" I heard it through the AgLine"

December 18, 2009

 

 

·        Food safety is top food story of the year – survey

·        Bill seeks more fresh produce in school meals

·        Brandt Consolidated acquires Monterey AgResources

·        How a key hormone aids plants during drought

·        Obama, world leaders scramble to save climate talks

 

 

Food safety is top food story of the year – survey

 

(FoodproductionDaily.com) – The issue of food safety was the biggest food story of the year, according to an annual year-end survey commissioned by Hunter Public Relations.

 

Food safety concerns hit the headlines in a big way back in January, when a multi-state salmonella outbreak was traced to the Peanut Corporation of America’s (PCA) peanut processing plant in Georgia. The outbreak led to more than 700 illnesses and was linked to nine deaths across 46 states. It also sparked the biggest food product recall in US history, as it emerged that PCA’s peanut ingredients had made their way into thousands of foods made by hundreds of companies.

 

Hunter PR enlisted independent market research firm Wakefield to survey 1,000 American adults about the most memorable food story of 2009. Food safety came out top – followed by increased demand at food banks, and rapidly cut levels of consumer food spending.

 

Stories about food safety concerns have been ubiquitous in the United States during 2009. As the year progressed, the high-profile salmonella outbreak linked to peanut products was followed by other outbreaks – in cookie dough, green onions and baby food for example – but the PCA story continued to dominate headlines as further details emerged, including questions about whether the company’s president knew that products contained salmonella but chose to ship them anyway.

 

(Click here for FoodNavigator-USA.com’s interactive timeline tracking the story.)

 

In turn, the story then triggered questions about how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) handled the situation, and whether it had the tools to deal with it. This came to a head when ten food industry representative bodies, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the American Frozen Foods Institute, among others, took the highly unusual move of appealing to Congress to overhaul the US food safety system – or risk losing America’s reputation for safe, high quality food supplies.

 

Since then a clutch of food safety regulation has been brought forward, including the Food Safety Enhancement Act that passed the House in July, and the Food Safety Modernization Act that is currently awaiting a full Senate hearing after the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee gave the bill its approval last month.

 

If passed, the bill would require food companies to submit detailed food safety plans, give the FDA the power to order product recalls, and allow it greater access to company records.

 

An estimated 76 million Americans are sickened as a result of foodborne illness each year, more than 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Other stories making the top ten most memorable food news events of 2009 included the pork industry's battle with swine flu concerns, health experts’ soda tax proposals, and Michelle Obama’s healthy eating agenda.

 

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Bill seeks more fresh produce in school meals

 

(Reuters) – The government would spend $150 million to put more fresh fruits and vegetables into school meals under a bill filed by 16 lawmakers  with an eye to next year's overhaul of school food programs.

 

Congress delayed work on child nutrition until 2010, partly to round up more funding. The administration backs a $1 billion a year increase but there is no agreement on how to pay for it.

 

The bill would require the Agriculture Department, which oversees school meals, to remove barriers to the larger use of fresh fruits and vegetables in school feeding programs. It also obliges USDA to promote salad bars as a way to encourage consumption of fresh produce.

 

Some $20 million would be available to schools to purchase salad bars and $100 million to upgrade cafeteria equipment. There also would be $20 million in grants for a "farm to school" program for purchase of locally grown fresh produce.

 

"I strongly believe the initiatives included in this legislation are a perfect fit for the Child Nutrition Act," said lead sponsor Sam Farr, California Democrat.

 

President Barack Obama has a goal to end childhood hunger by 2015. Antihunger groups say child nutrition programs can play a major role in that. Nearly $17 billion was appropriated for school lunch and related programs this fiscal year.

 

A National Academy of Sciences report recommended on Oct 20 that schools increase the amount of fruits and vegetables served in meals. Some 31 million children get hot lunches and 11 million eat breakfast through the school meals program.

 

Meanwhile, USDA announced a three-year study whether "high tunnels," also called hoop houses, are a reliable way to extend the growing season and make fresh produce more widely available throughout the nation. Hoop houses are built of metal or plastic ribs covered by plastic sheeting.

 

Most states are regarded as too cold for fruit and vegetable production in the fall and winter.

 

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service said it would fund one hoop house per farm covering up to 1,278 square feet through the cost-sharing Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Farms in 38 states, from Florida to Montana, are eligible. The structures will be tested to see if they reduce soil erosion and require fewer pesticides.

 

"For many family farmers, including many involved in organic produce and fruit crop production, the high tunnel has emerged as a means to extend the growing season, thus increasing farm cash flow," said the Organic Farming Research Foundation, based in Santa Cruz, California.

 

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Brandt Consolidated acquires Monterey AgResources

 

Springfield, Ill. & Fresno, Calif. (AgPR) – Brandt Consolidated, Inc. announces the acquisition of Monterey AgResources, headquartered in Fresno, California. The agreement expands Brandt’s product base, geographic coverage and enhances its ability to provide excellent customer service.

 

The acquisition of Monterey AgResources fits Brandt’s aggressive corporate strategy providing superior representation, production and warehousing for customers throughout North America and around the world.

 

“The acquisition exemplifies the Brandt vision of growth, success and control," says Rick Brandt, the company's president and CEO. "Monterey's superior personnel, product portfolio and trade areas are a great compliment to Brandt. We are a family company in that all employees and their families are part of the equation and we welcome the families of Monterey to our team. The energy of this acquisition is resounding and we are excited to move forward," Brandt concluded.

 

"Our two companies have had a 20 year relationship,” says Bill Engel, executive vice president of Brandt. “It is extremely gratifying to be able to take this relationship to the next level. I believe that a great deal of synergy will be created with this acquisition.”

