The "Third Metric of Success"...and How Free Habits Can Get Us There

I've spent enough time working in "triple bottom line", "mission-driven" environments to know that these days, businesses and organizations are wise to measure success not only by their profits but by how they affect the involved stakeholders and society more broadly. But lately I've been reading more and more from people saying we not only have a new bottom line for business, but we have a new bottom line for ourselves, and our own happiness.

The New York Times recently termed this a Third Metric of Success, the author discussing a new notion of fulfillment in life where being--or hiring--"a go-giver is as desirable as a go-getter". Few things get me down worse than our status quo and default of a stressed, sleep-deprived, burned out life, but t's undeniable that America’s workplace culture is by and large fueled by these things.  Call me a Californian but I'm seeing more and more conferences, lectures and books that talk about simplifying life, managing anxiety, and not constantly striving for what's bigger or more lucrative. 

Not only is Julianne Moore known for being present in the moment, but I know she's an avid ashtanga yogi because her mat was next to my sister's last month!

Although part of me feels my typical Jewish/Catholic guilt that I even have the luxury to focus on this kind of re-thinking, the other part of me has to believe that if enough people start talking about it, it could spill mainstream and somehow influence the work or personal lives of all engaged people in society.

What's exciting is that pop cultural icons are already being admired for thinking about these things. In the Hudson News at JFK I flipped through a new magazine called Du Jour that interviewed Julianne Moore, a personal fave. I was struck by the way a colleague describes her work: "She believes very much in being present in the moment of performance...but she doesn't carry it with her when she leaves." It goes on to say that "between takes, Moore would swiftly drop character to be a 'comforting colleague' to her young  co-star." How refreshing, that the flattery given is not for her around-the-clock work ethic but her ability to be present for herself and others. 

Julianne ain't alone--the number one New York Times business bestseller for weeks has been Lean In, written by Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg, in which she devotes many pages to re-defining what a successful work-life balance looks like. Clearly, people want to read about this stuff!

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I'd also argue that having money or material security is not a prerequisite for turning attention towards more elemental notions of happiness (sleeping enough, noticing our breathing throughout the day, feeling satisfaction from giving up our seat on the bus to someone more cumbersome) and benefiting from that.

There are so many FREE ways to put more emphasis on balance in our lives! Leading yourself through a yoga flow in the backyard and realizing that you've taken ahold of the present moment to take some deep breaths would be a good one.  Or take my cousin with whom I just travelled to France: I couldn't help my bossy self from encouraging him at several meals to eat slower so he could spend more time savoring the flavors in his meal [he calls himself a foodie but finishes his plate in 3 minutes!]. 

The author discusses how "we shouldn’t always aim for the extraordinary, but celebrate the ordinary. " How might I do this in the next few days?? I might see myself saying out loud one weekend morning, "I am SO lucky I get to sleep in today!" Or tonight, maybe I'll plan to walk to my work event across town, whiffing the metallic smell of oil oozing forth from the sidewalk after the fresh rain. None of these pleasures cost anything, they just take noticing a simple, sweet moment.

I feel lucky to exist at the same time as this movement to embrace the idea that physical and spiritual wellness are integral to, not separate from, a successful life. If I have my way, within my lifetime someone will be admired much more if they can say "I was able to take time out of my day for a walk, it felt so good and I'm so grateful" than for coming home with a fatty paycheck.

Kiko's Food News, 6.21.13

 Proud of my home state CT for being the first to pass a bill requiring food manufacturers to label products that contain genetically modified ingredients (with some stipulations): (New York Times)

Yet another reason not to waste food: a new report showed how inside the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year worldwide is 45 trillion gallons of water–that’s wasting 24% of all water used for agriculture! (NPR)

Guess what we can Google now: nutrition info for any food in existence! Type your favorite food in the search bar–the return page has it all: (Tech Crunch)

Processed food companies like McDonald’s and Kraft have realized eaters interpret perfect-looking food as artificial, so now they’re mass-manufacturing food to look slightly flawed or asymmetrical to read as homemade: (ABC News)

In San Fran’s footsteps, Bloomberg is rolling out an ambitious plan to begin collecting food scraps; New York City has historically diverted only about 15% of its residential waste away from landfills, but recent pilot programs have shown an unexpectedly high level of participation: (New York Times)

And all you fellow Tamale Lady fans should know that she’s no longer allowed to peddle her steamy wares at Zeitgeist due to city codes; she’s not sure what direction to take her business in next, so we’ll hungrily stand by: (SFist)

