Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
by Scott Canon Could fewer slaughterhouse inspectors make for a safer chicken cutlet? Federal officials see a way to modernize poultry plant inspections while reducing the number of government workers needed to look out for potential contamination. They say the changes would overhaul regulations that have been in place since the Eisenhower administration. They contend […]
GAP Releases Early Evidence From HIMP Investigation – Shocking Whistleblower Affidavits Detailing Dangers of Poultry Plant Self-Inspection (Washington, DC) – Today, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) is releasing evidence it has gathered from federal poultry inspectors/whistleblowers about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposal to fully implement a high-speed poultry production model known as the […]
Episode Shows Power of Whistleblower Concerns & Need for Meat Industry Whistleblower Protections (Washington, DC) – The recent media firestorm surrounding “pink slime” – ammoniated beef trimmings produced by Beef Products, Inc. (BPI) – has made the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) think twice about serving the controversial product to America’s schoolchildren. Media reports […]
Water contamination from factory farm waste and agricultural pesticides is a growing problem and usually lacks a media spotlight. This week, however, two separate studies illustrating how big of a problem we face received decent attention. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report paints a bleak picture of the billions of dollars spent around […]
The Utah Senate passed the state’s “Ag Gag” bill yesterday with a 24-5 vote in a move to prevent undercover videotaping of abuse at livestock and poultry facilities. Following in Iowa’s footsteps, lawmakers changed some language to penalize individuals who apply for a job at an agricultural operation under false pretenses. According to Sen. Dave […]
Earlier this year, FIC celebrated the fact that major fast food chains pulled BPI’s ammoniated beef trimmings from their menus, vindicating the actions of GAP client and whistleblower Kit Foshee. However, news has come that the USDA is still planning to purchase the controversial product for school lunches, according to The Daily. Last year, 6.5 […]
Despite efforts to prevent Iowa’s “Ag Gag” legislation, including a FIC op-ed that appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette last week, Gov. Terry Branstad signed the bill into law on Friday. This is disconcerting news, however unsurprising (as the Associated Press points out) given Branstad’s “strong ties to the state’s agricultural industry.” Iowa is a […]
The following op-ed was written by FIC Director Amanda Hitt. Editor’s Note: While the Iowa Senate amendment did remove the specific language restricting undercover video, the bill is clearly aimed at holding whistleblowers who use such means to convey the truth legally accountable (More on this here). Some things people just have to see to […]
Update (2/29/12, 9:15 AM ET): Last night, the Iowa House agreed to the Senate language on this Ag Gag legislation. The bill has now been sent to the Governor for approval. Although legislators removed the language that specifically restricts the recording of undercover video, the bill is clearly aimed at whistleblowers who use such, as […]
A recent study shows that chemical exposure – including that from food products – may cause child IQ reduction that rivals the impacts of major medical conditions. The finding reveals that the effect on society of widespread lead, organophosphate pesticides and methylmercury exposure “may be more severe than what previous studies of individual risk would […]