• The growing number of households in middle-class and affluent suburban communities outside Philadelphia now accepting food stamps contributed greatly to the 34-percent increase in assistance seen across the region since 2007. [Inquirer]
• The opposite sex won’t give you cooties, but kissing someone who’s recently consumed an offending substance can trigger food allergies. [Opposing Views]
• After a scandal last month in which certain halal sausages in France were reported to contain pork, there’s a lot of confusion among that country’s Muslims about what constitutes halal, but no central body overseeing standards. [Time]
• Meanwhile thanks to drought in China, that country’s wheat crop is at risk, which could affect the staple’s global supply (and price). [Times of India]
• Better to switch to rice: The Philippines will import less rice than usual this year, which will likely cause the commodity’s already low global prices to fall further. [WSJ]
