Food Safety
Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Timing of AAAS statement on GMO labeling is highly suspicious
With about a week to go before California voters head to the polls to decide the fate of Proposition 37, which would require GMO foods to be labeled, I expected an already ugly campaign to get even uglier.
But the latest gift to the No on 37 campaign smells especially bad. Last week, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS – goes by “Triple A-S”) released this “statement” on GMO labeling that sounds like it was drafted by Monsanto. The statement ends with the non-scientific but very quote-worthy conclusion that “mandating such a label can only serve to mislead and falsely alarm consumers.” While Prop 37 is never mentioned, what purpose could the timing serve other than persuading Californians to vote no on the measure?
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Posted in Big Food, Food Safety, Industry Tactics | Tagged: California Prop 37, co-opting science, food safety, GMO labeling, GMOs, Monsanto, No on 37, World Health Organization | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (22) |
Posted on Monday, September 24th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Even if you don’t live in California, you have probably heard of Proposition 37, which if passed in November, would require labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. The state-wide initiative has been causing quite a stir, in part because of the companies that are opposing the measure. Read rest at New Hope …
Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Food Safety | Tagged: Big Food, California Prop 37, food safety, GMOs | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Monday, August 20th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Rarely does the mainstream media bother to connect the dots when it comes to our broken food safety system. Consider these two recent headlines:
• Foodborne Outbreaks Falling Short of U.S. Reduction Goals
• USDA to purchase $170 million worth of meat to help farmers struggling with drought
The latter story celebrating government action to “help farmers” — prompted by this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press release — was trumpeted by major media outlets across the nation without any questions raised. Of course American farmers need help during times of drought and that effort is well worth supporting, but is the indiscriminate buying up of meat really the best and only idea the feds can come up with? Read rest at Center for Food Safety…
Postscript: Since writing this article, the federal government reported that two people have died and 141 were made sick by salmonella in yet another cantaloupe outbreak, this one in 20 states.
Posted in Big Food, Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: E.coli, food safety, Food Safety Modernization Act, listeria, Microbiological Data Program, USDA | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Friday, July 13th, 2012 by Michele Simon
The United Fresh Produce Association Foundation says it’s “proud to be a Founding Partner of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools Initiative.” I thought the First Lady should know this trade group is responsible for killing a vital produce testing program that helps keep kids safe from infection.
Dear Mrs. Obama,
I am writing out of deep concern over Let’s Move’s partnerships with the United Fresh Produce Association and the Produce Marketing Association. These two groups have lobbied to kill a vital pathogen testing program. While the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools program is to be applauded, its association with these trade groups is not.
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Food Safety | Tagged: E.coli, FDA, food safety, Let's Move, listeria, Microbiological Data Program, Obama, school food policy, United Fresh Produce Association | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (3) |
Posted on Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 by Michele Simon
After years of debating, petitioning, rule-making, and outright stalling, this week the federal government is finally implementing new requirements for testing E. coli in ground beef. Why is this cause for celebration?
Read rest at Center for Food Safety…
Posted in Big Food, Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: E.coli, food safety, Food Safety News, USDA | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Monday, June 4th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Few things get a media frenzy going like the combination of two words: radiation and food. Despite the ubiquitous availability of truly unhealthy foods 24/7, just raise the specter of radioactivity on our plates, and people suddenly get very serious about what they are eating. And the media fans the flames.
Read rest at Center for Food Safety…
Posted in Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: food safety | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 by Michele Simon
In my work as a consultant for various organizations, I’ve had the pleasure to write the following fact sheets. Please share far and wide. You can learn more about my consulting services at EatDrinkPolitics.com
Center for Food Safety:
Foodborne Illness
Nutrition, Obesity, and Processed Food
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: Part of What’s at Stake series on the 2012 Farm Bill
Enough to Eat: Food Assistance and the Farm Bill
Posted in Big Food, Child Nutrition, Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: farm bill, food safety, obesity, processed food, SNAP | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 by Michele Simon
In a long-awaited decision, last week the Food and Drug Administration disappointed health advocates once again by allowing Bisphenol A or BPA, a known endocrine disruptor, to remain approved as a chemical additive in food containers such as plastic bottles and metal cans.While the agency says it’s still studying the matter, many groups say the science is clear enough. Read rest at Center for Food Safety…
Posted in Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: FDA, food safety | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (1) |
Posted on Sunday, February 19th, 2012 by Michele Simon
I am thrilled to announce that I am now working part-time with the Center for Food Safety. I’ve admired the work of CFS for years to expose the dark side of the industrial food system (long before it became popular). CFS is an effective organization that’s not afraid to take on the most powerful players in the food industry. Their True Food Network has been a compelling force speaking out against the likes of Monsanto for contaminating the food supply with genetically-modified ingredients. And by utilizing the power of the court system, CFS has won important legal victories. This powerful combination of law and grassroots support is exactly what we need to fight the huge multinational corporations that have far too much control over what we eat and how food is produced.
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Posted in Food Safety | Tagged: Center for Food Safety, food safety | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (3) |
Posted on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 by Michele Simon
It doesn’t take much for the food industry to freak-out over potential government action, but this latest corporate outcry is especially galling and self-serving. After more than 20 years of “assessment” the Environmental Protection Agency is finally expected this month to release limits for safe exposure to dioxins, nasty industrial pollutants that cause cancer, among other health harms. You may have heard of dioxin as the military herbicide Agent Orange used in Vietnam, where it earned its distinction as “the most toxic compound synthesized by man.”
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Posted in Big Food, Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: Big Food, food safety | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (3) |
