Tax the fat (-tier foods)
If we don’t start taxing fatty foods then half of British adults will be obese by 2030, say ministers. This is an inevitably fraught political issue – few foods have VAT on them at the moment and such a move would hit the poor hardest. But without these measure it is feared that by 2050, obesity will cost the government £32 billion a year.

Celebrity backing damaging organic reputation
The support of organic food from the likes of the Prince of Wales is damaging its image, according to Helen Browning, head of the Soil Association. Her theory is that endorsements from the Madonnas and Gwyneth Paltrows of this world make organic food seem ‘elitist’. Maybe. It could also be that it costs twice as much as normal food, and they don’t even wash it for you. Honestly.

Marco’s dropped by Bernard Matthews
As reported on this blog, MPW has been inexplicably promoting Bernard Matthews turkeys. Now the chef, who claims to have been an admirer of BM since he was a young warthog,  has had his range of ready meals pulled from shelves after poor sales. The problem, according to a BM spokesperson, was that the range was “two years ahead of its time”. *Nods sagely*.

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Other food news this week:
* Alex James launches a range of processed cheese for Asda.
* Coriander oil could cure food poisoning.
* Did rising food prices provoke Arab spring?
* A poor year for plum peddlers.
* Jordan spurns food in Spain in favour of McDonald’s.

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Recipe of the week:
* I might be biased but this elderberry ice cream from Rose Cottage was an absolute stonker.

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New food website:
* Edible Experiences is a useful new site with all the food happenings in London.

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Video of the week:
* Jerry Leiber died this week. This is a quite magnificent version of Stand By Me, played across the world: