Starbucks Feels the Strain of World Domination

Staff / Truthdig Feb 27, 2007 In a memo distributed to top executives, Starbucks' chairman warned that rapid expansion had unfortunately contributed to the "dilution" and "commoditization of the Starbucks experience." Howard Schultz charmingly went on to lament specific examples of the company's "cookie cutter" problem, but then concluded the letter in a manner one would expect from a Starbucks executive: "This must be eradicated." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Farewell, Wild Oats!

Staff / Truthdig Feb 22, 2007 Natural supermarket giant Whole Foods announced Wednesday it would gobble up smaller rival chain Wild Oats. The marketplace for natural and organic food has grown increasingly competitive, a reality that has plagued Whole Foods in recent months. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Starbucks Loses to McDonald’s in Coffee Smackdown

Staff / Truthdig Feb 4, 2007 A recent taste test conducted by Consumer Reports found McDonald's coffee to be flawless, while Starbucks' offering was "burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open." The coffee giant responded with a nondenial denial: "Choosing a brand of coffee is a personal decision, as taste is subjective." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

State of Emergency for California Crops

Staff / Truthdig Jan 17, 2007 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in California after nearly three-quarters of the state's citrus crop was wiped out by subfreezing weather last week, causing up to $1 billion in losses. Prices around the country are expected to rise drastically, as California is the nation's major producer of fresh citrus fruit. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Franken-Heifers Immune to Mad Cow

Staff / Truthdig Jan 3, 2007 Using a combination of genetic engineering and cloning, scientists from the U.S. and Japan have successfully eliminated the protein that causes mad cow disease. So far the cows in the lab have proven immune to the illness, which shreds its victims' brains, driving them mad. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cloned Food to Go Unmarked

Staff / Truthdig Dec 28, 2006 The Food and Drug Administration is set to approve food products derived from cloned animals and their offspring. Though eating beef from a cloned cow may seem incredibly creepy, the FDA has decided the manufactured twin is just as safe as the original animal, and requires no special identification once in the food supply. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Study Links Higher IQ to Vegetarianism

Staff / Truthdig Dec 15, 2006 A study emerging from Britain claims the IQs of kids who grew up to become vegetarians were an average of five points higher. There was no difference measured between full-blown vegetarians and those who ate chicken or fish (does that even count as vegetarianism?). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

USDA Eliminates ‘Hunger’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 16, 2006 The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to remove the word "hunger" from its annual report assessing Americans' access to food. Those among us who sometimes go without food, a group that has grown consistently over the last five years, will now suffer from "very low food security." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Limbaugh: ‘The Government Is Killing the Poor…With Too Much Food.’

Staff / Truthdig Aug 30, 2006 Rush Limbaugh, pioneer of inane babble, has accused the left, the government and the United Nations of exacerbating the obesity epidemic in America by attempting to feed the hungry. Limbaugh, in a trail of thought Magellan couldn't have navigated, used as his inspiration a recent study which noted the prevalence of obesity-related health problems in poor communities. (audio & transcript) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Because Hot Dogs Didn’t Have Enough Strange Ingredients

Staff / Truthdig Aug 20, 2006 The FDA has approved the use of a group of viruses as a food additive for ready-to-eat meat products, such as hot dogs and cold cuts. Companies that use the additive will not be required to inform consumers. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ellen Goodman: What’s Eating Us About Eating Lobster?

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The arguments for banning the cooking of live lobsters may have their merits, but by making lobster meat just another shrink-wrapped commodity we further disconnect ourselves from the food chain that sustains us. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Wal-Mart Goes Organic

Staff / Truthdig Jun 4, 2006 Organic food is about to go mainstream. Michael Pollan explores what the globalization of organic food means, and finds it hard to separate the good from the bad. Also, see our interview with Pollan. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )