Food News Today transcripts for the week of April 9th, 2012

Musical fruits and vegetables, hydrofracking & how it affects our food, and help save the butchers.

Good morning, Food News Today is sponsored by ConAgra Foods, who shares with me the desire to provide the most current, interesting, and unbiased food news.

>It's a safe bet that is has never crossed your mind to turn fruits and veggies in to musical instruments, play them, and make money from talent shows.  Well, two talented brothers, Nan Weidong and Nan Weiping, from Beijing decided to do just that.  They create and play live music from instruments made entirely of fresh vegetables. They have been playing traditional music for years but only recently decided to combine food and sound.  The brothers are currently designing more elaborate instruments to expand their repertoire. That's music to my ears"... you know, corn - ears.

>Now we switch to the environment to hear what Rebecca has to say, Rebecca what do you have for us today?

REBECCA: "Thanks Phil.  Last month, the New York State Assembly voted to drop a proposal for an independent health impact study of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing as used for natural gas extraction, is the process by which water, frequently mixed with sand and chemicals, is forced down a well hole at extremely high pressure in order to create or expand fractures to release gas from the rock formation in which it is trapped. The prime locations for hydrofracking are in parts of New York and Pennsylvania, coincidentally regions that support many family farms. In the drilling process, various gasses and heavy metals are released and brought to the surface of the well site. The release of fracking fluid and the related gases adversely affect soil fertility, causing the soil to become more acidic and reducing the total nutrient content, significantly handicapping crops grown nearby. The shale rock that houses natural gas is very rich in Radium 226, a radioactive material that has appeared in milk and other dairy products in Pennsylvania. Roughly 40% of the chemicals used are known endocrine disruptors, chemicals that interfere with the hormone system in animals and humans. These components have been found in the blood of livestock living in close proximity to natural gas fields. It is important to support research into the life cycle of these pollutants and to pinpoint how they are affecting our national dairy and livestock industries." 

PHIL: Thanks Rebecca!

>Next up we have Bob Buonomano, who founded Help Save The Butchers.  Twenty four years ago Bob went into business for himself buying his first supermarket in CT., Windham IGA.  His 12,000 sq' store has weeks that exceed $100,000 in meat business. Here's what Bob had to say.

Thanks Bob - I love your knowledge and enthusiasm for your trade.

Let me know what's on your food mind. And remember to log on to Food News Today.com any time to access this episode, previous episodes and our transcripts. Thanks for watching!