• Due to its shifting schedule, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is straining California date growers, who are concerned the harvest will not be ready in time to meet orders. [L.A. Times]
• California, in addition to other states, is using prisoner labor to garden for food banks in need. [Google/AP]
• Russian President Medvedev declares his country’s alcoholism a “national disaster” after efforts to curb binge vodka drinking fail. [Yahoo/Rueters]
• 50 noted French chefs and wine experts have warned President Nicolas Sarkozy that global warming will end France’s wine and gourmet produce production. [The Age]
• Carl’s Jr. and Hardees’ parent company is trying to lure customers away from McDonald’s new Angus burgers of which the company’s CEO claims “blatantly copied our burgers.” [WSJ]
• Outgoing New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni has written an auto-biography that admits he long struggled with his feelings about food and was even briefly bulimic. [MSNBC]
