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A study from a project co-chaired by former 1st District congressman Doug Bereuter says climate change threatens to undermine not only how much food can be grown but also the quality of that food, as altered weather patterns lead to a less desirable harvest. Crops grown by many of the nation's farmers have a lower nutritional content than they once did, according to the report by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Research indicates that higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have reduced the protein content in wheat, for example. And the International Rice Research Institute has warned that the quality of rice available to consumers will decline as temperatures rise, the report noted. The council has been examining the effects of climate change on food for several months as part of a project co-chaired by former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and former Rep. Doug Bereuter, R-Neb., president emeritus of the Asia Foundation.

Mixing milk Food adulteration is an unsavoury fact of modern life. Many foodstuffs are targeted by criminal gangs because of their high value, so mixing them with cheaper alternatives while selling at the price of the pure material leads to higher profits. Pursue this tactic at the national or international scale and there is good money to be made. One of the more surprising foods that have been targeted is milk. Not the common cows' milk that we drink in the Western world, but milk from more exotic species likes the yak, buffalo or camel. These types have been mixed with milk from the cow or goat, and goat milk itself has been adulterated with cheaper cow milk. It is difficult to see or taste the difference when milk has been adulterated but scientific methods are available.