Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Given USDA’s plan to move ahead with its New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS), federal lawmakers have agreed it’s time to hold the USDA accountable for claims that its new system will improve food safety and overall inspection. Today, 15 members of the House of Representatives sent a long list of questions to Secretary of Agriculture […]
The U.S. poultry industry has been ignoring whistleblower concerns about dangerous chemical use at processing plants, but will it ignore international trading partners? An NPR story last week explained how Europe’s food standards, which instigated banning chlorine treatment on chicken in the 1990s, are impacting U.S. trade negotiations. USDA poultry inspector Sherry Medina has been […]
Ever wonder what happens to whistleblowers in China? As it turns out, it looks shockingly similar to what happens to whistleblowers in the United States. Speaking up for the integrity of food is a tough fight, and it’s a battle that wages across continents. Last month, a courageous Chinese whistleblower took a stand for food […]
Watch the PBS piece below about USDA’s dangerous new poultry inspection rule, which was finalized recently against the wishes of the agency’s own inspectors and countless others concerned about public health. The rule hands government oversight of food safety to the plants themselves. Yes, you heard that correctly. Privatization of the meat industry is now […]
Good news emerged last week regarding Idaho’s anti-whistleblower Ag Gag law. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill is allowing most of the challenges against the law to move forward. FIC submitted an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit seeking to overturn the Ag Gag law, which aims to silence agriculture industry whistleblowers. We’re […]
FIC joins Kauai residents in expressing outrage over a judge’s ruling yesterday regarding a lawsuit to block implementation of the County’s pesticide transparency law. Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren ruled that Ordinance 960, which requires chemical companies to disclose pesticide use information and create buffer zones around sensitive areas, is pre-empted by state law. The […]
What are companies using to clean off your meat these days? Most employees working in processing plants don’t know either. But reports from USDA inspectors about health problems related to chemicals continue to pour in here at FIC, and fingers are pointing at antimicrobial cleaners. Companies use a wide variety of chemicals to remove bacterial […]
The following piece first appeared in the Huffington Post. Across the nation, millions of Americans are asking the age-old question: “What’s for dinner?” It used to be as simple as choosing between chicken and beef, but today the choices have become considerably more nuanced. It’s now a matter of free-range and “all natural,” gluten-free or […]
Though extremely disappointed with the release of USDA’s new poultry inspection rule yesterday, FIC isn’t backing down in our fight against the problematic model. We will continue to fight to ensure that it is not expanded to other species. FIC and a coalition of consumer groups have been fighting this flawed plan since federal inspectors […]
Have you taken some time to commend a truth-teller lately? To celebrate National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, our colleagues at the Government Accountability Project, whistleblowers, and other advocates gathered in Washington DC yesterday to honor whistleblowers’ brave contributions to society at the 2014 Whistleblower Summit. As their protections have improved over the past few years, whistleblowers […]