Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Comforting news in Florida this week: Proposed “ag-gag” legislation – criminalizing whistleblowers who take photographs or video to expose wrongdoing at farm operations – was killed in both the House and Senate. Sound familiar? Similar bills in Florida and a few other states were introduced but then failed to pass last year. Unfortunately, they have all […]
Tuesday was Monsanto’s annual shareholder meeting at the biotech company’s headquarters in St. Louis, MO, where corporate changes were voted on – including a proposal to study the financial risks and impacts of Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops. The proposal was submitted last August by Harrington Investments Inc. (HII), a socially responsible investment advisory firm and […]
Disappointing news came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday regarding a new proposal to “modernize” the country’s poultry inspection, although the agency would have you believe it’s actually a good idea. In an attempt to “save money for businesses and taxpayers while improving food safety,” the USDA plans to expand a pilot program – […]
Biotechnology and crop chemical giant Monsanto, also known as a consistent violator of food integrity in FIC terms, has been linked to yet another breach of global community values. The Associated Press reported Monday that Argentina’s tax agency raided a Monsanto contractor and discovered “slave-like conditions” among its corn farmworkers. AP writes: The AFIP tax […]
The FDA made a notable announcement yesterday related to combating the ongoing threat of human antibiotic resistance – increasingly linked to antibiotic overuse in food-producing animals. The agency issued a new order limiting the use of cephalosporins, a class of antimicrobial drugs, given to cattle, swine and poultry. In order to reduce the presence of […]
The day that whistleblowers are given awards by their superiors – instead of pink slips – would be a miraculous day for public safety. Meanwhile (and that’s a long while at this rate), any support rewarding their brave honesty helps all whistleblowers know the risks are appreciated. Good news on the affirmation front comes from […]
Anti-union retaliation at one of the country’s largest food distributors, US Foods, sparked a worker strike in Illinois last Sunday (Oct. 30). In the following week, sympathy picket lines spread to warehouses in Missouri, New York, Indiana, Minnesota, Washington, New Jersey, and Colorado. According to GAP coalition partner International Brotherhood of Teamsters, more than 2100 […]
Biotechnology giant Monsanto continues to tout the benefits of genetically engineered crops without seriously acknowledging any risks despite concerns repeatedly raised by farmers, citizen activists and other whistleblowers. Given the desire to satisfy investors and future profitability, it’s not surprising Monsanto has only emphasized the alleged positives of its products. However, one of its shareholders […]
American food products are commonly filled with substances used to enhance the shelf life, color and flavor of food, as well as enhance the vitamin content or nutritional value that may have been lost during processing. But did you know that a large portion of these added ingredients now in the U.S. market were classified […]
Today the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food released a report to the UN General Assembly that explores the effects that the world-wide expansion of contract farming has on the right to food. The report describes how these contract arrangements, in which farmers agree to provide their products to processing or marketing […]