• Information about the destruction of Hurricane Irene continues to trickle in, including recent reports of a serious pumpkin shortage in the Northeast. Prices for pumpkins have gone up significantly as many farmers in the region seek to buy pumpkins from other farms to meet their orders. The gourds are susceptible to mold and frost, making them temperamental products in a normal season. This year saw delayed planting due to rain, which impacts farmers' abilities to get the pumpkins to market during the key months of September and October. Unsurprisingly, pumpkin demand plummets after Halloween.
• Mark Bittman reports on Greenpeace's efforts to reform the tuna fishing industry. The organization is drawing attention to poor practices in the industry that lead to upwards of 20% bycatch. The campaign's focus is canned tuna, as the most commonly canned tuna are caught using nets and lines that also trap sharks, young tuna, and birds. The U.K.'s canned tuna industry has already agreed to change fishing methods to reduce bycatch. We'll see if reform takes hold in the U.S. as well.
• At a time when the government is looking for any way to cut costs, Western Farm Press is expecting that direct payments will be getting the axe in the next round of budget negotiations. The payments, equaling about $4.8 billion annually, are among other farm insurance measures that Obama is looking to reform. Negative public sentiment about commodity crops such as soy and corn make the cuts appealing to both Republicans and Democrats.
• A Wisconsin law makes it illegal for restaurants, prisons, and schools in the state to substitute margarine for butter unless explicitly requested by a customer. Now, legislators in the state are looking to repeal the law in light of the significant price difference between butter and its cheaper imitator. The state has a history of laws banning the use and sale of margarine, in the interest of protecting its numerous dairy farms. Proponents of the law cite butter's nutritional value and cultural importance; critics say that while butter is important, consumers should also be given a choice of toast topping.
• At the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for stronger international policy related to rising rates of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. He implicated food and beverage companies in irresponsible advertising of fattening, sugary products to children, and demanded more accountability from the industry. The General Assembly signed a declaration asking the World Health Organization to draft a set of global guidelines by 2012 to monitor obesity and its health-related impacts worldwide.

About the Author: A student in Providence, Rhode Island, Leah Douglas loves learning about, talking about, reading about, and consuming food. Her work is also featured in Rhode Island Monthly Magazine.