Contributing Writers
Michele Simon
Articles Written by Michele Simon
Subscribe to this author via RSSBest Public Relations Money Can Buy – A Guide to Food Industry Front Groups
Opinion
Last month, the International Food Information Council Foundation released the third edition of its report: Food Biotechnology: A Communicator’s Guide to Improving Understanding. What sounds like a reasonable and helpful document is in fact the product of a well-oiled PR machine whose board of trustees includes executives from such food giants such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and Mars. In response to… Continue Reading
Ridding Schools of Fast Food, Junk Food, and Soda Pushers
Opinion
With the passage of the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act of 2010, in addition to improving school meals, Congress required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update nearly nonexistent nutrition standards on so-called competitive foods. These are foods sold outside the school meal program, including fast food items sold alongside the reimbursable lunches, and soft drinks… Continue Reading
Monsanto Teams Up with Congress to Shred the Constitution
Opinion
Our founding fathers, white maleness aside, did get a few things right. One of them was the concept of “separation of powers,” which ensures a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. But a dangerous provision snuck into the budget bill passed last week in Congress upends… Continue Reading
How the Other NRA Is Making Us Sick
Opinion
This week, food labor advocate Saru Jayaraman is releasing her new book, Behind the Kitchen Door, which relates heartbreaking stories of just some of the 10 million restaurant workers in the U.S. In a chapter called “Serving While Sick,” she tells the disturbing tale of a fast-food worker who had no choice but to come to… Continue Reading
Will a Federal Compromise on GMO Labeling Trump State Law, Forever?
Opinion
Recent reports of secret meetings among industry reps and the Food and Drug Adminstration over GMO labeling piqued my interest, mostly because this critical aspect was missing: any effort to label GE foods at the federal level could bring the current grassroots movement to a grinding halt by preventing any stronger local laws from ever… Continue Reading
Feds to Parents: Big Food Still Exploiting Your Children; Good Luck With That
Opinion
If you wanted to ensure a report gets buried, a good time to release it would be the Friday before a holiday week. That the Federal Trade Commission released its latest report on marketing to children on that day speaks volumes about how seriously the Obama administration is taking this intractable problem. The mind-numbing 356-page document is billed as… Continue Reading
Did You Eat Today? Thank a Food Worker
Opinion
The most under-reported and neglected aspect of the good food movement is the 20 million workers who toil every day — often under inhumane conditions — harvesting fields, killing and cutting up animals, packing boxes, driving trucks, cooking meals, ringing up orders, serving tables and cleaning up the mess. Recognizing this reality is the idea… Continue Reading
Lies, Dirty Tricks and $45 Million Kill GMO Labeling in California
Opinion
California’s Proposition 37, which would have required labeling of GMO foods, died a painful death Tuesday night. Despite polling in mid-September showing an overwhelming lead, the measure lost by 53 to 47 percent, which is relatively close considering the No side’s tactics. As I’ve been writing about, the opposition has waged a deceptive and ugly campaign, fueled by more than $45… Continue Reading
Busted: Food Myths Brought to You By Corporate Front Groups
Opinion
Over the past few months, I’ve been writing about Proposition 37, the California initiative that would require foods made through genetic engineering to be labeled, a policy that is common sense in 61 other countries, but has been denied to Americans thanks to lobbying by Big Biotech. One of the most prominent food myths perpetuated… Continue Reading
“Pink Slime” Lawsuit May Be Frivolous, But Could Chill Speech
Opinion
To no one’s surprise, Beef Products Inc. (BPI) – maker of the ground beef product that took on the moniker of “pink slime” – filed a defamation lawsuit earlier this month against ABC News and several individuals. As I wrote in March at the height of the media uproar and consumer backlash, the entire pink… Continue Reading
McDonald’s and Coca-Cola: An Unhealthy Alliance
Opinion
Today the New York City Board of Health approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to limit the size of sugary soft drinks. Motivated by rising diet-related chronic diseases (along with healthcare costs), the Mayor’s attempt to rein in out-of-control portion sizes caused quite a media firestorm. Predictably, the soda lobby has come out swinging, complete with… Continue Reading