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Sending food and drink across the sea, then and now. Hiding behind green labels. To soak or not to soak. And more on mothers’ milk.

Phil Howard, of Michigan State University, casually let slip in our conversation about concentration in the food industry that a brewery in Australia had been fined for faux craft beer. I had to investigate. Its quite an interesting story.

The number of firms that own the food brands you see is much smaller than you think. That’s not good for consumers or suppliers.

Having linked to the original piece at 538, it would be remiss of me not to link to these two threads rebutting its main conclusions.

Farmers have long memories, and tend to vote against policies that hurt them directly. Which is rather interesting in light of the trade war launched by the US.

Pigs, but not pigeons or horses. Tosh, but not any old tosh. And that old standby, mother’s milk. It’s all good for you.

Time was when veal calves were kept in the dark. These days, it may be the shoppers who have helped to solve the problem of surplus male dairy calves.

How the quest for consistent quality resulted in the world’s largest brewer giving rise to possibly the world’s most widely-used statistical test.

Art, cocoa, policy, data and fried artichokes. In other words, something for everyone, as usual.

A hop crop flop in Europe made the fortunes of growers in the Pacific north west of America, none more so than in Oregon’s Willamette valley. Ezra Meeker, the hop king, promoted the gemütlichkeit of hop-picking in the old country as the frontispiece to his book; the reality was somewhat different.