If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Americans these days are nervous about what they eat, and they should be, what with outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, meat pumped with veterinary drug...
The latest example of how even health-conscious eaters are not immune from food-borne illness outbreaks came last week with a recall of organic frozen berries contaminated with Hepatitis A. The products were sold under the brand name of Townsend Farms at two large chains.
Similar to the pattern in the U.S., animal agriculture in China is becoming more vertically integrated, with large corporations increasingly owning not just factory-farm facilities, but also slaughterhouses and feed companies.
Given that around 26 states in the U.S. have moved to enact more comprehensive labeling requirements for GMOs, any trade measures that could threaten the rights of U.S. citizens to democratically determine higher standards in food labeling, should be opposed.
We send boatloads of money to China every day in return for the cheap consumer merchandise filling our store shelves and shopping malls.
The majority of binding and enforceable rulings of the WTO and those of other trade bodies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) demonstrate a consistent pattern of lowering food, environmental, labor, or consumer safety standards in behest to trade agendas.
Every year, roughly 150 million cattle and pigs are slaughtered in our nation's slaughterhouses, and the one measly law that attempts to ensure some small decrease in their abuse is all-but-ignored by the agency charged with enforcing it. Even their top personnel don't understand what it says.
Committed to bringing awareness to consumers and others working in her sector, Sherry Medina recently made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on Big Ag's liberal and unrestricted application of hazardous chemicals in poultry processing.
Ironically, "ag-gag" laws are being pushed at a time of heightened public concerns about healthy eating and the safety of the food supply. Nonetheless, ALEC's strategy, while receiving relatively little press, has proved alarmingly successful so far.
Why would anyone feed arsenic to chickens? Last week, a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future provided further evidence of the risks associated with arsenicals in animal agriculture. It's an entirely unnecessary threat to public health.
This Mother's Day, let us remember mothers and women who understood the patriotic nature of standing up for wholesome food, of standing up for the health of young children who would become our future.
How safe is our food? How does the FDA monitor domestic food products (as well as what comes into the U.S. food system from other countries?)
While many worthy policies and programs need funding, it's hard to think of any more universally necessary than protecting our nation's food supply. The sequestration means, however, the FDA will be forced to reduce the number of inspections it conducts.
We decided to analyze outbreak data to answer the question: What are the riskiest -- and the safest -- meat and poultry products? Which foods are most likely to make us sick and cause the most severe cases of illness?
Blue Hill is one of a handful of small Maine towns that have been taking bold steps to protect their local food system. In 2011, they passed an ordinance exempting their local farmers and food producers from federal and state licensure requirements when these farmers sell directly to customers.
