Are Boca Burgers really the soy dinner product that'll save you money while keeping you and the planet healthy? Find out by checking out these new articles and studies:

>> Are convenience foods really timesavers? Not according to a UCLA researcher who looked at L.A. families at mealtimes. Tom Laskawy boils down the findings in Grist: “What the study did show was that using processed food saved all of 10 minutes in the kitchen.”

>> How “natural” are your natural and organic soy products? According to a new Cornucopia Institute study titled “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry” (PDF) not all “natural” soybeans are so great. Some may be hexane-extracted soybeans — Hexane being “a neurotoxic chemical solvent that is listed as a hazardous air pollutant with the EPA, and food and feed processing is the major source of hexane pollution in this country.” See how your favorite soy product scores on the scorecard. (via The Ethicurean)

>> Can I ever stop worrying about food contamination? I don’t know — but The White House has at least taken a step toward food safety by issuing some tougher standards to prevent salmonella and E.coli contamination. Find out more about it at The White House website, or get some quick questions answered about it at The Los Angeles Times.

Photo by Photos by Mavis