Mapping the crops with the most potential in a changing climate

The climate is changing, which means some crops will fair better or worse given new conditions. Stamen, in collaboration with Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils, mapped the potential shifts for a variety of crops.

Be sure to see Stamen’s process post on the design choices behind the visual explorer.

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Greenhouse gas from wasting food at home

Almost half of wasted food comes from homes, and almost half of that goes to landfills. The rotting food then produces methane. For Reuters, Ally J. Levine and Daisy Chung illustrate why that’s an issue and why we should minimize the amount of food we throw away:

Methane produced by food decomposing in landfills makes up 1.6% of all human-made Greenhouse Gas emissions. While that may not sound like much, it’s a large percentage for such a specific pollutant. When scientists look at hyper-specific categories, Karl says, anything over 1% is significant.

“Any action that can prevent food waste from sitting in untreated piles will directly lead to climate impacts being reduced.”

I appreciate the illustrations that make the data less abstract, which have become standard from Reuters Graphics.

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Imagining carbon food labels

By purchasing certain foods, we make decisions about the carbon footprint from the production of those foods. Most of us don’t have a good idea of how much difference our choices can make though. Financial Times reports on policymakers working to make the footprint more obvious through food labeling.

Based on estimates from CarbonCloud, a scale on the FT piece weighs the carbon footprint per kilogram of various foods. The scale metaphor threw me off at first, because the item with a lower carbon footprint appeared visually higher. Of course with a scale, something heavier pushes down more, but my brain was thinking in terms of x-y-coordinates. Maybe that’s just me staring at too many charts.

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Chart used as drink label

For Swee Kombucha, Bedow used a stacked chart as a food label to show the ingredient breakdowns for various beverages. The greater the area is, the more ingredient by volume there is in the drink.

This project takes me back. See also nutritional facts redesigned, alcoholic beverage pie charts, the engineer’s guide to drinks, and coffee drink breakdowns. The two-year span from 2010 to 2011 was quite the renaissance period for beverage percentages.

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3 Ways to Improve Your Food Label Literacy

A person pushing a shopping cart in a grocery store.

Canned goods are an emergency preparedness staple. And for good reason. They are reasonably affordable, require little to no preparation, and have a long shelf life. These characteristics make them a good choice for your emergency food supply.

As often as people buy and cook with canned goods, they can find food labels confusing.(1, 2) Because labels are required for most packaged foods, it’s good to know how to read and understand them.(3)

Knowing how to read food labels is a practical skill that can help you avoid food allergens, reduce sodium and sugar in your diet, reduce food waste, and better manage your emergency food supply.

Here are three ways you can improve your food label literacy.

Learn to Identify Allergens

Food allergies affect millions of Americans and their families. They occur when the body’s immune system overreacts to certain proteins in food.

Food allergic reactions vary in severity. Mild symptoms can include hives and lip swelling. One severe, life-threatening reaction, often called anaphylaxis, may involve fatal respiratory problems and shock.(4)

The best way to prevent a food allergy reaction is to avoid the foods that cause reactions.

Laws and regulations, such as the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), and the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act (FASTER) make it easier for people to identify potential food allergies in food products.

FALCPA requires labeling for the eight most common food allergens. They are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.

FASTER identifies sesame as a major food allergen. Food labels must start to identify sesame as an allergen beginning January 1, 2023.

FALCPA says the name of the food source of a major food allergen must appear in one of three ways:

  • Using the allergens common name in the ingredient list (e.g., milk).
  • In the ingredient list in parentheses after the name of a less common form of the allergen (e.g., “lecithin (soy),” “flour (wheat),” and “whey (milk)”).
  • Immediately after or next to the list of ingredients in a “contains” statement. (e.g., “Contains wheat, milk, and soy.”).(5)

Consumers may also see advisory statements such as “may contain [allergen] or “produced in a facility that also uses [allergen].” Statements like these are used to address “cross-contact,” which can occur in different ways:

  • When multiple foods are produced in the same facility using shared equipment.
  • When multiple foods are produced on the same production line.
  • As the result of dust or aerosols containing an allergen.(4)

Make a habit of carefully reading labels even for foods you purchase often because ingredients and manufacturing processes can change. Reading labels each time you shop to avoid food allergens will ensure your emergency food supply is ready when you need it.

