February 2012
15 posts
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Infographics of the Week: Water Footprint of...
A new report  from scientists at the University of Twente analyzes and maps global water use related to production and consumption from 1996 to 2005. According to the study, agriculture accounts for a staggering 92% of annual global freshwater consumption. Production of cereal grains accounts for 27 percent, meat for 22 percent, and dairy for 7 percent of this consumption.
The chart details...
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BAMCO's Role in Making New Farm & Food Data...
Bon Appétit Management Company, which operates more than 400 cafés including for companies like Twitter, Yahoo! and eBay, Tuesday announced the rollout of a comprehensive farm animal welfare policy that could make significantly more information about growing practices available. As part of their policy, Bon Appétit plans to source  25 percent of its meat, poultry and egg purchases...
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James Beard's Mitchell Davis on What a Better Food...
One of my favorite talks from this years TEDxManhattan was that of James Beard Foundation Executive Vice President Mitchell Davis who asked,“What does a better food system taste like?”
Davis argued that “taste” has become as much a matter of power and social class as it is chemical reaction. If our food system was designed for taste, processed foods and barely ripe...
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Stop-Motion Animation of Michael Pollan's Food...
The complexities of our food are often difficult to digest. Few make them as easy to consume as Michael Pollan.
Now, Marija Jacimovic and Benoit Detalle have produced a beautiful stop-motion film that uses vegetables to visualize Pollan’s “Food Rules” talk, given at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (RSA) in 2010. The animation does an excellent job of...
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Infographics of the Week: Nielsen Report on Global...
This week’s infographic is a series of charts and graphs with fascinating information culled from an online survey by Nielsen of more than 25,000 people from 56 countries.
The information was collected online - which means that the affluence of the respondents was likely quite high. But one of the most interesting findings was that a very large percentage of people on every continent feel...
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BrightFarms' Business Model: How Tech & Efficiency...
[Full disclosure: I worked at BrightFarm Systems, the predecessor to BrightFarms, before Paul Lightfoot became CEO.]
Entrepreneurship is all about turning problems into business opportunities. Food and agriculture in the United States are rife with challenges, so logic would dictate that there are also numerous opportunities.
Paul Lightfoot, Chief Executive Officer of BrightFarms, a company that...
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Surveys of Chefs and Consumers Find Technology...
Two interesting surveys about technology use in restaurants predict trends for 2012. But the specifics of those trends seem to be lacking, and to find out more, Food+Tech Connect has created a quick survey below.
The National Restaurant Association, in partnership with the American Culinary Federation, surveyed 1,800 chefs at the end of 2011. Chef’s Survey: What’s Hot In 2012 asked...
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Infographic of the Week: Chocolate
Americans will purchase 5 percent of the year’s chocolate this week for Valentine’s Day - 58 million pounds of it for a whopping $345 million in revenue. But where does that chocolate come from and how is it grown, picked, processed and shipped? Sadly the reality of growing and making chocolate is often far less romantic and positive - particularly for children - than the commercials...
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Eating Your Way Through Pinterest
It’s social, visual, viral, and easy to use, which are just some of the reasons why brands like Whole Foods, Food52, Chobani, Sustainable Table (GRACE Communications Foundation), Cabot Cheese, and now Food+Tech Connect are flocking to Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that helps you organize and share interesting things you find on the web. TechCrunch broke the story Tuesday that...
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Innovator Video: The RFID Network
Despite the media’s fixation with the latest, greatest gadget, often times innovation takes place behind the scenes, using technology we don’t often hear about.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is one such technology.  Increasingly used in everything from cattle identification systems to the fashion industry  (and don’t forget, you can use it for spying!), RFID tags...
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'Chemical Cuisine' App Makes Understanding Food...
McDonalds recently announced it will no longer include âpink slimeâ (ammonium hydroxide) in its burgers. But what about all the other chemical additives weâve never heard of and canât pronounce? Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) in fruit bars? Phytosterols and phytostanols in fruit juice?
Over the past few years several apps have popped up to help consumers figure out what is in their...
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Technology Accelerating Food's Transformation to...
For several months our team at Good Eggs has been researching the local food phenomenon around the country.  Weâre looking for ways in which technology can help grow and sustain local food systems worldwide, accelerating the changes that are already having major positive impact in the world.  Our premise, which is the shared premise of Food+Tech Connect and likely its readers, is that...
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Infographic of the Week: The Weight of the Union
Today’s infographic follows on the heels of last week’s amazingly popular Carbs are Killing You visual and the lively conversation, and wish list for health and nutrition apps, that followed.
