The latest: June 28, 2017

California to Monsanto: Glyphosate is going on the cancer list

It’s just the latest in an ongoing saga surrounding the most widely used agricultural chemical in the world.

By Kate Cox | Read more

Beef: Not what’s for dinner anymore. Last week, the United States District Court for the District of Montana issued a decision that could have major implications for the beef industry inside the state and beyond: It ruled that the beef checkoff program, as currently operated, violates the First Amendment rights of the state’s cattle ranchers. As as result, the Montana Beef Council will be allowed to collect funds only from producers who voluntarily opt in to the program.

Some cattle ranchers have fought for this a long time, and it could be a big deal. To understand why, though, means going back to the suit’s unwitting catalyst: a series of Wendy’s ads promoting the company’s use of fresh, “North American” beef in its four-cornered burgers. Read more.
—Joe Fassler

You’re going to start seeing a lot of upside-down beer bottles. The Brewers Association on Tuesday morning released its new certifying seal, an upside-down beer bottle emblazoned with the following designation: “certified independent craft.” By the time program director Julia Herz responded to my email at 1 p.m., more than 200 brewers had already requested to use it on their bottles, cans, tap handles, and marketing materials.

The seal is clearly the subject of intense interest in the craft community. But to a casual observer, it may seem a little redundant. Read more.
—Claire Brown

Just the one-liners

Don’t miss this story by Leah Douglas from FERN and The Nation. In it, Douglas explains how a legal loophole helped cause the number of black-owned farms to plummet from 925,000 in 1920 to 45,000 fifty years later.

Bargain boozin’. Where to go to buy cheap beer, cheaply? Michigan, according to consumer finance site Simple Thrifty Living (STL), which released a study this week on which states boast the lowest prices on a case of supersaver suds. Using prices from Walmart and Total Wine, STL averaged the cost of a 24-pack of Bud and Miller (Light and Lite, respectively) in up to 10 rural and urban locations in all 50 states, and found that two dozen domestics will set you back $14.62 in The Great Lakes State. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, came in highest at $21.98 a case, owing mostly to its exceedingly high liquor taxes. States’ rights, indeed.

Special sauce, and safety be damned. OK: jars of no more than 3.4 ounces of liquid or gels in your carry-on. But the Genoa airport will make an exception if you are taking home a jar of the region’s signature pesto, which hitherto has been one of the items most frequently confiscated by airport security. You’ll have to make a very small charitable contribution, but after that, you can breeze right through. Of course, you could always buy some at the airport shops once you’ve passed through security. But that wouldn’t be your mamma’s pesto.

Question: Who just made the following declaration? “We renew our allegiance and obedience for his royal highness, the servant of the two holy mosques, King Salman the son of Abdul Aziz Al Saud. And we support Amir Mohammed bin Salman, his son, to become Minister of Defence and Prime Minister and to be nominated as successor. God give him wisdom and equip him to rule his kingdom.” Answer: Saudi Arabia’s McDonald’s franchise, owned by a prince close to the new Crown Prince. The Domino’s and Burger King franchises were quick to follow suit.

Hampton Creek has been secretly developing lab-grown meat, Chase Purdy reports for Quartz. The announcement comes on the heels of news that Target is pulling the company’s products from its shelves over food safety concerns.