January 2011
10 posts
WalMart sez: Our produce will be cheap, but not by...
Dollar stores are “eating [WalMart’s] lunch,” say WM execs, so they are pushing suppliers to keep costs down, according to this NYPost piece. Notice the absence of any talk about keeping prices down by centralizing logistics and distribution, which is important given that the company’s announcement last week’ that its produce will be cheaper, but not by “asking...
Jan 26th
1 note
exc. pc on water and ag in CA via @highcountrynews...
Jan 25th
Cynical, I know, but: What if WalMart's...
When WalMart announced yesterday that it was going to abolish the price differential between healthy and unhealthy food, it didn’t explain any specifics about how that might happen. Corby Kummer over at the Atlantic wrote: The announced target for added sugars will disappoint many who would like sodas and soft drinks abolished, and the soft-drink question came up immediately (okay, I was...
Jan 21st
MI's southern roots run deep: only non-S state to...
Jan 20th
WalMart to drop prices on fruits and vegetables...
Fascinating and—let’s be honest—brilliant political move on part of WalMart. Whatever you want to say about the company, it’s a pretty damn smart idea to endear yourself to the First Lady by making fresh fruits and vegetables affordable.
Jan 20th
thinking about @Jane_Black 's post last week:...
Jane Black’s ruminations on the language of the obesity epidemic got me thinking. SHe writes: The way we talk about [health] is important because labeling people as overweight and obese doesn’t necessarily motivate them to change their lifestyles. During our time in Huntington, we’ve noticed a certain fragility among people who are struggling to make changes to their diets. If they...
Jan 19th
How to get families to be healthier: Put a lock on...
New study finds that placing a locking device on a TV, giving people scales and asking them to write down (i.e. pay attention to) what they eat results in….less TV, healthier diets and weighing one’s self more frequently. This does not result in weight loss, but apparently does not lead to weight gain, either.  There’s no clear outcome here, other than something pretty basic...
Jan 12th
Target stores boosting their fresh food sales...
Jan 10th
submitted a 6-page info request for USDA data back...
Jan 7th
UK launches vouchers for healthy food; Could be...
Britain’s lawmakers introduced a program on Jan. 2 to offer 50-pound coupons for healthy food like frozen vegetables and low-fat yogurt, funded with  nearly 250 million pounds (the equivalent of $390 million, U.S.) from the food industry.  There’s plenty of skepticism of food companies’ motives according to the Reuters piece covering the program—but I’m optimistic....
Jan 3rd