Ben de la Roche has come up with a concept for a new kind of refrigerator – called “Impress” – that doesn’t have nor need a conventional door. Instead, it is a wall with a series of hexagonal refrigeration chambers laid out like a honeycomb on the front, with swinging “doors” that can be moved and pushed in many different size configurations depending on what needed to be put inside. When items in need of refrigeration are pushed into the chambers, the refrigeration for only that chamber is turned on and keeps the item cool. Empty chambers are not refrigerated, which saves energy, and because all the items in the “fridge” can be seen with one look, food is also less likely to be wasted.

“How many times have you put leftovers in the fridge and forgotten about them, only to come back a week later and find them spoiled?” said de la Roche. “Impress is a refrigeration wall that holds your food and drinks for you, out in the open and not behind closed doors so you will always remember the lunch you prepared for work or find that midnight snack with ease.”

De la Roche is one of ten finalists presenting their concepts in front of judges next month in in Milan, Italy at the International Electrolux Design Lab 2012 Award competition. Winners will receive 5000 euros ($6,400 US) and a six-month internship at Electrolux.

Is it funny looking? Sure is. But if it ever worked as planned, it could change the way we use cold storage for food in our kitchens which hasn’t changed or been updated in many, many years.

[via Dvice and the New Zealand Herald]

Image Credit: Mark Mitchell/Massey University

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Reuters is reporting that a new French study (PDF) has found that rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn end up dying prematurely with multiple tumors and organ damage. The study took place at the University of Caen and the findings were published Wednesday in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology.

Research consisted of feeding the rats Monsanto’s GMO seed NK603 – which was developed to be tolerant to their weed-killing herbicide Roundup – and given water to drink that was contaminated with Roundup at levels allowed by current U.S. law. 50 percent of male and 70 percent of female rats exposed to these two Monsanto products died earlier than those that were not, suffering from mammary tumors as well as severe liver and kidney damage. The research covered two years of experimentation with Roundup and the rats, following up on a short study done by the same team that voiced similar concerns about the toxicology of Monsanto’s product back in 2009.

While some “experts” have publicized their doubts about the authenticity of the findings, the French government has asked its own National Agency for Health Safety to investigate and the European Commission has asked it’s own food safety authority, the EFSA, to verify the findings of the study. As for Monsanto, the company states that they will review the study but that “peer-reviewed scientific studies performed on biotech crops to date…have continuously confirmed their safety.” Here in the U.S., California Right to Know is working hard to pass Proposition 37 this November which would require the labeling of GMO foods and this study is sure to add some fuel to that fire.

[via Reuters]

Image Credit: Image publicly released by study authors

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In a move sure to gain the appreciation of at least some hunger activists, EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard and Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger announced that The European Commission will be limiting crop-based biofuels to just 5 percent of transport fuel until at least the year 2020. Activists have been railing against the use of crops and other food sources for fuel as millions go hungry around the world.

“Finally the European commissioners have come to their senses,” said Clare Coffey, policy adviser at ActionAid. “They are firmly acknowledging that using precious food and agricultural land to fuel our cars is bad for people and bad for the environment. In a world where a billion go to bed hungry every night, that is immoral.”

While the limits will be put in place for crop-based fuels once passed by EU governments and lawmakers, development of other biofuels will move forward towards a goal of having at least 10 percent of the fuel mix be from renewable sources by 2020. According to a statement by Oettinger at a recent meeting of EU energy ministers, the difficulty in that will be finding sources that are as cheap to produce as crop-based ones currently used.

The United Nation’s food agency recently called for the U.S. to change its policies on crop-based biofuels because of the danger of a worldwide food crisis, but it seems the European Union is the only one taking that advice to heart. “We cannot continue to burn food in our petrol tanks while poor families go hungry,” said Natalia Alonso from Oxfam. Truer words aren’t spoken too often and we definitely need to speed up the development and production of non-food-based biofuel sources.

[via The Guardian]

Image Credit: Frapestaartje/Flickr

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According to the Indiegogo fundraising page, more than 2 billion people still cook indoors over wood-burning fires. These inefficient wood fires contribute to deforestation, climate change and the aforementioned premature deaths.

But how can the PlanetStove help?

