South Estes Farmers Market Holds Tomato Fest August 1

The South Estes Farmers Market in Chapel Hill will hold its Tomato Festival – This Saturday!

Celebrate the beautiful botanical that is the tomato at the Inaugural South Estes Farmers’ Market Tomato Festival.

• Chef demos by The Weathervane and Spice Street, as well as tomato day specials at Alfredo’s
• Live music: Traditional Russian Folk Musicians Vitaliy Bezrodnov on Byan (a Russian accordian) and Sergey Pudov on Balaiaika
• Mater tastings – vote for your favorite!
• Kids’ activities – mater bobbing, face painting
• Drawings for gift certificates to Spice Street, Alfredo’s and The Weathervane
• And best of all tons of deliciously fresh tomatoes to purchase and take home!

Don’t forget your reusable shopping bag.The market is open 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can find more at http://www.southestesfarmersmarket.com/

Ed Mitchell on NBC’s Today Show

Ed Mitchell of the Pit in Raleigh was on NBC’s Today show burning some ribs, as TODAY brought together some of the best pitmasters from around the country to have a spareribs showdown.

Brian Wansink Explains Mindless Eating

At work I’m in training connected to the book Influencers that uses videos to allow us to hear from experts. Today we were listening to Dr. Brian Wansink.

Wansink is an American professor in the fields of consumer behavior and nutritional science and has served as the Executive Director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which is charged with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines and with promoting the Food Guide Pyramid.

Wansink is best known for his work on consumer behavior and food and for popularizing terms such as “mindless eating” and “health halos.” His research has focused on how our immediate environment influences eating habits and preferences.

In 2006, Wansink published his book Mindless Eating that shows how food psychology and the food environment influence what, how much, and when people eat. It also shows how many of the cues in this environment can be altered to lead people to eat less and enjoy food more. The science is based on a series of studies in labs, restaurants, homes, movie theaters, diners, and malls.

• BrianWansink.com
• USDA news release
• Cornell biography

Cook Book for Picky Eaters

New York Times reporter Tara Parker Pope in the article “Cooking Kid Food Parents Will Eat” writes that Seattle food writer Matthew Amster-Burton has a new cook book that looks for new recipes and new ways of cooking that could satisfy the taste preferences of both parents and child.

CDC Presents Obesity Prevention Awards

Eight organizations were awarded the Pioneering Innovation Award at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Weight of the Nation Conference in Washington, D.C. These organizations were recognized for their work in advancing policies and environmental strategies to prevent and control obesity.

With rising rates of obesity in adults, particularly those from certain racial and ethnic groups, the CDC recognizes the need for a variety of approaches to impact this growing epidemic.

Applications were submitted by peers or the organizations themselves in response to a call for nominations for the Pioneering Innovation Award.  Over 35 applications were received.  The conference planning committee, comprised of numerous public health organizations, reviewed applications and chose the winners based on their merit.

The awarded non-profit organizations, health care providers, and tribal nations have worked successfully to influence environmental, economic, social and cultural shifts toward obesity prevention and control.

Awardees are:

• Alliance for a Healthier Generation
• Baptist Health South Florida
• Center for Science in the Public Interest
• Kaiser Permanente
• Navajo Nation
• Nemours Health and Prevention Services
• Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative
• Produce for Better Health Foundation

British Study Questions Organics Benefits

National Institute of Health’s Health Day report has an article “Organic may not mean healthier” discussing a British review of studies done over the past 50 years on the health benefits of eating organic foods.

WUNC: NC Senate Protects Hog Farmers

WUNC Radio reporter Laura Leslie in the article “NC Senate Protects Hog Farmers” writes that the NC Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to ban a key environmental panel from making rules governing hog farmers. You can listen to her report.

Powerful Video on Reasons for Eating Local

Fast Company’s report Cliff Kuang in the article “The case for eating local, beautifully made” writes about a Hellman’s ad that encourage Canadians to eat local and uses a video to vividly discuss the importance of eating local.

NC Food Safety Meeting is August 18

Two senior officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will speak at Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler’s fifth annual Food Safety Forum Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the State Fairgrounds.

The event, formerly known as AgFIRST!, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kerr Scott Building. More than 200 representatives of agriculture and food businesses have registered for the forum.

“The name might have changed, but the focus is still on food safety,” Troxler said.

Keynote speaker will be Michael Taylor, senior advisor to the commissioner of FDA. He will talk about building stronger partnerships for food safety.

In the wake of the massive national recall of peanut butter products, Dr. Donald Zink, senior scientist at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, will give a presentation titled “The Changing Science of Peanut Butter.”

The following speakers also are on the agenda: Dr. Ken Falci, senior director of scientific regulatory operations for Kellogg Co.; David Bergmire-Sweat, foodborne disease epidemiologist with the N.C. Division of Public Health; Joe Reardon, director of food and drug protection at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; and Dr. David Green and Barry Nash of N.C. State University’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences.

Reps. Howard Coble, Bob Etheridge and Brad Miller, members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, also are scheduled to speak.

Admission to the forum is free and lunch will be provided, but registration is required. To register, visit www.ncagr.gov/ncfoodsafetyforum or contact Christina Lucas Waggett at (919) 733-7125, ext. 255. Registration deadline is Aug. 11.

The forum is sponsored by N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Egg Association, N.C. Cattlemen’s Association, N.C. Fisheries Association and FoodShield.

Michael Pollan: Cooking has become a spectator sport

Michael Pollan has an essay coming in this Sunday’s NYT Magazine. Here’s a note he’s sent:

Friends:

I’m publishing an essay in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine
that you might be interested in knowing about. It’s called “Out of the
Kitchen, Onto the Couch” and tells the story of how cooking was transformed from an everyday activity into a spectator sport– something we watch on TV more than we do ourselves. Hope you get a chance to read it.

Best, Michael