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20071222

Families - Poverty - Agriculture - Christmas-Holidays - Thanksgiving - Gasoline - Households - Money - People - "Food Bank Shelves Going Bare At Holidays: High Living Costs Hurting Donations, While Increasing Demand By Needy Families." ... "The reports from across the country are dismaying: Food pantries are running short and cannot meet the needs of all those seeking help." ... "In the Department of Agriculture's most recent study of hunger in America, released in November, more than 35.5 million Americans, including 12.6 million children, were found to have "low" or "very low food security" (defined as households where hunger was prevalent, where there was not enough money to buy adequate food supplies, where food purchased did not last, or where family members had to cut down or skip meals - sometimes not eating for a day or longer)." ... "That's roughly 1 in 9 households. And the numbers are rising from last year." ... "Everywhere, people are feeling the crunch of rising gasoline and grocery prices, as well as utility bills, rent and mortgage payments." ... "Those factors also are cutting into people's ability to donate to food banks for others in need." ... "At Thanksgiving, the [America's Second Harvest] organization estimated that food banks nationally were short a total of 15 million pounds of food, or roughly 11.7 million meals. " -AP via -CBSNews

20071204

Consumer - Health - Safety - Food - Agriculture - Country - Peoples - Labor - Law - Money - Politics - Language - West Virginia - "Democrats Use Fine Print to Stymie Bush's Deregulation Agenda." ... "It is a single sentence, on page 147 of the annual appropriations bill funding the [Republican President Bush] White House, listed under the title ``Additional General Provisions.''" ... "The 18-word clause eliminates the money to pay for political appointees in each federal agency whose jobs are to approve any new regulations. By cutting the money for the positions, Congress would effectively repeal President George W. Bush's 11-month old initiative." ... "Democrats, writing the budget for the first time since Bush took office, are using their power over the purse to thwart Bush's campaign to loosen federal regulations. Lawmakers have added fine print to must-pass appropriations bills that sets new policy goals and increases funding for regulators such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission." ... "``It is critically important when we are facing beef recalls, toy recalls, mine collapses and workplace infringements that Congress provide the necessary resources to the relevant agencies for them to do the jobs they are required to do,'' said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, 90, a West Virginia Democrat." ... "Lawmakers also want agencies to file periodic reports to Congress charting their progress toward a host of Democratic policy goals, such as developing workplace ergonomic guidelines for a dozen industries, requiring country-of-origin labels on meat products and regulating a flavoring chemical that has been linked to lung disease." -By Brian Faler -Bloomberg

20071127

Secret - US - Iraq - Texas - Oil - Money - Criminal - UN - Food - "Texas oilman Wyatt sentenced to year in prison." ... "Texas oilman Oscar Wyatt was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Tuesday for conspiracy in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, becoming the most prominent figure jailed over corruption in the program to buy oil from Saddam Hussein's Iraq." ... "Under his plea agreement, prosecutors dropped four other counts against him, cutting short a trial in which they made a case that he paid secret kickbacks to Saddam's government to win oil contracts from Iraq." ... "U.S. criminal investigations into the corrupted U.N. program has so far produced the convictions of seven individuals and two companies, including Chevron Corp. which agreed to pay $30 million to resolve criminal and civil liabilities." (1, 2) -By Christine Kearney with contributions by David Wiessler -Reuters

20071114

Children - Food - Poverty - Homeless - "Over 35.5 million found hungry in 2006." ... "More than 35.5 million people in this country went hungry in 2006 as they struggled to find jobs that can support them, a figure that was virtually unchanged from the previous year, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday." ... "Single mothers and their children were among the most likely to suffer, according to the study." ... "The 35.5 million people represented more than 1 in 10, or 12.1 percent, who said they did not have enough money or resources to get food for at least some period during the year, according to the department's annual hunger survey. That is compared with 35.1 million people who made similar claims in 2005." ... "The survey was based on Census Bureau data and does not include the homeless. About three-quarters of a million people were homeless on a given day in 2005, according to federal estimates." ... "Of the 35.5 million people reporting periods of hunger last year, 12.6 million were children." -By Hope Yen -AP via -SeattlePI

