Food News
Will Consumers Find Vertically Farmed Produce "Out of Reach"?
Choices magazine | Posted on March 19, 2017While there are arguments for and against vertical farming, whether consumers are even willing to buy vertically farmed produce—an important consideration in the cost-benefit discussion—is rarely discussed. Recent agricultural technologies—such as genetically modified (GM) crops, food irradiation, and nanotechnology—have often been met with consumer skepticism (Frewer et al., 2011; Dannenberg, 2009; Siegrist et al., 2007; Ragaert et al., 2004), so it is unclear how vertical farming will fare with consumers. The overall purpose of our research is to investigate consumers’ perceptions of and willingness to pay (WTP) for produce—specifically, lettuce—grown in a vertical farm production system. Results from this study should provide insight on the potential for consumer acceptance of vertical farming as a new production technology relative to greenhouse and field production systems. This study will also examine the impact of information on perceptions of and WTP for vertically farmed lettuce. - See more at: http://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/transform...
Widow names raw milk creamery linked to listeria outbreak in wrongful death lawsuit
Fox News | Posted on March 18, 2017The widow of a Vermont man who died from a listeria-related stroke has named a New York-based raw milk creamery in a wrongful death lawsuit. Veronica Friedman, whose late husband, Richard Friedman, died on Nov. 2, said her family purchased the contaminated cheese manufactured by Vulto Creamery in early October. Hitchcock is one of two fatal cases in a multi-state listeria outbreak that has been traced to a soft raw milk cheese made by Vulto Creamery. The Walton, New York-based company issued a recall on March 7 for all lots of Ouleout, Mirand, Heinennellie and Willowemec soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses after two samples tested positive for listeria.
Here's How The Newly Approved Genetically Engineered Potatoes Will Be Different
Food and Wine | Posted on March 15, 2017Three new varieties of genetically-engineered potatoes have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, meaning this latest round of GMO potatoes could hit store shelves as soon as this fall. The final federal stamps of approval acknowledging that these potatoes are safe to eat and safe for the environment will allow Idaho’s J.R. Simplot Company to begin planting the new varieties – dubbed Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and Atlantic – this spring. Simplot states that these scientifically altered spuds offer up plenty of advantages over traditional taters. First, they use genes from an Argentine variety that makes them resistant to late blight, the infamous pathogen behind the Irish potato famine. And since this disease is often fought with fungicides, Simplot suggests these new varieties could also cut use of fungicides in half. But the new potatoes have other advantages as well. The varieties are less likely to bruise or have black spots and also have an extended storage life. Plus, they have lower levels of acrylamide – a naturally-occurring chemical that’s gotten a lot of press recently as health groups have warned that high levels of the compound, which increases when potatoes are browned, may cause cancer. Of course, some health groups aren’t too keen on GMOs either, but Simplot – who is clearly believes GMO produce can be safe – is also putting a positive spin on the way its potatoes were developed. The company says that even though genes have been modified, all the DNA contained in these new products comes exclusively from potatoes and not any sort of unrelated organism.
How Organic Produce Can Make America Less Healthy
Bloomberg | Posted on March 15, 2017Everyone’s heard of the scary chemicals used by agribusiness to keep your apples worm-free—it’s what generates the fear that makes organic produce lucrative. In exchange for more money, consumers are told they can have pesticide-free peace of mind. On Wednesday, the Environmental Working Group (which calls itself a nonpartisan organization aimed at protecting human health and the environment) released its annual ranking of the best (“Clean Fifteen”) and the worst (“Dirty Dozen”) produce when it comes to pesticide content. The list is meant to be a tool for the consumer: If your favorite fruit is among the Dirty Dozen, the thinking goes, you’d be safer buying organic. Strawberries and spinach hold the top two spots in this year’s Dirty Dozen—more than 98 percent of samples tested positive for pesticide residue. One sample of strawberries, the report states, came with 20 different pesticides, while spinach samples had on average double the amount of pesticide residue by weight as any of the other crops reviewed. But experts in pesticides and toxicology say this annual list, seen as helpful for sales of organic produce, oversimplifies a complicated issue. Just because pesticides are on an apple doesn’t mean the apple is dangerous. Meanwhile, critics say, the EWG survey muddies what is a much more important message for American consumers: Eat more fruits and vegetables. Period. In fact, organic marketing that emphasizes the perceived threat of pesticide residue could be dissuading some consumers from buying fruits and vegetables at all. And that’s really not healthy.