Designed for Anytime Fitness and based on the fitness and nutritional habits of its 1.3 million members, the visual looks at the numbers behind obesity - how expensive it is to be overweight...
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Carbs Infographic Inspires Health & Nutrition Wish...
Last Friday, Food+Tech Connect posted âCarbs are Killing Youâ as the Infographic of the Week, and we received almost 70 comments on the visual.
The responses are interesting and express the varied perceptions and experiences people have with “healthy eating.” But the number and intensity got us thinking about the opportunities for entrepreneurship this level of engagement might...
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Ramen Data: Mouth to Anus
Processed food like ramen noodles and gummy bears are bad for you. Now, for the first time ever, you can see how for yourself.
Artist and provacateur Stefani Bardin’s newest project M2A™:The Fantastic Voyage offers a graphic look at how the gastrointestinal tract (GI) processes a meal of Top Ramen, Gummy Bears and Blue Gatorade versus a meal of hand made noodles, pomegranate/cherry juice...
January 2012
21 posts
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Five Media Innovations To Help Feed the Planet
[This article is by Isaac Hopkins of  Nourishing the Planet, a project by the Worldwatch Institute, created to assesses the state of agricultural innovations with an emphasis on sustainability, diversity, and ecosystem health, as well as productivity.  To read the original article, see the Nourishing the Planet blog article Five Media Innovations That Help Feed the Planet]
As modern technology...
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AgLocal Bringing Power to the Meat Lover
Over the past few years, many new websites and apps have sprouted up to help consumers find local food and farmer’s markets. But so far, none have addressed well the unique issues of distributing local meat - problems that include the higher cost of pasture raised animals, the processing needs of small scale producers and complex distribution logistics.
AgLocal will be the first such...
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Infographic of the Week: Carbs are Killing You...
[Editors note: Due to the overwhelming response we received to this infographic, we have continued the discussion and asked for reader input here.]
After all those years of not eating red meat and cutting back on the mayonnaise, science now tells us it’s carbs, not fat, making Americans overweight. This interesting infographic designed by Column Five Media for Massive Health describes in...
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Food Meets Technology at TEDxManhattan Changing...
[View the story “Food Meets Technology at TEDx Manhattan Changing the Way We Eat” on Storify]
Original Article
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Innovator Series: Mihir Desai of Cross (X) Species...
[Food+Tech Connect’s Innovator Series was recorded at The Grind in NYC for our one year anniversary party as part of the Hacking the Food System series. Videography for the series was shot by Celia Talbot Tobin, and produced and edited by Sarah A. Maine. Read past posts exploring how technology, information and data can change the food system status quo.]
In this Innovator Series Video,...
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Videos Help Farmers Learn New Techniques
Last month, Food+Tech Connect recounted some of the challenges to scaling up farmer-to-farmer video sharing programs, as addressed by a comprehensive study. The report found overcoming language barriers, maintaining quality content, and constructing knowledge-sharing networks were all major issues for organizations hoping to quickly and easily share videos across cultures and distances.
But...
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New IBM Patent Allows Licensees to Incentivize...
If you could plan your diet so that you got paid every time you chose a salad over a burger, would you chose the salad?
IBM âMaster Inventorâ Michael Paolini believes being rewarded in real time for improving oneâs habits is exactly what will affect human behavior and help people become healthier. Â One of the inventors of a new IBM patent âProviding consumers with incentives for healthy...
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Infographic of the Week: Stop American Censorship
This week’s infographic is about the desire to control information and marketplaces, and is designed by Ivan Tolmachev.
Public protest of the government’s attempt to restrict information on the internet through SOPA / PIPA has postponed the debate for the time being. But the question of open and free data around the world is alive and well.
Next week, Food+Tech Connect will look...
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Beekeeping 101: Online Classes Help Pay the Bills
[caption id=”attachment_6337” align=”alignright” width=”300” caption=”Megan Paska photo by Neil Despres”][/caption]
The tech industry has brought about many recent innovations in business, but perhaps one of the most important for those in food+tech is the trend toward monetizing knowledge. No longer are entrepreneurs solely hoping low paying ads...
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Super Tracker Yields Super Nutrition Data
The advice awaited me in my inbox Monday morning.
âUse fat-free or low-fat evaporated milk in place of cream in coffee and tea for a smooth taste, more calcium, and little or no fat.â Â Low fat evaporated milk? I thought. Why would anyone recommend evaporated milk for healthy eating?
The email was one of a series of suggestions sent to me by my âSuper Tracker Coach,â a service offered as...