20071030

Australia - World - Agriculture - Business - Weather - Water - History - "Australia Cuts Wheat Crop Forecast for Third Time (Update1)." ... "Australia reduced its wheat harvest forecast for the third time this year as the nation's worst drought on record hurt production, adding pressure to shrinking world supplies that drove up prices to a record last month." -By Gemma Daley and Madelene Pearson -Bloomberg

20071026

John Edwards - Corporate - Law - Kids - Safety - Employees - Food - Drug - Des-Moines - Iowa - 2008 Election - "Edwards Gets Tough on Business." ... "[2008 election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards is targeting Corporate America and what he argues are its corrupt and greedy practices. In a speech today in Des Moines, Iowa, he is outlining his plan to renew the “social contract” between business and government if elected president. “In corporate America, where a broader sense of social responsibility once held sway, a culture of greed has taken over. Instead of treating their employees fairly, being accountable to their shareholders and contributing to America’s prosperity, CEOs act like their corporations exist just to build their own massive fortunes,” says Edwards, according to speech excerpts provided to Washington Wire by his campaign." ... "Edwards is proposing, among other things, universal retirement accounts that employers would be required to provide if they don’t offer pension programs." ... "Edwards is also proposing stronger protections for workers seeking to unionize and increased shareholder rights. And he’s proposing to cap tax-deferred compensation funds for top executives at $1 million annually, and pushing for more disclosure of corporate governance structures, the pay and demographics of top corporate officers, as well as political contributions, government contracts, and taxes paid." ... "He also proposes tougher Food and Drug Administration inspection standards and safety regulations on products, like kids’ toys, made abroad." -By Susan Davis -WSJ.com

20071025

US - Government - Global - Climate - Politics - Human - Health - Environmental - Science - Food - Water - Air - "Scientists Denounce Global Warming Report 'Edits': Public Health Experts Say Edits Represent Censoring of Science." ... "Environmental and public health experts overwhelmingly denounced editing by the White House of a federal health agency head's testimony to Congress Tuesday. Significant deletions were made from the testimony, concerning global warming and the potential impact on human health." ... "The original, unedited testimony presented to Congress by Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and obtained by ABC News was 14 pages long, but the White House Office of Management and Budget edited the final version down to a mere six pages." ... "Scientists and public health organizations called the move "frustrating," "terrible" and "appalling." The edits essentially deleted all sections that referred to climate change as a public health concern -- including the risks of increased food-borne and waterborne diseases, worsening extreme weather events, worsening air pollution and the effect of heat stress on humans." ... ""Dr. Gerberding is the lead of the premiere public health agency in the U.S.," said Kim Knowlton, a science fellow on global warming and health at the National Resources Defense Council in New York. "It's shocking that she was not allowed to say in a public discussion some of these vital details." ... ""One has to wonder why was this is so threatening to the White House."" (1, 2, 3) -By Raja Jagadeesan, M.D. and Carla Williams -ABCNEWS.com

20071019

Water - Emergency - Weather - Environment - History - Farm - Animals - Food - Georgia - Alabama - North Carolina - Tennessee - Kentucky - "Southeast drought hits crisis point." ... "Outdoor watering bans already cover the northern third of Georgia and dozens of cities, counties and towns in surrounding states. Farmers are selling cattle because pastures have dried up. Alabama's Elmore County had to bring in floating pumps and barges to extend its water intake pipe farther out into shrinking Lake Martin. Georgia might have to do the same at Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water source." ... "Although rain is due today across parts of the region, it will barely dampen the 16-month drought. Through September, it is the region's driest year in 113 years of record-keeping. In five of the six worst-hit states, rain totals this year are close to a foot below normal." ... "It is the driest year on record for North Carolina and Tennessee, second-driest in Alabama and third-driest in Kentucky. A tree-ring study this summer of Tennessee's rainfall history shows this is the third-driest year for the state in at least 350 years, behind only 1839 and 1708." -By Patrick O'Driscoll and Larry Copeland with contributions by Jordan Schrader, Marty Roney, Leon Alligood, Ron Barnett, Jessie Halladay, Matt Reed, and Jennie Coughlin -USATODAY

