MICHELE SIMON'S BIG FOOD WATCH BLOG UPDATES
September 26, 2006

Welcome to my first “blog update” email. As promised in early September, loyal fans of the Informed Eating newsletter will still find the same cutting-edge, no-holds-barred reporting in my new Big Food Watch blog. Here’s what I’ve posted over the last couple of weeks.

IN THE NEWS
Victory for Local Food Democracy - Read how California food activists successfully defended their right to keep out genetically-engineered crops despite heavy lobbying from Big Agriculture. Read story.

Soda Lobby’s Back-to-School PR Campaign - Read about how the American Beverage Association is spending $10 million on ads to convince you that the bogus voluntary agreement signed back in May is actually worth more than the paper it’s printed on. Don’t let them fool you. Read story.

Special Report on Food Policy Conference - Read my summary of the Consumer Federation of America’s 29^th Annual National Food Policy conference, including my own presentation on state legislation to help curb the sale of soda and junk food in schools. Read story.

Lawsuit Against McDonald’s Goes Forward - Read about how the 2002 lawsuit (Pelman v. McDonald’s) in which two teenaged girls sued the fast food giant for making them sick is back in court despite corporate lawyers’ best efforts to wear the plaintiffs down. Read story.

McDonald’s Targets China - While McDonald’s defends itself against litigation at home, the company is resorting to disgusting marketing tactics to lure in Chinese youth. View both the print and TV commercials to see how well globalization is working. Read story.

SPEAKING EVENTS, ETC
Politics of Food Panel in San Francisco, October 10 - If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to come to an exciting panel discussion that I am honored to be part of. Below is the organizer’s description.

The Politics of Food looks at what we eat and why it matters. Food is rapidly becoming one of the most politicized commodities in America. From toxic agribusiness to genetically modified foods to Wal-Mart’s push into organics, the subject of what we put in our mouths and how it affects not only our bodies, but the earth, is a red-button issue in the 21st century. This panel of journalists, food activists, and scientists will discuss the politics of food from every angle.

Speakers: Ignacio Chapela, Christopher D. Cook, Michele Simon, and Bryant Terry.
Moderator: Julie Cummins.

When: Tuesday, October 10, 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program

Where: The Commonwealth Club (595 Market Street, Second Floor)

Cost: $12 for Commonwealth and Litquake subscribers; $20 otherwise

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Summit, October 26-28 - Join me in Boston as I kick off my book tour with one of my favorite organizations working hard to protect children. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s 5^th Annual Summit is called, Consuming Kids: Marketing in Schools and Beyond. I cannot think of a better forum to organize around school food. Other speakers include CCFC co-founder and author of Consuming Kids, Susan Linn, Jean Kilbourne, author of Can’t Buy My Love, and many more experts and advocates devoted to keeping children safe from corporate greed. For details and to register, visit CCFC’s website.

New Book Review for Appetite for Profit - My first book, Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health, will be in bookstores by early November. Meantime, visit my website to read the latest rave review from Library Journal. You can also read free content, see my fall book tour schedule, and pre-order the book. Visit website.

The Fine Print
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Big Food Watch is a project of the Center for Informed Food Choices, a 501 (c)(3), nonprofit organization that educates about the politics of food. To support our work with a tax-deductible donation, visit us online.

Center for Informed Food Choices
P.O. Box 16052
Oakland, CA 94610