U.S. Department of Agriculture

6 Favorite Italian American Delis for Cold Cut Sandwiches

On May 28, the FDA will lift the USDA ban on imported Italian cured pork products. This means we'll finally get to enjoy artisanal salami from parts of Italy like Emilia-Romagna and Piedmonte. Although according to The New York Times, it remains to be seen how much will be made available to us, give ... More >>

Yoshinoya Beef Bowl: What Does It Really Taste Like?

Let me preface all of this by saying that I've never been to a Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, and I'm willing to bet that you haven't either. In fact, I don't know anyone who has dined at a Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, and my contacts folder reads like a who's-who of questionable eaters. Yet, inexplicably, those oran ... More >>

Americans are Commonly Dying Under Age 50: Blame Stupid Choices, Too Much Driving and Sitting, and Poverty, Study Says

Everyone wants to live forever. But a study from USC and the National Academies suggests that if you'd like to see 51, it's time a lot of people stopped acting stupid. Americans spend more on health care than anyone, but are less healthy, birth to death, than residents in other developed countries. ... More >>

Jessica Rath Turns the Science of Apple Breeding Into Art, in Pasadena

Trader Joe's Butter Chicken Recalled for Listeria Risk

We're still fond of you, TJ's, and we're hoping we can work this out, but your empty promises about caring for our health and safety are beginning to make us sick (literally). Coming on the heels of recalls this year of barbecue chicken salad (Listeria, July) and peanut butter (Salmonella, Septemb ... More >>

Pet Sales Ban For Local Retailers Passes L.A. City Council

L.A. is outlawing the sale of dogs and cats that don't come from shelters and approved rescue organizations. The City Council yesterday voted to approve the ban, which is intended to put an end to the sale of factory "puppy mill" pets in L.A. The law will go into effect ...

SeaWorld Orca Injured in Killer Whale Fight (PHOTO)

PETA has been going after SeaWorld San Diego in recent days for what it alleges is inhumane confinement that led to a huge chunk of flesh being bitten out of orca Nakai. According to the group Nakai and two other killer whales got into it as a result of being incompatible and confined to a relative ... More >>

10 Stupidest California Bills That Legislators Are Trying to Slam Through at Final Hour

The last possible moment for California's bumbling state senators and assemblymen to nudge their pet bills onto Governor Jerry Brown's desk is this Friday, August 31 at midnight. Needless to say, the state Capitol is in a state of fluttering papers/utter mayhem right now. It's hard enough to know ... More >>

Beef Jerky Bloody Mary Straws, A Brunch Game Changer?

Celery is expected, bacon is everywhere, and those foie gras garnishes are off the legal table. Just when we need a little creative Bloody Mary garnish inspiration, we get Benny's Bloody Mary Beef Straws. Iowa restaurant veteran and beef straw inventor Ben Hirko says he got the idea after a custom ... More >>

Rhubarb: A Pop Quiz, A Little History, A Short Story A Minted Rhubarb Soup Recipe

Pop quiz: If you bought rhubarb in any L.A. grocery store in the past six months, do you know where it came from? Choose from: A) Washington State B) Oregon C) Holland D) California Turn the page for the answer.

Grand View Pastures' Ultimate Father's Day Gift: 100 Pounds of Beef

Having trouble coming up with the perfect Father's Day gift? If a shirt or tie doesn't seem quite appropriate for your dad, you might want to consider something else in a gift box, maybe, say, one-fourth of a cow. Oak Park resident David Johnson and his wife, Nicole, owners of Grand View Pastures, ... More >>

[Updated:] Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive: This Saturday

Update: 5/14 3:52 p.m. Did opportunistic thieves help themselves to some of the Stamp Out Hunger donations in Los Angeles? Unfortunately, yes. There were isolated reports on Saturday of unofficial vehicles driving down streets and taking off with the food bags, which were intended to be donations fo ... More >>

Twitter Feud of the Week: Tom Colicchio vs. Dan Moody

It seems that a few weeks ago we missed a classic tweet-off between Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio and local chef Dan Moody, a former LudoBites sous chef who has spun off several pop-up of his throughout Southern California, including a recent stint at Culver City's Batch. Moody called out Colicchio ... More >>