The creators of this stove, Dylan Maxwell and Olivier Kolmel, say that the PlanetStove can help both people and the environment in the following ways:

1. Reduce indoor cooking smoke to a minimum.
2. Mitigate airborne soot, which is responsible for 5-10 percent of man-made global warming.
3. Reduce deforestation by increasing stove efficiency; villages reported using roughly 1/3 less wood than with traditional stoves.
4. Sequester carbon (in the form of biochar) within the soil.
5. Improve the soil structure and drought resistance.
6. Improve the financial situation and living conditions of rural populations.

How does the PlanetStove work?

It is a TLUD stove, which stands for “Top-Liti Updraft.” Basically, you light kindling on top of a vertical tube full of densely packed wood. That vertical tube is nested inside a larger vertical tube. The fire on the top heats the wood and resulting hydrogen and carbon monoxide rise toward the top where they meet with oxygenated air drawn through the space between the tubes.

The stove essentially gasifies the wood. The resulting charcoal can then be returned to the earth in the form of biochar — which still contains at least 50 percent of the carbon that was in the original wood.

How can you help?

At the time of this writing, the PlanetStove Indiegogo project has received $4,053 worth of the $25,000 it needs to fund the campaign, with 34 days left remaining.

The lowest level of contribution is $25 and will basically subsidize the cost of a PlanetStove for a family in the developing world. You’ll get a photo of the family that received the stove, as well as a follow up with that family after a year of using the stove. Obviously, other contribution levels are available, so hit up the PlanetStove fundraising page and see if it strikes a chord with your passions.

Main image credit: Novotera

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Media outlets have been quick to say there’s no benefit to organic food; from U.S. News to the Huffington Post, headlines read as variations of “Organic food is no healthier than conventional food.” That isn’t quite accurate. In the Stanford study, 38 percent of conventional produce tested positive for pesticide residue. In a few cases, the pesticide was above the safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Even if it’s below the “safe threshold,” some may wonder whether eating any amount of pesticide is really safe.

Three studies published last year (from Columbia University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Mount Sinai Hospital) all found that pregnant women exposed to higher amounts of pesticides were more likely to have children with lower IQs. Organic meat is also less likely to contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can also cause disease.

It also isn’t quite true that there’s no nutritional benefit to eating organic produce, which contains more phosphorus than conventional food, as well as more phenols, which are believed to help prevent cancer. Particular foods may have more benefits, as well. Another study found that organic strawberries contain more vitamin C.

Overall, the study was clear that other factors, like ripeness, have the most influence on the nutritional content of fruit. A very ripe plum is most likely to be packed with vitamins. Still, I’d rather eat an organic plum than one grown with pesticides. Why? It goes beyond what’s on the fruit itself. Pesticides pollute drinking water. They also pollute air, posing risks to farm workers and often drifting long distances away. They kill birds and other wildlife, and may be behind the collapse of bee populations. Along with synthetic fertilizer, pesticides are energy-intensive to manufacture, and also contribute to climate change.

I’ll be in the organic aisle.

Main photo credit: Adele Peters

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Like with most great myths, though, the “protein myth” isn’t completely steeped in falsehood. Its origin can be traced back to an inkling of truth — a remote fact, however inconsequential, that allows it to endure. In this case, the myth likely hails from the oft misunderstood distinction between complete and incomplete proteins.

While nearly all foods contain the nine essential amino acids we need, proportions do vary. Foods with amino acids in the correct proportion for human dietary needs are said to contain complete proteins, whereas foods with proportional deficiencies are said to be incomplete. (Here’s a table that lists the optimal dietary proportions of the essential amino acids).

It just so happens that almost all animal-based foods contain complete proteins, while most plant-based foods are incomplete.

This doesn’t mean that vegans and vegetarians are in any danger of protein deficiency, vis-a-vis the protein myth (even a moderately varied plant diet easily balances out any amino acid deficits). But it’s a fact that may nevertheless be relevant to protein-conscious veggie-dieters interested in maximizing the efficiency of their protein intake.

Luckily, there are a number of plant-based foods that do provide complete proteins. Here are a number of them:

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Quinoa

A grain-like crop originating in the Andean region of South America, quinoa was considered sacred food by the Incas. Due in large part to its nutritional value, its importance was secondary only to the potato in pre-Columbian times. It was even considered more valuable than maize.

