Articles by Tom Philpott
Tom Philpott was previously Grist's food writer. He now writes for Mother Jones.
All Articles
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Rumor: Obama pondering big-ag man for key USDA meat-safety role [UPDATED]
Safe enough for ya?UPDATE at bottom of story. ———————————— I normally don’t write about rumors or inside information. I aspire to be like the late journalist I.F. Stone, who scorned the dubious allure of insider “access” and kept his nose in government documents, where useful information leaks out. Today — as in its own time […]
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Monsanto’s man Taylor returns to FDA in food-czar role
Michael TaylorIn a Tuesday afternoon press release, the FDA announced that Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto executive, had joined the agency as “senior advisor to the commissioner.” If the title is vague, the portfolio (pasted from the press release) is substantial–a kind of food czar of the Food and Drug Administration: • Assess current food […]
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What’s become of school lunch
Where’s my bubble-gum-flavored apple? Photo: dancing chopsticks Remember back in April, when I bemoaned Obama’s choice of an industry-friendly school-lunch overseer? The job of administering the USDA’s school-lunch program went to Janey Thornton. She had made her name serving in several capacities for the School Nutrition Association–a conglomeration of school cafeteria managers who have never […]
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Obama garden drama, and other choice morsels from around the Web
The First Lady helps create the world’s most famous kitchen garden. When my info-larder gets too packed, it’s time to serve up some choice nuggets from around the Web. A high-profile urban garden, two writers, and some vile sludgeAndrew Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety is one of our most important critics of industrial […]
