Desperately seeking safe eats. In the wake of increasingly widespread food recalls of everything from tomatoes and spinach to beef and cold cuts, Quebecers are changing their habits and buying their meat and produce from local farmers they feel they can trust. [News Source]

Politicians haggle over future of food inspection. Allowing the Canadian food industry to police itself would lead to more recalls as businesses cut corners, critics said Thursday amid a nationwide outbreak of a dangerous bacterial infection. [News Source]

Mexico closes border to cattle from Alberta. Mexico will ban cattle from Alberta from crossing its border until officials find out more about what Canada is doing to prevent mad cow disease, a Canadian industry official said Thursday. [News Source]

Charles’s fantasy farming won’t feed Africa’s poor. A return to organic peasantry will feed only affluent angst. To take on global hunger, genetic modification is crucial. [News Source]