Aside from being a complete protein, quinoa is also gluten-free and a good source of calcium, iron and phosphorous. It has even been considered a potential crop for NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System, to offer nutrition for astronauts on sustained spaceflight missions.

It is typically prepared much like rice, boiled and simmered in water, and its consistency and texture is much like a combination of rice and couscous.

Photo Credit: Kurt Stüber/Wikimedia Commons

Amaranth

Amarath is another crop important to pre-Columbian people of Central and South America. The plant is valuable both for its seeds, which can be ground into a nutritional flour, and for its leafy greens, which rival spinach and kale in nutrients.

Its flour makes excellent tasting flatbreads, pastas and cereal. Its leaves make for a protein-rich addition to salad.

Photo Credit: Don O’Brien/Flickr

Soybeans

Perhaps the most common and widespread plant-based complete protein, soybeans were first cultivated in East Asia but have since spread around the world. Tofu, soy milk and a wide variety of meat and dairy substitutes are derived from the soybean.

Besides being a source of complete protein, soybeans have also been shown to reduce cholesterol, help prevent prostate cancer, and even fight osteoporosis.

Soybeans also account for 80 percent of domestic biofuel production in the United States, and are an important resource for cattle feed.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Buckwheat

Despite the name, buckwheat is not actually related to wheat, as it is not a cereal or grass.  First cultivated in Southeast Asia, buckwheat is perhaps most widely eaten in the form of soba noodles, popular in Japanese and Korean cuisine.  In many regions of Europe, such as Russia and France, buckwheat is also transformed into pancakes.

Buckwheat should also not be confused with wheat in that it is gluten-free. In fact, it is a common substitute for other grains when brewing gluten-free beer.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Hempseed

Although probably best known for belonging to the Cannabis genus, hemp is far more valuable as a food source and building/textile material than as a psychoactive crop. Hempseeds are rich in protein and can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted, or even made into hemp milk.

Hempseeds are also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, essential fatty acids vital to our metabolism.

The plant is also valuable as a building material and textile, used to make everything from clothing fibers to concrete-like blocks called hempcrete.

Photo Credit: graibeard/Flickr

Chia

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Yes, that’s right, the infamous Chia Pet is grown using sprouts from the chia plant (Salvia hispanica). It just so happens that chia seeds also provide a rare plant source for complete protein.

First cultivated by the Aztec of Central America, chia is a flowering plant in the mint family. The seeds may be eaten raw or ground into a flour. They are also often added to water or fruit juices to create a nutritional drink. Chia sprouts can also be consumed much like alfalfa sprouts, to be used in salads or sandwiches.

Photo Credit: USFWS Pacific Southwest Region/Flickr

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae

Technically, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is not really a plant; it is a blue-green algae, belonging to a different taxonomic kingdom from plants. Even so, it provides an animal-free source of protein for vegans and vegetarians all the same.

The algae is most commonly used as a food supplement, sold as tablets. Aside from being a source of complete protein, it has also been shown to have benefits for the immune system.

Although it is known to grow in many regions of the world, by far the most abundant source of the cyanobacteria comes from a single lake in southern Oregon: Klamath Lake. Every year, the algae experiences a massive bloom, choking out all other microphytes in the lake.

Since the algae comes in both toxic and non-toxic forms, caution should be advised before harvesting it as a food supplement.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Spirulina

Another microalga that offers an animal-free source of complete protein is spirulina. First used as a food source by pre-Columbian Mesoamericans, today it is cultivated worldwide and primarily used as a dietary supplement.

Spirulina’s value as a nutritious food supplement has been recognized by several member states of the United Nations, who have assembled an organization called the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition. The organization aims to utilize spirulina to combat malnutrition in famine-struck regions.

Top Photo Credit: cyclonebill/Flickr

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Reeves watched as her home state of Connecticut caved to Monsanto’s demands not to pass a GMO labeling law after the public had voiced their support for it. Afterwards, Reeves decided to become active in the fight against GMOs and is finding that her activism is a positive way to deal with the loss of her child. “This is one of those things that act as a catalyst, that bring people together,” Reeves said. “You learn to live with it, to try to make some good come of it, to find better ways to channel the grief.”

