happened while Obama has been in office. Also, the Dems have controlled the House, Senate, and White House at the same time for only 4 years since 1981. As slow as the U.S. political system moves even when people are on the same page, glaciers are literally moving faster, even without climate change.

Even with a presidential election in 2016, the political landscape won't change terribly much. A Democratic administration might extend what the Obamas have done, but Bernie Sanders might be the only Dem running for president who would address significant change in this area. Thanks to redrawing congressional boundaries in a heavily partisan fashion, the House is likely to remain under GOP control until at least 2022, no matter how little they do. Without the House, the Senate can't generate a lot of momentum on the topic.

"But it's time to hang 'em up. Just after I started this column, I promised my editors that I wouldn't overstay my welcome, that five years represented a sensible amount of time to rail against the injustices and praise the advances I was seeing in the world of food and things linked to it."

I'm not quite sure what direction this blog will take. We certainly have stories to write about food and its impact. But we don't want to keep writing about the same points with the same level of outrage. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are still alive but aren't in the business of attacking what passes for food marketing and policy. We don't see Larry Wilmore or Trevor Noah or even John Oliver spending too much time on food policy.

A lot of journalists have been forced to sell out because journalism jobs keep disappearing. Bittman's job at The New York Times is disappearing, though voluntarily. We need more good food writers in positions of power to wage influence over the American food scene. If The New York Times were to call or e-mail, we would be glad to discuss a future in food policy journalism. Hopefully, more people will take up the task to try and make a difference.

Mark Bittman may be quitting the fight, but the fight needs to go on for a long time.

Slider Bites: MSNBC focuses on food waste

Food waste is as important as underreported. MSNBC took time this week to delve into this valuable topic on "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story."

The news channel showed part of the documentary "Just Eat It." The documentary was introduced by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, who is now MSNBC's food correspondent.

The documentary follows Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin as they attempt to go 6 months eating only the bounty of wasted food, though they could eat other food at friends and family.

When we don't hear from the couple, we get a lot about how grocery stores and restaurants want beautiful looking produce and perfectly good food is thrown out over vanity.

• What's Tempting: Ugly fruits and vegetables

Grant and Jen were concerned that they might not have enough food. They discovered that food abundance, especially in certain categories, was the issue.

After the documentary aired, Colcchio hosted a panel discussion (see video above). In the discussion, author Jonathan Bloom pointed out that Americans spend less on food than any other nation. If food were more expensive, we'd be less likely to waste it.

You can find more information about the special, click here. For more on the film itself, click here.

Hopefully, we will get more enlightening specials on food stories. Colicchio is a chef, not a journalist. We hope that between food and journalism, we will have more conversations on vital but underreported issues.

---

We love the Daily Show's take on food and were glad to see Aasif Mandvi back doing a story on Simplot and GMOs.

We were simply puzzled by what aired. Mandvi found a guy who had some offbeat theories about GMOs. Those who are concerned about GMOs know there are some unconventional takes on anti-GMO theories.

The new GMO potato from Simplot was praised in the story. While the GM potato is different than the other GMOs, the paintbrush felt like GMOs were okay. We expect that from CNN, not the Daily Show.

Mandvi had a bad time with Simplot in an earlier story. Simplot would love this story.

Cornell University's Dr. Walter De Jong in the story plays an economist, saying the anti-GMO people have pushed regulation so that only large companies (e.g., Monsanto) can afford to do GMOs. He should stick to science.

The story wasn't particularly informative or funny.

The GMO potato might be okay. The issues with GMOs stem (pun intended) from use of insecticides, companies such as Monsanto, and a lack of independent information.

The Daily Show normally celebrates the idea of the more information, the better, and with humor. This story had none of those traits. If you watch and disagree, let us know in the comments section or on Twitter @balanceoffood.

---

videos credit: MSNBC; Daily Show

The Washington Post adds Ellie Krieger to provide much-needed nutrition advice

As someone who writes a lot about nutrition, I try and find resources on the Internet where people are talking about nutrition.

Years ago, long before it was as cool to think about nutrition, The Washington Post had a weekly chat called the Lean Plate Club.

The Lean Plate Club was the all-encompassing name for articles, chats, and other resources from Sally Squires where consumers could learn about nutrition and ask questions. As the world turned more in the direction of nutrition, The Washington Post got rid of the Lean Plate Club.

Recently, that same newspaper hired Ellie Krieger to join its staff. She writes a weekly Nourish column and hosts a biweekly chat at WashingtonPost.com.

Krieger is better known for her Food Network show, "Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger." Her program provided sensible, realistic ways to think about nutrition in everyday recipes. Smart, reasonable help on a topic not really covered by the Food Network or the Cooking Channel.

Krieger's chats (click here for a sample) are only every 2 weeks. They haven't been going on for all that long, so the usual rapport of the WaPo chats hasn't been established. Still, this is one of the few interactive ways for consumers to learn more about nutrition.

She is also contributing stories for the newspaper (click here for a sample story).

Unlike the days of the Lean Plate Club, the newspaper now has a paywall. But you do get a limited amount of articles for free before you have to pay. You can also keep up with what Krieger is writing about through her Twitter feed.

The Ellie Krieger material is very welcome in a world where consumers still are confused about nutrition. The material is light years behind the Lean Plate Club but there is room for growth and potential.

At BalanceofFood.com, we cover nutrition issues but we also like to read other sources for our information. I learned a lot from the Lean Plate Club and feel like my readers have benefited from information I have learned. I am learning from Ellie Krieger even more than from the TV show. I just wish, in this time where people really want nutrition information, to get even more from Krieger and The Washington Post.

screen capture: WashingtonPost.com