Kiko's Food News, 5.31.13

Unapproved genetically modified wheat was discovered in an Oregon field, posing a potential threat to trade with countries that have concerns about GM foods–not to mention that no GM wheat has been approved for U.S. farming: (Washington Post)

 Raw-milk guzzlers celebrated a Wisconsin farmer’s acquittal on three of four counts related to selling unpasteurized milk and cheese, bolstering hopes for legalization beyond the current legislation which for many states allows consumption on the farm, but not sale: (Wall Street Journal)

 I take the ever-changing buzz on foods-to-avoid with a grain of salt, but there seems to be some pretty graphic evidence against soda: (Fast Company)

 Although Wal-Mart has built its success on mastering logistics and supply chain, it’s had trouble keeping stores stocked amidst cutbacks on workers per store; a new program involving shelf audits shines a light on the importance of inventory in retail: (Bloomberg)

I love musing on caffeine’s habit-forming, personal nature–and what caffeine rituals say about our attitudes toward money and routine: (New York Times)

 In the spirit of Friday night, join me on the Amaro train! Here a skeptic starts by describing the stuff as ” bittersweet couplings of cough syrup and weed juice” but comes around to the magic they bring to a cocktail: (New York Times)

Kiko's Food News, 5.24.13

Wonder what it’s like to choose what goes on the shelves at Bi-Rite? This small grocery group also stakes itself on offering fewer options but standing behind every one of those options (and invests the same kind of time to do it!): (San Diego Union Tribune)

 Michael Pollan reconsidered the human body as “an elaborate vessel optimized for the growth and spread of our microbial inhabitants” and wonders whether the time has come to embark on collective “restoration ecology” in the human gut: (New York Times)

 As industrial agriculture and animal feedlots have spread around the globe, dead zones have spread exponentially along with them; can we save our coastal waters before they choke to death? (Food & Environment Reporting Network)

Speaking of dead zones, turns out the acidic whey created as a byproduct of yogurt can’t be dumped, as its decomposition robs oxygen from streams and rivers and can destroy aquatic life (unfortunately Greek and other strained yogurts increasingly in demand create the most whey): (The Atlantic)

A study released Wednesday documented for the first time how fish and other sea life have been moving toward Earth’s poles in search of cooler waters for decades, with broad repercussions for fish harvests worldwide: (Washington Post)

And if you’re wondering whether you’ve been in the Bay Area gastro-bubble long enough to lose perspective, scan through this reality check for food snobs and see how you measure up! (Grub Street)

Kiko's Food News, 5.17.13

No farmers market in San Francisco has created more visibility and demand for Bay Area farmers than the Ferry Building–its 20th anniversary is worth celebrating tomorrow morning! (CUESA)

We may all agree that cooking at home more frequently can solve many a societal health problem, but how can people be enticed to prioritize spending their money and time on it? One solution, first raised 40 years ago, proposes that Americans be paid for cooking and other housework: (New York Times)

This week I was turned on to Cropmobster, a startup that’s dealing with agricultural and food surplus while addressing hunger and allowing farmers to become more viable; give them your email and you’ll get instant alerts whenever a farmer, grocer, or restaurant has enough excess produce to donate or sell at a deep discount: (Cropmobster)

The UN released a report that strongly suggests bug consumption as the way to curb hunger in developing countries and shrink waistlines in the Western world–guess I was testing the waters when I ate a cup of the bugs in this photo a year ago in Seoul! (San Francisco Chronicle)

 But do we actually need to worry about running out of food? With crops yields growing 1% or more a year and half the world’s food currently being wasted anyway, we may not have to resort to insects: (Forbes)

Check out the look on these kids’ faces when they taste a lemon or olive for the first time! This slow motion video reminds us how revolutionary food discovery is: (TEDx)

Kiko's Food News, 5.10.13

 This new photo series captures a week’s worth of groceries around the world to show the dietary habits of people in 20 countries; notice how prevalent American food products are, and which country is the most unhealthy of the bunch (wish I could say I was surprised): (Thought Catalog)

“A modern Walt Whitman with attitude,” Ron Finley is a celebrity urban gardener using his appearances on TEDx, the Russel Brand show and more to spread his message that edible gardens are the antidote to inner-city health issues and poverty with the tagline “if you ain’t a gardener, you ain’t gangsta”: (New York Times)

Seemed like only a matter of time before cooking schools got hip to the online party; now Top Chef, America’s Test Kitchen and a tech startup have launched online culinary programs: (Bloomberg Businessweek)

