January 22, 2015
- The Hill has its list of five food policy topics that should be addressed in the State of the Union speech.
- The National Law Review reports on a recent ruling by a federal judge in Washington holding that manure, when not used as a soil amendment, may be considered “solid waste” under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
- The New York Times exposes horrific treatment of animals at a USDA-funded research facility in Nebraska, where scientists are studying techniques to improve livestock yields. If you eat meat you are probably morally obligated to read this, but it’s a bummer.
- According to a survey conducted by Oklahoma State University, consumers want labeling of foods containing “DNA” in roughly the same percentage as those who want labeling of GMOs. Just as with the old “dihydrogen monoxide” gag, the study reveals more about the scientific ignorance of the sample set than it does about the need or rationale for mandatory GMO labeling.
- Geek-out on a favorite food law topics of ours: geographic indicators. A Georgia grower of vidalia onions took the state to court to prevent the commissioner of agriculture from enforcing a “no earlier than” packing date meant to keep immature vidalias off of store shelves.
- After California’s new size regulations on poultry battery cages came into effect in January 2015, it looks like the cost of eggs is going up within the state.
- More people want to ban raw milk than marijuana according to TIME.
- Via NPR, the more broken down your chicken is, the more likely it will be contaminated with salmonella. Whole birds are relatively the “cleanest”. Parts and quarters are less so. We are not likely to buy ground chicken anytime soon.
