Restaurant Association Sues Over Menu Law
The California Restaurant Association is suing San Francisco to stop the city from implementing an ordinance requiring chain restaurants statewide to display calorie and other nutritional information on their menus.
USDA Proposes Ban on "Downer" Cows
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer has proposed that the USDA ban all "downer" cows from entering the food supply. The policy would diverge from current policy which allows for some exceptions for slaughtering sick cattle. Under the new policy, such exemptions would be eliminated.
Asparagus in Winter? That's Criminal
Your daily Ramsay: Chef Gordon Ramsay wants restaurants to only serve seasonal vegetables, and he'd like to see them fined if they don't: "I don't want to see asparagus in the middle of December. I don't want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. I want to see it home-grown...There should be stringent laws, licensing laws, to make sure produce is only used in season and season only."
Grapes on the Loose
Who knew that there were regulations on the number of loose grapes permitted to roll around in the bottom of your bag? Current policies allow for a 12 to 15 percent "tolerance" for detached grapes, but a new federal proposal causing a stir between grocers and growers would raise that number by another 5 percent.
USDA Rejects "Downer" Cow Ban
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer told Congress yesterday that he would not endorse an outright ban on "downer" cows entering the food supply.
Cloned Food: Cleared for Takeoff
After much debate, the Food and Drug Administration has declared that food from cloned animals is safe, removing the last government hurdle before meat and milk derived from copies of prize dairy cows and hogs can be sold to the public.
Raw Milk Battle
Raw milk
producers have filed suit to prevent the State of California from imposing strict
new regulations that, they argue, would put them out of business. Caiifornia currently has the nation's largest raw milk industry.
Banning Junk Foods from Schools
The Institute of Medicine has issued a report that recommends banning junk foods in schools. According to the New York Times, Senator Tom Harkin is weighing putting the report’s recommendations into this year’s farm bill.
"Pasteurized" Almonds
In response to salmonella outbreaks traced to almonds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will require nearly all almonds sold in the United States to be "pasteurized" -- "treated, either with short blasts of steam or dry heat, or with a carcinogenic chemical that's used to make bowling balls and foam seat cushions as well as insecticide."
Proposal to Prevent Bacterial Contamination of Produce
Policy: A California legislator plans to introduce a bill that would create a system to track produce from fields to store shelves and force growers to further protect crops from contaminated water and stray animals that can spread bacteria.
Cloning O.K.'d
Policy: The Food and Drug Administration has tentatively concluded that food produced from cloned farm animals is safe to eat.
Cloned Meat and Milk Coming Soon
Policy: The Food and Drug Administration is expected to release a formal recommendation that milk and meat from cloned animals should be allowed on grocery store shelves.
Foie Gras Ban Coming to New Jersey?
Policy: A ban on foie gras production and sale may be coming soon to New Jersey, home to foie gras purveyor D'artagnan (read more from the AP).
Lawmakers Call for Food Safety Administration
Policy: Federal legislators are calling for the creation of a Food Safety Administration which would assume all responsibility for food safety and oversight, streamlining the process of preventing, tracking and containing outbreaks, which is currently handled by 12 agencies and subagencies.
Regulating Calorie Emissions
Policy: What if the U.S. government tried to control obesity by implementing a "calorie-emission" trading system akin to the way air pollution is regulated?
Quick Cure?
Policy: The Food and Drug Administration is considering an application by Kraft Foods to lower the minimum required curing time for Parmesan cheese to 6 months from the current 10 months. Parmigiano-Reggiano producers in Italy must cure the cheese for at least one year. See also: U.S. bans Caspian Beluga caviar.
New Dietary Guidelines
Policy: New federal dietary guidelines emphasize weight loss, exercise, and eating more whole grains. But, the New York Times asks, will they have an impact now that Americans are "fatter than ever"?
