Three things that go together: Young adults, affluence and fast food
Roughly 37 percent of U.S. adults eat fast food daily, says a CDC analysis of dietary data, but the rate is much higher for men and women aged 20-39 and for higher-income people. "Fast food consumption has been associated with increased intake of calories, fat, and sodium," says the CDC, which estimates adult Americans get 11 percent of their calories from fast food.
As #MeToo gains momentum, James Beard Foundation seeks greater diversity
With the restaurant industry under fire for allegations of sexual misconduct and other gender-related problems, the James Beard Foundation, a leading supporter of the culinary arts, is overhauling its awards program to increase the diversity of the people and organizations it honors and the transparency of how it makes those decisions.
Farm bill deadlock raises chances of short-term extension
Congress could adjourn for this year without enacting a new farm bill because of the Senate vs. House standoff over SNAP, said Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, one of two senators on Tuesday to suggest an extension of the farm law that expired at the start of this week. President Trump has backed House Republicans in demanding stronger work requirements on a larger number of food stamp recipients.
FERN event examines restaurant industry’s #MeToo problem, and what to do about it
Allegations brought as part of the #MeToo movement have revealed the abusive behavior of several high-profile chefs and restaurateurs, sparking a national conversation about sexual harassment and gender inequity in the restaurant industry. But for many women working in that industry, the revelations came as no surprise. On Monday, FERN hosted a panel in Brooklyn of top woman chefs and food activists to discuss the problem, and how to work toward a more equitable and inclusive future. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Most farmers say trade war will reduce their income
These are grim times in farm country, according to a Purdue University poll: One-half of farmers say their farm's financial condition is worse than a year ago and, for the third month, more than 70 percent said the trade war will reduce their net income this year. An equally large share of farmers expect hard times for the ag economy in the year ahead, according to the Ag Economy Barometer released on Tuesday.
High water, overflowing manure lagoons in North Carolina
Flood water from Hurricane Florence still afflicts some North Carolina hog farmers more than two weeks after the storm reached land, said the state Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday. For the 10th day in a row, the DEQ reported 41 manure lagoons were flooded or overflowing at hog farms.
Recipients of Trump tariff payments may include two senators
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Montana Sen. Jon Tester are among farmers who applied for Trump tariff payments, reported the Washington Post. The senators were the only lawmakers to tell the newspaper that they would seek payments; 12 said they would not apply and 13 declined to comment or had not responded to the query.
‘Dairy was a deal-breaker’ in writing NAFTA’s successor, says president
President Trump veered between predicting easy approval of the new Canada-Mexico-U.S. trade agreement and expressing concerns about opposition to the pact on Monday while declaring that the agreement “is a very, very big deal for our farmers.”
High costs for small towns to remove nitrate from drinking water
Some 1,700 U.S. communities have worrisomely high levels of nitrate in their water supplies, and two-thirds of those communities, serving more than 3 million people, have no treatment system to remove it, said an Environmental Working Group report released today.
Trump says he’ll announce something ‘very important’ in Iowa
On Monday, President Trump, before announcing the new North American trade pact, said, “We’ll be doing something very important in Iowa.” The remark was interpreted to mean action on the year-round sale of E15.
Conaway blames Senate as farm law lapses
Two days after farm bill negotiators declared unity in working together on the 2018 farm bill, the House author of the most controversial proposal on the table — stricter work requirements for food stamp recipients — attacked Senate negotiators as weak-willed.
Canada to eliminate Class 7 barrier, allow more U.S. access to dairy market
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement that will succeed NAFTA includes the elimination of Canada’s Class 7 dairy price system and greater U.S. access to the Canadian dairy market than offered in the TPP free trade agreement, said senior administration officials late Sunday.
Big corn and soybean inventories add to sour farm economy
Already-bulging U.S. corn and soybean stockpiles are much larger than expected, said a USDA report, compounding the effects of a trade war and bumper crops on the farm economy. Farm income this year is forecast to be the lowest since 2006.
Trade talks with Japan are a chance to catch up, say farm groups
Three groups that promote U.S. farm exports say the upcoming U.S.-Japan trade talks are a chance to gain ground against Australia, Canada, and the EU, which will benefit from free trade agreements with Japan.
USDA nominee earned $100,000 in ‘pink slime’ trial
Texas Tech professor Mindy Brashears, President Trump’s nominee for agriculture undersecretary for food safety, collected $100,000 as an expert witness for Beef Products Inc. in its defamation lawsuit against ABC-TV last year.
FDA on ‘fast track’ to assess labeling of non-dairy milks
The Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday that it is moving ahead on modernizing its standards of identity for plant-based dairy alternatives, like soy and almond milks.
On food spending, recession hit middle-income households the hardest
If they didn’t tighten their belts, Americans certainly pinched their pennies on food during the 2008-09 recession and the recovery that stretched far into this decade, say USDA economists. Middle-income households continued to spend less on food through 2016.
Farm bill, just another in a roster of disappointments?
Senate and House negotiators tacitly acknowledged on Wednesday that the 2018 farm bill will be late, due to intractable disagreements. The delay could add the bill to a growing list of agricultural disappointments.
Japan sets limit on ag access in trade talks with U.S.
The United States and Japan will open negotiations on a free trade agreement “that can produce early results” on manufactured goods, announced President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday. Japan, however, said that in the upcoming negotiations it would not lower tariffs on food, agriculture, and fishery imports.
FDA moves to name sellers of contaminated foods during worst outbreaks
If a new Food and Drug Administration draft guidance is implemented, food recall notices could begin to include the names of retailers that have sold the contaminated foods, the agency said Wednesday.