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Sourcemap Crowdsources Data About the Food You Eat
“Knowing where your food comes from” is arguably today’s biggest food trend. But to Sourcemap CEO Leonardo Bonanni PhD, traceability is far more than a fad. He and his team have created a crowdsourced directory of product supply chains and environmental footprints, making possible public information on everything from laptop computers to orange juice.
I spoke with Bonanni...
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Infographic of the Week: The Farm Bill Budget...
Yesterday, as part of the Healthy Food, Healthy Farms Webinar Series, Food+Tech Connect presented the work completed at the Farm Bill Hackathon. But perhaps more impressive was the presentation made by Roni Neff of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) about the Farm Bill Budget Visualizer.
The Visualizer is an invaluable tool,created by CLF and inspired by Marjorie Roswell,that...
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Supermarket API Could Save Companies $100K+...
Any company building apps or platforms to improve the consumer shopping experience knows that grocery product data is EXPENSIVE, costing $100,000+ annually to license. This data is often poorly structured and out of date, forcing those who purchase it to spend significant resources cleaning and restructuring it. Now, AisleFinder, a mobile app and website that helps consumers create a shopping list...
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Innovator Series: Go Halfsies Tackles Obesity,...
You have likely heard the paradox: 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. is thrown away (enough food trash to fill the Rose Bowl every day), yet it’s now estimated that one in seven people in the world does not have enough to eat (1 billion people). Add to that the fact that 66 percent Americans are overweight from eating increasingly large portion sizes, and you have a dysfunctional...
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USAID Infographics on Agriculture Simplify Reality...
[caption id=”attachment_6242” align=”alignright” width=”340” caption=”John Atis and his cabbage from USAID”][/caption]
The U.S. Agency for International Development, also known as USAID, is celebrating 50 years as an organization. And after so many years of focusing on agriculture and the task of feeding growing populations, the organization...
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Agriculture and Climate Change: Can Technology...
[caption id=”attachment_6226” align=”alignright” width=”610” caption=”Ethiopian Worker in Rice Fields Photo by Dallas McNamara”][/caption]
Several new initiatives have boasted high tech help for farmers in the face of climate change. But what do we currently know about how global warming will affect agriculture and can technology help?
To find...
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Infographic of the Week: Top Tech Trends of 2011
This week’s Infographic of the Week was created by G+, and explains in detail the tech trends of the past year. But what Top Tech Trends of 2011 doesn’t tell you is that all of these trends are alive and well (and in many cases being pioneered) in the food world.  Food+Tech Connect expects these trends to expand and mature, as we strive in 2012 to use technology to problem solve...
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Cheese? Lobster? What Would Your Last Meal Be?...
[caption id=”” align=”aligncenter” width=”576” caption=”Bacon, chocolate, caramel, bourbon via Studiofeast”][/caption]
âYouâre about to die, whatâs your last meal?â
According to Studiofeast- the supper club behind the Doppelganger Dinner and a partner in the L Train lunch- AOL users choose sauce, cheese and crab, while Gmail users...
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Innovator Series: Destin Joy Layne on Hacking Our...
[Food+Tech Connect’s Innovator Series was recorded at The Grind in NYC for our one year anniversary party as part of the Hacking the Food System series. Videography for the series was shot by Celia Talbot Tobin, and produced and edited by Sarah A. Maine. Read past posts exploring how technology, information and data can change the food system status quo and follow along as the...
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2012 Food Trends Get Technical
Speculation on 2012’s food trends are everywhere, from the newest “ethnic flavors” to the next super berry. But more interesting are the ways experts see technology playing a role in the food industry and how it will help consumers in the marketplace.
Over the past few weeks, Food+Tech Connect analyzed three important food+tech trends of 2011 and made predictions for 2012...
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The Flavor Wars
In 1992, chefs Heston Blumenthal and Francois Benzi came up with a âfood pairing hypothesisâ stipulating that certain flavors go together because of their similar chemical make up. SENSE for TASTE turned that hypothesis into an online tool called Foodpairing which, for a fee, “highlights foods that share common tastes and is designed to help identify unexpectedly tasty...
December 2011
21 posts
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Infographic of the Week: In Caffeine We Trust...
What could be more crowd pleasing than an infographic about coffee? How about an interactive visualization that allows coffee drinkers to chart their own caffeine use and preferences?
In Caffeine We Trust, by Column Five Media, was created “to allow people to share our love for two important staples: caffeine consumption and data visualization,” says Column Five’s website. The...
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Evernote Food Allows Users to Document Recipes and...
Evernote, the app that helps people “remember everything,” recently launched Evernote Food, a free app that allows users to record their food experiences - restaurant dishes, recipes, diet, and other nuggets of information - in a visual, timelined, and tagged format.
