Posts Tagged ‘Department of Agriculture’
European e.coli outbreak pressures food safety rules in the U.S.
The deadly wave of food-borne illness in Europe, caused by a rare form of E. coli bacteria, could finally push the United States to take long-delayed steps to protect the food supply in this country from a similar group of toxic organisms.
Food-safety advocates hope the federal government will act soon to ban the sale of ground beef if it contains any of six dangerous strains of E. coli that have increasingly been found to cause illness in the United States — a step that regulators have been considering for at least four years in the face of stiff industry opposition.
Considering for four years? That means negotiating with lobbyists for four years.
The outbreak in Europe could also bring more scrutiny of the produce industry. Investigators believe the outbreak was caused by contaminated vegetables, but they have not been able determine which type. So far, the authorities say, more than 1,700 people have been sickened, including 6 Americans, and at least 18 people have died.
For now, the focus in this country is on beef, since E. coli lives in the guts of cows.
In January, the United States Department of Agriculture drafted a much-anticipated proposal to regulate six forms of toxic E. coli in meat, in addition to the most common form, O157:H7, which is already regulated. But the proposal has been stalled at the federal Office of Management and Budget, which typically reviews proposed regulations, and officials could not say when it would be made public.
The details of the proposal have been kept secret until a final version is settled on, but there is wide expectation in the food industry and among food-safety advocates that it would either ban the sale of ground beef containing those strains or call for testing and other controls…
The industry has also often pointed to evidence that illnesses associated with the lesser-known forms of E. coli have tended to be less severe. But the German outbreak is now one of the most severe on record.
“For the people who argued that the non-O157s are not as virulent, they’ve just lost that argument,” said Dr. Richard Raymond, a former head of food safety for the U.S.D.A…
RTFA for more details on e.coli associated with beef – and a bit more info about what may be coming from the FDA next year on new regulations covering produce.
Culture vs. Congress: Overturn US ban on haggis!
Scottish officials are attempting to persuade American politicians to reverse a 40-year ban on the haggis.
Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Government’s Rural Affairs Secretary, has invited a delegation of American politicians to Scotland in the hope of persuading them to overturn the ban.
The iconic Scottish dish is been barred in the US for more than 20 years because its food safety department prohibits the use of sheep lungs in food products.
The US could provide a highly lucrative market for Scottish haggis producers, particularly in the run up to Burns Night, the traditional celebration of the life and poetry of Robert Burns…
Mr Lochhead said: “We want to capitalise on the diaspora of Scots in the US and many of them would enjoy the opportunity to indulge in authentic Scottish haggis to accompany their neeps and tatties on Burns Night.
“Scotland’s produce is amongst the best in the world and I’ve asked US Department of Agriculture officials to come here to see for themselves the high standards we have in animal health and processing.
This didn’t affect me personally – back when I lived in the Boston area. For all the whining of the Department of Agriculture and the other bureaucrats who march in lockstep against the import of traditional foodstuffs was meaningless when local butchers and meat markets produced their own haggis. I haven’t Googled it; but, I imagine I still could order one online for Burns Night.
This crap goes on and on – whether halting jambon from Spain or prosciutto from Italy, herbs and spices from the Caribbean and Africa, there always is a producer of plastic American food who claims the need for protection – or just good old Xenophobia getting in the way of choices.
Senate passes settlement for racist Agriculture Department practices – only eleven years late
Black farmers remind Congress for the umpteenth time to fund the settlement
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission
The U.S. Senate approved a $1.15 billion measure Friday to fund a settlement initially reached between the Agriculture Department and minority farmers more than a decade ago.
The 1997 Pigford v. Glickman case against the U.S. Agriculture Department was settled out of court 11 years ago. Under a federal judge’s terms dating to 1999, qualified farmers could receive $50,000 each to settle claims of racial bias.
“This is much long overdue justice for black farmers,” said John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association…
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the settlements “a major milestone in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s efforts to turn the page on a sad chapter.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, also said the vote gives “long-suffering Americans … the closure that they deserve. The agreement that we reached shows what can happen when Democrats and Republicans come together to do the right thing,” he said.
Of course, Democrats and Republicans “came together” to support racist practices against non-white farmers for only a bit more than a century.
The measure will now have to be approved by the lame duck House before moving to Obama’s desk to be signed into law.
We hope so, anyway. Certainly there wouldn’t be much hope of achieving justice against bigotry when Republican control of the House arrives in the next Congress.
