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Maine’s new food sovereignty law gets a last-minute overhaul

Civil eats | Posted on November 1, 2017

“I think Maine is leading the way,” said State Senator Troy Jackson, the Maine Senate Democratic leader and original sponsor of the bill. “I think we’re really the first state to empower our local municipalities this way.” But in a special legislative session October 23 to address federal concerns about the new law, lawmakers added some clarification: When it comes to meat and poultry inspections, all farmers, regardless of where they conduct business in the state, must follow federal and state meat and poultry regulations. Moreover, they must adhere to all food safety guidelines when conducting third-party business, such as wholesale sales.When the legislature in June passed the food freedom law, it noted that the law was not declaring all local food sales free of any state or federal regulation, but that it recognized the right of local municipalities to establish their own food ordinances. The thrust, according to Jackson and other supporters, was to support the local food economy and encourage local food sales.But before Governor Paul LePage’s signature was even dry on the law, a new issue cropped up not about raw milk, but about meat and poultry processing. According to LePage, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue informed the state that if the new food sovereignty law was not clarified to indicate how state meat-inspection programs would remain “at least equal to” federal rules, the USDA would seize control of the state’s meat and poultry operations. LePage promptly called a special legislative session to address the matter.


Kraft Heinz goes over to GAP

Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on November 1, 2017

The Kraft Heinz Company today announced it will up its animal welfare standards for broiler chickens in its U.S. supply chain.  Kraft Heinz said that by 2024, the company will: Source 100 percent of our chicken from breeds approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or Global Animal Partnership (GAP) for measurably improved welfare and quality of life


Consumers confuse ‘organic’ and ‘non-GMO’: study

Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on November 1, 2017

Consumers mix up foods labeled “organic” and “non-genetically modified” and some view the two labels as synonymous, according to a new study by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The study, led by UF assistant professor Brandon McFadden with Purdue University agricultural economics professor Jayson Lusk, explored ways to communicate to consumers whether food has genetically modified ingredients. Researchers conducted a national survey of 1,132 respondents to gauge their willingness to pay for food labeled as genetically modified vs. non-genetically modified.


Labels can stigmatize conventionally produced foods: study

Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on October 25, 2017

New research from the University of Delaware concludes that food labels such as “organic” and “fair trade” can stigmatize foods produced with conventional processes even when there is no scientific evidence that they cause harm or that products are compositionally different. Such process claims often are not based on science and can cause consumers to misinterpret these labels and misalign their personal preferences and food purchases, the researchers said.


Cargill implements traceable turkey solution

Meat + Poultry | Posted on October 25, 2017

Cargill is offering consumers turkeys with a side of traceability. The company’s Honeysuckle White brand recently launched a pilot project that that uses blockchain technology to trace turkeys produced by family farmers. To learn more about their Thanksgiving turkey, consumers in select markets can text or enter an on-package code at HoneysuckleWhite.com to access the farm’s location by state and county, view the family farm story, see photos from the farm and read a message from the farmer.


Amid GMO Strife, Food Industry Vies For Public Trust In CRISPR Technology

NPR | Posted on October 25, 2017

There's a genetic technology that scientists are eager to apply to food, touting its possibilities for things like mushrooms that don't brown and pigs that are resistant to deadly diseases. And food industry groups, still reeling from widespread protests against genetically engineered corn and soybeans (aka GMOs) that have made it difficult to get genetically engineered food to grocery store shelves, are looking to influence public opinion.The technology is called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR. It's a technique that Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal genetics professor at University of California, Davis, says can de-activate a gene. Or, as she puts it: "It's editing. It's like going into a Word document and basically replacing one letter, maybe that instead of 'wind,' you want it to say 'wine,' " she says.


Florida pays $437,000 in dispute over skim milk

edairynews | Posted on October 25, 2017

No sense in crying over spilled milk, but what about $437,000 in legal fees? Florida’s paying that amount to the attorneys of Ocheesee Creamery, which is about 50 miles west of Tallahassee. State officials under Adam Putnam’s Department of Agriculture had pushed to label the dairy’s skim milk as imitation, because vitamins aren’t added to it, according to the Associated Press.The state defines skim milk as having Vitamin A. Ocheesee, an all-natural dairy that doesn’t add ingredients to natural products, objected.Florida taxpayers have paid more than $20 million since 2011 to cover expenses for lawyers who have sued the state.


Eataly’s Massive Food Theme Park Opens This November

Eater | Posted on October 25, 2017

The countdown to the opening of Eataly’s massive food theme park begins. Fico Eataly World, which promises to be the “world’s largest agri-food park,” according to a press release, will open on November 15 in Bologna, Italy. Like the Eataly markets in New York, Dubai, and Boston, the Bologna complex will include Italian restaurants and Italian products. But, Fico Eataly World will go beyond simply selling Italy’s wares to cover the entire breadth of the country’s culinary landscape, “from the field to the fork.” Essentially, it’s the Disney World of Italian food.The park will be enormous, encompassing more than 20 acres in Bologna. These acres of fields and farmland will include 40 farming factories where visitors can see how farmers process meat, cheese, pasta, and other Italian goods; 40 restaurants and refreshment stations; and, to further Disney World comparisons, six “educational rides.” The park will also host daily classes and events and Eataly expects it to become a destination for conferences.


Smithfield to sell pork on line in China

Meat + Poultry | Posted on October 25, 2017

JD.com’s exclusive products will include bone-in cuts and variety meats, with a focus on small packaged frozen products. Smithfield specializes in these products and they are the types of products in high demand in China.


New Report Illustrates Why USDA Must Not Allow Chinese Poultry or Brazilian Fresh Meat Imports

Common Dreams | Posted on October 25, 2017

In an audit released October 13, the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General once again found that the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) inadequate oversight of imported meat and poultry is putting U.S. consumers at risk. FSIS is supposed to determine whether countries that export meat, poultry, egg products or catfish have a regulatory system that can meet the standards required in the United States. However, the OIG audit reveals that FSIS is not doing enough oversight of the process used to determine which countries have “equivalent” food safety systems. “This report shows why we must not allow imports of Chinese poultry or Brazilian fresh meat,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “USDA must fix its oversight system so it can keep potentially dangerous food imports off of our shelves.” The audit states, “without more robust controls over ongoing equivalence evaluations of foreign countries’ food safety systems, we concluded that FSIS’ inspection program is vulnerable to weaknesses that increase the risk of adulterated or unsafe meat, poultry, or egg products being imported into the United States.” The OIG found that FSIS fails to conduct audits of other countries’ food safety systems in a consistent, timely manner and that FSIS is not able to adequately monitor which facilities in exporting countries are eligible to send product to the U.S. The OIG also found that FSIS failed to address recommendations made in previous audits of this program about how it conducts audits of other countries’ food safety systems.


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