What's In Season at the Farmers Market: Makah Ozette Potato

Alex Weiser's potato varieties form a mounded rainbow of surprisingly vivid colors, ranging from a nearly black Purple Peruvian to red-fleshed Chilean tubers to pale fingerlings. So you'd be forgiven for passing up on the Ozette (a.k.a. Makah Ozette), but only once. It is one of Weiser's, and the ... More >>

The Year in Food Recalls

It was a bad year for orange fruit (papayas, cantaloupes) and leafy greens (especially romaine). Ground turkey took a big hit (36 million pounds recalled), and raw milk products were pulled from shelves. Here's a look back at 2011 in food recalls, a year of E. coli conundrums, Listeria hysteria and ... More >>

Top 10 Food-Related Lawsuits of 2011

Taco BellTaco Bell gives thanks for being sued over the contents of its meat​A look at this year through the lens of the food-related lawsuits is like watching the first season of The Killing: an exercise in frustration, bewilderment, and, occasionally, excitement. From the mother who sued N ... More >>

Sesame Street Tackles Hunger Issues: Lily the "Food Insecure" Muppet

2011 Sesame Workshop. Photo by: Gil VakninNew Muppet Lily with Brad Paisley and Elmo​ Cookie Monster probably is going to rethink those cookies: on Sunday, Sesame Street will air a primetime special, Growing Hope Against Hunger, in which the Sesame Street residents learn about hunger issues in ... More >>

Is the War on Food Terror Useless?

Associated PressThis California farmer was given money from the Department of Homeland Security to buy a lock for his dairy barn.​ A report released by the Associated Press yesterday, September 13th, found that the post-9/11 plan to protect the American food supply is mostly ineffective and u ... More >>

36 Million Pounds of Ground Turkey Recalled

Flickr/Social Mediarts​The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey in the wake of a multi-state outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella linked to the death of a California man, the Chicago Tribune reports. Seventy-seven people in 26 states reported b ... More >>

Crying Over Spilt Milk: Rawesome Volunteer Speaks Out on Yesterday's Raid Protest Rally

Tambako/Flickr​More details are emerging about yesterday morning's raid on Rawesome, a members-only raw food collective whose owner was arrested and jailed for the heinous crime of peddling raw milk. Most absurd and appalling is the fact that the raid was the result of a year-long undercover o ... More >>

Cops Raid Rawesome Foods; Owner James Stewart Arrested

Amy ScattergoodAuthorities raid Rawesome Foods in Venice, Calif.​[Update, 2:36 p.m.: The official word from the DA's office is that Stewart, Palmer & Bloch were arrested on criminal conspiracy charges stemming from the alleged illegal production and sale of unpasteurized goat milk, goat cheese ... More >>

Self Preservation: Master Food Preservers Confront Food Safety Issues

Felicia FriesemaMaster Food Preserver Ernest Miller teaches about jar inspection at the UC Cooperative Extension​ Ernest Miller, Executive Chef at Farmer's Kitchen and Master Food Preserver (MFP) Instructor for the UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) (also we love that their website is ucanr.org), ... More >>

What's in Season at the Farmers Markets: Seville Oranges A Marmalade Recipe

Felicia FriesemaSeville oranges from Walker Farms (Pasadena and Glendale markets).​ In land where the orange (think Washington navel and Valencia) is the stuff of legend, responsible for transforming swaths of California ranchos into tidy blossom-scented groves, it's a bit puzzling to wander ... More >>

Master Food Preserver Class: Jarring Return After 10-Year Absence

Flickr/Susy Morris​ Thanks to the efforts of Master Food Preserver Ernest Miller and UC Cooperative Extension Nutrition Family & Consumer Sciences Advisor Brenda Roche, L.A. is finally relaunching its own Master Food Preserver (MFP) program after more than a decade of dormancy. While the USD ... More >>

New Menus at LAUSD, But Are They Improved?

