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The food we eatSeafood stewardship questionable: experts
The world's most established fisheries certifier -- the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) -- is failing on its promises as rapidly as it gains prominence, according the world's leading fisheries experts; "The MSC is supposed to be a solution, but a lot of what they do has turned against biology in favor of bureaucracy," says one expert
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AgroterrorismVeterinary students train to help in agro-terrorism situations
Because of the number of feedlots in Kansas, the state could be a prime target for agro-terrorism; Kansas State University veterinary medicine students take part in two different U.S. Department of Agriculture preparedness programs: the foreign animal disease practitioner's training course and agriculture emergency response training; the programs train veterinarians to aid in relief efforts and protect the public in hazardous situations
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The food we eatMaple syrup producer ends factory floor tours
For almost a century Maple Grove Farms of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, has produced maple syrup and maple candies; for much of that time, tourists have been able to watch the production process from the factory floor -- but not anymore: fears about terrorists, disguised as visitors, contaminating some of the more than twelve million pounds of maple products processed every year lead company to end tours
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The food we eatFDA's food-safety monitoring in need of overhaul
A new study of the U.S. food safety regime finds gaping holes in the system; the study finds that shifting to a risk-based food safety system, utilizing a research infrastructure and integrated federal, state, and local government food safety program, can go a long way towards achieving the safer food supply we all desire
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Gulf of Mexico oil spillScientists: Oil spill's "grim reshuffle" of Gulf food web may destroy region's fishing industry
The initial impact of the BP disaster on the maritime food chain in the Gulf are already apparent; scientists warn that if such impacts continue, they will result in a grim reshuffling of sea life that could over time cascade through the ecosystem and imperil the region's multibillion-dollar fishing industry
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The food we eatObama heralds Food Safety Act
President Obama had an organic vegetable garden planted at the White House, and since taking office has been pushing a more aggressive approach to food safety; the administration's approach is encapsulated in the Food Safety Modernization Act, which would give the U.S. government more effective tools to monitor food safety
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The food we eatOil spill threatens a range of Gulf coast food stocks
University of Arizona researchers said more than 240 kinds of "historically eaten, place-based foods" are at risk for being lost from what has been a cornucopia for generations of Gulf Coast residents. The majority of food items on that list are there because of the oil spill; oysters, crayfish, brown shrimp, redfish, grouper are at risk, as well as Tabasco sauce, okra, and gumbo file
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The food we eatVideo study finds risky food-safety behavior more common than thought
New study finds that that risky practices in restaurants, cafeterias, and other food-service places happen more often than previously thought; one expert says: "Meals prepared outside the home have been implicated in up to 70 percent of food poisoning outbreaks, making them a vital focus area for food safety professionals"
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The food we eatFDA should adopt risk-based approach to food safety: report
Experts say that for food inspection in the United States to be more effective, FDA should implement a risk-based approach in which data and expertise are marshaled to pinpoint where along the production, distribution, and handling chains there is the greatest potential for contamination and other problems
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The food we eatWooden or plastic pallets are a dangerous link in food chain
Pallets are often stored in warehouses or outside behind grocery stores, where they are easily reached by debris from garbage or bacteria from animals; new sanitation tests found that about 33 percent of the wooden pallets it tested showed signs of unsanitary conditions, where bacteria could easily grow; 10 percent tested positive for e. coli, which can cause food poisoning, and 2.9 percent had an even nastier, and often deadly, bug called listeria
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The food we eatSafer food imports goal of public-private venture
With imports accounting for 15 percent of the U.S. food supply, the United States needs a better way of ensuring food safety than border inspections; the University of Maryland teams up with a Massachusetts company to launch training center for foreign foodproducers
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The food we eatFood-labels contaminate food
Chemicals used in adhesive which is used to attach food labels to packaging can seep through packaging and contaminate food; one of those chemicals is considered highly toxic and found in high concentration in some adhesives
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Faster salmonella strain detection now possible with new technique
New scientific method identifies salmonella strains much faster than current methods in use; faster detection of specific strains can mean recognizing an outbreak sooner and stopping tainted food from being delivered and consumed
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The food we eatFailure to test for six strains of E. coli leaves gaps in U.S. food safety network
Six E. coli strains are not regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; E. coli O157:H7 causes 73,000 illnesses and 50 deaths every year in the United States; the six other strains are considered less pervasive, sickening an estimated 37,000 people a year and killing nearly 30; they could be causing more illnesses that labs do not detect because they are not testing for them
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The food we eatSmart plastic to be used in food packaging to monitor freshness of food
New type of smart plastic could be used for packaging supermarket products or transporting produce; the new material has sensors embedded in it which will be used for measuring basic parameters such as temperature and humidity and more advanced markers that indicate produce quality; the new smart packaging will also measure the amount of hexanol -- an indicator of deterioration in food -- in the vapors emitted from foods
The Long View
The food we eatSchneier: no need to worry about terrorists poisoning food
Security maven Bruce Schneier says that fears of food-based bioterrorism are exaggerated: The quantities involved for mass poisonings are too great, the nature of the food supply too vast, and the details of any plot too complicated and unpredictable to be a real threat
Globalization and its discontentsRegulators cannot cope with food counterfeiting, contamination
New worry: Between the extremes of accidentally contaminated food and terrorism via intentional contamination, lies the counterfeiter, seeking not to harm but to hide the act for profit
Planetary securityDoomsday seed vault's stores are growing
In 1903, U.S. farmers planted 578 varieties of beans; by 1983 just 32 varieties remained in seedbanks; 46 countries collaborate to rescue some 53,000 of the 100,000 crop samples identified as endangered
