Spain vs. Germany: The E.Coli War
Everyone’s scratching their heads about the recent outbreak of E.Coli. First the Spanish and their cucumbers were blamed, leading their agriculture minister to eat one on the telly. Then a German beansprout farm was blamed. A lot of compensation has been paid to farmers affected by accusations, but no conclusions have yet been reached.

KFC wins red tractor
As all fast food chains try to up their ethical game, KFC has laid a surprising early blow. This week it became the first UK fast food restaurant to win Red Tractor certification, meaning that its on-the-bone chicken products “have been sourced in the UK under strict safety, environmental and animal welfare standards”. How about that? A totally guilt-free zinger burger.

Two sugary drinks a day can dull your taste buds
A recent study claims that drinking two cans of pop a day can both dull your taste buds and cause you to crave high calorie food. Researchers at Bristol and Bangor found that sharp palates were quickly deadened by fizzy drinks, which meant consumers craved foods with high sugar/fat impact. Like KFC.

******

Other food news this week:
* Scots reinforce stereotypes by rioting over cheap beer.
* Ramsay returns to profit. And he’s in a film.  
* Pub closure causes a furore. 
* James Martin looks to ‘revolutionise‘ hospital food. Sounds familiar.
* Bankers are gambling on food.

******

Piece of the week:
* Oliver Thring Considers the BBQ in a measured and fair fashion. Do you think the Brits can Barbie?

******

Blog of the week:
* The beautiful Anne’s Kitchen. Enjoy.

******

Video of the week:
* A brilliant film about a London planning cock-up: