Wonder what it’s like to choose what goes on the shelves at Bi-Rite? This small grocery group also stakes itself on offering fewer options but standing behind every one of those options (and invests the same kind of time to do it!): (San Diego Union Tribune)

Michael Pollan reconsidered the human body as “an elaborate vessel optimized for the growth and spread of our microbial inhabitants” and wonders whether the time has come to embark on collective “restoration ecology” in the human gut: (New York Times)

As industrial agriculture and animal feedlots have spread around the globe, dead zones have spread exponentially along with them; can we save our coastal waters before they choke to death? (Food & Environment Reporting Network)

Speaking of dead zones, turns out the acidic whey created as a byproduct of yogurt can’t be dumped, as its decomposition robs oxygen from streams and rivers and can destroy aquatic life (unfortunately Greek and other strained yogurts increasingly in demand create the most whey): (The Atlantic)

A study released Wednesday documented for the first time how fish and other sea life have been moving toward Earth’s poles in search of cooler waters for decades, with broad repercussions for fish harvests worldwide: (Washington Post)

And if you’re wondering whether you’ve been in the Bay Area gastro-bubble long enough to lose perspective, scan through this reality check for food snobs and see how you measure up! (Grub Street)