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Apparently China is kind of being hit with a mini recession at the moment. This recession is affecting the fast food industries. In another article http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-23/china-s-stock-index-futures-decline-on-earnings-concerns.html most of China's top earning corporations has decrease in stock prices. One of China major corporation Volatility droped 22 percent in the markets today. Fast food sales growth in decrease to 6% from 19% last year.

The comparison of the two articles is really interesting. Especially since the linked article focuses primarily on the sales of US franchises in China. It would be interesting to compare whether equivalent Chinese 'fast food' chains are also suffering or whether these companies with such strong American associations may be suffering due to the tension in US-China relations.

This article discusses the unknowns of genetically modified foods that have parents in a rural China town worried. A US-China research program fed modified "golden rice" to several children in Central China. Little GM research has been done in China and parents are very worried, because of the rumored side effects ranging from lung disease to reproductive lose.

I find this interesting because China is the largest country in the world with 1.3 billion people and food is a crucial resource. I know in the article It says that it is just rumors and hear say but I believe that the government is also worried about how to feed everyone. Now that China has evolved into a developed nation the image of china no longer lacks industries and technology making China more wealthy. With that being said China doesn't want an image where they cannot feed all their citizens.

This article explains that more Chinese famers are beginning to use food chain partnership projects to produce higher yields. The partnerships are equipping famers with new technology that has not been used before in this province. With new technology comes new worries, and with new traceable scanning codes, customers can identify where, how, whether or not GMOs were used.

This is a fascinating article that reflects cultural sensitivity from an iconic globalising brand. 

Aside from religious and health reasons, many people are vegetarian because they view the breeding and killing of animals for food as wrong. I think a lot of vegetarians wouldn't eat McDonalds even if they had vegan options because of the vast quantities of beef and chicken they sell. Seems like a fruitless action, but at least they are trying I guess.

Countries in South Asia are working on improving science education among women and children. Literacy rates are fairly high, but science education is not. These countries believe that they must invest more in the scientific education of their children because they will be growing up to run the world soon and need to have knowledge in these fields. Most of the science education varies by country to fit along with what is most important to the people there. For example, developing countries like Nepal are focusing on energy, food, and water resources.

It's good to see some countries trying to improve their scientific literacy. Even if some of these kids don't want to pursue a career in some science field, a better understanding of science could help develop better problem solving skills and help them make more informed decisions in the future. Plus, more people who understand the issues they discussed like global warming can lead to more possible solutions.

Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg Meenakshi, one of hundreds of young women who zip around India's dusty streets on scooters promoting the dairy drink Yakult, says health is her best sales pitch. The 22-year-old student knocks on doors two days a week to tell stay-at-home mothers, washing ladies, and residents living in makeshift shacks how Yakult's microbes can help cultivate their "intestinal flora."

Interesting article, it reminds me of some of the issues raised in Global Pharmaceuticals about how medications are regulated differently in different countries. It's funny how these drinks can be called healthier in Asia than in America or Europe, as if the location makes a difference in the contents of the product. Wouldn't it be nice if these companies had to make the same claims everywhere regardless of regional policies?

This article makes me suspect that the regulations for marketing certain foods and drink in the U.S. and Europe is more strict than in Asia. The FDA has fairly strict regulations, which prevent advertising products with effects that are not proven to be true. The article never really says if the probiotic drinks actually help in the way they are said to, so I can understand if U.S. and American markets are less inclined to allow the companies to advertise the claims.