Monica Eng is a Watchdog reporter with the Chicago Tribune who focuses on food and consumer issues. In this role,she examines how well the food industry and government agencies are serving the public, and how consumers can make the best choices. She also writes reguarly for the Good Eating section, focusing on cooking, health, sustainability and food trends.

Monica Eng has been at the Tribune since 1996. During that time she has served as an editor and reporter covering entertainment, ethnic culture and food. In 2009 she moved to the Watchdog team to look at these issues with a stronger investigative and consumer focus. Eng has won various awards for her coverage of cultural and consumer issues. Her food writing has been nominated for five James Beard awards on topics ranging from the ethics of meat to why Chicago Public Schools serve kids nachos everyday. Before coming to the Tribune, Eng worked as a construction worker in Nicaragua, a researcher in Uzbekistan and a journalist at the Daily Southtown and Chicago Sun Times. She is a proud product of Chicago Public Schools--as are her siblings, children and parents.

Food, health, cooking, sustainability and education. See a gallery of Monica Eng's James Beard nominated stories about school nutrition at chicagotribune.com/schoolfood or just click on "My Blog" under her photo. You can also find her work at www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/

Best of the season 5/9/2012
The freshest tips to get the most out of your farmers market trips It's farmers market time again, a time of rebirth and renewal for local agriculture but also resolutions for smarter shopping and cooking.

Local tree fruits hit hard by strange spring 5/14/2012
Early blooms nipped by April frost; apples, peaches, cherries hardest hit After March brought us a miraculous string of 80-degree days, Midwestern fruit farmers were praying for an equally miraculous April — one warm enough to protect all the vulnerable fruit blossoms coaxed into early bloom.

Chicago hospital group to drop sugar-sweetened drinks 4/24/2012
Move is part of a national trend promoting more healthful beverage options Salad bars stocked with fruits, grains and heart-healthy veggies. Meat produced without antibiotics. And farmers markets right outside the building.

Diving into the food waste problem 4/18/2012
With edible garbage at record highs, here's how home cooks can reduce As Earth Day approaches, home cooks and grocery shoppers should be feeling pretty powerful. Why? Because they wield enormous influence when it comes to controlling the No. 1 source of ozone depleting garbage in our waste stream: food.

Early tree flowering puts Midwest fruit harvest in jeopardy 4/6/2012
Local growers on alert for killing frost in coming weeks that could devastate crops To the delight of flower lovers, fruit trees have exploded with early vibrant blossoms across the Midwest.