Posts Tagged ‘Brattleboro’

• Food News: Egg Laws, Food Safety Bill & Fracking

  Date: 07.13.2010 | Category: News Feed | Response: 0

  Only Free-Range Eggs in California.
  

  A new law says egg producers located outside California that want to sell their eggs in-state must meet the same humane requirements for their chickens as California egg producers. The law says that hens must have enough living space to be considered “cage-free.” The cage-free ruling will most likely increase the price of California eggs for the consumer because the farmer’s overhead costs will be more expensive. However, the upside is that humanely raised chickens can improve food safety because hens living in stressful conditions have reduced immunity to illness, and their eggs can put the consumer at risk. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the new egg law last week and it will take effect in 2015.

  The FDA also upped national egg safety regulations, reports the Associated Press. The new laws require some egg producers to increase testing for salmonella. Large-scale producers will also be required to keep eggs constantly refrigerated during transport and storage. These changes were announced by the Obama administration last year and went into effect on July 9th.

  New Food Safety Law Could be Stalled by BPA Amendment

  Food safety groups are running newspaper ads to push the Senate to approve the new food safety bill that was passed a year ago by the House of Representatives. President Obama announced his support for the bill last Wednesday, reports the Washington Post.

  California Senator Diane Feinstein has been leading efforts to include an amendment to the food safety bill that would include a ban on bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in food packaging that studies claim has been linked to health complications, including the early onset of puberty in girls.

  If the amendment is added to the food safety bill, getting the bill passed could be much harder. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “thirty major chemical and food manufacturing industry groups have banded together to defeat Feinstein’s efforts,” in an attempt to block the FDA from gaining more regulatory power over their products.

  Fracking Affects Cattle in PA

  In Pennsylvania, the effects of fracking have led to a quarantine of 28 beef cattle. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a drilling technique that injects massive quantities of water, sand and chemicals at a high pressure into a horizontal well as far as 10,000 feet below the ground. The pressurized mixture causes the rock layer to crack and release natural gas.

  The byproducts of the controversial process include groundwater pollution and chemical spills. On the Pennsylvania farm where the quarantine occurred, wastewater from a gas well leaked onto the farm’s fields and came into contact with the animals, reports ProPublica. The cattle were quarantined and will not be processed.

  Regional News

  July 12: The University of Vermont and other agriculture colleges are selling cows to cut costs. Associated Press

  July 11: The 16th annual SolarFest will take place next weekend in Tinmouth, Vermont. Times Argus

  July 9: Vermont trees and crops have survived the latest summer heat wave. Burlington Free Press

  July 8: Fish near Brattleboro have tested positive for Sr-90, though the Health Department decided it is unlikely that the chemicals in the fish are a result of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant leak. Vermont Business Magazine

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• Michelle Obama Prompts Food Giants to Get Healthy

  Date: 03.23.2010 | Category: News Feed | Response: 0

  Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the Grocery Manufacturers Association to emphasize the importance of producing healthy, affordable foods to reduce childhood obesity. Mrs. Obama asked that the major food manufacturers take responsibility for improving their offerings in grocery stores by improving food labels and reducing salt and fat in the products they sell.

  With the national consciousness trending more and more toward healthy food consumption, big businesses are taking note. Several major food companies including PepsiCo, Kraft Foods and ConAgra have since announced that significant and voluntary improvements will be made in the nutritional value of their products in order to better serve the consumer and meet market demand.

  Yesterday, PepsiCo announced it will cut sodium in its key brands by 25 percent in five years.  In the next ten years, the company will cut the average amount of added sugar per serving by 25 percent and saturated fat by 15 percent. 

  ABC News reports that PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi told investors the company will focus more on producing healthier foods even before additional legislation is passed requiring changes because “the consumer is shifting” and demanding healthier, more nutritious foods that are a better value.

  Last week, PepsiCo also announced it would remove full-calorie sweetened drinks from all schools globally by 2012, a policy that is currently in place in the U.S.

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• First Annual Culinary Tourism Food Summit

  Date: 11.05.2009 | Category: Coming Up | Response: 0

  For a hundred years tourists have come to Vermont to hike, ski or snap photos of the changing seasons. Many have gone home with maple products in tow. Today’s tourists are likely to be hungry for more.

  Southern Vermont business leaders and food professionals will be gathering this coming Tuesday, November 10, to discuss culinary tourism and the benefits and challenges it offers. Their goal is to help define Southern Vermont’s culinary tourism potential and to develop successful initiatives based on best practices in the industry. Roger Allbee, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, will be the keynote speaker.

  Tourism professionals, educators, town leaders, farmers, food artisans, specialty food retailers and the community at large are all encouraged to attend.

  The Culinary Tourism Food Summit will take place in West Dover at the historic Hermitage Inn, an environmentally efficient establishment. The cost is $25, which includes lunch and a limitless opportunity to network with like-minded food lovers and entrepreneurs. Contact the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce 802-464-8092 to register.

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• Smart Choices Program to Stop Labeling Food

  Date: 10.27.2009 | Category: News Feed | Response: 1

  The Smart Choices Program stated it will postpone active operations after federal regulators announced they would review the criteria behind the Smart Choices label.

  Launched in August 2009 and funded by food industry leaders, the Smart Choices Program permits manufacturers to label their products as “healthy” with a bright green checkmark on the packaging.

  In an effort to prevent misleading nutritional labels, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced on Oct. 20 that the FDA will develop standardized criteria for front-of-package labeling. Hamburg noted that some of the products labeled “Smart Choices” were actually 50 percent sugar, reports the Chicago Tribune. Sugary cereals including Fruit Loops and Cocoa Krispies have the Smart Choices seal of approval.

  Three days after the FDA’s announcement, the Smart Choices Program stated in a press release that they will halt production and “welcome the opportunity to collaborate on front-of-package labeling with the FDA.”

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• Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

  Date: 10.21.2009 | Category: News Feed | Response: 0

  The sustainable food movement is getting some much-needed federal help. On September 14th, the USDA launched the new program “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” in an effort to “create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers.”

  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack introduced the initiative via YouTube video. Vilsack explains that by doing business with local farmers, American families will be able to eat healthier foods and stimulate the economy at the local level.

  The USDA is expected to provide approximately $65 million in funding for the program.

  The “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” website provides information on federal loans, grants and support available for farmers. The website will allow individuals to share experiences and ideas and will also help facilitate discussion of the local food movement through social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.

  To kick-off the new program, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan held a live discussion of the sustainable food movement and the “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” initiative on Facebook on October 1.

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