Chewing The Fat: Wednesday Ground ‘Round

This week’s Ground ‘Round features some leftovers on food freshness, the latest pet pampering trend and Michael Eisner’s new “porn” venture…

• After all our talk about stretching the life of expired foods, we’re afraid to find out just how overdue those eggs are in the back of the fridge. Well, we were afraid, that is–until we saved our sense of smell with this handy trick.
• We read yesterday about Americans shifting their priorities toward fresh foods as a way to cope with the recession. Probably a little more expensive than shoplifting, but the long term consequences weigh in fresh food’s favor. Well, here’s another fresh trend: grocers are stocking fresh dog food that requires refrigeration and includes ingredients like brown rice, lightly cooked meats and added vitamins. Toss on some vegetables, saute it in butter and you could share…never mind.
  

• Michael Eisner and Larry Flynt now have something in common, if they didn’t already. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)–ever seeking to prove that science has its not-so-smart side–has accused Eisner of creating “food porn” after seeing the latest product from Topps, Eisner’s new company. They’re worried about Baby Bottle Pop, a bottle full of candy powder into which you dip a hard-candy nipple. Somebody at CSPI knows at least as much as Eisner when it comes to shocking PR: “I think I speak for millions of parents when I say: Mr. Eisner, please keep your candy nipples out of our childrens’ mouths,” said nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. Um…