MyPetChicken.com is one of several multimillion-dollar retailers selling everything from chicken caviar treats to day-old birds to diapers for backyard coop owners: (NPR)

Chicago’s about to roll out a new “Chicago Grown” local food label, which backers believe will be the first label issued by a major city specifically to promote its urban ag culture: (Grist)

Kiko's Food News, 5.3.13

Whether the goal is to connect restaurants with food purveyors or to create on-demand delivery services from local farms, investment money from Silicon Valley has growing potential to transform the food industry ($350 million invested last year vs. $50 million in 2008): (New York Times)

Among the food businesses being invested in is San Francisco startup Hampton Creek, who are engineering a plant-based egg substitute for cookies, mayo, and even cookie dough for people who like to eat the dough but don’t want to worry about salmonella (wonder if they need extra taste testers for that one??): (Fast Company)

A high school science project tracked the effects of organic vs. conventional diets on the health of fruit flies, finding those that were fed organic bananas and potatoes fared better in fertility, stress resistance and longevity; because fruit flies’ short life span allows the tracking of biological effects over a brief period of time, this paves the way for additional studies on the health benefits of organic: (New York Times)

Switching out ciggies for hummus: Sabra Dipping Co., the largest U.S. hummus maker, is incentivizing farmers in the heart of tobacco country to grow chickpeas to reduce its dependence on growing them in the Pacific Northwest and to identify new chickpea varieties: (Wall Street Journal)

More than 100 New York City restaurants, from haute cuisine to chains, have pledged to reduce their food waste by 50% by composting and recycling: (New York Times)

New findings suggest a direct relationship between the routine use of antibiotics in animal production and the increased resistance of bacteria to antibiotics used to treat human illnesses: (Eating Well)

Kiko's Food News, 4.26.13

 I can think of easier ways to get kicked out of a McDonald’s, but gotta love the way these Korean kids took a french fry promotion to a new level (I like to think they were making a statement about what can happen when fast food is priced too low for anyone’s good!): (Eater)

Although sending “untied” food aid (cash instead of commodity crops) strengthens farmers in malnourished areas internationally instead of undercutting them, the US is still tied to sending sacks of grain and legumes from America; now Obama’s proposing a modernization of our aid by upping our untied amount from 15% to 45% and asking US companies to provide not just commodities but also super-nutritious foods: (New York Times)

Time to revamp our health teaching force? A clinical trial found that having teens mentor younger students in nutrition and physical activity resulted in weight loss and other positive lifestyle changes, while the same curriculum taught by adults wasn’t as effective: (Ohio State University)

The Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, a network and training program for college students starting food co-ops, launched a video on financial management that brings business terms to life for future sustainable food slingers: (Civil Eats)

“Malicious but delicious” foods, a class of invasive animals, fish and plants that throw the earth out of whack, are prized menu items for environmentally-savvy chefs: (New York Times)

Mini-Golf on South Van Ness? Urban Putt will, in true nouveau-Mission style, include a 70-seat restaurant and bar with cocktails by the Bon Vivants: (Tablehopper)

Kiko's Food News, 4.19.13

Fairway, the 12-store grocery chain that started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, went public and has ambitions of opening 300 stores across the country: (Dealbook)

With the success of companies like Whole Foods, Annie’s and Kashi, there’s now a market for fast-food chains that are not only healthful, vegetarian-friendly and humane, but cheap; Mark Bittman surveyed our country’s “nouveau junk food” scene: (New York Times)

One example is wraps: whether it’s because of the slender shape, lettuce peeking out, or expert marketing by McDonald’s, they’re perceived as a healthier choice than burgers and other carb-sandwiched entrees, but they’re just as caloric: (Bloomberg)

New findings suggest that just the smell of olive oil in our food can make us feel fuller–we don’t even need to eat it! (New York Times)

Grocery delivery may be appealing for a certain demographic, but this article explores the reasons it’s so challenging to both the shopper and the business that offers it: (Silicon Valley Mercury News)

Apparently the agency that sets national policy around GM foods isn’t above politics itself, as revealed by its removal of a member dietitian who pointed out that two other members had ties to Monsanto: (New York Times)

States are trying to restrict undercover operations by animal rights activists that ag industry groups say have led to unfair scrutiny; a proposed bill would make it illegal to covertly videotape livestock farms, or apply for a job at one without disclosing ties to animal rights groups: (New York Times)

Kiko's Food News, 3.29.13

 The news is a little late today as I’m busy readying for opening night of our Food & Farm Film Fest! Check out this teaser and buy your tickets for the movies this weekend–each comes paired with a bite from neighborhood chefs (we’re scooping ice cream at Sunday’s film about dairy farmers).

