NSAC Archives for the 'Public Health' Category
FDA, Congress, and Courts Take Up Aresenic in Rice Issue
Friday, October 26th, 2012
Background The November 2012 issue of Consumer Reports includes a report on arsenic in rice products that concludes that the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice products, including baby food, are at levels that trigger public health concerns. Ingestion of inorganic arsenic can result in cancer and other health disorders. There are federal drinking water Read the Rest…
Fall 2012 National Organic Standards Board Meeting Announced
Thursday, August 30th, 2012
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will be holding its next meeting in Providence, RI, from October 15 to 18. The NOSB was established by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and is charged with making recommendations on allowed and prohibited substances in organic production and handling, assisting in the development of standards for Read the Rest…
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Local Food Marker Bill: Where Are We Now?
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
Last fall, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act to create jobs and spur economic development through food and farms. This bill funds and improves critical programs that create economic opportunities for farmers, support local and regional food systems, and improve food access for all. Read the Rest…
Guest Blog: Institute of Medicine Report Highlights the Connections Between Health and Agriculture
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
We want to thank Becca Klein from NSAC member the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) for her contribution. Becca is the Health & Agriculture Policy Project Director at CLF, working to bring a health perspective to federal food and agriculture policy. Believe it or not, just because I work for an academic Read the Rest…
USDA Announces Funding for SNAP EBT Equipment at Farmers Markets
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
On Wednesday, May 9, USDA announced $4 million in funding to expand EBT capacity at farmers markets across the U.S. as part of the Agency’s larger mission to improve healthy food access in low-income communities. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, provides benefits to recipients through an Electronic Benefit Transfer Read the Rest…
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Markup – Research, Education, Extension
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Note to Readers — This is the ninth in a series of posts on the 2012 Farm Bill reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26. The bill that the Senate Agriculture Committee voted out of committee last week now makes its way to the Senate floor and hopefully will be taken up Read the Rest…
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Draft Farm Bill – Research Drilldown
Monday, April 23rd, 2012
In sum, the research title of the recently released draft Senate farm bill was not a strong one for sustainable agriculture. NSAC and its member organizations had several proposals for how to strengthen the focus on research that benefits and is relevant for organic and sustainable production systems, contained in our platform, Farming for the Read the Rest…
Request for Applications for Farm to School Grants
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
On April 17, USDA announced new funding that aims to provide fresh, healthy food for children in schools across America, and to bolster and sustain local farmers and ranchers. The agency said today that $3.5 million in funding will be available to help local school districts organize and implement Farm to School programs. These critical Read the Rest…
Shifting Ground for Water Quality Regulation Demonstrates Need for Conservation in California’s Salinas Valley
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
By Gary Peterson (Editor’s note: We thank Gary Peterson, Development and Communications Director with the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), an NSAC member organizations, for reporting on recent developments concerning agriculture and water quality in California’s Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay region. ALBA brings a unique perspective to this issue with its mission to Read the Rest…
National Public Health Week: April 2-8, 2012
Monday, April 2nd, 2012
April 2 marks the beginning of National Public Health Week, organized annually by the American Public Health Association to bring attention to current issues in public health. The first day’s “tools and tips” from APHA focus on healthy eating and supporting local food efforts. With alarming trends in overweight and obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related Read the Rest…
