Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
We know Monsanto and other biotech giants have been pushing genetically modified crops around the globe, but new diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks last week make it clear how entangled our government is in corporate agricultural interests. U.S. diplomats have certainly been making an effort to protect GM interests abroad. Truthout reports: Several cables describe […]
The following op-ed was written by FIC Director Amanda Hitt. Versions of this op-ed also appeared in the Xenia Daily Gazette (OH), Bristol Press (CT), New Britain Herald (CT), Herkimer Telegram (NY), Little Falls Times (NY), Union Daily Times (SC), and Wayne Independent (PA). Food safety is running afoul in Springdale — in more ways […]
A resurgence in the discussion of antibiotic (over)use in large-scale animal agriculture has emerged in light of the antibiotic-resistant Salmonella outbreak linked to ground turkey. A group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the FDA on Tuesday urging it to speed up the implementation of guidelines to help manage drug use in food animal […]
When it comes to food headlines, Springdale, Arkansas can’t catch a break. In the same city Cargill suspended its turkey processing plant after being linked to the recent Salmonella outbreak, a Tyson Foods truck driver died Wednesday morning after being pinned between two truck trailers outside Tyson’s Springdale poultry plant. I might also add that […]
The USDA has finally decided consumers should know when a meat product is composed of 40 percent water-salt solution. Wow, you think? Congratulations, Department of Agriculture, for at last addressing the common industry practice of pumping ingredients into meat and supporting adequate labeling. According to the agency, 30% of poultry, 15% of beef and 90% […]
First it was chicken, now it’s apple juice. Arsenic levels in our food supply, either via drug-filled feed for CAFO livestock or pesticide in Chinese orchards, epitomize the regulation problems both within and outside the United States. How much is too much when it comes to using toxic chemicals used to kill bacteria (and promote […]
An undercover video released Wednesday documents the shocking treatment of hogs at one of the nation’s largest pork production facilities. The footage — which shows pigs being thrown across the room, and being castrated and having their tails removed without painkillers — was taken by advocacy group Mercy for Animals at Iowa Select Farms from […]
With outbreaks left and right, our food system is certainly in need of better oversight. Government officials need to resist BigAgra lobbyists’ charms and focus on protecting the citizens who put them in office. But big business, not food safety, seems to be on the mind of some House Republicans who suggest giving industry the […]
It’s old news that fish consumption increases our exposure to mercury, but a recent study explores the link between mercury-tainted fish and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Former GAP client and whistleblower Renee Dufault (who previously raised concerns about the presence of mercury in food products with High Fructose Corn Syrup) co-authored an article questioning […]
The current status of the Iowa bill that criminalizes individuals who produce undercover videos on “agricultural operations” without permission remains pending, as House representatives (who already approved the legislation) wait for a vote on the corresponding Senate bill. Examiner.com did a Q&A with the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Annette Sweeney, who seems to think it […]