GMO Free USA is now a national campaign, aiming to pressure food manufacturers to reveal which of their products contain GMOs. Having already reached its goal of attracting at least 5,000 members, the group now aims to take on one company per week, asking it about GMOs and where it sources its ingredients from. If companies are unwilling to reveal and/or remove GMOs from its products, GMO Free USA intends to start a boycott of the brand.

“We’re going to hit them from every angle,” Reeves said. “It’s going to be thousands of people speaking directly to food manufacturers.”

The campaign has a Facebook page with over 6,000 members and also maintains a Yahoo group for anyone not on Facebook. I just joined the FB group; you should do the same and support the fight against GMOs and Monsanto.

[via Organic Consumers Association]

Image Credit: GMO Free USA

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Other cities in Central and South America — particularly in Brazil — have similar programs. Curitiba, Brazil, began a recycling incentive program even earlier, offering transportation passes in exchange for recyclables. Residents of local shantytowns are employed to collect more trash, and the recyclable materials are sold to raise money for social services. The city now recycles 70 percent of its waste.

Residents in Mexico City exchange points earned by recycling for fresh produce.

Inspired by the other programs, Mexico City is also now offering food in exchange for recycling. The city has a major challenge with waste; it closed the largest landfill in the world last year, a 927-acre space that collected more than 76 million tons of trash. Now, the closed landfill will be tapped to generate power through its methane emissions. But every day, the city produces around 12,600 metric tons of new trash, and the government is looking for ways to dramatically cut that. The waste-to-food program is helping. When residents bring in their recycling, they’re given “green points” that can be spent at a local farmers’ market. It’s been a success so far, and the first market was so popular that all three tons of food were quickly given away.

Photo credits: City of Mexico City

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Space food has, of course, made great strides since the days of astronaut ice cream and Tang, and the International Space Station provides its crew members with a lot of food options, but they all have to be supplied from Earth on a regular basis. The planned Mars trip will be something entirely different — six months flying through space, another 18 months on the surface, and six more months getting back. That means either the food will need to last much longer, or space men and women will need to grow their own supplies.

The Associated Press reports that NASA is looking into both those options, as well as a combination of the two. Because there is gravity on Mars, astronauts may be able to grow fruits and vegetables in hydroponic gardens, and will be able to perform basic cooking tasks like chopping food and using pressure cookers.

Meat and dairy products can’t be preserved for long enough to last for the entire mission, so the six to eight Mars astronauts will eat vegan diets while on the mission. NASA has come up with 100 recipes, including a cheese-less Thai pizza with vegetables and spicy peanut sauce, as well as lots of options including protein-rich tofu and nuts. Aside from meeting the crew’s nutritional requirements, one of the goals in developing the menu is creating comfort food that doesn’t contribute to the psychological stress of being millions of miles from home.

Between storage issues, the challenges of growing a garden in Mars’s low-gravity conditions and astronauts’ inability to just call a pizza place if they mess up their meal, NASA’s menu planners have more to worry about than the average home cook. Then again, they also have a bigger budget for their planning process: $1 million a year.

Main photo credit: NASA; video credit: Associated Press

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Rosie Boycott, chair of Mayor Boris Johnson’s London Food directive, said the Olympic food service organizers hope the strategies they’re using to bring fresh, eco-conscious food to the mouths of millions will be replicated throughout the U.K. and across the globe after the Games end.

“Back in 2007 the organizers determined that this was an unprecedented opportunity to look at our diets and our health, at our catering industry, at the state of our farms, and to commit to a long-term plan for good food and environmental stewardship,” she told The Daily Beast.

Among the locally sourced Olympic menu items are Welsh lamb, Leicestershire Stilton pie, Isle of Wight tomatoes and sourdough bread from the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

Even big name Olympic food providers are on board. McDonald’s, for example, has agreed to serve chicken and potatoes grown in the U.K.

“The thing that nobody knows yet is, will McDonald’s continue to follow the Olympic food standards afterward?” Boycott told The Daily Beast. “We’re waiting to hear, and hoping.”

Main photo credit: Shutterstock

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