I enjoy studying food, catching up on food-related news, and witticisms, which is likely a combination that some readers will enjoy and will leave others scratching their heads.

Fair warning, such may be the case for this edition of Food News Round Up, which covers:

• Stanford’s recent study on organic food
• McDonald’s menu labeling press coverage
• Election 2012 and the role of food in politics
• Latest food trends of the moment
• Leftover food news

By the end, you’ll have engaged in a tasty selection of the last couple of week’s worth of food-related news — and what better way to engage all of the senses as you read the news than to spell out “smell” in the process?

Stanford’s Organic Food Study

I’d be remiss to not say something about the recent Stanford meta-analysis of 237 studies that concluded that eating organic offers few health benefits, so I’ll just go ahead and get that out of the way first:

• Mark Bittman’s “Links” feature starts off with a handful of responses to the study.
• Consumer Reports urges consumers, don’t give up on organic food.
• Frances Moore Lappe argues that Stanford scientists were “shockingly reckless on health risk and organics.”
• Stanford Medicine’s News Office responds to the study’s media attention.

Regardless of what you make of the evidence, if you want to buy organic when you can (and when it counts the most pesticide-wise) the Environmental Working Group’s shopper’s guides are great consumer resources.

McDonald’s Menu Labeling 

While calorie labeling on chain restaurant menus will be required as part of federal health care reform, McDonald’s recently announced that they’re making the change early and reaping a slew of press for it:

• LA Times covers the story as McDonald’s plans to post calorie counts on menu boards nationwide.
• From stats to jokes, this Wall Street Journal interactive graphic captures McDonald’s menu labeling online buzz.
• Forbes says McDonald’s transparency offers the financial industry food for thought.

Election 2012, Food, and Politics

While Herbert Hoover apparently never promised “a chicken in every pot,” food continues to play a role in contemporary American politics:

• NPR’s the Salt discusses how Yelp reviewers slice and dice the politics of pizza.
• The LA Times chews on Obama’s pizza man, Romney’s doughnuts, and the politics of food.

Latest Food Trends

While the foodscape is continually changing, here are a few trends of the moment:

• The Guardian’s A-Z list of current food trends includes instagram, moustaches, offal, and tattoos.
• The aptly named author, Langdon Cook, shares 10 great places for food foraging.
• The Collegiate Gen Y Eating: Culinary Trend Mapping Report features meatless meals, nut butters, and chickpeas galore.

Leftover Food News

This happens every Food News Round Up: some nifty bits of food news don’t fit into a nice and neat category, and I can’t help but share them with you — and this time, we’ll finish spelling “smell” to boot.

• Raj Patel (author of Stuffed and Starved) discusses the failure of the Green Revolution and industrial agriculture.
• New book, “Jefferson’s Crème Brulee” reveals 18^th Century roots of French cuisine in America.
• NPR’s The Salt discusses how Oregon’s prized Pinot Noir grapes will take the heat of climate change.