Agroterrorism

FDA criticized for ignoring health problems in spinach packing
You may want to think twice before ordering spinach next time: Inspections of sixty-seven facilities found inadequate restroom sanitation, litter piles, and indoor condensation posing a risk of food contamination by microorganisms; the bad thing is that the FDA has taken no action to correct these breaches
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HSDW conversation with Marion Nestle
Professor Nestle on food safety in a globalized economy, the threat of bioterrorism, government regulation of the industry, and genetic modification
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FSIS exemplifies growing inadequacy of U.S. food inspection regime
Decline and fall: In FY 1981, FSIS spent $13.22 per thousand pounds of meat and poultry inspected and passed; by FY 2007, the figure had fallen to $8.26 per thousand pounds; in FY 1981 FSIS employed about 190 workers per billion pounds of meat and poultry inspected and passed; by FY 2007, FSIS employed fewer than 88 workers per billion pounds
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FDA needs to move with the times
The FDA tasks and responsibilities grow as its budget and resources are cut; FDA commissioner says agency needs to adapt to changing safety concerns and technological advances in both industries
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U.S. growing dependence on corn increasingly worries economists
The U.S. economy’s dependence on corn — to feed dairy cows and egg-laying hens; fatten cattle, hogs, and chicken; make sweet soda; and meet ethanol mandates — leads economist to warn of a “corn shock” in case of a drought across the Midwest
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MSU lab develops early-warning for biological invaders
Montana State University lab creates a nationwide team of plant pest experts who work together to identify pests, teach each other from their personal fields of expertise, and track the development of threats to agriculture or, potentially, human health
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Canadian aquaculture operators seek improved biosecurity infrastructure
Fish stocks in the oceans dwindle, and those still available are exposed the ever-growing levels of pollution; as a result there is a growing interest in fish farming; Canada’s fish farm operators want more government help to address biosecurity issues
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CBP Creates New Position to Protect U.S. Agriculture
In the face of an avalanche of unsafe food stuffs being imported from China, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) creates a new position — Deputy Executive Director for Agriculture Operational Oversight — and appoints Kevin Harriger to the post
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