Friday food news roundup

photo: Matt Callow/Flickr

Furious Italian winemakers claim that a German manufacturer of powdered red wine is copying their hallowed Chianti -- a charge the company vehemently denies. The product, intended for thirsty hikers rather than connoisseurs, is selling so well that the firm plans to introduce powdered beer.

 

Whole Foods Market Inc. says it will submit its private label products to testing for genetically engineered organisms--a move that will add a new level of certification to what's on the organic and natural grocer's shelves.

 

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods (Nasdaq: WFMI), which opened its first store in Hawaii at the Kahala Mall over year ago, will work with the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit collaborative of manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers and others. The product verification program is the reportedly the nation's first system designed to scientifically test whether a product has met a set of defined standards for the presence of genetically engineered or modified organisms.

San Francisco has adopted what may be the country's first county food policy that aims to improve access to healthy food while supporting local agriculture and reducing shipping-related greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an executive directive Wednesday ordering all departments to survey the land under their control in order to create an inventory of land that can support community gardens. All city-purchased food for city meetings, schools, jails or homeless shelters must be grown locally with sustainable farming practices. Food vendors with city permits must also meet these requirements.

 

This week, I tried out Ice Supreme. This is not just a dairy free ice cream treat; it’s almost completely raw and contains no soy at all. That’s handy, since it’s really easy when you’re cutting out dairy to go a little heavy on the soy. Moderation is key, right? What better place to start than with ice cream!