Kiko's Food News, 5.23.14

I’m happy to see that it’s becoming the norm for cities, colleges and food service companies to pioneer programs tackling the more than 36 million tons of food wasted by Americans every year; from trayless initiatives in dining halls to food waste weigh stations, public awareness is leading to institutional action! (New York Times)

The produce prescription model is spreading around the country: participating doctors issue prescriptions to children ages 5 to 12 who could use healthier diets, then area supermarkets accept them and track the varieties of produce purchased: (Minnesota Star Tribune)

We’ve heard that a Mediterranean diet delivers health benefits, but now scientists are offering reasons why: the combination of olive oil with leafy salad or vegetables gives the diet its healthy edge, as these two food groups come together to form nitro fatty acids which lower blood pressure: (BBC)

Dan Barber suggests that by focusing on all-star crops like asparagus and tomatoes, foodies and chefs have sold the sustainable food movement short; we must eat more unsung staples and cover crops such as cowpeas, mustard, millet and rye: (New York Times)

Even though female journalists, writers and advocates form the backbone of food and agriculture reporting, gender bias runs rampant in the news media; to remedy this, here’s a list of 24 bad-ass women educating the American public about our food system: (Civil Eats)