20071014

Food - Safety - Health - History - Agriculture - Company - Employees - Florida - New Jersey - "Food inspectors overwhelmed: Workload, vacancies undermine safety, employees claim." ... "As alarm bells sounded for the second-largest hamburger recall in history, about 250 of the nation's top food safety officials were in Miami [Florida] setting the "course for the next 100 years of food safety."" ... "That so many U.S. Department of Agriculture field supervisors were in Florida while New Jersey-based Topps Meat Co. [company] was scrambling to recall 21.7 million pounds of hamburger has rankled some USDA inspectors and food safety advocates." ... "Several USDA inspectors said in interviews that their workloads are doubling or tripling as they take on the duties of inspectors who have left the department, not to be replaced." ... ""We've been short the whole time I've been in," said one veteran inspector who asked not to be named. "We don't have enough inspectors, but we have too much management. The inspectors are short all the time and getting spread thinner and thinner."" ... "The Topps crisis began last month, when three consumers in New York and Florida fell ill from E. coli poisoning. Soon after that, at least 32 people were sick. The Topps recall, though, began 18 days after the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service confirmed E. coli bacteria in a Topps hamburger." (1, 2) -By Stephen J. Hedges -ChicagoTribune

20070914

Justice - Food - Politics - Los Angeles - California - "Taxpayers eat $7 million government lunch tab." ... "Hungry attendees at [the Republican President Bush run] Justice Department conferences have been enjoying millions of dollars in meatballs and other goodies courtesy of U.S. taxpayers, according to an inspector general's report released Friday." ... "The report cited $5 meatballs and cans of soft drinks each costing $4.55 among reasons 10 conferences during 2005 and 2006 cost nearly $7 million." ... "One four-day conference of 1,500 people in Los Angeles [California] cost the Justice Department $394,000 in August 2005." ... "In addition to the platters of Swedish meatballs and soda pop, the Justice Department paid more than $13,000 for cookies, according to the inspector general's office." ... "A Senate committee requested the report on Justice Department conferences, which, in fiscal year 2006, cost taxpayers nearly $46 million, including travel, programming, food and associated costs. Year to year costs show such meetings have totaled from $33.8 million in 2001 to a high of $58 million in 2004." -CNN

20070911

Secret- Federal - Health - Safety - Consumer - Law - Politics - Food - Drug - Traffic - Manufacturers - Companies - "Stealth Rules War Pits Lawyers Versus Companies." ... "Official Washington loves the word ``stealth.'' It connotes intrigue and secrecy, making the term well understood in a capital where spies and invisible fighter jets aren't all that's sneaking around." ... "At least that's how the nation's trial lawyers view the [Republican President] Bush administration's increasing use of federal health and safety regulations as a line of defense for manufacturers trying to fend off multimillion-dollar liability claims from consumers in state courts." ... "The fine print of a 2006 U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule on prescription labeling that preempts, or overrides, state laws is proving to be a powerful weapon in the courtroom at a time when Merck & Co. is fighting thousands of lawsuits from consumers claiming they were harmed by its drug Vioxx." ... "Since 2005, federal agencies, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Homeland Security have issued more than a dozen rules that stress the primacy of federal law." ... "Plaintiff attorneys, who have been watching the trend with alarm, say eliminating the option of suing a company at the state level will result in weaker federal regulations, more cost to the government for consumers' medical bills, and a usurping of congressional authority." ... "The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow: ``Regulatory Preemption: Are Federal Agencies Usurping Congressional and State Authority?''" -By Cindy Skrzycki -Bloomberg