The Jewish food culture nut in me has loved the innovative ways people are combating the “matzo fatigue” that accompanies Passover; one entrepreneurial Atlanta couple mixed matzo with granola and their Matzolah is now sold across the country: (NPR)

And just like the famous Maxwell House coffee campaign of the 1920′s, marketers are taking advantage of growing interest in kosher foods; a new campaign for Temp Tee stars an American-born Israeli food writer/chef/founder of the Kosher Media Network; she offers video inspiration for kosher dairy dishes made with the whipped cream cheese: (New York Times)

Starbucks announced the purchase of its first farm, a 600-acre plot in Costa Rica, where they plan to grow their own coffee, cultivate new types of beans and test new defenses against crop diseases, with a goal of ethically sourcing all of their coffee beans by 2015: (Huffington Post)

Greenland is no farm country, but peppers, tomatoes, strawberries and other crops are increasingly easy to grow there as the climate warms: (Grist)

The largest Brazilian supermarket group says it will no longer sell meat from cattle raised in the rainforest, in hopes of cutting down on the illegal use of huge swaths of rainforest for pasture: (BBC)

I’m leaving the news desk for two weeks to become a certified yoga teacher–back with headlines 4/19!

Kiko's Food News, 3.22.13

 Eleven scary facts about what might be in your groceries without your knowing it–our job as grocers is to keep this out of your food! (Buzzfeed)

I had no idea that you can plant a clove of garlic, or the eye of a potato, and grow a whole plant–think about the money to be saved by growing veggies from food scraps: (Huffington Post)

Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and other large grocers have ponied up in a sign of the growing wariness about genetically modified food, announcing that they won’t sell genetically engineered salmon even if it’s approved: (San Jose Mercury News)

Reality check radio: despite the boost in sales and popularity of eating locally, evidence suggests that the U.S.D.A.’s programs to prop up small-scale farmers haven’t done enough: (NPR)

Proposed legislation known as the “Anti-Bloomberg Bill,” passed by an overwhelming margin in the Mississippi House, makes it illegal for local governments to restrict the sale of fatty or sugary foods based on their nutritional value: (Huffington Post)

This roundup of the Bay Area’s best urban farms included our 18 Reasons Farm School as a way to get your hands dirty: (Huffington Post)

Kiko's Food News, 3.15.13

 The future of fishing was foreshadowed in a “Trash Fish” dinner where fishermen, chefs, and environmental advocates dined on redfish, dogfish and pollock; for years these fish have been tossed overboard as waste, but the group aims to re-introduce them to the marketplace: (Boston Globe)

As more and more people go gluten free, this article bears a good warning about how to do it safely, without sacrificing essential fiber and nutrients: (Scientific American)

American vintners are going after younger consumers to keep their $33 billion industry growing, using more irreverent labels, easy drinking wines, and laid-back tastings to demystify the elite atmosphere surrounding wine: (San Francisco Chronicle)

Upscale resorts have added culinary classes for kids, like a Young Pastry Chefs program at the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel where kids take home a monogrammed chef’s coat, chef’s hat, and recipes from the day: (ABC News)

Whole Foods has become the first US retailer to require labeling of all genetically modified foods in its stores, with a five year deadline: (New York Times)

Safeway’s confronting requirements to map their global supply chains in an effort to identify suppliers with suspect labor practices like human trafficking and slavery, and urging other huge chains to do the same: (Supermarket News)

Kiko's Food News, 3.8.13

If you could shame your friends into composting by calling them out when you caught them trashing compostables–even from miles away–would you? (Mechanical Turk)

I also love the idea of making good food affordable by changing habits around home cooking and storage, like taking 3-minute fridge inventories and cooking wilted veggies: (US News and World Report)

Universities’ searches for new revenue streams, coupled with growing demand for locally sourced food, are fueling farm-to-table product lines like Washington State’s branded “W.S.U. Premium Beef” from cattle they’ve raised in their animal science program for years: (New York Times)

Check out the biggest Oxfam America campaign to date, Behind the Brands: they’re taking on Big Food by ranking the ten largest food and beverage companies on social & environmental issues (I should add that these grades are based on official policies, not actual behavior): (NPR)

Last week I shared news of the horse meat scandal in Europe; turns out the USDA is likely to approve a horse slaughtering plant in New Mexico, which would allow equine meat suitable for human consumption to be produced in the US for the first time since 2007: (New York Times)

