About

ABOUT THE FOOD TIMES, INC.

thefoodtimes.com and thefoodtimes.org are services of The Food Times, Inc., a New Jersey nonprofit corporation. The organization is operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is applying for its tax exemption letter from the IRS and charitable registration from the State of New Jersey.

ABOUT THEFOODTIMES

thefoodtimes is a public service project that seeks to transform our understanding of the modern food system. By gathering and distilling existing food news and information, it links the dinner on our plates to our bodies, our communities, the economy and the health of the world we leave to our children.

ABOUT thefoodchain

thefoodchain tells the never-ending story of food through a series of sentences, each of which links to a different newspaper article. The idea is loosely modeled on the back-of-the-book feature in Harper’s magazine. Read it in narrative form as the news changes throughout the week.

OUR SOURCES

Thefoodtimes aggregates news and information and links to the work, worldwide, of journalists and scholars. The relationship is symbiotic: thefoodtimes provides a public service; news organizations reach a larger readership. Together, our work is journalism at its best: a powerful force of change and of benefit to all.

News is transient. Newspapers decide whether to make their archives available, and for how long. If you find a broken link and need the complete story, we encourage you to contact the original news source.

KARLA COOK, EDITOR

I’m a food journalist and have worked for newspapers as a staff writer and editor for more than 20 years, during which I developed the philosophy of thefoodtimes. After taking a short break for full-time motherhood, I resumed writing as a freelancer for The New York Times.

BOB MONSOUR, WEB BUILDER

By day, I work at Princeton University. By night, I've been working with Karla to bring her food news dreams to cyber-life. A former software developer-turned businessman-turned university administrator, this site, and others I've built, have kept my inner geek alive. I built this site upon the MovableType platform. I've also built the sites for Princeton's Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, and Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is thefoodtimes?

It is a public service website that gathers, distills and links existing food news, information and features to explain how food affects quality of life, the market and pocketbook, the political landscape and our environment.

How did it start?

I’m a news addict, and have been a newspaper food journalist for more than 20 years. But newspapers are losing readers and staff, being bought and sold and merged as costs rise for newsprint, labor and transportation.

At the same time, food has grown past its newspaper section borders. Certainly it is recipes, and sustenance and joy. But its role is much larger. Food powers our world. Food is second only to air on our hierarchy of needs. We work to eat. It is community, culture, policy and politics. It is money and power and religion; it is escape and comfort. For those with diet-related disease, it is the enemy. It divides the FDA and USDA over nanotechnology, herbal supplements and genetically modified organisms. It drives the global economy.

A Google search for "meatloaf recipe" yields 1,520,000 hits, yet granite countertops are mere monuments, with prepared food sales reaching 48.5 percent of the total food expenditure for households in 2005. A highly efficient factory farming system feeds the world, but shows alarming lapses in food safety; that same system is implicated in climate change, the demise of robust rural life and elimination of fish stocks in a growing "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico.

Food is art, and it's funny, too: Why, asks my little girl, did the lobster blush? After a moment, she delivers the punch line: Because he saw the salad dressing!

With thefoodtimes, I hope to bridge the chasm between the realities of our food system and the pastoral fantasy of consumers. I want to show readers how our own decisions and those of our neighbors affect the big picture – how we shape what is grown, sold and eaten in our own town, our own school or university and in the larger market.

Further, I hope to move my beloved profession toward a new community of readers.

How can I participate?

Reporters and editors can submit tightly crafted 35-50-word summaries (we call them digests) for possible inclusion in thefoodtimes. Also include: suggested categories and subcategories, key words and terms in the story, a working url for the story and byline, date of original publication, and publication and contact information (email and telephone number). Submit a digest item.

Readers may submit 35-50-word summaries (we call them digests) for possible inclusion in thefoodtimes. Also include: suggested categories and subcategories, key words and terms, a working url for the story and byline, publication and contact information (email and telephone number). Submit a digest item.

How is the site organized?

The homepage is divided into three areas of navigation:

  • The top bar contains digests and links to stories that are found in a traditional newspaper food section or food magazine.
  • The left side of the page holds categories that typically are seen in news sections of the newspaper.
  • The bottom third of the page holds links and digests for stories you might find in the Sunday paper, or in a general features section.