"Magazine makes cooking a tool in fight against child obesity; Free issues will be distributed at doctors’ offices across area" by Karen Weintraub, Globe Correspondent | March 23, 2010
Until now, no one has thought to make cooking part of the battle against childhood obesity....
You know, I wouldn't mind so much if they were not using a bogus measurement, and the fact that "one in 8 Americans now receives food stamps, including one in four children."
Also see: Slow Saturday Special: Food Wars
Obama Talks With His Mouth Full
Some people are well-fed in this world, 'eh?
Copies of the inaugural issue of ChopChop were mailed out yesterday. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone of Somerville ordered enough to put in every elementary school backpack in his city, and copies will soon be “prescribed’’ at most of the major pediatric practices and hospitals in the region....
The GLOBALIST AGENDA at work with YOUR TAX DOLLARS, Bay-Staters!
Hope you have enough to eat.
“Our goal is to reach every kid in America in this age range,’’ Watertown cookbook author Sally Sampson said....
Readers, it is NOT that I want kids eating s*** food, I do not; however, I DISTRUST ANY PROGRAM PROMOTED by the GOVERNMENT and its MOUTHPIECE MSM!
Kids are HUNGRY in this country and I seldom see fatties around here, sorry. Kids are SKINNY out here (which raises another topic or two).
“She’s created a kind of Trojan horse here — a stealth, fun way to eat healthy,’’ said Gary Hirshberg, chief executive of Stonyfield Farm, which is an adviser to and sponsor of ChopChop.
Why must it being STEALTHY and CONCEALED if it is SELF-EVIDENT and GOOD?
Childhood obesity “is serious stuff,’’ Hirshberg said, “but that doesn’t mean we need to be serious all the time. We can have fun. And frankly, if you want anyone under 22 involved, then it has to be fun.’’
E$pecially when there i$ $omething at $take, right?
The magazine has raised about $100,000, she said, money that went into printing and shipping the first issue. Writing, editing, photography, design, and promotion were done pro bono, though all involved expect to be paid for future work.
No one ever doe$ anything in AmeriKa without thinking of that, huh, reader$?
Cui bono?
Hirshberg said he hopes other companies will see the wisdom of investing in ChopChop, even if they can’t quantify their return on investment....
You willing to take a loss on that?
That's what I thought.
Pediatrician Margaret Coleman, of CHA Cambridge Pediatrics, who was not involved in producing the magazine, said she’s looking forward to giving it to patients — and their parents.
A major reason children don’t eat well is that parents don’t eat well, Coleman said.
“Parents don’t cook. They don’t know anything about cooking,’’ she said.
Kind of a STEREOTYPICAL STATEMENT, no?
Yup, blame the set-upon, time-crunched, blown-apart family unit and the parents. Business, government, banks, bill collectors, etc, etc, got nuthin' to do with it!
About 17 percent of elementary school children are now obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up from 6.5 percent 30 years ago. According to one recent study, the vast majority of overweight children grow up to become obese adults.
Of course, 75% of the NBA players are fat f***s if you go by their classifications.
The magazine offers very basic, simple instructions — such as “throw the shells away’’ after cracking an egg — and inexpensive ingredients that can be found even in small urban grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods....
I know something I will be throwing away when I find it in the kid's school supplies.
--more--"
And about that school cafeteria:
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches.
I'll pack one for you, kid.
Representative George Miller, a California Democrat, is worried about a recent outbreak that killed at least two people and sickened about two dozen others in 11 states.
The E. coli outbreak was linked to ground beef produced by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y.
No schools were involved in the outbreak. But Miller said he is worried that tainted food might be purchased for school meal programs.
Miller asked the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to see whether there is adequate protection for school meals at the local, state, and federal level....
The GAO said in a September report that federal authorities had failed to tell schools about recalls of potentially tainted peanut products and canned vegetables.
A GAO investigation found that the Agriculture Department did not always make sure that states and schools were notified promptly about recalled food distributed through the federal school lunch and breakfast programs, which serve 30 million students....
This the same government that cares so much for us the gave us a health tax?
Yeah, but they are going to make you healthier, kiddo!
"Congress aims for healthier school lunches" by Associated Press | March 25, 2010
WASHINGTON — Students will always grab pizza and dessert in the school lunch line, but those items may be healthier in coming school years if Democrats in Congress succeed in toughening rules governing the nation’s school lunches.
Legislation approved yesterday by the Senate Agriculture Committee would allow the Agriculture Department to create new standards for all foods in schools, including vending machine items, to give students healthier meal options.
