Here are some of the best food stories we came across this week:
- Stressful Jobs + Long Hours = Worse Nutrition for Parents and Kids – A study from Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education found that parents experiencing high levels of stress at work ate more fast food, 1.5 less family meals per week and a half-serving less of fruits and vegetables each day. Over time these differences can also have a long term impact on children’s health.
- Meat Declared “Ecologically Inefficient” – A recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists declared, “The inefficiency is particularly high for beef, which uses about three-fifths of the world’s agricultural land yet produces less than 5% of its protein and less than 2% of its calories. Beef production causes global warming through its effects on deforestation…” and recommended people eat less of it.
- Wal-Mart Muscling in to Make Wheat Production Greener – The global retail behemoth has turned its eye towards reducing its carbon footprint and improving its green image. To that end, its senior employees have begun researching ways to help wheat farmers reduce their use of nitrogen-based fertilizer and streamline supply chains for maximum environmental efficiency, for a greener farm-to-shelf sack of flour.
- Raise a Mug: Moderate Coffee Drinkers May Live Longer – The New England Journal of Medicine involved more than 400,000 people in a 14-year observational study and found that people who consumed up to six (yes, six) cups of coffee per day had greater longevity once smoking, alcohol use, meat consumption, body mass index and physical activity were taken into account.
- Sustainability Partnerships Gaining Traction with Manufacturers – Companies and environmental groups have begun teaming up to collaborate on creative ways to reduce landfill and repurpose equipment and storage containers in a variety of ways, from pop-up restaurants created from overseas shipping containers to Coca-Cola’s donation of 1,000 used syrup drums to the River Network for reuse as rain barrels across the country.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments below, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for links like these all week long.
Image courtesy of cattisb.