Child poverty in the US has reached record levels, with almost 17 million children now affected, and a growing number going hungry on a daily basis; Obama’s focusing his efforts on raising minimum wage to $9 to bolster the incomes of millions of working families: (BBC)

Kiko's Food News, 3.1.13

The former president of Trader Joe’s sees solutions to our problems of food waste and food insecurity in his new nonprofit food store where customers will be able to purchase “expired” ingredients for a fraction of their retail price, plus healthy meals made from donated food. Critics raise the “ew” issue of eating someone else’s leftovers and worry that the discount shop may compete for resources with food banks, but I say we’ve got to try it before we knock it! (Yahoo News)

A study found that 30% of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits, veggies and wine at mealtime; take this quiz to see how Mediterranean yours is: (New York Times)

For those of us keeping an eye on how local start-up Good Eggs will leverage technology to get food from small producers into local hands: this week they launched a distribution operation, allowing customers to order groceries directly from farmers and food makers and have it delivered right from the field or the kitchen, with no waste from extra inventory: (Wired)

Horse meat falsely labeled as beef has been discovered in lasagnas, burgers, and even Ikea’s meatballs in Britain, Ireland, Sweden and France: (Washington Post)

The International Dairy Foods Association and National Milk Producers Federation have filed a petition with the FDA asking them to alter the definition of “milk” to secretly include chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose–without listing these additives on the label! (Natural News)

For decades the US pork industry has tried to breed the fat out of pork, “the other white meat”, to the detriment of flavor; now an Iowa pig farmer is bringing the flavor back, claiming he’s bred the best tasting pork ever by crossing a Chinese swine with a Russian wild boar. He’s convinced his meat is worth 4 x the price of regular supermarket pork, but how much fat in pork is too much? (New York Times)

Kiko's Food News, 2.22.13

How has a tasting moment called the “bliss point” caused such a deterioration in public nutrition? An in-depth report on the industrial formulations and selling campaigns that get people hooked on convenient, inexpensive processed foods: (New York Times)

Supermarkets lose an estimated $15 billion each year in fruit and veggies alone; enter Food Star, a start-up that’s partnering with retailers to redirect food in-store before it’s wasted by sending flash sale emails to notify shoppers when they can buy perishables at extreme savings: (Green Biz)

A new cattle drug called Zilmax is being widely used in the industrial feedlots where most of America’s beef comes from, part of a new regime for raising cattle that emphasizes higher production and cost-cutting wherever possible: (Slate)

From grocer to travel agency? Whole Foods has kicked off a travel venture called Whole Journeys that promises authentic food and food experiences for active travelers, from a culinary tour of Idaho’s Salmon River to tea ceremonies in China: (LA Times)

Re-thinking salt’s place in our cooking: my good friend Jess Goldman Foung has written a book that shows, through brilliant recipes, how salt is just a single “spice” on the rack, and how choosing to remove it makes room for other exciting flavor combinations: (Huffington Post)

Kiko's Food News, 2.8.13

There are so many ways to cut the grocery bill but still buy healthy foods wherever we shop; here are ten, and at Bi-Rite we also recommend making a shopping list to avoid impulse buys: (Huffington Post)

Residents of low-income neighborhoods across the country are rallying to get healthy food into their communities, thus proving that it’s not elitist: (Civil Eats)

L.A. public school students faced off in healthful cooking as their district entered the Cooking up Change contest for the first time this year as part of an effort to give students a larger voice in its healthful school food initiative: (Los Angeles Times)

Reuse–and re-wash–your shopping bags! A study concluded that a spike in emergency room visits and 46% increase in deaths due to food-borne illnesses following S.F.’s plastic bag ban was due to harmful bacteria in reusable grocery bags: (Fox News)

As a pronunciation snob myself, I was amused by this list of 10 commonly mis-pronounced foods (I think I’ve been botching “gnocchi”!): (Huffington Post)

Food fraud (addition or replacement of a stated, safe ingredient with something unknown) happens all over the grocery world; here are 10 common pantry staples that have been at the center of food fraud reports in recent decades: (The Daily Meal)

Kiko's Food News, 2.1.13

The United Nations launched a “Think-Eat-Save” campaign to reduce global food waste (which it estimates at 1.3 billion tons a year), calling on eaters to take logical steps like making a shopping list to avoid impulse buys, freezing leftovers, and embracing “funny” looking fruit and veggies: (Grist)