Lara604/Flickr​When it comes to school lunches, is the turkey pepperoni in that calzone really an improvement? Some, such as advocacy group Food For Lunch, say it's not enough of one. New menus have been approved for LAUSD school breakfasts and lunches, boasting at least somewhat of a nutriti ... More >>

Top 10 U.S. Customs Seizures Of 2010, Including $9 Million Train-Load Of Pot In California

U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionDamn leafhopping aliens resorted to pineapple transit in August​Jumping at another chance to flex some red-white-and-blue muscle this New Year -- and surely aware of the Internet's obsession with Top 10 lists -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials rel ... More >>

A Recipe From the Chef: Mary Sue Milliken's Mexican Chopped Salad

Peter BarrettMexican chopped salad at Border Grill​ In our recent interview with Mary Sue Milliken, the Border Grill chef talked about all kinds of fun things, like stalking lamb in Mongolia and having a Hitchcock experience with raising pigeons in her back yard. She also discussed the Border ... More >>

Andrew Breitbart, As Predicted, Loses No Juice In The GOP

​ Andrew Breitbart will co-host a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee next month at the Beverly Wilshire, TalkingPointsMemo reports. The conservative provocateur had a wild ride last week, posting video of Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod seeming to say she favo ... More >>

KCRW Producer Sarah Spitz Called Out For Saying She Wouldn't Help Rush Limbaugh If He Had A Heart Attack (Would You?)

​Respected KCRW (89.9 FM) producer and spokeswoman Sarah Spitz became the latest target of right-wing conspiracy theorists this week when quips she made about conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on an email listserve were made public by The Daily Caller (via LA Observed). (This week the Obam ... More >>

Andrew Breitbart: Is There No Such Thing As Bad Publicity?

​ The past 36 hours have been a whirlwind for Andrew Breitbart, the right-wing bomb thrower who oversees a family of conservative Web sites -- Big Government, Big Journalism and Big Hollywood -- from an office building in Santa Monica. The quick history: He released a video that seemed to s ... More >>

Government Provides Pot For Low-Income Woman

​You read that right. And we suspect that even some of you conservatives are whispering to yourselves, "Holy Obama-care, I should have supported the health-care bill." Unfortunately, the Big Brother chronic in question is not USDA-grade, but rather Canadian. The patient, Sally Campbell, 61, ... More >>

War of Words Over Station Fire

A too-modest air attack failed to stop it when firefighters still had a chance

Crab Guy Returns to the Hollywood Farmers' Market This Sunday

"Where's the crab guy? That seems to be the question on the minds of a lot of Hollywood Farmers' Market patrons who, in just a few months, have come to count on Santa Barbara's John Wilson for fresh yellow and red rock crab, line-caught halibut and snapper and, occasionally, ridgeback shrimp. Man ... More >>

Food for Those in Need: The LA County Regional Foodbank

Julie FlynnFresh carrots, waiting to be packed for distribution to the Foodbank's network of pantries.​ "Our vision is that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County." So reads the vision statement of the LA County Regional Foodbank. Simple, right? The vision may be simple, but the work of the Lo ... More >>

Human Beings Will Distill Anything: Celebrate National Tequila Day A Cocktail Recipe from José Andrés

Photo credit: Darko ZagarJosé Andrés's salt air margarita.Cheers to whomever thought to take the unlikely blue agave plant and distill it. More cheers to those who named a day after the cactus-based liquor--National Tequila Day--which is today. Good thing it's Friday. At the tequila Mecca Malo in ... More >>

Gonna Party Like It's $19.99

From Krazy Straws to frozen salmon, a housewarming soiree where nothing is more than 99 cents

Market Research

Exploring Gardena's new Marukai grocery store and food court

Gene Scott’s Last Roundup

Demon Seed

Can the Exorcist save us from genetically modified foods, or is it another freak in disguise?

The Realm of the Open-Ended

Farmers Market in the shadow of “The Grove”

Seeds of Wrath

Silencing debate on biotech foods

Guide to Our Advertisers: Part 3

Man, Eating Animals

You have your carnal pleasures, and we have ours

Bun There, Done That

Mad Cow

Where's the beef? Right here, baby

Hunger Haunts the Farm Workers

Aid comes late after the freeze; many go wanting

Carne Knowledge

Alfresco steak in East L.A.

Trapper's Delight

Big meat in the north woods of San Gabriel