The big business of food made a lot of news this week… what with Dow Chemical’s Agent Orange corn and Burger King’s whopper of an announcement.

Now, while you finish your Nutella sandwich I’ll share the rest of the headlines.

Yesterday, the Obama Administration, bowing to pressure from ag groups, withdrew a proposal to restrict child labor on farms. The proposal would have banned kids from working in feed lots, grain bins and stockyards as well as from using power-driven equipment.

Dow calls the corn “Enlist.” But critics have labeled it Agent Orange corn because it’s resistant to the herbicide that was an ingredient in Agent Orange, and could pose a serious health threat (think cancer) to us as well as the environment.

I stopped eating pig a few months ago after I took a pig butchering class and became more aware of how factory-farmed pigs are raised. Well Burger King says “No more!” This week the chain announced that all of its pork and eggs will come from cage-free pigs and chickens. Wow. Someone is actually listening.

The government reported a new case of mad cow disease this week (the first in the U.S. in six years). Was finding it a lucky break… or are their methods for discovering diseased animals actually getting better?

We’ve never been a big Nutella-eating household, what with Sistie’s nut allergy and all. But some mothers I know slather it on everything, believing it is a healthy, “good for you” kind of food. Well, the makers of  Nutella got spanked this week for being just a tiny bit deceptive about their product.

Finally, beautiful ruminations on chili powder, paprika, chorizo and working hard in the food industry in David Dominguez’ poem “Oxtail Stew.” Have a great weekend!