Top 5 Food Stories for Thursday June 23rd, 2011

1) Ghana, Brazil Leaders Share World Food Prize (voanews.com)
This year's World Food Prize was awarded to President John Agyekum Kufour of Ghana and President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil for their tireless efforts in reducing hunger and poverty in their countries over the past 10 years. Congrats guys and thanks for making the world a better place!

Source: wannaveg.com

2) Top 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating (menshealth.com)
The Center for Disease Control estimates that more than 200,000 Americans become sick from food poisoning everyday, and according to one microbiologist at NYU medical center, everyone in the US will contract some sort of food borne virus this year without us even realizing it. Check out this list of the 10 dirtiest foods (some you may not expect), and how to clean and decontaminate them, to ensure you're eating the purest meals possible.

3) Simple Ways to Cut 500 Calories (yahoo.com)
Summer has arrived and sure, we'd all like to trim off a few pounds before we dawn our swimsuits and hit the beach but that requires too much effort.....or does it? You can drop a pound a week if you cut 500 calories from your daily diet (3,500 calories = 1 lb) and here a few simple tips to cut 500 calories a day for each meal, along with tips to cut calories while dining out, at the office, watching TV and while working out. It's piece of cake!

4) 5 Local Products You May Be Overlooking (mnn.com)
Are you tired of visiting your local farmer's market only to find the same fruits and vegetables as last week? If you're looking for something new to try, here is a list of the 5 things you may be missing. What's your favorite local food or product?

Source: usda.gov

5) US Bank Helps Expand Nationwide Access to Nutritious Food (marketwatch.com)
The US Bancorp Community Development Corporation (USBCDC), a subsidiary of US Bank, recently announced that they will be allocating funds from the New Markets Tax Credit towards making healthy and affordable food available across the country (if you're a major tax nerd and are interested in learning more about it, you can find all the info you need here, courtesy of the IRS). Check out this interesting article about how the USBCDC will work to open sustainable fisheries in Alaska that will support more than 1,400 local fisherman, grocery stores in rural areas and to help create more jobs within rural communities.