Blog Postings
December 13, 2012 by USFRA
by Richard Raymond
Just prior to the January 2011 electronic release of “Emerging Infectious Diseases”, the Centers for Disease Control’s monthly journal that contained the story “Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Major Pathogens”, the CDC issued a press release on December 2015 highlighting the new estimates of the number of foodborne illnesses occurring per year in the U.S.
November 30, 2012 by USFRA
We recently hosted New York: Food Dialogues where three panel discussions highlighted tough questions consumers have about antibiotics, biotechnology and the media, marketing and healthy food choices. Barbara Determan, an Iowa pig farmer and president of Heartland Marketing Group, shared her expertise and perspective during our panel discussion on antibiotic use in farm animals, specifically as it relates to pork production and her family farm.
Following the event, Barbara blogged about her experience at the New York: Food Dialogues. Here’s what she had to say:
What is a small town Iowa farmwoman doing in New York City on a panel of experts about antibiotics with a moderator from CNN? That’s exactly what I was wondering Thursday, November 15!
A few weeks ago I was asked to represent the pork industry in the New York City Food Dialogues sponsored by the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. The panel I was on centered around antibiotics in livestock, specifically pigs. Two additional panels discussing GMOs and Marketing and the Media were also a part of the day. Here are my major take-aways from the experience.
June 13, 2012 by USFRA
Sarah Hubbart, the communications director for the Animal Agricultural Alliance (http://www.animalagalliance.org) shared a letter about a recent Rachael Ray appearance on The View. During the segment, Rachael provided viewers with some misinformation about food safety. The following is an excerpt from Sarah’s post on Meating Place – to read the remainder of the letter to Rachael Ray follow the link here on Meatingplace.com
April 25, 2012 by USFRA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a positive test result on April 24, 2012, as part of its targeted surveillance program to test cattle for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the nation's fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. According to USDA, the carcass of the animal is being held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health.
February 08, 2012 by USFRA
FROM THE SLATE ON JANUARY 17, 2012
Were you among the thousands who saw last week's Atlantic piece on "The Very Real Danger of Genetically Modified Foods?" Food writer Ari LeVaux sought to use recent research findings on the biology of digesting plant materials to argue for an overhaul of regulations for genetically modified (GM) food in the United States. The scientific misteps in his article and non-existent link between the study he cites and any specific danger from GM foods led a number of science writers to crack knuckles and get to rebutting.