NSAC Archives for the 'Food Safety' Category
NSAC Submits Comments to FDA on Co-Management
Friday, October 7th, 2011
The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) was enacted into law at the beginning of this year, and the rulemaking process for the legislation is currently underway, with the proposed rule expected to be submitted for public comment near the start of next year. The FSMA includes several provisions that are related to wildlife and Read the Rest…
2011 Specialty Crop Block Grants Announced
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
On Wednesday, October 5, USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan announced the 2011 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program awards, the sixth year of awards for this program. In total, 55 grants are being awarded for 740 initiatives totaling about $55 million. On a press call announcing the awards, Merrigan noted that “this year, similar to last year, Read the Rest…
FDA Announces Traceback Pilot Projects
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
by Steve Warshawer The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve methods for tracing products in the food system, especially for high risk foods. Prior to developing rules and regulations on traceback, Congress is requiring FDA to conduct pilot projects on these traceback methods. FDA has chosen to Read the Rest…
USDA and FDA Data on Antibiotic Resistance Is Deficient
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Industrialized livestock and poultry operations are the major users of antibiotics and related drugs in the U.S. A Food & Drug Administration (FDA) assessment estimated that in 2009, 29 million pounds of antibiotics were given to food-producing animals. These drugs are routinely used at low doses in overcrowded Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to Read the Rest…
USDA Proposes New Animal ID and Tracing Regulation
Saturday, August 27th, 2011
On Thursday, August 11, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule with national official identification and documentation requirements for the traceability of livestock moving interstate. Animals covered by the proposed rule include cattle, bison, sheep, goats, swine, horses and other equines, captive cervids and poultry. USDA’s stated purpose for implementing the Read the Rest…
Tester – Now More Than Ever
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For Immediate Release August 17, 2011 Contact: Helen Dombalis 202-547-5754 Tester – Now More Than Ever Washington, DC August 17, 2011 – Some national produce industry groups seem to be exploiting a recent outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, thought to have originated in strawberries from an Oregon farm, for the Read the Rest…
Wild Farm Alliance and Community Alliance with Family Farmers Guide to Food Safety and Wildlife Conservation
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
The Wild Farm Alliance (WFA), in collaboration with Community Alliance with Family Farmers, has released a new brochure, Farming With Food Safety and Conservation in Mind, that provides an overview of how producers can co-manage the goals food safety and wildlife conservation through their farming practices. Unfortunately, outbreaks of food-borne illness in recent years have Read the Rest…
Celebrate National Farmers Market Week – August 7-13
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
On July 20, 2011, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack proclaimed August 7th to the 13th, 2011 as National Farmers Market Week. This marks the twelfth year that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proclaimed a National Farmers Market Week. All across the country next week, non-profit organizations, USDA agencies, farmers, and consumers will Read the Rest…
NSAC Opposes National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement
Friday, July 29th, 2011
On Thursday, July 28, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition filed its comments on the proposed National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement (NLGMA) with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). NSAC urged USDA to withdraw the proposal. The NLGMA attempts to create a new federal marketing agreement to establish food safety rules that would be agreed to by Read the Rest…
Big Ag To Write Food-Safety Rules
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Did you hear about this new unnecessary and damaging food safety rule we sent an alert about a few weeks ago? A new rule is being proposed for spinach, lettuce, and cabbage by a “marketing agency” that doesn’t have food safety jurisdiction or staff. But that’s not the worst of it. The most powerful “Big Read the Rest…
