Eliza Barclay

The National Potato Council wants potatoes to be allowed in a supplemental food program for low-income women and children at nutritional risk. But advocates for the program say the industry just wants to circumvent the scientific process that sets policy on nutrition.

Incentive programs that double the value of food stamp dollars spent at farmers markets have been hailed as one of the most effective ways to encourage healthful eating and support local farmers. The flaw: Most people don't shop at farmers markets. So a new program will soon pilot the concept at three grocery stores in Detroit.

The number of women running farms of all sizes has tripled since the early 1980s, according to the USDA. Economists say that more women are seeing opportunities to try farming, especially if they already have an off-farm job.

Prison food gets a bad rap, but a recent tasting at a historic penitentiary showed that prison menus of the past were less predictable and maybe even more nutritious than the institutional-style meals served in most prisons today. Some prisons are returning to scratch cooking, and are opening restaurants to train inmates in food service.

Inspecting seafood for safety hazards is currently the job of the Food and Drug Administration. But U.S. catfish producers want the Department of Agriculture involved, too. Critics say it's just a crackdown on foreign producers who are taking over the U.S. market.

Some 45 trillion gallons of water are lost each year with all of the food that's thrown out around the world, according to a report from the World Resources Institute. This represents a staggering 24 percent of all water used for agriculture.

Sitting is looking less and less healthy, but it can be hard to get up off the couch and go. Using a pedometer can help change those habits, a study says. That's good to know, since employers including the White House are increasingly using the gizmos in wellness programs.

A scientist has developed a technology to turn the cellulose in nonfood plants like trees and grasses into edible starch. Sounds zany, but guess what? Cellulose products are already commonly used as food additives in hundreds of processed and fast food items.

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest styles of eating in the world. But in many regions, including Denmark and Sweden, it's not easy to follow when olive oil is hard to find. Now Nordic researchers are exploring the health benefits of a Nordic diet, based on local foods like herring and bilberries.

Lesions on the teeth of crack and methamphetamine addicts have a lot in common with those on the teeth of people addicted to soda, a dental researcher writes in a case study. But even people who wouldn't consider themselves "soda addicts" are at risk of dental erosion, he says.