Lucky Dip – Friday, June 3rd, 2011

The big food news in the US this week was about the new plate-shaped food guide. And while still not perfect, it more appropriately addresses proportion of food consumed rather than number of portions or overall portion sizes, which always seemed to confuse people because there were so many different rules (is it a serving of meat that should be the size of a deck of cards, or is that cheese?). Also, “meat” is now just “protein” and dairy products are off to the side, indicating that they’re optional, not required, which is how it should be. [Globe and Mail] [Reuters via Toronto Sun] [The Atlantic]

This is going to stir up some controversy – next week a Toronto councillor will put forward a motion to ban shark fin. Given the number of places in Chinatown that serve it or sell it, I’m expecting a big fight. [Toronto Life: The Dish]

Are cupcakes the answer to world peace? They are when British intelligence groups hack an Al Qaeda bomb manual and replace it with cupcake recipes. [The Telegraph]

In case it was ever disputed – nachos are a dish for sharing. [Toronto Star]

You can bet the farm that “farm to… “, well, pretty much anything should be dead and buried. [Food & Wine]

Eat some dirt, it’s good for you. [Toronto Sun]

Wait, can we really blame meat eaters for “killing vegetarians” by linking the various e.coli outbreaks to meat consumption? [Good.is]

Because baby humans are not baby cows – alternatives to feeding children’ cow’s milk. [Globe and Mail]

Why you’ll never see a rich person drinking a Pepsi. [Vanity Fair]

Some facts about food waste. [Chow]