20070910

Safety - Politics - US - Chinese - Industrial - Consumer - Goods - People - Food - Pets - "Import safety panel prefers prevention over border checks." ... "A panel appointed by [Republican] President Bush to review the safety of imported goods proposed Monday that the U.S. revamp its system to focus more on prevention rather than trying to catch unsafe goods with border inspections." ... "The panel of officials from 12 government departments and agencies was formed in July after a rash of recalls involving Chinese-made goods, including toothpaste containing antifreeze and pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical that reportedly led to the deaths of hundreds of cats and dogs." ... "The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates most imported foods, inspects less than 1% of incoming food shipments." -By Julie Schmit and David Jackson -USATODAY

20070904

US - China - Made - Business- Children - Health - Safety - Brain - Learning - Consumer - Food - Environmental - Pet - "Mattel Recalls 848,000 Barbie, Other Toys With Lead (Update3)." ... "Mattel Inc., the world's largest toymaker, recalled about 848,000 Chinese-made Barbie and Fisher-Price products whose paint may contain excessive levels of lead, its third in the past five weeks." ... "The 11 affected toys include Barbie kitchen, living room and other furniture items as well as Fisher-Price preschool Geo Trax Locomotive toys and Bongo Band drums. No injuries have been reported, Mattel said today." ... "Mattel has recalled 21 million Chinese-made products since the beginning of August. U.S. officials have raised alarm about tainted products from China including seafood containing harmful drugs, toothpaste with an ingredient found in antifreeze and pet food containing a chemical used to make plastic." ... "About 65 percent of Mattel toys are made in China." ... "Lead may be toxic if ingested by children and can cause brain damage, behavior and learning problems and slowed growth, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." -By Heather Burke -Bloomberg

20070815

North Korea - Food - Farmland - Disaster - History - UN - Economy - "North Korea Suffers Worst Rains Ever: Floods Destroy 11 Percent Of Impoverished Country's Farmland At The Height Of Growing Season." ... "Floods caused by the largest rains ever recorded in parts of North Korea have destroyed more than one-tenth of the impoverished country's farmland at the height of the growing season, official media reported Wednesday." ... "The U.N. food agency estimated the damage claimed by the North so far was about a quarter of the crop losses the country said it suffered in 1995 floods. That previous disaster, along with mismanagement of the economy and the loss of [North Koreas's capital] Pyongyang's Soviet benefactor, led to famine that is believed to have killed as many as 2 million North Koreans." ... "Precipitation along some areas of the Taedong River were the "largest ever in the history" of measurements taken by the country's weather agency, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported." -AP via -CBSNews

20070814

Food - Gasoline - Job - Consumer - Politics - "Prices for key foods are rising sharply." ... "The Labor Department's most recent inflation data showed that U.S. food prices rose by 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending in July, but a deeper look at the numbers reveals that the price of milk, eggs and other essentials in the American diet are actually rising by double digits." ... "Already stung by a two-year rise in gasoline prices, American consumers now face sharply higher prices for foods they can't do without. This little-known fact may go a long way to explaining why, despite healthy job statistics, Americans remain glum about the economy." ... "Meeting with economic writers last week, President Bush dismissed several polls that show Americans are down on the economy. He expressed surprise that inflation is one of the stated concerns." ... ""They cite inflation?" Bush asked, adding that, "I happen to believe the war has clouded a lot of people's sense of optimism."" ... "But the inflation numbers reveal the extent to which lower- and middle-income Americans are being pinched." ... "The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its July inflation report that egg prices are 33.7 percent higher than they were in July 2006. Over the same period, according to the department's consumer price index, whole milk was up 21.1 percent; fresh chicken 8.4 percent; navel oranges 13.6 percent; apples 8.7 percent. Dried beans were up 11.5 percent, and white bread just missed double-digit growth, rising by 8.8 percent." -By Kevin G. Hall -McClatchyDC.com

