Food Safety


USDA Small Plant Roundtables Continue in 2020

March 11, 2020

Blog co-authored with Simone Benz, Sustainable Food Center Last month, the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network, along with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and the Sustainable Food Center (SFC), hosted the first small and very small meat and poultry processing roundtable of 2020 in Austin, TX. We were excited to welcome the United States […]

RFA Roundup: Spring 2020 Funding Opportunities

March 4, 2020

Editor’s Note: As the COVID-19 situation progresses, we will continue to update this blog with the latest available information on deadline extensions. Additionally, you can find information on administrative flexibilities issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) here. This is a key reference for anyone currently working under an active federal grant. The memo […]

Food Safety Outreach Program to Provide Additional Trainings in 2020

February 27, 2020

This is the first year small farms will be inspected if they fall under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. Fortunately, there are a number of exceptional FSMA training programs that were recently funded by the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) that will assist farmers trying to navigate the complex rules. The […]

RELEASE: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities

February 6, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net  National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Sets 2020 Policy Priorities Washington, DC, February 4, 2020 – Last week, representatives from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) 130+ member organizations voted on a final set of policy and funding priorities to guide the Coalition’s work through 2020. “This collaborative priority […]

A Decade After FSMA, Additional Rules Still Rolling Out

February 6, 2020

Nearly ten years after the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still issuing new rules. With the temporary lull in FSMA-related policy activity coming to an end, there will be renewed need for public action on FSMA rulemakings once they are issued later this year. In […]

RELEASE: Additional Clarity on Animal Raising Label Claims in Time for the New Year

January 2, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net  Additional Clarity on Animal Raising Label Claims in Time for the New Year New guidelines will better uphold the integrity of organic, grass-fed, and pastured products Washington, DC, January 2, 2020 – Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) […]

Congress Clears FY 2020 Appropriations Packages

December 20, 2019

This week, after months of delay, Congress passed a much-anticipated deal to fund the government through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2020. FY 2020 runs through September 30, 2020. The $1.4 trillion package of discretionary spending bills, which was divided up into two “minibuses”, was finally delivered this week after months of rigorous advocacy […]

COMMENT: FY 2020 “Minibus” Bolsters Farm Bill Wins for Sustainable Agriculture

December 17, 2019

The final appropriations package builds upon the sustainable agriculture community’s hard-fought farm bill wins and delivers much-needed support to family farmers across the country at a time when good news is increasingly hard to come by.

Regional Meetings Give Voice to Small Scale Meat and Poultry

August 16, 2019

The rising demand for local, niche meat and poultry over the past decade has led to ever-increasing reliance on the country’s few small-scale independent processing plants that operate outside of the broader commodity meat sector. When one of these small plants is shutdown or suspended, therefore, the impact can be resounding, having many of the […]

Appropriations Victories in Sight, Farmers Flock to DC to Keep Momentum Going

June 27, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Appropriations Victories in Sight, Farmers Flock to DC to Keep Momentum GoingNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition fly-in participants hope to secure FY 2020 appropriations wins in final spending package Washington, D.C., June 27, 2019 – With big wins already secured for sustainable agriculture in […]

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