food safety
Study pushes food companies to remove BPA from cans
Major food companies still frequently use Bisphenol A (BPA) to coat cans, says The Guardian, but a new study is helping to change that.
Seafood, vegetables and fruit lead list of rejected food imports
A USDA analysis of FDA food inspections over a 15-year period found that seafood, vegetables and fruits are rejected more than anything else.
Mad cow case confirmed in France, first in five years
The French agriculture ministry confirmed mad cow disease in a cow in the Ardennes region, the first case in the country since 2011 and the third in Europe since 2015, reports Deutsche Welle.
More room needed between field and feedlot, says study
A two-year study in Nebraska indicates that current guidelines on separation between cattle feedlots and fields growing fresh produce are likely to be inadequate, says Food Safety News.
Chipotle will help farmers bear cost of food safety
Restaurant chain Chipotle will spend up to $10 million to help local farmers cover the cost of new safety tests and compliance with food-safety protocols, reports Bloomberg.
Vilsack adviser becomes interim leader of Ag Marketing Service
Elanor Starmer, a senior adviser to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, was named acting administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service following the departure of agency chief Anne Alonzo, said a USDA spokesman.
Few cases of excess pesticide residue in food
The U.S. food supply is generally free of dangerous levels of pesticide residue, according to federal monitors who looked at fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, oats, rice, infant formula, and salmon in 2014.
Injunction against Vermont dairy farm over livestock drug
The operators of a Vermont dairy farm agreed in federal court to suspend operations until they can show they use livestock drugs properly and do not sell cattle containing illegal drug residues, said the FDA.
USDA finalizes rule on ground beef record-keeping
Meat processors and retailers who produce ground beef are required under a new rule to keep records of the sources of the meat, a step intended to speed up recalls of contaminated food, said the USDA.
A link between chicken droppings and child stunting?
The chickens that roam freely at households in Zimbabwe and other developing nations may have a connection to stunting, which limits the physical and mental development in children.
USDA to begin catfish inspection in March 2016
The Agriculture Department will take over responsibility from the Food and Drug Administration for inspection of catfish slaughter and processing plants in March 2016, ending years of pressure by domestic growers for a new regulator.
Former USDA inspector says line speeds are too high
A retired USDA meat inspector "is joining forces with critics who say that a trial high-speed hog processing system piloted by USDA is a food safety nightmare," reports Food Safety News.
FDA sets food safety rules for produce farms
Fruit and vegetable growers will have as long as six years to comply with a landmark FDA rule that, for the first time, sets food safety standards for produce farms.
USDA investigates cruelty charges at Hormel pork supplier
A videotape released by an anti-cruelty group raised serious concerns about operations at a large hog slaughter plant and prompted a USDA investigation, says the Washington Post. The footage was filmed by an employee of the nonprofit Compassion over Killing at Quality Pork Processors in Austin, Minn., which is a supplier of Hormel, the maker of SPAM.
EPA may ban insecticide used on a dozen food crops
The EPA "proposed a zero-tolerance policy for food-borne residues of a pesticide widely used on edible crops nationwide, effectively ending its application to more than a dozen food crops including tree nuts, soybeans, corn, wheat, apples and citrus," reports the Los Angeles Times.
Experts propose USDA reorganization for new president
The Agriculture Department should be reorganized to give a higher priority to food safety, better coordinate services to farmers, and link market development with trade, recommends a panel of experts.
Obama signs extension of grain inspections, price reports
President Obama signed into law five-year extensions of the export-grain inspection program and a program that requires meatpackers to report the purchase price of cattle, hogs and sheep.
White House next stop for ag reauthorization bill
In less than four minutes, the House debated and passed bills to reauthorize for five years the export grain inspection program and require meatpackers to report the purchase price of cattle, hogs and sheep. Statutory authority for both expires on Wednesday. The Senate approved the reauthorizations last week in a single bill, so now that bill goes to the White House.
Trump picks Kennedy, vaccine skeptic, for health secretary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will head the Department of Health and Human Services in the new administration, said President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday. “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health,” said Trump in announcing the nomination.