This week in OtherWords, you’ll find several commentaries about the scary stuff we eat.

Guest columnist Jill Richardson talks about how food companies scoop too much sugar into our bread and salad dressing. Former dairy farmer Donna Hall introduces readers to an under-regulated ingredient that’s in everything from candy to pizza — her op-ed will make you spend way more time reading food labels. Andrew Korfhage’s commentary about how Big Chocolate hasn’t yet kept a longstanding pledge to fight its suppliers’ reliance on child labor in West Africa is accompanied by Khalil Bendib’s weekly cartoon.

I’ve been getting a few questions about our schedule. So here’s a quick reminder: OtherWords is now distributing our newsroom-ready commentaries and cartoons on Wednesdays. We made this change earlier this month and hope that it hasn’t proven too disruptive to your own schedules. As always, everything we run is free of charge for editors to use in newspapers and new media outlets under a Creative Commons license.

I also encourage you to visit our blog, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, and send me any feedback you may have. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

1. Remembering George McGovern and Old-School Campaign Tools / Steve Cobble
   Being decent, humane, smart, caring, and brave was not enough.
2. The Spooky Side of Chocolate / Andrew Korfhage
   There’s nothing sweet about child labor.
3. The Ingredient Haunting our Candy / Donna Hall
   Milk protein concentrate is in thousands of the things we eat, but there’s no government oversight ensuring that this ingredient is safe for consumers.
4. Supremely High Stakes in This Election / Marge Baker
   When it comes to workers’ rights, some of the most influential government officials we’ll be voting for are ones whose names don’t actually appear on the ballot.
5. Where’s Joe the Plumber When You Need Him? / Sam Pizzigati
   Without someone at least ranting about sharing the wealth, no one’s talking about sharing the wealth.
6. Tricky Treats / Jill Richardson
   Sugar haunts too much of what we eat these days.
7. GOP Looks in Mirror, Spots Voter Fraud / Jim Hightower
   Records show that a Republican running for county commissioner in Texas has been casting ballots there and in Pennsylvania.
8. Middle Class Fantasy / William A. Collins
   Median family income is sliding, the social safety net is tattered, and only the top 5 percent are making any real monetary headway.
9. Trick or Mistreat / Khalil Bendib (Cartoon)

Trick or Mistreat, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib