Back in the day, slaughterhouses were the ones grabbing the attention when it came to health concerns and the need for inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a regular basis to ensure food was safe. Now, the Food and Drug Administration checks in on most of what we eat — and they only inspect plants around once a decade, says one report. [More]
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Political Commentary On A Pizza Hut Sign?
By 11.29.11
As you’ve probably heard, the longstanding rule that classifies 1/8 cup of tomato paste as a serving of vegetables in kids’ school lunches — thus allowing a slice of pizza to qualify as a serving of veggies — was set to be changed, but political maneuvering recently scuttled that change. And not everyone is thrilled with that. [More]
6 E.Coli Strains Added To Beef Ban List
By 9.13.11
The government is adding six more, relatively rarer, strains of E.coli to the list of banned beef. Meat mongers are balking. [More]
Company Recalls 36 Million Pounds Of Possibly Salmonella-Tainted Ground Turkey
By 8.4.11
Salmonella-tainted turkey has killed one person and sickened dozens of others, leading Arkansas-based Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation to recall 36 million pounds of possibly dangerous ground turkey. [More]
German Sprouts Not Deadly E.coli Culprit, Initial Tests Show
By 6.6.11
German sprouts are not the cause of the deadly e.coli outbreak that has killed 22 and sickened over 2,000, according to initial tests of samples from a farm that a German agriculture minister had earlier named as the epicenter. The retraction is only the latest in a series of confusing finger-pointings and “cucumber slurs,” and has left European consumers afraid to eat a salad. [More]
"Super-Toxic" E.Coli Strain Kills 18 In Europe
By 6.3.11
A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant E.coli has left 18 dead in Europe, left over 1,800 sick, and touched off a continent-wide scare against all produce, suspected to be the source of the infection. [More]
"Nutrition Plate" Replaces "Food Pyramid"
By 6.2.11
It was announced this morning that the much-derided USDA “food pyramid” has gone the way of the Pharaohs and will be replaced by a simpler “nutrition plate” that for the first time emphasizes vegetables over all other food groups. [More]
USDA: You Can Eat Pink Pork Without Getting Sick
By 5.25.11
If you’ve been cooking pork chops until they’re dry and leathery in the name of safety, stop now! The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised its pork-cooking guidelines, saying it’s OK to cook the other white meat to 145 degrees, and that the previous 160 degree recommendation was “probably overkill.” [More]
Do You Live Near A Food Desert?
By 5.4.11
If you’ve ever wanted to find out if you live in a wasteland with a dearth of access to fresh and nutritious food, boy have we got the government-sponsored data mashup for you! The USDA just launched the “Food Desert Locator” which lets you see where it’s hard to get a decent bite to eat in America. A “food desert” (remember: not dessert, that has two s’s because you want more of it) is a low-income area where a most of the people live more than one mile from the nearest grocery store/supermarket. Thanks to this map, now we know why North Dakotans are so sad: no one will make them a sandwich! [More]
Eggs Today Contain Less Cholesterol Than They Did A Few Years Ago
By 2.9.11
It’s been a rough few months for eggs, following a massive salmonella-related recall. But there is a slight bit of decent news for the chicken ova industry: The eggs being popped into folks’ frying pans today aren’t as bad for your arteries as they were not so long ago. [More]
USDA's New Guidelines Finally Listen To Tyler
By 2.1.11
“If you read the document it really is what I’ve been saying for over 2+ years. The government realized, “What’s the point in recommending all this ultra-healthy Whole Foods type of food if NOBODY listens to us? Let’s just simplify it and listen to Tyler and what he’s been saying for two years: eat less of ANY food you’d like to start off with (and learn about nutrition as you go) and just move around.” – A tongue-in-cheek email about the USDA’s new dietary recommendations from Tyler Weeks who documented his weight-loss journey to less than 200 lbs on 344pounds.com. [More]
Shocking New USDA Recommendations: "Just Eat Less"
By 1.31.11
For the first time ever, the USDA came out and said that in order to combat obesity, you have to eat less. So just eat a single down, okay? [More]
Taco Bell Thanks "Meat Filling" Lawsuit Plaintiffs In Full-Page Ad
By 1.28.11
The folks at Taco Bell are letting it be known that they’re going to put up a very public fight over the recently filed lawsuit alleging that its ground beef doesn’t meet USDA standards for being advertised as ground beef. [More]
Meat & Poultry To Get Detailed Nutritional Labels Starting In 2012
By 12.30.10
In what the USDA says is an attempt to better inform the meat-buying public about the products they buy, many popular cuts of meat and poultry will be required to carry labels with detailed nutritional information. [More]
So Did The USDA Spend Millions To Cheese-Up Your Domino's Pizza Or Not?
By 11.17.10
A couple weeks back we wrote about a New York Times article that claimed our tax dollars were being spent by the USDA to find more ways to add cheese to things like Domino’s Pizzas and Taco Bell products. But a new report in the Atlantic now says the Times misled readers — perhaps unintentionally — into thinking this was the case. [More]
Government Spends Millions Helping Domino's & Taco Bell Serve More Cheese
By 11.8.10
The NYT has an investigative piece on the $140 million a year organization called “Dairy Management.” It recently teamed up with Domino’s to develop a new line of pizzas with 40 percent more cheese, and proceeded to devise and pay for a $12 million marketing campaign, says the Times. Who is this organization? Well, it’s a “marketing creation” of the US Department of Agriculture. [More]
USDA Knew Of Poor Sanitation At Egg Facility Months Before Recall
By 9.10.10
Unless you’ve been only been paying attention to the 24/7 Big Brother live feeds this summer, you’ve probably heard about that tiny little recall of 380 million eggs because of potential salmonella poisoning. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that USDA graders noticed problems at the source facility earlier this year but opted to wait until FDA inspectors figured things out for themselves in August. [More]
8,500 Lbs. Of Ground Beef Recalled From BJ's Wholesale Clubs In 8 States
By 8.30.10
A few tons of ground beef from a meat processor in Pennsylvania have been recalled over fear of possible E. coli contamination. As of early Monday morning, the only retail outlets identified as possibly having received the ground beef were BJ’s Wholesale clubs in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. [More]
