Tag: food

Israel’s Attacks on Seed Banks Destroy Millennia of Palestinian Cultural Heritage

This summer, Israeli bulldozers rolled through the West Bank city of Hebron with ruthless efficiency, targeting not soldiers or weapons caches, but something deeply vulnerable: Palestine’s only surviving national seed bank.

Within hours of the bulldozers’ arrival on July 31, 2025, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees’ seed multiplication facility lay in ruins — its propagation materials scattered, its infrastructure demolished, and with it, generations of Palestinian agricultural heritage reduced to rubble.

What happened in Hebron fits the legal definition of ecocide — the deliberate destruction of ecosystems to undermine human survival. The Union of Agricultural Work Committees condemned this attack as “an act of erasure intended to sever the generational ties between farmers and their land.”

When ecocide operates within the context of genocide, as it does in Palestine, it functions as a temporal weapon that extends the logic of elimination far beyond the present moment, reaching into an indefinite future where recovery becomes systematically impossible.

The Union of Agricultural Work Committees’ seed facility housed over 70 baladi (heirloom) seed varieties, many of which no longer exist elsewhere, that Palestinian farmers had cultivated and perfected over centuries. These seeds — for rare, indigenous, hardy strains of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, and others collected from local farms in the West Bank and Gaza — weren’t just any seeds. They were living libraries of Palestinian agricultural knowledge, carrying genetic traits for drought resistance, soil adaptation, and nutritional density that commercial varieties lack.

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Brooke Rollins Approves Louisiana SNAP Waiver Eliminating Soda and Candy from Eligible Items

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Louisiana’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) waiver barring individuals from purchasing soda and candy with food stamps and adding rotisserie chicken to the eligible items in an effort to Make America Healthy Again.

“Guess what was in the mail? Got a great postcard from the wonderful Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, my great friend, and this is our SNAP waiver,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) said in a video update Tuesday morning.

“Thank you, President Trump. Thank you, Brooke Rollins, for helping make Louisiana healthy again,” he continued, explaining that SNAP beneficiaries are “more likely to have higher rates of obesity that creates a greater risk for chronic diseases.”

“We want to make Louisianans healthy, so you will no longer be able to buy sugary candy, energy drinks, or soft drinks — no more soda pop —  on food stamps,” he said.

However, the governor said they are adding rotisserie chicken, which will now be covered.

“We want all of Louisiana to be healthy, and our welfare programs are supposed to be a hand up, not a candy out,” Landry added, thanking President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

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Is climate change REALLY making people allergic to meat?

Ticks responsible for giving people a “meat allergy” are spreading further and wider because the planet is warming.

That’s the story, anyway.

The disease is called Alpha-Gal Syndrome, it is a condition where your body produces an immune response to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate found in mammalian meat.

It was first noted in the mid-2000s, when cancer patients began to display symptoms of anaphylaxis after being treated with the monoclonal antibody drug Cetuximab.

Then, in the early 2010s, researchers found a correlation between increased alpha-gal antibody reaction and repeated tick bites.

Since then, the prevalence of alpha-gal has been increasing year-on-year, with the CDC now estimating almost 500,000 people suffer from this “meat allergy” in the US alone.

Why are these numbers increasing?

Because of climate change, apparently. You see, the warmer weather is causing the tick population to increase, so more people are being bitten, so more people become allergic to meat.

It’s all very…neat, don’t you think?

Myths built upon convenient myths, each reinforcing the other. Just as people “should” be eating less meat to (allegedly) help fight climate change, a disease emerges that forces people to eat less meat…because of climate change.

The reality – if we can even call it that – is that alpha gal is a “confounding condition”, that’s what this Guardian article calls it anyway…

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New Recall of Potentially Radioactive Cocktail Shrimp in 27 US States

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Aug. 28 a new recall of cocktail shrimp sold in Walmart stores across 27 states for potential contamination due to being prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions where they may have become contaminated with cesium-137 (Cs-137).

Seattle-based AquaStar (USA) Corp is recalling approximately 26,460 6-ounce packages of cocktail shrimp, imported from Indonesia, and sold between July 31 and Aug. 16.

The states in which they have been sold are Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin,

A day earlier, on Aug. 27, the FDA issued a similar recall warning for frozen cooked shrimp sold across 17 states. In that instance, the importer, Aquastar, had recalled approximately 18,000 bags (net weight 2 pounds) of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp.

Both recalls are an expansion of recent recalls by Walmart and other distributors.

Cs-137 is a man-made radioisotope of the extremely reactive metal cesium, the FDA said.

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CDC dramatically scales back program that tracks food poisoning infections

Federal health officials have dramatically scaled back a program that has tracked food poisoning infections in the U.S. for three decades.

The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, has cut required monitoring to just two pathogens that cause infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s down from eight.

Under the change, which began in July, health departments in 10 states that participate in the joint state and federal program will be required to monitor only foodborne infections caused by salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria. Those are among the top contributors to foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., the CDC said.

Previously, the FoodNet system required surveillance of infections confirmed to be caused by six other germs as well: campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia.

