Check the labels on your honey jar to see if it actually contains pollen.

• This week, Food Safety News issued a report showing that more than 75% of honey sold in American grocery stores does not contain pollen. Most food safety organizations around the world will only call a substance "honey" if it contains pollen. Therefore, regulators claim that it is much more difficult to tell if pollen-free honey came from a legitimate or safe source. Researchers found that all of the honey tested from fast food chains was pollen-free. Organic honey had a higher chance of containing pollen than conventional varieties.
• Michael Pollan wrote a list for Forbes of the seven most powerful foodies. Topping the list was First Lady Michelle Obama, whose Let's Move! campaign and numerous public-health initiatives aim to reduce the national childhood obesity rate. Others on the list include nutritionist and professor Marion Nestle, head of Wal-Mart grocery Jack Sinclair, and author Mark Bittman. The actual influence wielded by these individuals is arguable, and "foodies" seems a bit of a misnomer. But those on the list do reflect a nice diversity of possible routes for food advocacy.
• Yields of cotton, corn, soy, and rice were all lower than the USDA's predictions for this year's harvest. Corn is only down about 1%, but soy production is down 9% from last year and rice is down 6%. Global output of these crops is stable due to increasing commodity crop production in other countries. A drop in domestic corn productivity may lead to higher prices of the crop later this year; however, if consumers see a price increase at the grocery store it won't be for many months.
• Plastic bottles are a constant hassle for parks administrators. Grand Canyon National Park commissioners decided to eliminate the problem once and for all by banning disposable water bottles in the Canyon's vicinity. However, a phone call from Coca-Cola stopped the ban as it was about to begin. A Coke representative said a ban of Coke products at the park would limit consumers' ability to choose what they want to eat and drink. Coke distributes water under the Dasani label, and has given over $13 million to the parks. Plastic bottles account for about 30% of the enormous park's waste stream.
• Mark BIttman's column is about the "secret Farm Bill," a draft of the 2012 Farm Bill that is being written by the leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees behind closed doors. The group of four representatives is aiming to cut $23 billion from the Farm Bill budget, comprised of $14 billion from commodity subsidies, $6 billion from conservation programs, and $3 billion from nutrition programs and food stamps. They will present their plan to the budget supercommittee by November 23rd. Bittman is calling for a public debate of the Farm Bill, which dictates agricultural policy and spending for a five-year period, rather than closed-door negotiations.

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.