Food Section: A Tougher FDA, a Larger Tomato

You know how last year, everyone you know threw away their "reusable" Nalgene bottles in favor of Sigg metal water bottles because of fears over BPA? Well, Sigg just admitted some of its bottles produced before August 2008 contained the chemical -- and the company kept that piece of info secret. Those of us who decided that we'd rather risk a little BPA exposure from the occasional swig off our Nalgene than send it off to a landfill are crowing pretty hard right now.

Seattle gardeners, take note: In his blog the Cold Truth, Andrew Schneider reports on a Finnish research study that finds peeing on your tomato plants (OK, fertilizing them with urine you've collected up, as if that's any less gross) makes them produce four times as many tomatoes. It goes without saying: Keep your fertilization secrets to yourself.

As part of its makeover into a faster, tougher food-safety agency, the FDA has just ruled that companies must notify the agency within 24 hours of learning about a food-contamination issue.

Bonus link #1: Chinese farmer grows pears in the shape of baby Buddhas.

Bonus link #2: Danish researchers find that thin thighs = higher risk for heart disease. Voracious can't find any evidence that the study was funded by Cathy, but we have our suspicions.

FYI, most of these news stories appeared as Tweets: www.twitter.com/jonkauffman.