20070811

Gordon Smith - Dick Cheney - Environmental - Science - Politics - Federal - Investigation - History - Portland - Ore - California - Fish - Food - Farmers - Business - "Smith backs Cheney on salmon kill controversy." ... "[Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. [Republican-Oregon], is siding with [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney over a massive fish kill on the Klamath River in 2002, saying there is no evidence it was caused by water diversions to farmers." [The Klamath River runs through Oregon and California] ... "Smith also defended Cheney's role in intervening with federal officials to help farmers in the Klamath Basin and cast doubt that the salmon die-off caused sharp commercial costal [coastal] fishing restrictions." ... "The House Natural Resources Committee is investigating whether Cheney exerted improper political influence to override scientifically based management of the water resources." ... "Environmentalists, often at odds with Smith, say his stance contradicts a study by the California Department of Fish and Game, which found that the water diversions played a key role in the deaths of some 77,000 salmon." ... "The California Fish and Game report cited several factors leading to the fish kill, the largest in recorded West Coast history." ... "There were larger-than-normal salmon returns, warm water and low river flows that combined to crowd the fish, hastening the spread of disease." ... "The report concluded that, "River flow and the volume of water in the fish-kill area were atypically low," and that the river flow was the only factor controlled by humans." ... ""It's stretching credibility to claim that the flow management decisions by the [Republican President] Bush administration in 2002 had nothing to do with the low flows in the Klamath River," said Steve Pedery of Oregon Wild, a Portland-based environmental group." -AP via -kgw.com
US Immigration - Workers - Industries- Construction - Health - Agriculture - Politics - "Farmers Call Crackdown on Illegal Workers Unfair." ... "Facing the prospect of major layoffs of farmworkers during harvest season, growers and lawmakers from agricultural states spoke in dire terms yesterday about new measures by the [Republican] Bush administration to crack down on employers of illegal immigrants." ... "The new effort was cautiously welcomed yesterday by conservative Republicans who defied President Bush in June and opposed a broad immigration bill he supported that failed in the Senate. That bill included provisions to give legal status to illegal immigrants and to create a guest worker program for agriculture." ... "Employers in low-wage industries were critical but guarded, reluctant to admit openly that they hire illegal immigrants. Randel K. Johnson, a vice president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, said the measures were “one more kick in the pants” for meat-packing, construction and health care companies that employ immigrant workers in unskilled jobs." ... "Farmers were less shy, saying at least 70 percent of farmworkers are illegal immigrants." -By Julia Preston -NYTimes

20070802

US - Colombia - International - Government - Military - Terrorism - Law - Enforcement - Money - Politics - Food - Agriculture - Workers - "In Terrorism-Law Case, Chiquita Points to U.S.: Firm Says It Awaited Justice Dept. Advice." ... "On April 24, 2003, a board member of Chiquita International Brands disclosed to a top official at the Justice Department that the king of the banana trade was evidently breaking the nation's anti-terrorism laws." ... "Roderick M. Hills, who had sought the meeting with former law firm colleague Michael Chertoff, explained that Chiquita was paying "protection money" to a Colombian paramilitary group on the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations. Hills said he knew that such payments were illegal, according to sources and court records, but said that he needed Chertoff's advice." ... "Chiquita, Hills said, would have to pull out of the country if it could not continue to pay the violent right-wing group to secure its Colombian banana plantations. Chertoff, then assistant attorney general and now secretary of homeland security [under Republican President Bush], affirmed that the payments were illegal but said to wait for more feedback, according to five sources familiar with the meeting." ... "Sources close to Chiquita say that Chertoff never did get back to the company or its lawyers. Neither did Larry D. Thompson, the deputy attorney general, whom Chiquita officials sought out after Chertoff left his job for a federal judgeship in June 2003. And Chiquita kept making payments for nearly another year." ... "What transpired at the Justice Department meeting is now a central issue in a criminal probe. According to these sources' account, the Bush administration was pulled in competing directions, perhaps because its desire to avoid undermining a newly elected, friendly Colombian government conflicted with its frequent public assertions that supporting a terrorist group anywhere constitutes a criminal offense and a foreign policy mistake." ... "An Organization of American States report in 2003 said that Chiquita participated in smuggling thousands of arms for paramilitaries into the Northern Uraba region, using docks operated by the company to unload thousands of Central American assault rifles and ammunition." ... "[Colombia's attorney general, Mario] Iguaran, whose office has been investigating Chiquita's operations, said the company knew AUC was using payoffs and arms to fund operations against peasants, union workers and rivals." (1, 2, 3) -By Carol D. Leonnig with contributions by Spencer S. Hsu and Juan Forero -WashingtonPost

