Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
By Sarah Borron The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal government’s watchdog agency, just released a report entitled, “Better Outreach, Collaboration, and Information Needed to Help Protect Workers at Meat and Poultry Plants.” It’s no secret that meat and poultry slaughter and processing are among the most dangerous jobs in America. This blistering GAO report […]
This article was originally published by the High Plains Journal. A coalition of 82 farm, rural and consumer groups are urging President Donald Trump to implement the Farmer Fair Practices Rules via executive order. The rules would provide the most basic of protections to American family farmers and ranchers who are enduring unfair and abusive practices […]
This story originally appeared on Mother Jones. When Julianne Perry first met the calf this summer, the animal was lying listlessly in a wooden crate on top of narrow slats, caked in her own dried diarrhea. Maggots crawled on her body. Just a few days old, she was emaciated. As she tried to get up, her […]
This article originally appeared on WKMS. The poultry industry is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow faster work speeds at some facilities that slaughter and package chickens. The industry says a new inspection program allows them to process hundreds of birds per minute. But, worker and food safety advocates worry about higher speed […]
China has sold rat meat billed as lamb, gutter oil billed as cooking oil and baby formula contaminated with melamine. In the U.S. its pet food killed many dogs and cats in 2007. But this spring the U.S. agreed to import cooked chickens from China. Why? Because China agreed to accept U.S. beef imports after a 13-year […]
The Trump Administration has put the wellbeing of our children at risk. A bilateral trade deal between China and the United States formalized in May permits China to sell cooked poultry—mainly chicken and duck—to the United States. In return, the US beef industry is allowed access to China’s $2.5 billion market. The first delivery of […]
The Honorable Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20250 Dear Secretary Perdue, On behalf of USDA whistlelowers who have reached out to the Government Accountability Project’s (GAP) Food Integrity Campaign to voice dissatisfaction with dangerously fast poultry line speeds, we write you in opposition of […]
Under this administration, deregulation has become increasingly common. One of the most disturbing areas of deregulation is happening to our food supply. Americans have little or no ability to discern the food origin of their meats. Obviously, that means lack of clarity regarding the safety and quality of the foods we eat. But did you know […]
When Chris Christofferson fed her child Beck a rice snack, she thought nothing of it. It was one of his favorite foods, and Chris was happy to feed Beck crisps seasoned with spinach and kale. But it wasn’t long after feeding Beck this snack that he started having stomach problems. Chris assumed Beck had the […]
President Trump’s Department of Agriculture has a simple new recipe it is eager for you to try. First, generously add as much political influence from a powerful meat industry as the American public can tolerate. Next, stir in a generous amount of animal abuse, environmental damage, and worker exploitation. Lastly, while no one is paying […]