Be Informed About Expiration Dates

Americans throw away almost 40 million tons of food every year. Confusion over date labeling accounts for an estimated 20% of consumer food waste, according to FDA.(6)

Many people incorrectly think phrases like “Best By” and “Best if Used By” refer to food safety. Manufacturers use phrases like these to refer to when the food is at peak freshness and flavor.

Shelf-stable foods like canned goods can last for years past their “best by” date if the can is in good condition. That means no rust, dents, or signs of swelling.(7)

Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems launched the “Labels Unwrapped” website to help you better understand food labels. The “Labels 101” resource includes examples of common phrases on food packaging and explanations of the terms used to communicate quality.

After an emergency, it’s important that you take steps to prevent illness from unsafe food. Visit CDC’s website for information on what to do with food after an emergency or disaster.

Get the FoodKeeper App

The FoodKeeper app was developed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and others to help you understand how to store food and beverages.

The app allows you to search different foods by category for information about when you should consume them and how to safely store them. For example, the app recommends that you keep low-acid, unopened canned goods like stew, soups, and beans in the pantry.

The app also suggests you eat them within 2 to 5 years of purchase. You should refrigerate and eat low-acid canned goods within 3 to 4 days after opening.

Use your new understanding of food labels and tools like the FoodKeeper app to help you manage your pantry and maintain your emergency food supply. At the same time, you can avoid allergens, reduce waste, and save money on your food bill.

Resources

References

  1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/02/soup-tuna-top-selling-canned-foods-in-america/111338376/
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30770169/
  3. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition
  4. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies
  5. https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/how-read-food-label
  6. https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/how-cut-food-waste-and-maintain-food-safety
  7. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/06/27/you-toss-food-wait-check-it-out

 

Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

Check the frequency of salmonella in your chicken

The USDA recommends that you cook your chicken to at least 165°F to kill salmonella bacteria (time is also a factor), which appears to be more common than I would hope. ProPublica has a Chicken Checker so that you can find out. Look up the poultry product number on your pack of chicken, and you can see what percentage of USDA samples from the respective processing plant had salmonella.

A beeswarm chart shows how the plant’s rate compares to other plants that process the same type of poultry.

All I can think about now is that trend on social media from a while back where people cooked their chicken to rare. Mmm, salmonella.

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Seeing How Much We Ate Over the Years

How long will chicken reign supreme? Who wins between lemon and lime? Is nonfat ice cream really ice cream? Does grapefruit ever make a comeback? Find out in these charts.

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Food recipe cards to preserve family’s culture

In an effort to preserve part of her family’s culture, Jane Zhang designed recipe cards illustrating foods from her mother and grandmother. They provide ingredients and steps, but they also provide illustrations and diagrams that represent cuisine style, cooking method, texture, and taste.

My grandma spoke little English and I speak little Cantonese, so we often communicated through the language of food. So this project really speaks to me. I wish I had this for my own family.

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Food recipe cards to preserve family’s culture

In an effort to preserve part of her family’s culture, Jane Zhang designed recipe cards illustrating foods from her mother and grandmother. They provide ingredients and steps, but they also provide illustrations and diagrams that represent cuisine style, cooking method, texture, and taste.

My grandma spoke little English and I speak little Cantonese, so we often communicated through the language of food. So this project really speaks to me. I wish I had this for my own family.

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Machine learning to find a recipe for a baked good that’s half cake and half cookie

Last year, around the time when people were baking a lot of things, Sarah Robinson used machine learning to find a recipe for a “cakie”:

Like many people, I’ve been entertaining myself at home by baking a ton and talking about my sourdough starter as if it were a real person. I’m pretty good at following recipes, but I decided I wanted to take things one step further and understand the science behind what differentiates a cake from a bread or a cookie. I also like machine learning so I thought: what if I could combine it with baking??!

Robinson provides the final recipe at the end, so first, I need to try this recipe. Second, what other foods and beverages can this apply to?

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