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Israeli military uproots thousands of Palestinian olive trees in West Bank

The Israeli military has destroyed about 3,000 olive trees in a village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the head of the local council says, as Palestinians face a continued wave of violence across the territory in the shadow of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Israeli military issued an order to uproot olive trees in a 0.27sq-km (0.1sq-mile) area in al-Mughayyir, a village of about 4,000 residents northeast of Ramallah.

The army justified the measure by saying the trees posed a “security threat” to a main Israeli settlement road that runs through the village’s lands.

The destruction was carried out as al-Mughayyir has been under lockdown since Thursday after an Israeli settler said he was shot at in the area.

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These Are The US Cities Where Groceries Are The Most Expensive

Grocery bills vary dramatically across the U.S., and some cities are feeling the pinch more than others.

Adding to the strain are record meat prices, driving up up food price inflation 3% compared to June of last year. Meanwhile, vegetable prices are spiking as farmers struggle with labor shortages amid rising deportations.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, ranks the top 20 American cities with the highest cost of groceries, based on data from Numbeo.

Honolulu, Hawaii ranks far above all other U.S. cities with a groceries index of 120.2. That’s over 20% more than in New York City, the benchmark.

As an island state, Hawaii faces higher import and transportation costs, driving up the price of food staples. The state’s geographic isolation continues to make everyday goods, including groceries, particularly expensive.

Meanwhile, California and Washington state are well-represented in the top 20. San Francisco (100.1), San Jose (89.8), Sacramento (81.8), and Los Angeles (81.7) all make the list, as does Seattle (95.3) and Spokane (76.5).

These cities are known for higher costs of living in general, and groceries are no exception. Limited space for agriculture and strong demand from dense populations contribute to elevated food prices.

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Man ARRESTED In UK For Saying “We Love Bacon”

A British man has been arrested for saying “we love bacon” while protesting the building of a proposed giant mosque.

The Telegraph reports that the protest occurred at the site of planned super mosque in the Lake District, which is populated by an almost 100% white population.

The report further notes that the 23-year-old man, was not otherwise being disruptive, causing any damage or being in any way violent.

The arresting police officer claims that the grounds for the detainment were “racial abuse.”

Telegraph writer  Isabel Oakeshott notes:

Of course Muslims don’t eat pork. As a result, they cannot share this particular delight with the rest of us. However, despite a steady rise in our own Muslim population, the UK remains a Christian country. Supposedly, we also enjoy free speech. Why then did the unfortunate father find himself frogmarched away from the protest by two police officers?

Saying ‘We love bacon’ is simply a truism. We British do love it, and there is nothing wrong with saying so.

As for remarks about bacon near a religious site or in the company of Muslims, they hardly constitute public disorder, still less ‘racial abuse,’ as the officer who arrested him can be heard suggesting.

The South Lakes Islamic Centre, often referred to as the Kendal mosque due to its proximity to the town of Kendal in Cumbria, is a £2.5 million facility under construction in Dalton-in-Furness on the edge of the Lake District.

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FDA Warns About Potentially Radioactive Frozen Shrimp Sold at Walmart Stores

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday issued a public warning against potentially radioactive frozen shrimp products sold at Walmart stores in several states.

The FDA alert urged the public not to consume, sell, or serve certain Great Value raw frozen shrimp due to possible contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.

Impacted Shrimp Products

Walmart also shared the FDA’s warning on its website.

The impacted raw frozen shrimp products were sold under the Great Value brand at stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.

The impacted products have been stamped with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1, and 8005539-1.

They also have Best by Dates of 3/15/2027.

What is Cesium-137?

Cesium-137, also referred to as Cs-137, is a radioactive isotope of cesium that is man-made through nuclear reactions, according to the FDA. The agency says because Cs-137 is “widespread worldwide,” trace amounts of the radioisotope can be found in soil, food, and the air.

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After millions of taxpayer dollars and months of crippling issues, city-funded grocery store in Missouri abruptly closes its doors

When those who don’t know history inevitably repeat it, the greatest offense is not their profound ignorance (which is seriously painful), but it’s that their obliviousness has real consequences for those of us who know better.

Government by its very nature is, at best, a “necessary evil,” and in its worst state, “an intolerable one.” And, leftist ideologies, like communism, certainly fall under the “worst state” category.Now, after millions and millions of taxpayer dollars and months of issues—like completely bare shelves, a “rancid odor” that filled the store, and rampant crime—one of the nation’s only taxpayer-funded grocery stores has closed up shop, citing circumstances “beyond our control,” offering no further explanation. (Hint: It’s the s**t idea, that’s the circumstance that caused the closure, and it is within control: don’t think like a dummy.)

Have government-run grocery stores ever been tried? Yes, of course.

The Soviet Union had an expansive network…and these were characterized by long lines, empty shelves, and rations. This era of history also includes the Ukraine famine of the 1930s, which saw the starvation of millions of souls after Joseph Stalin collectivized the farms.

Mao’s communist China was responsible for one of the “greatest man-made disasters” in history when his regime bungled food distribution so badly that tens of millions (some estimates put the number upwards of 55 million) of his own people starved to death in what’s known as the Great Chinese Famine.

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