Weird Food News Cooking Outrage This Week, Farm Bill Tops List
Food is supposed to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside (especially in the tummy region). This week, however, food has been making some weird headlines. As a result, people are saying food is full of it, rather than becoming full of food. Here is the weird food news of the week that's got many hungry for change.
New Farm Bill Cuts Spending But Raises Hemp and Eyebrows
On Monday, a new five-year farm bill was released. The 950-page bill is expected to be passed by Wednesday night. The bill's claim to fame is its approximate $23 billion in federal savings and $8 billion cut in food stamp assistance.
So what's so weird about the farm bill? The proof is in the pudding, aka, the bill's messy details.
The first oddity in the farm bill is its pro-hemp stance. The bill allows colleges to grow hemp in the 11 states where farming of the plant is legal (CO, HI, KY, ME, MD, MO, ND, OR, VT, WA and WV).
Next, a section of the bill titled "Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling of Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken, Goat Meat, Wild and Farm-raised Fish and Shellfish, Perishable Agricultural Commodities, Peanuts, Pecans, Ginseng and Macadamia Nuts" stayed true to previous Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations. This basically requires the meat industry to label where its meat was born, raised and slaughtered.
This seems like a simple enough regulation but some meat-packing giants, such as Tyson Foods, are against this. They have gone to federal court about it, arguing that the law is onerous and will cause rifts between trading countries, such as Canada.
"By refusing to fix country-of-origin labelling, the U.S. is effectively legislating its own citizens out of work, and harming Canadian and American livestock producers alike by disrupting the highly-integrated North American meat industry supply chain," Gerry Ritz, Canada's Federal Agriculture Minister, and Ed Fast, Canada's International Trade Minister, said in a joint statement.
Yesterday, American Meat Institute, National Cattleman's Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation and North American Meat Association wrote a letter to the farm bill's negotiators stating opposition to the COOL and Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA ) regulations.
"We are struck by the fact that a sensible resolution was not achieved for the GIPSA and MCOOL issues, and therefore, we will actively oppose final passage of the Farm Bill, if these issues are not addressed," the letter said.
And of course, any cut in government spending results in some outrage.
"Only in Washington could a final bill that doubles the already egregious cuts to hungry families while somehow creating less total savings than originally proposed be called progress," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said.
American Cat Café Creeps Closer to Opening
Soon, San Franciscans David Braginsky and Courtney Hatt hope to open KitTea, America's first cat café, which will allow visitors to "sit back, take a deep breath and relax with a cat on your lap and a kettle of tea steeping by your side."
"It's more something where you can actually connect with the community and help cats and just be a part of something physically, rather than on the Internet all day," Hatt told Fast Company.
The plan is to have patrons pay for their tea, which will include flavors like catnip-infused tea, by the hour. Shelter kittens will be on location, all of whom are available for adoption. Currently, Braginsky and Hatt are working with two animal rescue organizations and will eventually work with a cat behaviorist.
Cat lovers think the idea is purr-fect, but San Francisco health regulators are not as enthusiastic.
San Francisco's Retail Food Safety Program automatic response was a strong "no."
"They cannot operate in the same physical location," Colleen Chawla, San Francisco Department of Public Health spokesperson, told TIME. "You can't have cats in the same place as food."
In order to make KitTea a reality, the pair will have to work their way around health regulations. According to the county's health department, the café could be approved if the food and the cats are kept separately.
The next group not so pleased with a cat café is the Environmental Health Department, who has rules on how cats are housed day and night. KitTea's prospective owners have to file their share of paperwork to make the department happy.
The last step is to find a landlord that can be happy with catty tenants
"We are taking it one day at a time to ensure we get it right," Hatt told The Atlantic Cities.
Memes Start Streaming After Scarlett Johansson Defends SodaSteam
On Friday, Johansson released a statement saying she stands by her endorsement deal with SodaStream International Ltd, an Israeli company controversially based in West Bank.
"I never intended on being the face of any social or political movement, distinction, separation or stance as part of my affiliation with SodaStream," she told Huffington Post.
Johansson's statement has not stopped clever Internet users with a knack for using Photoshop, however.
The web has been swarmed with memes starring the SodaStream model. Johansson is often shown enjoying a glass of soda in front of a group of impoverished or imprisoned Palestinians amongst a desolate background.
In one meme, a speech bubble has Johansson saying "Set the bubbles free! Palestinians can wait..." In another, Johansson's bubble reads "Equal rights, economic cooperation, neighbors working alongside each other. I'm so cool." Meanwhile, what looks like a mother and her son stand behind bars next to Johansson.
A commercial featuring the 29-year-old actress is scheduled to air during Sunday's Super Bowl.
"I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine," Johansson's statement continued. "SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine..."
Beer Flavored Jelly Bean Has Parents Drunk With Rage
On Jan. 18, Jelly Belly Candy Company announced their latest flavor to the jelly bean family: Draft Beer Jelly Belly jelly beans.
"The recipe includes top secret ingredients, but I can tell you it contains no alcohol," Ambrose Lee, research and development manager for Jelly Belly Candy Company, said in a press release.
The jelly bean's beer flavor is inspired by a hefeweizen ale, in honor of Jelly Belly's German roots.
Alcohol enthusiasts are excited for on a new spin on (two) old favorites. Some parents, on the other hand, disagree.
"It's just so wrong to have this flavor," Amy Mehalko said on Jelly Belly's Facebook page. "Very disappointed. Why not just make a cigarette flavor while [you're] at it."
"We don't need that for our children," another user added. "We aren't going to buy any more. Just lost a lot of customers this way."
Some parents even worried about the Draft Beer jelly bean's potential effects on adults.
"I have been a big fan of Jelly Belly since I was 13. And now you have developed a flavor that that may encourage minors (like I was 20+ years ago or my own children today) to develop a substance abuse problem," Mindy Chemaki wrote via Facebook. "Just as bad, have you [thought] about recovering alcoholics who are harmed by such an influence?"
Jelly Belly points out that the Draft Beer bean is not the company's first venture into alcohol-flavored treats. The first alcohol-inspired jelly bean came with 1977's Mai Tai jelly bean and grew to include Blackberry Brandy, Strawberry Daiquiri, Piña Colada, Margarita and 2010's Mojito jelly bean flavors.
"We really do have many more adults fans for a gourmet product than we do kids," Jelly Belly said.
And it shows. The jelly bean is currently sold-out.
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