The average American eats. A lot. As a new infographic points out, per year, food intake per person can amount to some 200 pounds of meat, 85 pounds of fat, 415 pounds of vegetables, 31 pounds of cheese, 53 gallons of soda and 42 pounds of high fructose corn syrup.

Eating meat grown in labs rather than from the carcass of a once living cow, pig or chicken is inching closer to reality every day as scientists have agreed to some key positions concerning issues surrounding cultured meat production.

While many cultures, particularly in the developing world, rely on insects as a large part of their diets, the very thought can incite a nose-up-turning reaction from Westerners—bug eating is ratings boost fodder for gross-out reality show television, but not dinner at a five star restaurant. But, the European Union aims to change that with a push towards entomophagy, the scientific name for eating insects.

Pasture-raised livestock naysayers may want to have a look at the findings of a recent USDA study on the effects cows raised in a more natural setting have on the health of the environment.

A Florida bill passed late last month making any photos obtained from illegal entry to a factory farm a misdemeanor crime. The proposed felony targeted trespassers, typically animal rights advocates capturing abusive and neglectful conditions, but the Florida Senate Committee downgraded the violation.

Recent research published by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment reveals a growing number of antibiotic resistant strains of pathogens used in livestock animals.

If you haven't seen it yet, Food & Water Watch launched an incredible updated version of its online Factory Farm Map. Users are able to view the locations and drastically increased numbers of factory farms between 1997 and 2007. Sort by cattle, dairy cows, pigs, broiler and layer chickens, or view them all at once to see the massive impact factory farming has on our country.

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., a Jackson, Miss.-based producer and marketer of shell eggs, is recalling approximately 24,000 dozen unprocessed eggs purchased from Croton, OH-based Ohio Fresh Eggs, LLC, because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently notified Cal-Maine that a routine sample taken at Ohio Fresh Eggs tested positive for the bacterium. The affected eggs were processed Oct. 9–12 and distributed to food wholesalers and retailers in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. No illnesses have been reported to date.

Remember Galt, IA-based Wright County Egg—the key factory farm involved in August’s recall of 500,000 eggs after a multistate salmonella outbreak? The company whose owner, Austin “Jack” DeCoster, was called a corporate criminal by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich?

After the recall, DeCoster was required to outline corrective actions in a formal letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Not surprisingly, the agency has found his proposed measures to be sorely lacking. Kansas City District Director John W. Thorsky has sent DeCoster a warning letter that requires “prompt and aggressive actions” to correct a host of unresolved problems. If DeCoster fails to comply, the FDA can enjoin his company from selling eggs or seize the foul farm.

In First They Came for the Cows: An Activist’s Story, Vermont farmer Sharon Zecchinelli has written a fictionalized account of her battle with federal farm regulations.

Zecchinelli’s target: the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)—a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that collects data on farm animals.

The book exposes how the USDA provides loopholes for massive industrial farms, favoring corporate operations at the expense of family farmers and consumers.