We took note yesterday of a Bloomberg report that "from 2026, Irish drinkers will have to look at labels on their favorite bottle of booze informing them of the possible risks of developing liver disease and fatal cancers. While the warnings will not be as graphic as those on cigarette packs, which often include pictures of diseased body parts, they will emphasize potential deadly risks of drinking."
I commented:
Putting aside the health impact debate, I've always believed that beer, wine and spirits ought to be subject to the same labeling regulations as every other food and beverage product that people buy and consume.
One MNB reader responded:
If the US had standard nutrition label on cans of beer, bottles of wine and other alcoholic beverages the average weight of Americans would drop significantly after seeing how many calories there is in a couple beers. Out of sight out of mind.
On another subject, from MNB reader Celeste Kososki:
To the MNB reader who wrote that grocery stores, especially indies/regionals, would do well to set up “farm stand” sections in their produce departments, allow me to direct the reader, and you, to St. Louis grocer, Dierbergs Markets, who does precisely that every growing season:
In addition to the website, Dierbergs showcases local growers/produce on in-store displays, in their weekly ads, and even on the murals of the walls in their parking garage at their Des Peres, MO location!
This retailer recognized the plethora of Farmers Markets in our area and captured that connection.
Responding to Michael Sansolo's recent column about a technology featured at his local Ace Hardware that has the "ability to take even a small chip of paint and then reproduce that exact color," MNB reader Howard Schneider wrote:
I recently had some painting done at my home, and was impressed when the contractor used a smartphone app to do the same thing. Just aim the camera at the wall, and up comes the perfect match formula. Useful indeed.
We recently cited a New York Times story about Carlo Mondavi, grandson of Napa legend Robert Mondavi, who "envisions something of an agricultural revolution that would rein in farming’s carbon footprint, estimated at roughly a quarter of the greenhouse emissions each year." Mondavi, the story says, "has taken a concrete step toward helping more farmers achieve these goals by spearheading the development of the Monarch tractor. This smart electric vehicle can work autonomously while serving as a sort of farm research hub that will provide growers with data about crop health that they need to better understand their operations and make them more efficient."
One MNB reader wrote:
Why not go the Biodynamic route that Fetzer went down years ago? Great for the environment and excellent tasting wine. Why reinvent the wheel?
I'm think we may be talking grapes and cantaloupes. I'm not sure why the tractor that Mondavi is developing couldn't be used in a biodynamic vineyard.
And finally, MNB reader Tim Callahan weighed in with his idea of a great baseball movie:
I always think about the movie “Fear Strikes Out” on Father’s Day. It is everything that a father should NOT be.
I am an “old guy” and it is an old movie but the message rings true today.