The legislation would spend $4.5 billion more over 10 years for nutrition programs.
I was just wondering when the tax till runs dry for the agenda-pushing, America.
Btw, ever see some of the FAT ASSES oozing through the HALLS of the CAPITOL?
New standards are not expected to push popular foods off, just to make them healthier.
For example, pizza may be made with whole wheat crust and low-fat mozzarella, with desserts with fewer calories.
I can hear the kids already: "This tastes like s***."
Hamburgers could be made with leaner meat, and vending machines could have less candy and fewer high-calorie sodas.
Those are good ideas regardless.
The legislation would also expand the number of low-income children eligible for free or reduced cost meals, a step Democrats say would help President Obama reach his goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.
A GOOD START would be ENDING the WARS they will GROW UP to DIE IN!
All right, well, if we are going to cook we better go grocery shopping:
"Shaw’s hiring strikers’ replacements" by Globe Staff/Wire Reports | March 24, 2010
METHUEN — Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc. has begun hiring permanent replacements for striking employees at its Methuen distribution center.
Spokeswoman Judy Chong said, “We’re extremely disappointed that it has come down to this. But as we continue to weather the strike, our obligation is to protect our business and the livelihoods of the other 25,000 associates in New England.’’
Shaw’s has 176 stores, in every New England state but Connecticut.
Related: Stopping and Shopping at Shaw's
I guess size does not matter.
So what gives, Glob? You left those guys walking for two weeks?
Peter Derouen, a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 791, said the company has taken the dispute to a “new level.’’
“Many of these men and women have worked at the warehouse for many years,’’ he said. “By threatening to bring in replacement workers, Shaw’s is jeopardizing the livelihoods of hundreds of workers and their families.’’
Doesn't exactly engender trust, does it?
Begins to make you wonder about this whole unemployment thing and whether the leaders really want to fix it.
Cui bono?
He said that since workers rejected what Shaw’s said was its best offer, the company has refused to negotiate. The company denies that.
Chong said the company does not have a timeline for when the permanent replacement workers will begin work at the Methuen distribution center.
She added that the chain is not legally obligated to fire permanent replacement workers to make room for striking associates if they decide to return to work.
About 300 employees went on strike March 7 after rejecting a combination of increases in wages and health care payments they said would cost them money long-term.
Both sides are working with a federal mediator.And Shaw's went and did this?
--more--"
That mediator must not have much authority or must be supporting one side because....
"Shaw’s will lay off 4% of workers; Supermarket says strike is not a factor" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | March 25, 2010
Yeah, it's just a coincidence!
Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc. said yesterday that it plans to lay off 4 percent of its store associates in early April in an effort to stay competitive and make its stores more efficient. The move comes more than two weeks after hundreds of its workers went on strike across New England.
Shaw’s spokeswoman Judy Chong said the cutbacks will take effect on April 10 and include “some full-time retail positions’’ in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. But she declined to say how many employees would lose their jobs.
Well, that will help the non-existent recovery.
Shaw’s, which has 176 locations in New England, employs about 25,000 total workers in its stores, corporate offices, and distribution centers.
“It streamlines our operations. It gives us flexibility to schedule according to business conditions and customer traffic patterns, and it brings costs into line,’’ Chong said.
The job reductions come at a time of labor unrest for the supermarket chain. Employees at a Methuen distribution center went on strike on March 7 following three months of negotiations and a rejection of a final contract offer.
The strike has since expanded to include workers at 16 locations across Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
No wonder the Globe was so quiet about it.
Shaw’s Chong said the company spent several months looking at how it could operate more efficiently, and the resulting layoffs are unrelated to the ongoing strike....
Why must business people always lie?
Shaw’s, which this week began permanently replacing striking workers, said it will give laid-off employees a chance to apply for work in Methuen.
Shaw’s isn’t the only local supermarket chain to have labor issues lately. On March 7, grocery workers at Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. approved new contracts after months of tense negotiations, averting a strike and resulting in three-year deals that will boost wages and benefits for five unions representing employees in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Related: Stop & Shop's Scabs
Around New England: In the Aisle at the Stop & Shop
I guess size doesn't matter; management still pricks.
But help is on the way!
"Shaw’s pickets getting backups; Other unions join in, talks due Monday" by Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | March 26, 2010
As dozens of unions prepare to join striking Shaw’s workers and escalate their protest today across New England, the supermarket chain has agreed to meet with the union Monday.