How much of organic is U.S. grown?
Civil eats | Posted on March 15, 2017Americans are clamoring for organic food, but U.S. farmers are no longer growing a significant portion of what customers are buying. Despite close to $40 billion in organic food sales in 2015, less than 1 percent of U.S. farmland is certified organic, with the bulk of raw ingredients for organic processed foods and animal feed coming from places like Romania and Turkey.
2 Dead in Listeria Outbreak That Has Been Linked to Cheese
Time | Posted on March 15, 2017Federal health officials are investigating a listeria outbreak in several states that has been tied to at least two deaths and may be linked to cheese. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday that six people, including a newborn, have been infected with listeria since September. All of them were hospitalized and two of them have died. The source of the outbreak appears to be Vulto Creamery, a New York-based facility that makes soft raw milk cheese and distributes products nationwide, officials said. The company recalled the cheeses Tuesday. Vulto Creamery said in a statement to TIME that it is "very busy working on this recall with FDA and our customers."
OPINION: Labelling of non-GMO products ignores reality
The Guardian | Posted on March 13, 2017I've worked in agricultural marketing for 25 years and have done a lot of work on branding, including developing logos. Logos have a great deal of power and there are many good ones — think Tim Hortons. But one logo seen on some food products infuriates me — that of the Non-GMO Project. According to their website, “The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building the non-GMO food supply, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices. We believe that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified organisms.” While that description is fine for the most part, the problem lies in the wording 'informed choice.' Labelling these products has absolutely nothing to do with providing information on genetically-modified products. What's scary is that this group has verified more than 35,000 products worth in excess of $16 billion in sales across North America. They do this by completely ignoring what a genetically modified organism (GMO) product actually is. Some of their approved products include, bizarrely enough, everything from water, maple syrup, coffee, honey and organic rose petal spread to pure vitamins (iron, B12, C, etc.), kitty litter, pink Himalayan rock salt, equine shampoo, toilet paper and, my favourite, condoms.
Deadly listeria outbreak linked to raw milk cheese
Atlanta Journal Constitution | Posted on March 12, 2017Vulto Creamery, based in New York has recalled all of its soft, raw milk cheeses in response to a listeria outbreak that has led to six hospitalizations and two deaths nationwide. All lots of Vulto Creamery's Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses are included in the recall. The products were distributed nationwide, including at retail locations in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, California, Chicago, Portland and Washington, DC.
Why Consumers Don’t Understand Agriculture
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted on March 10, 2017Consumers today do not understand agriculture: where their food comes from and how it is produced. The agricultural sector expends a good deal of energy trying to bridge this gap, a task that has been made more important and more difficult in recent years. But teaching consumers how their food is produced will not bring them any closer to understanding farmers.
Egg Carton Labeling Petitions Fail to Hatch
OFW Law | Posted on March 9, 2017Egg cartons in the United States are not required by federal regulations to bear labels which identify the living conditions of the hens. Two animal rights non-profit organizations and six individuals sought to change that by filing petitions with four different federal agencies under the apparent strategy of not putting all their eggs in one basket. Each petition sought the promulgation of regulations that would require egg cartons to identify the hens’ living conditions during the production process. After each agency denied these scattershot efforts, petitioners filed suit in the Northern District of California under the Administrative Procedure Act. However, this seemingly favorable jurisdiction (often referred to as the “Food Court”) proved to be a tough egg to crack as the district court judge granted summary judgment in favor of each agency.