USDA

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Half of US Counties Now Disaster Areas

Drought has ravaged much of the nation

(Newser) - The worst drought in decades has officially ravaged more than half the counties in America. The USDA declared 218 counties across a dozen states natural disaster areas yesterday, bringing the total number of counties bearing that distinction to 1,584, the AP reports. The disaster designation makes farmers and ranchers...

USDA Plugs Meatless Mondays, Outrage Ensues

Storm of criticism follows suggestion to employees

(Newser) - Who knew an interoffice newsletter could create such drama? The USDA gave "Meatless Monday" a shout-out in its newsletter this week, encouraging its employees to help the planet out by joining the effort to go vegetarian on Monday "while dining at our cafeterias." This did not go...

Drought Now Worst Since 1956
 Drought Now Worst Since 1956 
Jul 17, 2012 7:52 AM CDT

Drought Now Worst Since 1956

More than half of continental US affected

(Newser) - The US is in the grip of the worst drought in more than 50 years, with almost 80% of the country either in drought or in abnormally dry conditions. The NOAA's latest report finds that 56% of the continental US is in drought, the sixth-highest percentage on record and...

USDA Declares Biggest Disaster Ever

One-third of America's counties now natural-disaster areas

(Newser) - It's a confirmation of just how brutal this season has been: The US Department of Agriculture yesterday declared the biggest disaster in its history, identifying 1,016 counties in 26 states as natural-disaster areas. That covers about a third of America's counties, notes Bloomberg . The apocalyptic-sounding declaration brings...

NYC to Gas 700 Geese Over Plane Fears

Avian collisions a major problem for LaGuardia, JFK

(Newser) - Yesterday was a dark day for NYC's Canada geese. Some 700 of them were rounded up and sent on a final journey to a poultry plant in upstate New York as part of an effort to curb the dangerous collisions between the birds and passenger jets leaving from area...

Mad Cow Disease Shows Up in California

Authorities say food chain is safe

(Newser) - For the first time since 2006, US officials have confirmed a new case of mad cow disease, this time in California. The dairy cow's illness was detected during routine testing at a rendering plant by the USDA. None of the affected cow's meat got into human food, the...

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch

Preschooler ends up eating chicken nuggets instead of home-packed meal

(Newser) - A North Carolina preschooler arrived at school with a lunch packed by her mom, but ended up eating just three chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria because a state agent didn't think her packed lunch was nutritious enough. Pre-kindergarten programs are required to serve lunches that meet USDA guidelines—...

It&#39;s Time to Regulate Sugar

 It's Time to 
 Regulate Sugar 
opinion
Feb 4, 2012 2:45 PM CST

It's Time to Regulate Sugar

Fructose must be limited with taxes, age limits: UC profs

(Newser) - Tobacco, alcohol, and ... sugar? Yes, according to professors at UC San Francisco, sugar should be regulated like tobacco and alcohol in order to cut down on ailments like heart disease, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. “For both alcohol and tobacco, there is...

McDonald's Stops Using 'Pink Slime'

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver spearheaded drive against controversial beef

(Newser) - Jamie Oliver's gastric juices must be bubbling with joy. The food activist and celebrity chef has fought for months against so-called "pink slime," and lo and behold, McDonald's announced last week it has stopped using the controversial beef, CBS News reports. The chain was "taking...

Farmers Fret as USDA Shuts Hundreds of Offices

Critics worry move will compromise public safety

(Newser) - The US Department of Agriculture announced plans to close 259 offices, labs, and other facilities yesterday, in a move that will save the agency $150 million per year. But the announcement has some farmers and food safety experts worried, the AP reports. "They wiped out the entire Midwest,"...

Horse Slaughterhouses Could Soon Rise Again

Congress lifts ban on funding horse meat inspections

(Newser) - When Congress passed a spending bill earlier this month to keep the government from shutting down, it quietly lifted a funding ban on horse meat inspections—meaning horses can once again be butchered in the US for human consumption, and slaughterhouses could open within 30 to 90 days. The US...

Congress Declares Pizza a Vegetable

In school lunches, at least

(Newser) - Thanks to Congress, pizza is still considered a vegetable—at least where school lunches are concerned. Proposed new school lunch standards from the USDA would have limited potatoes in school lunches (think French fries) and stopped counting less than a half-cup of tomato sauce as a vegetable (think pizza), but...

Scientists Hunt for New Chocolate Flavors

American and Peruvian researchers scour the Amazon for wild cacao trees

(Newser) - In 2008 and 2009, American and Peruvian scientists joined forces on a hunt for sweet treasure—new kinds of chocolate. They explored the Amazon Basin, searching for wild cacao trees—which produce the beans that go into chocolate—and discovered 342 specimens from 12 watersheds, reports NPR . Each new cacao...

Feds Knew of Cargill Salmonella in 2010

Interagency bumbling, lax regulations let problem go unaddressed

(Newser) - Mammoth meat packer Cargill recalled a whopping 36 million pounds of ground turkey last week, but federal officials knew of salmonella contamination at a Cargill plant dating back to last year, reports the Wall Street Journal . It seems that a USDA inspection turned up three instances of salmonella Heidelberg at...

Why US Would Be Screwed if E. Coli Hit Our Crops

Also, new details emerge about strain that 'glues' itself to intestines

(Newser) - If the new E. coli strain rampaging through Europe ever found its way into US crops, Americans would be pretty screwed—because it would be totally legal to distribute the contaminated veggies. Farmers and processors aren’t required to test their produce for emerging pathogens like this one, the Washington ...

USDA Retires Food Pyramid, Unveils MyPlate
 Plate Replaces Food Pyramid 
Jun 2, 2011 1:33 PM CDT

Plate Replaces Food Pyramid

USDA hopes simpler design will improve nutrition

(Newser) - The food pyramid is no more. The nutrition icon long derided as way too complicated has been replaced by a plate divided into portions, notes NPR . Fruits and veggies take up more than half its space, and meat doesn't get a mention. (Instead, there's a "protein" section,...

USDA: Cilantro Loaded With Unapproved Pesticides

USDA finds 34 chemicals not approved for herb in sample batch

(Newser) - Your salsa might have an extra kick for a different reason: The USDA tested a batch of cilantro and found traces of 34 pesticides unapproved for the herb, reports the Chicago Tribune . Nearly half of the cilantro samples tested, about 80% of which were grown in the US, came up...

USDA: Other White Meat Can Be a Little Pink

Agency lowers recommended cooking temperature to 145 degrees

(Newser) - Turns out the "other white meat" can be eaten a little pink. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service will announce today that it has lowered its temperature recommendation for cooking pork to 145 degrees. That's a change from the agency's longstanding guideline and means pork...

Shirley Sherrod Back at USDA
 Shirley Sherrod Back at USDA 
May 14, 2011 3:05 PM CDT

Shirley Sherrod Back at USDA

But rather than return to old position, she will work on civil rights

(Newser) - Ten months after being forced out of the USDA, Shirley Sherrod is back. But Sherrod, who rejected an offer to return shortly after the Andrew Breitbart brouhaha, will have a new position as a contract employee, Politico reports. She will lead one of three field programs meant to improve the...

Organic Egg Farm Accused of Factory Farm Conditions

Petaluma Egg Farm is a top producer for Organic Valley label

(Newser) - Organic eggs: The phrase brings to mind chickens roaming in a pasture, foraging for food, and scratching the ground. But at California's Petaluma Egg Farm, which provides eggs under the Organic Valley label, hens are confined to screened porches with a roof and a floor. Technically, the eggs meet...

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