Payback is heck and other top headlines

As you know, fruits and vegetables are among the items that are vulnerable to payback in its trucking dispute with Mexico.  Here is the link to an AP story that lists some of the goods targeted by Mexico in its cross-border trucking dispute with the U.S. From the story, a partial list of items::

 

Christmas trees, onions, pears, apricots, cherries, strawberries, dried fruit mixes, potatoes, peas, almonds, fruit and vegetable juices, prepared soups, wine, pet foods, shampoo, hairspray, aftershave, deodorant, plastic kitchenware, printer paper, toilet paper, refrigerators, coffee makers, dishwashers, washing machines, sunglasses, ball point pens, marking pens, pencils and yarn.

More coverage on the issue from the Christian Science Monitor.

In a statement released late Monday, Mexican Commerce Minister Gerardo Ruiz Mateos said the products – agricultural and industrial goods – come from 40 different US states and their total commercial value in 2007 was $2.4 billion. The products were not further identified in the statement.The tariffs are allowed under NAFTA, since the US has not honored its requirement under the treaty to allow Mexican trucks to operate on US highways."In moments of economic crisis, when we should avoid protectionism at all costs, the US decision goes the other way and sends a negative signal to Mexico and the rest of the world," Mr. Ruiz said in the statement.A $410 billion spending bill approved by US lawmakers and signed by President Obama last week explicitly withdraws funding for a pilot program that gave some Mexican trucking companies the right to ship goods beyond the border zone and to their final US market (click here for the Monitor's story on the move). Some US companies were also allowed to do the same in the opposite direction.

 

More headlines snatched from the Web:

School's indifference to fresh fruit hard to swallow Tennessean

There are 97 Metro schools eligible for federal grants with few strings attached — money to buy fresh fruits and vegetables to introduce some of Nashville's poorest children to healthy foods they've never tasted.Only three Nashville schools applied, and that is difficult to understand. At a time when Metro school officials are scrambling to cut their budget, it seems lazy and indifferent not to go after up to $50 in good-for-you fresh food for each child.Tennessee schools are eligible to get about $1 million for this program from the 2008 farm bill. But you've got to ask.Schools have one more chance. The program has reopened enrollment for one month. Apply, for goodness' sake! It's a simple, effective effort to help little ones learn to like things they may not be seeing in their cash-strapped homes: bananas, grapes, oranges, kiwi and fresh veggies."These are the schools where there are a lot of kids who are not going to see fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhoods, due to a lack of access," said Cassi Johnson, director of Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee.

More matters when it is the good stuff Mail Tribune

When it comes to maintaining and improving health, "portion control" is a hot catch-phrase. The food police tell us to carefully watch serving size and control snacking impulses. I hear their voices every time I get a yearning for that second helping of pasta or a between-meal cookie.When it comes to fruits and vegetables, that advice goes away completely. When it comes to items on the produce aisle, the recommendation — loud, clear and without reservation is: "More Matters."In the past, we heard "five a day," which typically referred to two servings of fruits and three of vegetables. And then, later on, we were told to "eat five to nine," usually meaning a higher ratio of vegetables to fruits. And now — check it out. The folks at www.morematters.org say it more engagingly than I ever will. Or how about this way of saying it: www.eattheview.org.

Perplexing produce ABC News Karen Caplan gets some love

Although exotic fruits and vegetables still represent 1 percent of all produce sales, "some things once introduced as specialty items are now mainstream and not considered exotic anymore," said Karen Caplan, president of Freida's Specialty Produce in Los Alamitos, Calif. She explained that chili peppers were once new to the average American consumer. But these days most everyone is familiar with these hot peppers and as further indication of their widespread popularity, salsa has eclipsed ketchup as the country's most popular condiment. Mangoes and kiwis were also once viewed as unconventional and are now commonplace in stores.

Playing with food - helping kids love healthy eating Gaston Gazette

Before you give up on those peas and carrots, keep in mind it may take up to 10 times of trying a food before your child will decide he likes it. And if he suddenly decides he doesn't like something he did previously or only wants to eat waffles, that's OK too.

Aussie growers upset with NZ free trade deal Foodweek online