20070720

Global - Food - Safety - US - Canada - China - Colorado - Animal - Agriculture - Industry - Consumer - Government - Law - Enforcement - Money - Politics - "Some hunger for food labels: After recalls, shoppers want to know the origins of globalized groceries." ... "Take a look at the meal you put on the table tonight, and you'll likely be looking at an international effort. The steak may have come from a cow raised in Colorado, while the carrots were grown in Canada and the apple juice imported from China." ... "Many consumers consider the globalization of the food chain a good thing; you can get any food you want any time of the year. But several recent recalls of tainted food have some shoppers questioning exactly where their food comes from and how safe it is." ... "Figuring out where the food on grocery store shelves comes from isn't always easy." ... "Country-of-origin labels -- telling shoppers the country in which a product was grown, caught or raised -- would do that but right now they're required only on seafood. Labels for meat, produce and peanuts won't start until September 2008." ... "America's food safety problem is complicated but starts with this: We are importing more food and the government agencies charged with keeping food safe don't have enough funding or resources, said Chris Waldrop, director of the food policy institute for the Consumer Federation of America." ... "Country-of-origin labeling for meat and produce was supposed to take effect three years ago. But lobbyists, primarily for the beef industry, enlisted the help of congressional Republicans to delay the change. Trade associations are still fighting it." (1, 2) -By Sue Stock -NewsObserver.com

20070719

US - Country - Animal - Farm - Food - Industry - Politics - Consumer - Safety - "Labeling Fight Put Off As Farm Bill Markup Proceeds." ... "Advocates of labeling [food by country-of-origin], which was mandated by the 2002 farm law, were bracing for a Republican amendment to the new farm bill (HR 2419) that would have weakened the requirement." ... "Since the 2002 law was enacted, congressional Republicans, backed by the meatpacking industry, have delayed implementation of the labeling mandate." -CQ.com

20070627

Dick Cheney - Special Report - Government - Terrorism - Torture - Economy - Environment - Air - Water - Food - Animal - Politics - "Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency." ... "Dick Cheney is the most influential and powerful man ever to hold the office of vice president. This series examines Cheney's largely hidden and little-understood role in crafting policies for the War on Terror, the economy and the environment."

Part 1 "Working in the Background: A master of bureaucracy and detail, Cheney exerts most of his influence out of public view."
Part 2 "Wars and Interrogations: Convinced that the "war on terror" required "robust interrogations" of captured suspects, Dick Cheney pressed the Bush administration to carve out exceptions to the Geneva Conventions." ... "Sidebar: Cheney on Presidential Power."
Part 3 "Dominating Budget Decisions: Working behind the scenes, Dick Cheney has made himself the dominant voice on tax and spending policy, outmaneuvering rivals for the president's ear." ... "Sidebar: Expanding Authority for No. 2 Spot." ... "Sidebar: Taking on the Supreme Court Case."
Part 4 "Environmental Policy: Dick Cheney steered some of the Bush administration's most important environmental decisions -- easing air pollution controls, opening public parks to snowmobiles and diverting river water from threatened salmon."

