Is Coca-Cola too cozy with CDC? (Pingree): The chairwoman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees HHS joined Rep. Chellie Pingree in asking the HHS Inspector General to look into reports that Coca-Cola inappropriately influenced public health policy through contacts with officials at the CDC.
Chinese restaurants neglected by organic movement (San Francisco Chronicle): American diners may value organic or sustainable foods “but its gravitas has not paid off for historically marginalized cuisines,” Chinese restaurants most of all.
Award for linking kidney disease and herbicide (AAAS): Two public health researchers in Sri Lanka won the Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award for identifying the weedkiller glyphosate as the cause of chronic kidney disease among young rice farmers.
Sharp declines in major crop revenue (Agricultural Economic Insights): The five-year slump in the farm economy has uneven effects among the three major U.S. crops, corn, wheat and soybeans; revenue per acre is down sharply for all but soybeans, which have been slowest to show the impacts.
Beer vs beer vs corn (Miami Herald): Bud Light’s Super Bowl ad criticized competitors for using corn syrup in brewing their products. They got an earful from the corn lobby, who protested, “We’d love to discuss with you the many benefits of corn!”