Omnivore - Top ten food food stories of 2011...maybe

Hunter PR has released its ninth annual survey of the top 10 food stories of the year. The company surveyed 1000 Americans for their choices.

Meanwhile, Alternet’s Ari LeVaux makes the point that “the list says as much about the media that writes the headlines as it does about the people who remember them.” He notes, for example, that the starvation of tens of thousands North Africans doesn’t register a blip on the list.

LeVaux provides back-stories to some of the listed stories. What may appear like a positive development ends up having more dubious value. Even more interesting is LeVaux’s list of stories that weren’t cited at all. These pertain mainly to biotech and what looks like a continued assault on small farmers:

Dramas over biotechnology provided no shortage of important headlines this past year. Despite overwhelming opposition from public comments, agency scientists, and even a few pesky court rulings, USDA and FDA only increased their efforts to improve the bottom lines of genetically modified (GM) crop companies. Such agency advocacy included the approval of GM alfalfa and sugar beets, which both have the potential to destroy important sectors of the organic industry.

Check it out.