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Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

Over the past few years a rash of food-related illnesses caused by everything from tomatoes to spinach to peanut butter has sparked nationwide concern over food safety. Conventional wisdom has always said you can assure your food is safe by buying organic. But New York Times reporter Kim Severson did some digging and she found that organic certification has nothing to do with food safety.

Listen to the full Takeaway segment with Kim Severson here

In undeveloped nations such as Eritrea, Haiti, or Cameroon, light is a luxury. Mark Bent thinks that's unacceptable.

Bent, a former American diplomat and Houston oilman, is CEO and founder of SunNight Solar, a company that has created solar powered flashlights that they are now spreading throughout the world by way of private donors, the United Nations and organizations such as Direct Relief International.

The Takeaway ran into Bent at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 27th, where he happily pulled apart his product for us. The flashlights, the shape of which reminded me of a Pantene-Pro V shampoo bottle, are made of LED lights and a plastic case. They nab their power from three recyclable batteries that are re-charged by a solar panel that graces the side of the flashlight. In total, the panel provides power for up to 2,000 nights, and the batteries last about two years.

Bent was at the conference to participate in an expert panel titled, "Green Design For Good." When asked about using plastic in his product (a material that doesn't scream sustainability) Bent replied, "I'm willing to live with ABS plastic because I can get people to read." The former Navy man's flashlight do more than help people read. They cut down on the need for kerosene lanterns, which improves lung health, as well as allow villages and refugee camps to function safely after dark. Women are protected from sexual assault, refugees can use the lamps to deter thieves, and farmers can keep away wild animals.

Bent sat down with us post-conference to dish on how his flashlights promote gender equality and safety around the world, and why pink is his favorite color.

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Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

Have a question for an Oscar nominee? Place your vote in our red-carpet poll here.

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Mark Bittman had one thought on breakfast: YAWNNN! So he decided to shake things up and started serving up breakfast items you would more closely associate with dinner. Things like black olives, miso, dried tomatoes, bok choy, and roasted carrots. Mark Bittman joins us with a stirring defense for serving wheat berries with soy sauce.

Listen to the full Takeaway segment with Mark Bittman here

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Today in Take Two, a new video series where we go behind-the-scenes with The Takeaway's hosts, John Hockenberry pulls out his iPhone to watch a little safe-sex soap opera, while WNYC healthcare reporter Fred Mogul explores some of this new project's finer points.

Related Story:
Sex ed goes mobile and melodramatic

How much energy does a Google search take?

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The future of geothermal energy

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The future of high-altitude wind energy

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The future of solar thermal energy

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

The Takeaway is on a Power Trip, taking an in-depth look at the future of energy: technologies, ideas, innovators, and your stories about the one thing that you won't give up to save energy.

A message from the welcoming committee at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

For the actual news from Davos, listen to our segment with the New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version (click "watch in high quality" for best quality).

The Takeaway’s news anchor Femi Oke remembers the five top stories that made the team smile in 2008.

The Singing Ambassador: Producer Kent DePinto talks about booking the U.S. ambassador for Paraguay for his newly discovered singing talent.
Banjo brain surgery: Femi Oke talks about Eddie Adcock, the musician who played his banjo while having brain surgery.

Grease Is the Word: When producer Noel King found out that thieves were stealing grease from restaurants, she did some detective work to find a real Grease Detective.

Joking with Terrance McKnight: The Takeaway’s music contributor Terrance McKnight tells all about the moment when he suddenly lost the power of speech.

Milking a story: Newswriter Stephanie Hughes recalls her first day on the job and an unforgettable story about P.E.T.A. and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

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