Food chains, also called food webs, food networks and/or trophic networks, describe the feeding relationships between species to another within an ecosystem. Organisms are connected to the organisms they consume by arrows representing the direction of biomass transfer. Typically a food chain or food web refers to a graph where only connections are recorded, and a food network or ecosystem network refers to a network where the connections are given weights representing the quantity of nutrients or energy being transferred.

The FDA is expected to approve including cloned animals and their offspring into the human food chain. But will they inform us which products are from cloned animals?

Last night, the King County, Washington Board of Health voted to require food service establishments to phase out their use of artificial trans fat and to list nutrition information on chain restaurant menus. The menu labeling rule only affects chain restaurants with 10 or more outlets and that have standardized menu items.

Demand for calorie labels on restaurant food is sweeping the country but the real question is whether diners with more information will make wiser decisions. Although labeling laws would apply only to chains, which make up just 10 percent of outlets, they serve about two-thirds of restaurant traffic...

The New York City law 1 targets big, national fast-food chains. It applies only to restaurants that were already making calorie information available voluntarily. The New York State Restaurant Association claims that the law in effect punishes restaurants that make the information available, while giving a free pass to those that don't.

"The most effective way to address food and product safety issues is greater transparency. Cheaper information technology is already making it possible for companies (and inevitably governments) to mark and trace the provenance of all products and ingredients through their supply chains." Allowing for identified problems to be removed immediately.