Food

We’ve officially entered a new era of ‘cultivated’ meat production | TechCrunch

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We’ve officially entered a new era of ‘cultivated’ meat production | TechCrunch

U.S. regulators met another alternative protein milestone Wednesday when they approved both Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell their cultivated chicken products within the country.

Known as “cell-cultivated” or “cultured meat,” these proteins are made from animal cells rather than slaughtered animals and are often developed using a fermentation process involving bioreactors.

Upside Foods and Good Meat, both based in California, will now be able to serve their food, initially in restaurants. Upside has already taken its first restaurant order and will provide limited quantities to Bar Crenn in San Francisco, while Good Meat has a partnership with a restaurant in Washington, DC, run by chef and owner Jos? Andr?s.

Today’s approval follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week approving the way both companies were going to label their products.

Both companies also received a grant of inspection from the USDA, Upside for its engineering, production, and innovation center, and Good Meat for its demonstration plant in Alameda, along with its contract manufacturing partner, JOINN Biologics. The inspection process includes examination of facilities and equipment; standard operating procedure for sanitation; and the systematic approach to identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards, according to Good Meat.

Coffee is linked to health benefits

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Have another cup: Coffee is linked to health benefits

According to research from the American College of Cardiology, drinking two to three cups of coffee per day was associated with a 10 to 15% decrease in heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease and heart failure.

Dr. Anila Khaliq is a physician of more than 20 years. She is currently with Garnett Health Doctors in Middletown. She is also a coffee drinker and said there are other strong studies linking coffee to a decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease and increased lifespan.

“Coffee by itself has an agent in it, which is called chlorogenic acid, which is a very powerful antioxidant, and it helps to it prevents the damage of DNA by the free radicals,” Khaliq said.

But keep in mind, the health benefits can be dampened by what’s also in your coffee. Added sweeteners and other fats in coffee flavorings can negate the health benefits.

Another reason to drink your coffee black. I do that most days when I have cold coffee, but when the coffee is hot I do put in some fat-free milk.

A look at how the smoke is impacting crops in New York

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A look at how the smoke is impacting crops in New York

With New York experiencing high levels of poor air quality this week, coupled with dry weather, one local farmer said the hazy conditions could cause problems for her early crops.

Kara Atwood, a farmer at Kubecka Farms in Kirkville, said the smoke is exacerbating the drought they are already facing.

“It is reducing plant growth from a slow crawl to a complete standstill,” she said. “This is almost like a one-two punch to early crops.”

Atwood said with the harshness of the dry soil, recent high temperatures, and now the reduction in photosynthesis due to chlorophyll damage and impeded movement of carbon dioxide from the smoke, their early yield harvest will be much less than they hoped.

“We are uncertain as to what other effects this might have moving further into the growing season, but the likelihood of further issues continues to increase the longer this smoke is here,” Atwood said.

Saran Wrap

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For the longest time I resisted using saran wrap as it seemed wasteful to wrap food in plastic for a day or two only to throw it away. But since I’ve gotten into eating healthier foods my mind has changed. Saran wrap is an excellent material for wrapping off fresh fruits and vegetables to protect them getting dried out or moldy.

Modern saran wrap is polyethelene, which is a string of carbon and hydrogen atoms. It burns completely with just water vapor and carbon dioxide. It is easy to use, it saves food. It’s inexpensive — a $5 or $6 roll can last for a year or longer. I think the roll I bought is at least 10 years old, though I hadn’t been using it regularly until now.

I don’t use it for wrapping lunches or anything besides storing fresh, cut food in the refrigerator for multiple days. Or defrosting meat or fish that I bought in bulk in the refrigerator without getting dried out. It works well for that. And when I’m done, I toss it in the bin with the other burnables, it gets burnt so none of it goes to the landfill. It makes an excellent fire starter, and is a small part of overall trash. It saves food — I’ve spent my hard earned dollars on — from being compost.

In the grand scheme of things, saran wrap is a tiny portion of waste, compared to all the ordinary grocery packaging — which has been greatly reduced since I’ve been eating healthier. There aren’t the plastic milk and apple juice bottles, pasta cans or even as many wrappers hitting my waste basket these days. Instead, most of my waste food is composted, and that is even further reduced by using a little bit of non-toxic plastic. I think it’s great.