I love the word Roundup and I hate that Monsanto (who recently announced more than double profits) took it. Anyway, here's what's going on in my little corner of the news...
Tyson Worker Dies, Tyson Pays $500k, Tyson CEO Resigns. No reason given for the resignation. The worker died in 2003, and a worker died for the same reason in the same plant in 2002. Tyson pled guilty to "a "willful violation of an OSHA standard resulting in the death of an employee."
Antibiotics used in Livestock may be in your vegetables too. 70% of antibiotics used in the U.S. aren't for people or even for anyone who is sick. They are for disease prevention and growth promotion in animals. When those animals' manure is used as fertilizer, the antibiotics end up in the crops.
More below...
Blogger Steph Larsen calls for universal single payor health care for farmers and for everyone. We need people to grow the kind of food we want to eat, but how can we ask them to do that when it means giving up health insurance (or paying tons out of pocket) and risking financial ruin or death?
The Corn Refiners Association wants you to know that HFCS is fine. Absolutely fine. Even more sinister? They are a sponsor of the School Nutrition Association.
George McGovern & Marshall Matz wrote a heinous op ed in the Chicago Tribune this week about Obama's food policy. Tom Philpott shot back with his own opinion (as did I).
Everyone's speculating on Obama's food policy but few are providing answers. Instead they suggest their own ideas or comment on the enthusiasm of sustainable food advocates. I wonder: why don't they just read Obama's platform? He's been pretty vocal about a few things: he's for ethanol, for the packer ban, for country of origin labeling (COOL), and supportive of GMOs.
Illegal honey trafficking is big business these days. Tons of honey is coming into the U.S., going through strange and illegal routes to avoid tariffs or regulations. The best advice in light of this: buy your honey at a farmers' market so you KNOW what you're getting.
I'm on the radio with Bill Scher!. We talked briefly about the Vilsack appointment and what progressives should be looking to do in the new year. My best advice: focus on the child nutrition reauthorization bill. There's so much to do and at least in that case we know there will be a bill and it is going to pass.
The Child Nutrition Reauthorization is around the corner. We don't know when the debate will begin but we do know it's going through the House Education & Labor committee chaired by Rep. George Miller and the Senate Ag Committee chaired by Tom Harkin. The bill will cover the National School Lunch Program and WIC, among other things.
Everyone wants to weigh in on Vilsack but most have the same thing to say: this is agribusiness as usual.
Mexico is no longer importing U.S. meat from 30 processing plants. Some speculate they are getting us back for implementing COOL - country of origin labeling. As for me, I'm crying no tears for the factory farms and slaughterhouses that are losing Mexico's business.
According to rumor, Ag Secretary-to-be Tom Vilsack may be vying for the Secretary of Commerce job instead. I don't put much stock in this rumor, but it's fun to gossip about it all the same.
Big Organic Trashes Real Organic on a new website they launched called SupportVilsack.com. Why does Vilsack - who is dead certain to be confirmed easily - need a website supporting him? They must be REALLY insecure about themselves, and about Organic Consumers Association's Stop Vilsack site.
Blogger Rossi says to skip the palm oil if you like orangutans. As the U.S. moves away from trans fats, we are consuming LOTS of palm oil in their place. As a result, orangutans are losing their habitat to supply all that palm oil.
Blogger JayinPortland writes about Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson. The two are calling for a "50 year farm bill." While the rest of the world pays attention to a diminishing supply of OIL, Berry and Jackson are instead worrying about our supply of SOIL.
Blogger Asinus Asinum Fricat tells the truth about Fiji water. Have you paid $5 for a little bottle of this very attractively packaged water? We're paying big bucks for their water, but the Fijians are dying without it.
Read this if you're a stats geek: 2008 by the numbers. Numbers for everything - what food we eat, where we shop, what percent of various crops are GMO, how much the organic sector is growing, etc.
Stats, continued. A full report on America's veggie consumption habits. I just compiled this today and did the best I could from the data available. More to come later on other food groups.