One author explores how the simple act of eating differently is radically changing race relations in America, as diverse communities interact in newly forming local food economies: (GOOD)

McDonald’s fish sandwiches and “McBites” will soon have a blue Eco-label from the Marine Stewardship Council, which is auditing to verify their fish comes only from sustainably caught Alaskan Pollock; this will boost the Council’s visibility, but will such a market-based approach result in declining stocks? (Los Angeles Times)

Cheesemongers are a new group within society’s creative class, many responsible for some of the most amusing writing on the market; fun to read different descriptions of Red Hawk and some of our other favorites! (New York Times)

The Good Food Awards, founded here in SF and gaining momentum around the country, will fulfill its vision of changing Americans’ perception of the price and value of food by creating demand for foods that at first glance appear to be expensive, but whose value is revealed as we are educated about the labor-intensive practices and quality of ingredients within them: (Huffington Post)

Two of my favorite chef experts on traditional, economical and resourceful cooking shared juicy tips for making the best broth possible, such as adding raw chicken parts for gelatin and roasting bones before simmering: (Smithsonian)

Kiko's Food News, 1.25.13

Have a pint and change the world: the beer-for-charity movement has beer halls across the country channeling profits towards philanthropy: (New York Times)

A modern day, all-American Jean Valjean? Dave’s Killer Bread, about to launch nationally after huge success in the Northwest, was started after its co-founder finished a 15-year prison term; his loafs contain ingredients like flax, sunflower and sesame seeds, and blue cornmeal: (Fast Company)

The international appetite for quinoa has pushed prices so high that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it; in Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken, leaving locals with imported junk food as the more affordable option: (The Guardian)

A new study of 200 families revealed links between mealtime behaviors and children’s weight, finding that children who regularly sat down for family meals were more likely to have a healthy weight compared to those whose mealtimes were cut short: (Medical Daily)

For most eaters, there’s a place and time for it all, and the Corner Stourmet is a new column that classes up Fritos, Spam and other corner store staples for those moments when a lapse from fresh is good for the soul: (The Bold Italic)

Kiko's Food News, 1.18.13

Coca-Cola Co. released a new TV commercial (check it out) that highlights its efforts in fighting obesity; it mentions how they sell about 180 low- and no-calorie drinks, and reminds viewers that “all calories count no matter where they come from”: (Reuters)

But Marion Nestle calls their bluff, saying that if they really want to reverse their impact on obesity, they need to stop targeting their marketing towards kids and low income minorities: (Food Politics)

London’s leading department store launched an out-of-the-box campaign with a “no noise” theme, and is now offering logo-free products, headspace pods and a Silence Room where the walls are soundproofed, electronic devices are forbidden, and meditation is encouraged! (Fast Company)

Grocery shoppers are less likely to complain to company management than shoppers for other goods and services, as a study found that 46% of grocery shoppers do not report bad experiences to their grocers, vs. 24% of banking customers and 21% of media customers: (Supermarket News)

Traditionally a reliable source of profit, cigarette sales are waning at 7-Eleven and other convenience stores, and food, with higher margins, is rising to take its place: (Bloomberg)

For the first time, an American whiskey (a single-malt from Waco, TX) won Best in Glass, beating nine others, including Scottish classics, in a blind panel of spirits experts: (New York Times)

Kiko's Food News, 1.11.13

Hallelujah! It’s time Americans realize that “sell by” dates have little to do with food safety, and that most products are safe to eat long after their expiration date (we need to rely more on our sense of smell): (NPR)

This article about a formerly reluctant food scrap composter, now converted, makes me appreciate San Francisco’s institutionalized compost pickup: (New York Times)

Butcher love: This fun movie short (produced by Ashton Kutcher, wha??) celebrates the “subculture” of local butchers–Aaron trained here with Morgan and Chili before opening his shop! (Thrashlab)

Big food companies have in recent years worked to cut salt from their top-selling products, but quietly so: (NPR)

Chicken farmers are feeding their flocks a specially milled diet laced with oregano oil and cinnamon to fight off bacterial diseases without resorting to antibiotics: (New York Times)

The FDA released two proposed rules designed to boost the safety of our food supply: one would require worker safety training, hand washing and monitoring the presence of animals in the field that could spread illness in fruits and vegetables; the other would require food processors to develop plans for preventing contamination: (NPR)

Slow Food USA has hired Richard McCarthy, co-founder of the Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans, as its new leader; he’ll be tasked with navigating the question of whether Slow Food should exist to celebrate the pleasures of the table, or to advocate for food justice and biodiversity, (New York Times)