Just in time for Earth Day observance, a study published in last week’s Environmental Research Letters warns that animal manure and fertilizers used in growing animal feed emit large amounts of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. An op-ed piece in this week’s New York Times warns that the devastating environmental impacts of a meat-based diet are actually magnified when raising animals on the range, because this involves much more land and more greenhouse gas emissions.

BEIJING - A dairy ensnared in China's chemical-tainting scandal says it was a victim of unscrupulous behavior by the independent providers from whom it buys raw milk.

SHANGHAI, China - A generation ago, when today's new Chinese parents were infants, milk powder was so scarce that it was one of the top items requested from travelers visiting from overseas.

Why is it that some people want to end the consumption of meat and dairy? Who would eat and drink these products if we don’t? Someone has to. As for those cows, well, they HAVE to be milked. There is no one else who can do it (you think they are smart enough to milk themselves, yes? No?).

Obesity is an issue of calorie imbalance. Trying to shift blame from personal choice to meat and dairy foods is simplistic and incorrect (“Time is now to stop eating meat, dairy to halt obesity epidemic,” May 19).

BEIJING - The parents of a 1-year-old boy who developed kidney stones after drinking infant formula tainted with an industrial chemical are suing the dairy at the heart of the scandal, state media reported, as tests implicated 15 more companies Wednesday.

With dairy prices across the nation reaching new highs, East Valley shoppers say they've taken some small steps to offset the costs but aren't giving up on dairy products just yet.

March 25, 2005

WASHINGTON - Wholesale prices fell by 0.3 percent in June, the biggest decline in a year, as energy and food costs retreated. Big industry production was down as well, suggesting the economy hit a rough patch.

The number of Americans considered obese is expected to rise from the current 34 percent to 42 percent by the year 2030, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and discussed at Monday’s “Weight of the Nation” conference in Washington. Diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, and other obesity-related ailments account for countless premature deaths and as much as 18 percent of the $2.6 trillion national cost of medical care.

The number of Americans considered obese is expected to rise from the current 34 percent to 42 percent by the year 2030, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and discussed at Monday’s “Weight of the Nation” conference in Washington. Diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, and other obesity-related ailments account for countless premature deaths and as much as 18 percent of the $2.6 trillion national cost of medical care.

NEW YORK - Raging Midwest floodwaters that swallowed crops and sent corn and soybean prices soaring are about to give consumers more grief at the grocery store.

It began as a simple sunrise service atop a wooden cotton wagon in 1928, but Mesa's "Jesus the Christ" Easter Pageant is now believed to be among the largest annual outdoor Easter plays in the world.

PepsiCo Inc. plans to cut the sodium found in each serving of its key brands by one-fourth in five years, the company announced Monday, as the industry deals with pressure from the government and health-conscious shoppers who want more options.

The growing popularity of ethanol as a fuel for motor vehicles is having a major impact on American agriculture, and the effects on Arizona farmers also could be profound.

It's one of the hottest trends in the food industry: gluten-free.

This past Wednesday (Feb. 13) marked the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter, when Christians would abstain from meat and dairy products in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting before launching his ministry.

Edible Exchange, a local company that connects communities to locally grown food through barter, is having its second educational series — “Moos, Booze & Schmoose” — from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 19 at Superstition Farm, 440 S. Hawes Road.

New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s decision to ban supersized sugary sodas has resurrected the age-old debate over the role of the state in protecting the public health. In recent years, this debate involved bicycle helmets, car seat belts, tobacco, trans fats, saturated fats in meat and dairy products, and sugar (or more aptly, high-fructose corn syrup). Public subsidies for tobacco, meat and dairy, and corn production added fuel to the debate.