Un-flipping-believable!
I suppose they will say this has nothing to do with that, either.
Russ Davis, executive director of Massachusetts Jobs With Justice, said members of other unions, including the Teamsters and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, will fan out in mobile pickets that move from store to store and work with community organizers to urge boycotts of the chain.
That's fine; however, where are you guys when it comes to Israel and the wars?
About 300 Shaw’s employees from a Methuen distribution center have been on strike since March 7 after rejecting a final contract offer from Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc.
The tone I expect from the pro-corporate, pro-business "newspaper."
This week, the grocery chain said it planned to hire permanent replacement workers for the site, which distributes most of the perishable food to Shaw’s and Star Market supermarkets across New England. The striking Methuen employees are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 791.
Oh. They have you over a slicer, so to speak.
The extra union muscle just added weight to the issue.
“After only three weeks on strike, Shaw’s chose the nuclear option in the labor dispute by moving to hire permanent replacement workers,’’ Davis said. “It means the company is threatening to throw 300 families on the street. This is something that we feel is totally unacceptable. It has become a top labor priority.’’
Yeah, that kind of kills the trust.
Judy Chong, Shaw’s spokeswoman, said the company has agreed, at the request of the union, to meet on Monday. But it has continued to accept applications to hire replacement workers in the meantime.
“The union continues to perpetuate an unnecessary strike. And they are trying to draw attention away from the fact that the contract offer that we have provided is not only fair and reasonable but also realistic in the current business environment,’’ Chong said.
“It’s important for people to know that this difficult business decision comes after the union rejected our request earlier this month for a contract extension. They have also either voted down or otherwise dismissed two contract offers.’’
Chong said the four-year contract offer on the table would increase health care contributions from the company by up to 19 percent and increase wages by 4.2 percent for all Methuen associates, who make on average $19.06 per hour.
Wow! Sounds pretty good.
So what is their beef?
Shaw’s workers said they voted down the final contract offer because it would have resulted in the net loss of $28 per week for people on family health insurance plans.
There is that damn health insurance causing trouble again.
Peter Derouen, a spokesman for Local 791, said he’s encouraged by the company’s willingness to meet on Monday.
“It still remains to be seen as to what their motivation is when they do meet,’’ Derouen said. “We’re prepared to bargain, and hopefully they are as well, so we can get to a contract agreement and we can get back to work. The picketing will continue until then.’’
Well, we can't go in there.
All right, what do you say we go out to eat then?
"Hold pickle? Maybe, but not the calorie count under new law; Health bill sets national standard for menu labeling" by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press | March 24, 2010
WASHINGTON — A requirement tucked into the nation’s massive health care bill, which applies to any restaurant with 20 or more locations, directs the Food and Drug Administration to create a new national standard for menu labeling, superseding a growing number of state and city laws.
Yeah, they really tucked a lot to you in that tax bill, America.
As for the FDA, maybe they should worry about all the s*** food that makes it through their sieve of a system.
Related: Obama's EPA
Yeah, they are looking out for your health, yup.
It was added to the health bill with the support of the restaurant industry, which is facing different laws from cities and states. Sue Hensley of the National Restaurant Association says it will help restaurants better respond to their customers....
How come every damn special interest got what it wanted and you did not get what you wanted, American taxpayer and citizen?
Some meals will be exempt from the calorie counts....
Was that the Congressional cherry on top for them, or... ???
The law will also apply to foods sold in vending machines, specifically those that do not have visible calorie listings on the front of the package.
Ever eat anything out of one of them things?
Not bad if you want heartburn or indigestion.
The requirements will be enforced by the FDA, with the possibility of criminal penalties if operations do not comply....
Oh, I $EE! Government ju$t found a way of $tealing more money!
The FDA will have a year to write the new rules, which health advocates have been pushing for years. Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said it’s one step in the fight against obesity.
That is where you LOSE ME, agenda-pusher!
Many of us are HUNGRY!!!!
Still, it’s unclear what effect the labeling will have. In a study published last year by the online journal Health Affairs, only half of customers in poor New York City neighborhoods with high rates of obesity and diabetes noticed the calorie counts.
That's because there is about 6 McDonald's in a three-block area.
It's easy, it's cheap, and the television commercials are everywhere!
I'm loving it!
Yeah, yeah, I know it is the other guy, but how can you tell the difference?
--more--"
Aaaah! The five-star of fast food.
