Category: Department of Agriculture
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U.S. and Mexico Resolve Cross-Border Trucking Dispute Under NAFTA
The United States and Mexico have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that resolves a long-haul, cross-border trucking dispute involving “retaliatory tariffs” on more than $2 billion in U.S. exports, including food and agricultural products. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the July 6, 2011, agreement will “lift tariffs and put safety first.”…
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Court Refuses to Dismiss Claims That Safeway Must Warn Loyalty Customers About Recalls
A federal court in California has denied Safeway, Inc.’s motion to dismiss or stay proceedings alleging that it has an obligation to use information in its loyalty card customer database to provide email notice about produce recalls ordered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hensley-Maclean v. Safeway, Inc., No.…
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USDA Inspector General Report Criticizes Regulation Deficiencies Regarding GE Animals, Insects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Office of Inspector General (IG) has issued an audit report criticizing USDA agencies for lacking coordinated oversight of regulations behind research and development of genetically engineered (GE) animals and insects. The agencies conduct and fund research into how GE animals can enhance the productivity of food animals and how…
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German Authorities Eye Bean Sprouts in Deadly E. Coli Outbreak
German authorities have finally narrowed the field of suspects in an E. coli outbreak affecting Europe, where a reported 31 people have died from a rare strain of the disease. Speaking at a June 10, 2011, press conference, Robert Koch Institute President Reinhard Burger confirmed that an organic bean sprout farm is the likely epicenter,…
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USDA Tests Find Unapproved Pesticides on Cilantro
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reportedly found at least 34 unapproved pesticides on cilantro samples during routine testing. According to the agency’s recently issued 2009 Pesticide Data Program report, 94 percent of the 184 samples tested in a rotating selection of produce came up positive for at least one pesticide. With no definite…
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USDA Replaces Food Pyramid to Healthy Eating with MyPlate
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new food icon aimed at helping consumers make healthier food choices. By replacing the pyramid guide to healthy eating with a plate divided into fruit, vegetable, grains, protein, and dairy food groups, USDA reportedly hopes the MyPlate icon will “prompt consumers to think about building a…
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CSPI Wants FSIS to Declare Salmonella in Meat and Poultry an Adulterant
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a citizen petition “requesting that the administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) . . . issue an interpretive rule declaring certain delineated strains of antibiotic-resistant [ABR] Salmonella, when found in ground meat and ground poultry, to be adulterants” under federal law.…
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Court Gives Preliminary Approval to Settlement of Discrimination Case Against USDA
A federal court in the District of Columbia has issued an order granting preliminary approval of a settlement agreement involving a class of African-American farmers who “submitted late-filing requests under Section 5(g) of the Pigford v. Glickman Consent Decree on or after October 13, 1999, and on or before June 18, 2008,” but had not…