The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Food

In the last week one of the biggest stories in the business world, and likely at John Kerry’s house, has been the acquisition of the H.J. Heinz brand by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital.  The deal has prompted further speculation regarding industry consolidation. [WSJ]

The Heinz deal has spurred increased interest of a decidedly different kind for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The FBI is now investigating the possibility of illegal trading resulting from the $23 Billion dollar deal. [NYT]

Another global brand has been drawn into the horse meat scandal which has been unfolding in Europe over the last month.  Nestlé is the latest well-known purveyor to find itself playing damage control after two of its products, labeled as beef based, were found to contain horse meat.[NYT]

According to an article by Tom Philpott, corn fields are taking over grassland at a staggering rate, nearly 2 Million acres in 5 years.  The expansion of “King Corn’s” domain has caused some, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture to question whether our nation’s corn and soybean dominated agricultural economy can long endure rising temperatures.  In the article is a link to the Department of Agriculture report. [MJ]