-By Barton Gellman and Jo Becker -WashingtonPost

20070611

Poverty - 2008 Election - Music - Entertainer - Food - Health - Education - Water - "ONE Vote to launch anti-poverty campaign." ... "The anti-poverty campaign of U2 [music entertainer] frontman Bono is promoting a $30 million effort to pressure [2008 election] Republican and Democratic presidential candidates to make the oft-forgotten issue a priority." ... "Dubbed ONE Vote '08, the bipartisan political push aims to get [Republican] President Bush's successor to commit to taking concrete steps in the first 100 days to combat hunger and disease while improving access to education and water across the globe." -AP via -USATODAY

http://OneVote08.org
http://www.One.org
"ONE Vote '08"
Search: <One Vote 08> in: <Google-[News]>

20070529

Food - Safety - Animal - Agriculture - Companies - Government - Law - Politics - Kansas - "U.S. government fights to keep meatpackers from testing all slaughtered cattle for mad cow." ... "The [Republican President] Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease." ... "The Agriculture Department tests fewer than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. A beef producer in the western state of Kansas, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wants to test all of its cows." ... "Larger meat companies feared that move because, if Creekstone should test its meat and advertised it as safe, they might have to perform the expensive tests on their larger herds as well." -AP via -IHT.com

20070503

Health - Science - Consumer - Food - Drug - Safety - Terrorism - Emergencies - Lawmakers - Politics - Animal- Pets - Pennsylvania - Colorado - Michigan - Calif - Kan - Mass - "FDA plan to close field labs draws fire." ... "A Food and Drug Administration plan to close seven of 13 field laboratories has angered some lawmakers, government workers and safety advocates, who fear the move will chase away skilled veteran employees and hurt the FDA's ability to respond to public health emergencies." ... "The FDA's field labs inspect and analyze food, drugs, animal medications and feeds, medical devices and other health products." ... "The labs check for compliance with federal guidelines, protect consumers from unsafe, ineffective and mislabeled products, and help investigate public health threats such as product tampering, bio-terrorism, food-borne illnesses and contaminated blood supplies." ... "Several of the facilities helped investigate the recent pet food scare and E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in spinach and peanut butter. On the heels of these crises, the proposed lab closings have been met with strong suspicion." ... "Over the next several years, the FDA wants to close labs in Philadelphia [Pennsylvania]; Denver [Colorado]; Detroit [Michigan]; Alameda, Calif. [California]; Lenexa, Kan.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Winchester, Mass [Massachusetts]. Those operations and an estimated 250 employees would then be moved to five multi-purpose "mega-labs" that could handle all types of FDA testing." ... "But some fear that fewer labs would delay the testing of food, biological medical products or drugs in the event of a public health emergency." -By Tony Pugh -McClatchy via -RealCities

20070423

Consumer - Health - Safety- Enforcement - Money - Politics - Government - Legislation - Georgia - California - Mich - "FDA Was Aware of Dangers To Food: Outbreaks Were Not Preventable, Officials Say." ... "The Food and Drug Administration has known for years about contamination problems at a Georgia peanut butter plant and on California spinach farms that led to disease outbreaks that killed three people, sickened hundreds, and forced one of the biggest product recalls in U.S. history, documents and interviews show." ... "Overwhelmed by huge growth in the number of food processors and imports, however, the agency took only limited steps to address the problems and relied on producers to police themselves, according to agency documents." ... "Congressional critics and consumer advocates said both episodes show that the agency is incapable of adequately protecting the safety of the food supply." ... ""This administration does not like regulation, this administration does not like spending money, and it has a hostility toward government. The poisonous result is that a program like the FDA is going to suffer at every turn of the road," said [Michigan Democratic Representative] Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the full House committee. Dingell is considering introducing legislation to boost the agency's accountability, regulatory authority and budget." (1, 2) -By Elizabeth Williamson -WashingtonPost
Food - Poverty - Government - Money -