And another great day! Now that we’ve all gotten over the Clinton Wedding (review: Yes, for all of everything, it really WAS all about Bill and Chelsea – why Vera Wang? I mean, now REALLY?), time to get back on the horse or the bike or whatever to talk about food:

Mushrooms are your friends: “Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University… suggest that white button mushrooms may promote immune function by increasing production of antiviral and other proteins that are released by cells while seeking to protect and repair tissue. Wu and co-investigators are with the HNRCA Nutritional Immunology Laboratory in Boston, Mass. The study’s cell-culture phase showed that white button mushrooms enhanced the maturity of immune system cells called "dendritic cells," from bone marrow. Dendritic cells can make T cells-important white blood cells that can recognize and eventually deactivate or destroy antigens on invading microbes. “ Mushroom Study

And Corn…is NOT: “In the past forty years, there has been a steady rise in obesity over the generations in Western societies. During the same period, the diet in industrialized countries has seen a quantitative increase in the calories ingested (lipids account for 35 to 40% of food intake), high levels of linoleic acid (omega 6 – generally from corn) and low levels of alpha-linoleic acid (omega 3). Indeed, the amount of omega 6 consumed during the past forty years has rocketed (+250%) while that of omega 3 has fallen by 40%, thus destabilizing the omega 6/omega 3 ratio when compared with the recommended intakes. While the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) recommends an omega 6/omega 3 ratio of 5/1, actual consumption is 15 omega 6 for 1 omega 3. In the USA, this ratio can even reach 40 omega 6 for 1 omega 3.” Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratios out of whack

And Gluten, for some, is positively the worst: Australian scientists, after a 9-year study have identified the three peptides in Gluten which are responsible for most of the harm done in celiac disease. “ The patients, recruited through the Coeliac Society of Victoria and the Coeliac Clinic at John Radcliffe Hospital, UK, ate bread, rye muffins or boiled barley. Six days later, blood samples were taken to measure the strength of the patients’ immune responses to 2700 different gluten fragments. The responses identified 90 fragments as causing some level of immune reaction, but three gluten fragments (peptides) were revealed as being particularly toxic."These three components account for the majority of the immune response to gluten that is observed in people with coeliac disease," Dr Anderson said.”
Gluten peptides ID’d

USDA Orders Catskills Chicken Plant Closed: “[the USDA spokesman] said the agency sent Murray’s a written warning in January concerning "[S]almonella controls." The concerns centered on Murray’s ability to identify and minimize contamination by pathogens such as Salmonella. FSIS also issued a notice in April about sanitation concerns and noncompliance with FSIS regulations, said Mabry. Following the April notice, the agency issued another notice Monday telling Murray to suspend operations. “
Chicken Plant Closed

Catfish Importer Sent to Prison: “ U.S. catfish producers have a story to tell that pretty well proves at least some of those imports are not only unfair, but illegal. In other words, there was at least one somebody out to get U.S. catfish producers. His name is Thomas George, the former Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Seafood Corporation. George is going to prison for up to 22 months for falsely labeling fish from Vietnam and dodging over $60 million in federal tariffs in addition to selling over $500,000 in similarly misbranded fish purchased from another importer.” Catfish mislabeling

Meat Traceability Bill Introduced: “Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), a longtime advocate for more stringent food safety laws, introduced a bill yesterday with the "goal of completely eradicating the dangerous Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria." The E. coli Traceability and Eradication Act would set stricter testing procedures for meat companies and establish a tracking procedure to allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement faster recalls in the event that contaminated meat is discovered. According to DeLauro’s office, the bill would apply to slaugherhouses and grinding facilites, requiring firms to test ground beef and beef trim multiple times throughout the manufacturing process. All testing would be conducted by an independent, USDA-certified testing facility, including ‘beef trim,’ leftover pieces from larger cuts of meat commonly used in ground beef. “Meat traceability bill

Blanche Lincoln Turns Up the Heat to Pass Kids’ Nutrition Bill: With the recess and the new school year both coming quickly, Lincoln is pushing. “In recent days Lincoln has taken to the Senate floor twice, staged a press conference, and appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to bolster support for the bill. In a packed press event yesterday afternoon, Sens. Dick Lugar (R-IN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Bob Casey (D-PA) joined Lincoln in calling on Senate leadership to get the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act to the floor for a vote as soon as possible.” Lincoln pushes school lunch legislation

And in incredibly local news: It’s that time of the year again, when on the one hand, we’re happy to see the garden finally coming in, but on the other hand, everything comes in all at once. Which actually makes Aunt Toby’s eyes sort of glaze over. It is not just the zucchinis – green beans are my nemesis. They can go from gourmet delights in the morning to ‘only fit for the chickens’ by the late afternoon. You have to stay on top of those buggers all…the…damn…time. And, this coming week is National Farmers Market Week – if you haven’t been for a while – why the hell not?