I guess we better just pick up something on the way home:
"PepsiCo to go on a health kick; Company aiming to triple revenues of nutrition goods" by Emily Fredrix, Associated Press | March 23, 2010
PepsiCo also said yesterday that it plans to cut sodium in each serving of its key brands by one-fourth in five years. The company has developed a new salt to put on its Lay’s potato chips. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Looks like a good supper, 'eh?
NEW YORK — PepsiCo, largely known for junk-food brands such as Doritos and Pepsi, is setting out to triple its sales of healthier fare in the next decade.
Which means it's a fraud just like the "green consumerism" that was sold to us in the '90s so corporations could scarf up good PR.
PepsiCo Inc. unveiled the new goal for brands yesterday at an investor event. The company also backed its forecast for long-term earnings growth.
I don't drink soda; it gives me hiccups.
Governments around the world are exerting pressure on food makers to improve nutrition. But Pepsi is also making the case that it’s just as much consumer demand that is driving the changes.
“Consumers are heading toward ‘good-for-you,’ ’’ PepsiCo’s chief executive, Indra Nooyi, said during the meeting.
Which means your crap-serving company is in trouble.
PepsiCo expects more shoppers to buy based on nutrition as baby boomers age and people in developing countries get wealthier.
As you get poorer, Americans?
Currently, about 18 percent of PepsiCo’s revenue comes from the lines it considers healthier, including Tropicana, Dole, Quaker, and Tazo teas.
Now I know which products to avoid.
I always buy local if possible, store-brands second.
Nooyi wants to triple $10 billion in revenue from such brands to $30 billion by 2020.
I'm sorry, but due to the banksters and corporate looters I no longer trust any agenda promoted by the MSM. Sounds good but smells bad!
That may be a huge boost, but the nutrition business is still small compared with the company’s less-healthy food such as Lay’s potato chips and soda, worth $50 billion a year.
And that ain't going away anytime soon, munch-munch, 'murkns!
Nooyi said the two businesses require different approaches. The chips, soft drinks, and other brands grow quickly and can have many different versions of brands, such as lime-flavored Tostitos.
But the nutrition business’ brands must not have too many variations so the brand remains the focus, and they must be led by people who have experience in marketing healthier foods.
“The potential for the growth of this market is enormous, and for a player who wants to play in this market intelligently, the opportunities are really incredible,’’ Nooyi said.
I mean, it sounds great but I just can't help but feel like I'm being sold a pile of s*** (what most of PepsiCo's products taste like, actually) that tastes worse and costs more.
People are willing to pay more for products perceived as healthier — even if they are making spending cuts elsewhere, said Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business Insights.
Yeah, that is if you have any money.
And notice it is "PERCEIVED" as healthier, readers!
Doesn't mean it IS, just that YOU THINK IT IS because of the BRAND and SHINY PACKAGING!!!
Khermouch attended a recent natural foods trade show and said it was clear from the number of new products that it is still a growth market that commands higher prices.....
Related: The Boston Globe Takes a Bite Out of Whole Foods
No, don't ever go there. CEO is politically correct.
Many health leaders have urged food makers to make such changes. Michelle Obama has made the fight against childhood obesity a top priority.
Not ending the wars, 'eh, Miche?
Last week she asked the nation’s largest food makers at a meeting of the Grocery Manufacturers Association to put less fat, salt, and sugar in foods.
Related: Meet First Lady Michelle Obama
I'll pass, thanks.
PepsiCo is investing in science to improve nutrition...
At the same time, PepsiCo isn’t ignoring its soft-drink business.
The staple soft-drink business industrywide has been slumping as people switch to healthier juices and teas or limit their purchases in the recession.
Nooyi said she didn’t like the beverage business’ results over the past few years, and when the company looked at ways to improve it, it realized it had to make a change — buy up its bottlers so it could control distribution, be quicker to market with new products, and save on costs.Oh, gaining more vertical control and monopolizing operations.
I remember some stuff from my state education.
--more--"
So WHERE are we going to GO to FIND SOME FOOD, Globe?
See: The Boston Globe Dines on Garbage
You like that insult, readers?
Of course, it is BETTER than eating at the Globe.
And what we all know what the answer is, dear readers:
"In the battle against obesity, physical activity is a potent weapon, but just how much daily exercise is needed to win the war has been the subject of debate.
It may not solve the problem, but it helps.
Better than playing the video games all day.
--more--"
And what am I going to do for breakfast tomorrow?
Subway will soon be serving breakfast
Foot-long breakfast?
Related: For Celtics captain, children’s fitness is a very personal cause
