Bittman defended Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to ban mega-size sodas, arguing that “your right to harm yourself stops when I have to pay for it” and that soda isn’t, by technical definition, even food: (full story, NY Times)

Starbucks bought the SF-based La Boulange chain for $100 million this week; crazy to imagine that within a year there will be La Boulange-branded goods in every Starbucks’ pastry case in America: (full story, Inside Scoop SF)

We take bananas for granted–they’re cheap, they’re everywhere, and they’re usually ready to eat off the shelf. Ever wonder how a pale, fragile tropical fruit became so commonplace? (full story, NPR)

A new study illuminates how the roughly 20 million workers involved up and down the US food chain (a sixth of our workforce) aren’t treated well, with only 1 in 10 earning a livable wage and 83% denied health insurance: (full story, Chicago Tribune)

Scientists have told us that salt consumption raises blood pressure, causes hypertension and increases the risk of premature death, but the evidence is looking increasingly flimsy: (full story, NY Times)

The “gill to fin” movement (cooking with the whole fish) is gaining momentum; cooking an entire fish means great flavor from the bones and skin, plus the fact that salmon collars, belly meat and the eggs (if you can catch the fish yourself) are delicacies! (full story, Bay Area Bites)

Walt Disney announced that all foods advertised on its child-focused TV channels, radio stations and websites must comply with strict new nutritional standards; products like Capri Sun, Kraft Lunchables, candy, sugared cereal and fast food will no longer be acceptable advertising material!! (full story, NY Times)

A federal judge issued a statement saying the FDA has done “shockingly little” to address the human health risks of antibiotic use in animal feed and ordering the agency to reconsider two petitions seeking restrictions on the practice: (full story, Chicago Tribune)