Save the Geese Here in California Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed a ban on the sale and production of foie gras. Curious about the impact from a French perspective I came across an Australian news source where I learned that the French Agriculture Ministry has recommended that the country's 6,000 producers come up with better living quarters for the geese by 2010. According to the article:
Foie gras is big business in France, which accounts for 70 per cent of the 20,000-odd tonnes produced in the world each year. It employs 30,000 people, and the average French person eats foie gras at least 10 times a year.
While I don't have the depth of experience or wallet to say that I'll miss foie gras this issue speaks to the foodie and the environmentalist in me. I've heard there are ways to produce the pate in a human manner. Stay tuned.
Twinkie Times On the other end of the spectrum, lunch box staples Twinkies and Wonder Bread nearly dropped off the radar this week. Interstate Bakeries, the nation's largest wholesale baker, has run out of dough and filed for bankruptcy protection. Sales have been sinking due to the popularity of high-protein, low-carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach.
Smuckers Stick Together Thinking of Wonder Bread brings me back to my childhood days of PB&J sandwiches on Wonder Bread. Businessweek's October 4 issue has two articles profiling the co-leadership model between the two Smucker's brothers. Yes, there really are Smuckers. The first article details the upside of the business, sales have tripled in the past three years due to the acquisition of big brands Crisco, Jif peanut butter, and Pillsbury and Hungry Jack baking mixes. This shopping spree vaults the company to the number one market-share position in fruit spreads, peanut butter, and cooking oil. Now the work begins, integration into their core business. The interview">second article is an interview with the siblings who share the secrets of their success attributed to the values derived from family and faith:
"Great Grandfather Jerome Smucker actually founded the company based upon a religious passage, which was in Galatians 6:7. 'Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap.... Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' {Tim:} Whatever you do determines your success -- how you act, how you treat people, the actions you have speak louder than words. Whether it's good or bad."
Goat Farm Fantasy I saw this tidbit on the ever sticky to me Saute Wednesday and spent several commuting hours thing about how I could come up with immediate experience and the cash to fulfill my fantasy of writing and working on a goat farm. The ad, from New Farm tells of a "thriving, fast-growing, highly-esteemed dairy farm 4.5 hours north of New York City. Property includes 50 acres, two barns, greenhouse, converted c. 1895 barn/residence, herd of approximately 60, all equipment, recipes, established accounts and list of those waiting to start buying. Owners moving on to other projects but will stay on to train in all aspects for smooth transfer. Farm qualifies for organic certification. $675,000. Serious inquiries only, please." Long sigh.
Photo credit: Peapod.com
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