Although the food app space is quickly becoming cluttered with competitors like Foodspotting and Keep Recipes, Evernote...
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2011 Trends: Recipe Websites, Apps, & Publishing
[This article is part of a series of Food+Tech Connect 2011 Trend Reports.  Others in the series include Where Does Your Food Come From? and Meaty Opportunities for Tech]
The home cooking experience is undergoing dramatic changes, in part thanks to the iPad, e-book readers and mobile phones. In 2011, publishers, bloggers and startups embraced the web to make it easier for people to find...
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Molecular Gastronomists Without Borders? [Video]
Chefs Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche of Moto in Chicago, have been experimenting with new ways to prepare and eat food for years.
Now, the duo are exploring how the innovations pioneered in their restaurant lab can be used to solve global challenges like the world food crisis and cancer. Watch their TED talk below to learn about how they are re-imagining the meaning of food technology.
Original...
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Infographic of the Week: School Breakfast
On the Friday before Christmas, Food+Tech Connect brings you a graphic from the USDA’s Economic Research Service to help put things into perspective.
In 1989, 3.7 million students received breakfast at school. By 2010, that number had more than tripled to 11.6 million students participating daily. Most of those getting breakfast at school are also in high need; 75 percent of the 1.9 billion...
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2011 Trends: Where Does Your Food Come From?
[This article is part of a series of Food+Tech Connect 2011 Trend Reports.  Others in the series include Recipe Websites, Apps & Publishing and Meaty Opportunities for Tech]
Fueled by food recalls of everything from cantaloupe to ground beef, the public is now calling for more, and more easily accessible, information about the food they eat.
In fact, 86% of shoppers say the presence of...
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2011 Trends: Meaty Opportunities for Tech
[caption id=”attachment_5883” align=”alignright” width=”339” caption=”Illustration by Melkorka Kjarval”][/caption]
[This article is part of a series of Food+Tech Connect 2011 Trend Reports.  Others in the series include Recipe Websites, Apps & Publishing and Where Does Your Food Come From?]
According to a UC Davis Report, demand for...
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Coffee CSA Uses Technology to Connect Farmers to...
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) helps farmers around the world share the risk and bounty of their harvest with those in their region. But what happens when your âcommunityâ is global, and consumers want to buy direct from farmers thousands of miles away?
You use technology, says Coffee CSA General Manager, Thaleon Tremain
âWe can do it because the technology now exists,â says...
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Infographic of the Week: Direct Marketing of Local...
“Local food” seems to be all the rage - but how big of a trend is it and how is selling locally working out for small scale farmers?
The USDA report Direct and Intermediated Marketing of Local Foods in the United States looks at these questions and more.
The report lays out information collected in 2008 on the growing local food industry:
Gross sales of locally marketed food (to...
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Sizable Challenges Exist in Using Video to Spread...
[caption id=”attachment_5505” align=”alignright” width=”320” caption=”Digital Green uses video for farmer education in India”][/caption]
A comprehensive study released in October by Agro-Insight confirmed that while farmers in developing nations want access to agricultural information through instructional videos, sizable challenges to distribution...
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Innovator Series: Emily Cavalier on Using...
[Food+Tech Connect’s Innovator Series was recorded at The Grind in NYC for our one year anniversary party as part of the Hacking the Food System series. Videography for the series was shot by Celia Talbot Tobin, and produced and edited by Sarah A. Maine. Read past posts exploring how technology, information and data can change the food system status quo and follow along as the...
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Farm Bill Hackathon: Lessons Learned
Ten sponsors and 120 designers, developers, data geeks, and food policy experts came out in the (relatively) early morning hours on Saturday, December 3, 2011 for the Farm Bill Hackathon. They worked collaboratively for twelve hours straight, on their day off, creating tools and graphics for use in the media.
But why? Why were so many individuals and businesses interested in being part of an...
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Food+Tech Gift Guide 2011
Looking for new and interesting gifts for the food nerds in our life? We’ve got you covered with our top product, app, book, and tasting box picks. These gifts are perfect for a variety of budgets and should keep your favorite makers, hackers, and food lovers alike happy.
TASTING BOXES
With Craft Coffee Tasting Boxes you can send coffee aficionados 12 ounces of premium coffee from three...
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Infographic of the Week: Cotton vs Carrots
This week’s Infographic of the Week was created by Laura Scherling and Laurence Wilse-Samson as part of the Farm Bill Hackathon. Scherling is a designer at The New School’s Communications and External Affairs Office and Laurence Wilse Samson is a PhD candidate in the Columbia University Economics department.
The graphic compares the money given in subsidies to eight cotton farms in...