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(Update, 6 p.m. Thursday: The House passed the food safety measure 283-142. The Senate is expected to take it up after the August recess. If enacted, it will be the first major reform in food-safety law in 70 years.)

The Centers for Disease Control's pronouncement Monday that obesity is responsible for 10 percent of the nation's health care costs not only put the lie to the food industry's efforts to downplay the problem, but the agency's obesity summit this week is also causing a lot of latching on. Some people are calling for a tax on fattening foods, while others are hawking books.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a lawsuit against Denny's (DENN) for the restaurant chain's failure to disclose the criminally copious amount of salt its meals contain.

Finally, the obnoxious-fast-food-ad trend may have gone too far. Hardee's largest franchisee, Ben Mayo Boddie, is understandably upset over the CKE Restaurants-owned (CKR) company's recent campaign, which is worthy of the lowliest frat house at a third-tier state college.

Shares of Coca-Cola (KO) headed down today after the company reported a fine second quarter. Investors are apparently concerned that, despite profits rising by 43 percent, revenues were a little soft, at $8.3 billion, or a bit under (oy) "analysts' expectations" of $8.7 billion. Shares were down by more than 2 percent in late trading.

As the movie Food, Inc. illustrated, many big food companies are loath to allow outsiders—much less reporters or film crews—anywhere near their facilities.

Let's have a look at a couple of goofy food things.

Venture capital's "largesse is finally trickling down to sustainable agriculture," says James McWilliams, a history professor at Texas State University.