Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
A new bill on its way to President Obama’s desk for approval aims to improve protections for whistleblowers working in the federal government, including those in food-related areas such as veterinarians, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors and U.S. Food and Drug Administration employees. On Tuesday, Congress passed the Whislteblower Protection Enhancement Act to help ensure […]
WPEA Protections Affect Millions of Federal Workers (Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Government Accountability Project’s (GAP) Food Integrity Campaign (FIC) is praising Congress for passing the strongest federal whistleblower protections in history. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA) passed the House of Representative in late September and the Senate today, and is being sent to […]
Former GAP Client Featured in Several ABC News Reports (Washington, DC) – Yesterday, former Government Accountability Project (GAP) client Kit Foshee was named as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by Beef Products, Inc (BPI). BPI produces the controversial ammoniated beef product commonly known as ‘pink slime.’ Foshee, a former Corporate Quality Assurance Manager […]
by Grant Schulte NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — Beef Products Inc. sued ABC News, Inc. for defamation Thursday over its coverage of a meat product that critics dub “pink slime,” claiming the network damaged the company by misleading consumers into believing it is unhealthy and unsafe. The Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based meat processor is seeking $1.2 […]
UPDATE: Kit Foshee releases statement. Former Client Featured in Several ABC News Reports (Washington, DC) – Earlier today, former Government Accountability Project (GAP) client Kit Foshee was named as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by Beef Products, Inc (BPI). Also named as defendants were ABC News, journalists Diane Sawyer and Jim Avila, and […]
by Audrey Haynes Last month President Obama signed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act into law. The law revamps protections for federal employees who come forward and report misconduct, abuse of authority, or violation of law in their workplaces. These enhancements could be crucial in advancing environmental issues, but only if implemented properly. “Protecting federal employees […]
by Scott Wickersham The USDA is considering changing the way the chicken you eat is inspected, but one group calls that a huge mistake. In a 9 investigation, Eyewitness News looked into USDA inspection reports from local poultry processing plants. Eyewitness News found reports of numerous issues. And now, some people worry that with the […]
What seemed like a basic information request seems to have been too much for factory farms that prefer to keep things under wraps. The EPA originally planned to issue a final rule this month that would require the owners of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) to report certain data, such as the amount of waste […]
by Kim Geiger WASHINGTON — As part of President Obama’s push to streamline regulations on businesses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to let chicken slaughterhouses run production lines faster and with fewer federal inspectors, angering food safety advocates and poultry plant workers. Under the proposal, production lines would be allowed to move 25% faster, […]
by Helena Bottemiller Three more leading consumer groups weighed in this week on the debate over a controversial plan to revamp poultry inspection by shifting greater responsibility to companies. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, and Consumers Union each sharply criticized the proposal in their comments filed before the […]