Bat Epidemic Could Lead to Higher Grocery Bills

With the vampire craze currently sweeping Hollywood, you'd think bats would be getting a little more attention these days. The flying creatures of the night are in trouble -- and it could cause food costs to go way up, reports Fast Company.

Bats hunt insects, and their eating habits are a major boon for both organic and traditional farmers. Reuters estimates that bats' total value to agriculture is $22.9 billion annually. The little brown bat, Montana's most common bat species, eats about 1,200 insects per hour and in one 2006 study, bats in South-Central Texas were shown to have an annual pest control value of over $740,000 (29% of the value of the area's cotton crop), according to Fast Company.

They also pollinate crops -- papayas, mangos, and figs all benefit from our furry flying friends. But a deadly fungal infection --something called white-nose syndrome -- has put the U.S. bat population in jeopardy. According to Reuters, more than one million bats have died since the syndrome was discovered in 2006. But researchers aren't sure that it's simply white-nose syndrome that's to blame, since European bats with the same syndrome don't usually die.

Conservation groups and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are on the case, but consumers should also be following the news closely. If we loose our bats, it's going to be a lot harder -- and more expensive -- to farm. And that means higher prices at the market.

Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/05/bat-epidemic-could-lead-to-higher-grocery-bills/#ixzz1hfqJQHOv

Taco Bell, KFC lobby federal government to subsidize fast food through food stamps

According to a recent report in USA Today, Louisville, Ky. based Yum! Brands, which owns Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver restaurant, and Pizza Hut, is lobbying the federal government to permit SNAP enrollees to use food stamps at their restaurants. And they claim doing so will help prevent hunger.

But many in opposition are decrying the proposition as ridiculous, and a blatant misuse of public funds in support of junk foods rather than health foods.

"It's preposterous that a company like Yum! Brands would even be considered for inclusion in a program meant for supplemental nutrition," said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

If the federal government ends up granting the fast food industry inclusion in the food stamps program, it will essentially be funneling taxpayer money into a system that promotes both abuse of the system and ill health. After all, fast food is laden with toxic chemicals and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and contains little to no nutritional value.

And if participation in the food stamp program continues to rise -- which is expected, based on a continually plummeting economy -- the end result will essentially be a government-run system of food distribution in which most Americans have no choice but to eat the garbage peddled by their local fast food joints.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033559_food_stamps_Taco_Bell.html#ixzz1gKsCkvSR

Would You Wear Bacon Cologne?

Photo: Fargginay

No need to check the date -- it's not April Fool's Day anymore. Which means that Fargginay's new Bacon cologne is not a joke.

The fragrance, meant to be worn by either men or women, is a mix of essential oils and, well, bacon. The company offers two versions of the scent: Bacon Classic and Bacon Gold. (Classic veers more maple, while Gold contains a citrus note, according to the company's perky Q&A section.)

We can all agree the bacon is delicious, but a cologne? Really? The company insists the fragrance actually smells good. "These are sophisticated aromas," the website reads. "There is a top, middle and bottom note. Both Bacōn Classic and Bacōn Gold are comprised of essential oils, flowers, herbs and the essence of bacon. The bacon is the bottom note. Hidden in just the right place. It's there alright, and the real fun is in finding it."

According to a press release:

bacōn is a passion project mirrored after one of the 20th Century's greatest legends. The Legend of Fargginay began in 1920 when quite by accident John Fargginay, a Parisian butcher discovered the ability to dramatically elevate his customers' mood with a secret recipe blending herbs & essential oils with the essence of...bacon. As the story goes, film stars & heads of state would frequent his shop to procure the magical elixir. With a wink of the eye and the secret code, "fargginay," customers would be slipped a discreet pouch containing the formula said to trigger pleasant memories. After a massive fire on July 4, 1924, the business was lost and so was the formula...Until now.

bacōn's tagline: "scent by the gods." Our suggestion: "stench of a diner." And suddenly, we're hungry.

The eau de ew comes in both bacōn Classic and bacōn Gold, each only $36.

Take a look at the perfume's kitchy commercial below. We will, however, confess that we're impressed with the packaging.

Blind Tasters Can't Tell Cheap Wines From Expensive

Photo: weelibrarian, Flickr

People can't tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine, says psychologist Richard Wiseman after conducting a survey of 578 drinkers at the Edinburgh International Science Festival, reports The Guardian. The participants sampled a variety of red and white wines in a blind taste test with prices ranging from about $6 to $50. The results concluded that people could only tell the difference between cheap and expensive white wines 53% of the time, and 47% of the time for red wines. In other words, it's about the same percentage as if they merely guessed. The Claret was the hardest to pinpoint, with only 39% getting it right, despite the price tag differences of about $5 for one bottle and $23 for the other. The Journal of Wine Economics backs up Wiseman's findings. Its 2008 study, "Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?" reported that:

Individuals who are unaware of the price do not derive more enjoyment from more expensive wine. In a sample of more than 6,000 blind tastings, we find that the correlation between price and overall rating is small and negative, suggesting that individuals on average enjoy more expensive wines slightly less.

Maybe it's time to add some swill wine to that expensive Bordeaux collection.

Many Imported Olive Oils Fail Quality Tests

That premium extra-virgin olive oil you shelled out a little extra for may not be quite as premium as you'd hoped, according to a second study released yesterday by the UC Davis Olive Center and the Australian Oils Research Laboratory.

According to the report, researchers found that five of the top-selling imported "extra virgin" olive oil brands in the U.S. were inconsistent, and that 73 percent of the samples tested failed sensory standards, which indicated they were of poor quality or had been adulterated with cheaper refined oils like canola, seed or nut oils.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the brands tested included Filippo Berio, Bertolli, Pompeian, Colavita and Star.

It's the second study released by the groups in the last year. The first was published last summer, but drew heavy criticism for small sample sizing, unknown storage conditions and testing methods. And already, the current report is coming under attack by the North American Olive Oil Association, which represents marketers, packagers and importers of olive oil.

"Consumers can continue to trust the quality of the imported olive oils they buy in supermarkets throughout the United States, contrary to what the authors of a report funded by a small contingent of domestic oil producers would like them to believe," the release says.
But Patricia Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil Council told Slashfood that the new study used two International Olive Council (IOC) recognized panels and extended the original study by using more samples of each brand. The first study analyzed 52 samples of 14 brands. The current study looked at 134 samples from eight producers.

"The results were similar," says Darragh. "What that means for consumers is they need to read the labels very carefully. There are a lot of good olive oils produced throughout the world, but consumers need to check the labels."

By definition, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the highest quality of olive oil. While it can vary in taste and color, to be labeled extra virgin, it must meet standards set by the IOC. The issue around olive oil purity has been heating up. In October, the USDA updated olive oil standards for the first time since 1948.

It has also been getting serious attention in California, which produces 99 percent of the olives grown in the U.S. Earlier this month, the California Senate Health Committee approved a bill introduced by Sen. Lois Wolk tightening the standards for what can be labeled "extra virgin" in California, and will impact what is brought into or sold in the state should it eventually be approved by the legislature and be signed by the governor.