Food Roundup: More Small Farms, More Stevia, Less Papa John's, and More

Small farms increased in number -- The USDA Census on Agriculture showed that the number of small farms rose between 2002 and 2007. However, the majority of small farms make little money and their owners often supplement their farm income with other jobs. Five percent of farms are responsible for 75 percent of what's produced. [Source: Food Politics]

Blue California ready with stevia product -- The company has notified the FDA that its natural, zero-calorie sweetener derived from the South American plant stevia is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). The FDA has already approved stevia products made by Cargill and Merisant, and Blue California said it's confident it will get a non-objection letter quickly. [Source: FoodNavigatorUSA]

Papa John's chief advises against too much pizza -- In what some have called a strategic gaffe, founder John Schnatter told the BBC it wasn't a good idea to eat too much pizza. During a discussion on obesity, Schnatter said "You can't eat five or six slices, but if you eat one or two slices it's very nutritious." [Sources: CNN, Telegraph.co.uk]

Grammys Absolut ad attracts attention -- Sunday's ad for Absolut Vodka was the first spirits ad ever to run during the Grammy Awards, and it's rare for alcohol ads to run on any major network during prime time. But the Center for Science in the Public Interest criticized the ad, saying young people made up much of the target audience. [Sources: MarketWatch, CSPI]

Kellogg and Subway reactions to marijuana photo -- Kellogg dropped olympic swimmer Michael Phelps from its advertising after photos emerged of the athlete using a bong. But Subway said that although it was "disappointed" in his behavior, it accepted his apology and would continue its contract with Phelps. [Sources: CNN, QSR Web]