Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is thinking about using sensor technologies to track how much detergent a family has used or when milk is about to expire, according to a patent application made public, a sign the retailer is exploring new ways to fend off Amazon.com Inc. [node:read-more:link]

Alabama's popular Forever Wild land conservation program could be required to reimburse state and county governments for an estimated $3.6 million in lost property taxes -- plus $500,000 every year going forward -- under a proposed measure in the Alabama Legislature. [node:read-more:link]

In the fast-growing Triangle, farmland is often lost to development and the price of the arable land that remains has skyrocketed, putting it out of reach of young farmers. [node:read-more:link]

As more and more people are adopting a gluten-free diet, a new study investigates the nutritional content of gluten-free products and finds them lacking.  The researchers evaluated the nutritional content of 654 gluten-free foods and compared them with 655 products that contained gluten.The study found that gluten-free products had a higher energy content than gluten-containing items. Additionally, foods with gluten contained up to three times more protein than their gluten-free counterparts.Bread, pasta, pizza, and flour all had a particularly high protein content. [node:read-more:link]

Unpasteurized milk and cheeses made from it are responsible for nearly all foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated dairy products. And the growing popularity of and access to these products threaten to increase the number of disease outbreaks caused by these food items, a new study says. [node:read-more:link]

“Consumers care about this issue,” says Angie Siemens, vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory at Cargill. “You will continue to see the marketplace move, no matter what the science is, no matter what the metrics are, no matter what the regulations are.”  Siemens participated in a NIAA antibiotics roundtable last summer that included stakeholders from across the spectrum. [node:read-more:link]

As animal rights activists are actively campaigning to get the U.S. broiler industry to transition into slower-growing breeds, their strategy can be summarized in four words, attendees at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit were told.Numbers. “I think when we look at broilers in particular, there’s a numbers game here,” Salois said, pointing out that the amount of chickens in the U.S. and the amount it takes to feed people are larger than the numbers associated with cattle or pigs. Words. “Slow-growth” resonates. It’s simple. It gets headlines.” Brands. [node:read-more:link]

Proposed legislative changes to meat and poultry inspection services in various states could make those programs inconsistent with federal requirements, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said in a letter to state meat and poultry inspection directors. [node:read-more:link]

A proposal to expand allowable activities for cider businesses on farmland is sailing through the Oregon legislature with minimal opposition.Imitating rules established for wineries, Senate Bill 677 would permit cider businesses to produce and sell their beverages, serve food and conduct other agritourism activities on-site in farm zones.Companies generating less than 100,000 gallons of cider a year would have to be within or next to an orchard of at least 15 acres to take advantage of the provisions.The orchard size requirement would increase to 40 acres for those businesses producing more [node:read-more:link]