Headline roundup 8/15

A few headlines this morning.....



Apple dispute on the brink of WTO New Zealand's 45 year quest to get apples into Australia is still being held up, and kiwis are looking to the WTO for a solution.

To get this financial carrot, eat your vegetables A health care insurer offers to lower deductibles in return for a healthy lifestyle. Sounds like a natural fit for a More Matters tie-in. From the story:
Vital Measures, the new program offered by UnitedHealthcare, lets participating employees earn credits to "buy down" the amount of their annual health plan deductible. Dollar amounts vary by employer, but in a typical case an employee whose health plan has a $2,500 deductible could earn up to four credits worth $500 each by maintaining a healthy weight, keeping blood pressure and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels within target ranges, and not smoking. If the employee meets all four benchmarks, his or her out-of-pocket deductible cost could drop to just $500.


Best antioxidants in the produce aisle, nutritionists say Great coverage informing consumers of anti-oxidant benefits of f/v. A question - why don't we see more advertising of this benefit in the produce department? Arizona Republic story states:

Take a stroll down the aisles of your local grocery store and the word "antioxidant" pops out at you everywhere - teas, juices, chocolates, energy bars. All bill themselves as providing large doses of these entities that - if you believe the hype - might do everything from cure cancer to make you 10 times smarter.But what's the reality?Nutritionists and dietitians say you shouldn't try to buy your antioxidants in a bottle or box. Instead, you should embrace antioxidants in their natural state.
Experts recommend that you head over to the produce aisle and stock up on the original antioxidant heavy hitters, which include fresh berries, spinach, red peppers and a host of other fruits and vegetables. Some teas, such as green, red and white, also can deliver powerful antioxidant punches.Rather than worrying about swallowing a supplement each day or gobbling down that power bar with antioxidants, concentrate on getting those nine servings of fruits and vegetables that government guidelines recommend. Even clocking in at the previous recommendation of five servings a day would likely suffice, experts say.


Discovery tries to limit junk food marketing Discovery Communications announced that it would not allow the characters of its popular Discovery Kids channel to be associated with junk food. The decision is part of the network's battle against childhood obesity, according to to a press release. The characters of the kid-friendly programming can only be used in connection with healthy food. Birthday cake and other special-occasion sweets are the only exceptions.

Spotlight shifts to U.S. Senate Jerry Hagstrom reviews the dynamics of the farm bill debate in the Senate, with farm program states uneasy with the lack of clarity from Sen. Tom Harkin so far on the commodity title of the farm bill.