 

Brandt and Monterey are both industry leading companies that formulate, package and market specialty products and chemicals for all agriculture systems. Additionally, they offer a broad range of products for the greenhouse, ornamental, turf, home and garden, aquaculture and feed markets.

 

“We are pleased to have a company with the reputation of Brandt acquiring our company,” says John Salmonson, president of Monterey AgResources. “Brandt’s culture and philosophy of doing business are very similar to ours and this should make a seamless transition for our suppliers, customers, and personnel.”

 

Salmonson and Tom Thomson, vice president, will continue to operate the company under the new agreement with Brandt and will retain a minority share in the company.

 

About Brandt Consolidated

 

Brandt was founded in 1953 by Glen Brandt and his sister Evelyn Brandt Thomas, to help Illinois farmers adopt new and profitable technologies for their operations. The company has experienced aggressive growth under the leadership of  President and CEO Rick Brandt. Innovation, technology and strong customer service are a few of the core beliefs that have made Brandt  a leader in today’s agriculture industry. Brandt’s focus is providing  the products and services that give the end user the best opportunity for maximum return on their investment.

 

Brandt consists of three operating divisions: Specialty Formulations, Retail Agronomy and Dealer Support. 

 

The Specialty Formulations division of  Brandt is a pioneer in the crop specialty inputs field. Today, Brandt is a diverse worldwide manufacturer, distributor and marketer of specialty products including the nutrient delivery system Manni-Plex™, which has revolutionized the delivery of macro and micronutrients through foliar applications. Visit Brandt on the web at: www.brandt-inc.com.

About Monterey AgResources

Monterey AgResources, known as Monterey Chemical Company until 2003, began operations in 1963 as a manufacturer’s representative for agricultural chemical companies. Over the past 46 years, Monterey has evolved into a leading company that formulates, packages, and represents other manufacturers’ products. Monterey AgResources is a wholesale distributor of nutrients and crop production products to the agricultural, horticultural, lawn and garden, and feed industries. Monterey AgResources has also been instrumental in the development of micronutrients for use in agriculture and continues to be an innovator in the agrichemical industry, bringing new technologies and products to the ever-developing agriculture market. For more information please visit: www.montereyagresources.com.

 

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How a key hormone aids plants during drought

 

(San Diego Union Tribune) – New understanding of a key hormone in drought-resistant plants may help scientists design crops better able to weather times of water scarcity, unlike this drought-stunted soybean plant.

 

When water is dangerously scarce, a hormone in drought-resistant plants triggers a cascade of mechanisms solely intended to keep it alive: Microscopic pores in leaves close to reduce moisture loss. Growth slows or stops. Seeds become dormant.

 

Scientists have long known about the hormone, called abscisic acid, but how exactly it worked has remained a mystery. In a new paper published yesterday in the journal Science, biologists at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California San Diego say they have solved the riddle of how the hormone binds to a particular target protein — the first step in the survival cascade.

 

The discovery, said Elizabeth Getzoff, a structural biologist at TSRI, has profound and practical ramifications. With further research, she said, scientists may be able to redesign the target protein — PYR1 — so transgenic plants respond differently or more effectively to drought conditions.

 

“Or we might be able to design a small molecule that mimics the protein and apply it to crops. That would signal plants earlier to hang on in times of water scarcity.”

 

Improving drought-resistance in agriculture is vital. Farming is the largest single user of water in many parts of the world, consuming up to 90 percent of available water in some of the hottest, most drought-prone regions on Earth.

 

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Obama, world leaders scramble to save climate talks

 

(FoxNews.com) COPENHAGEN -- The U.N. climate talks were in serious disarray Friday, prompting President Barack Obama to upend his schedule and hold close-door talks with 19 other world leaders to work out a last-minute agreement on fighting global warming.

 

Delegates earlier blamed both the U.S. and China for the lack of a political agreement that Obama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and more than 110 other world leaders are supposed to sign within hours.

 

But French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking after the unscheduled meeting with Obama and the other leaders, said progress in the climate talks was being held back by China.

 

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the U.S. president met with world leaders from China and Russia, both seen as key participants in the climate talks, as well as the heads of state from wealthy nations like Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and those from developing countries like Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Colombia.

 

"Most of the leaders are still working out to produce a meaningful agreement to be adopted," Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said.

 

The lack of a deal caused leaders to throw out the planned timetable for the final day of the two-week U.N. climate conference, with their informal talks delaying the opening of the regular session.

 

Broad disputes continued behind closed doors between wealthy nations and developing ones, delegates said -- the divide that from the start has dogged the two-week U.N. climate conference, which aimed to reach agreements on deeper reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming.

 

No agreed text had emerged as presidents and premiers were gathering at a Copenhagen convention hall, said Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren.

 

"It is now up to world leaders to decide," he said, suggesting they would be pressed to make last-minute decisions on the thrust of the climate declaration.

 

Carlgren, negotiating on behalf of the 27-nation European Union, blamed the morning's impasse on the Chinese for "blocking again and again," and on the U.S. for coming too late with an improved offer, a long-range climate aid program announced Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

 

A leading African delegate, meanwhile, complained bitterly about the proposed declaration. "It's weak. There's nothing ambitious in this text," Lumumba Di-Aping of Sudan, a leader of the developing nations bloc, said Friday.

 

Any agreement was expected, at best, to envision emissions-cutting targets for rich nations and billions for poor countries, but fall well short of the goal of a legally binding pact. If the political deal is done, it would still be seen by many as a setback, following two years of intense negotiations to agree on new emissions reductions and financial support for poorer nations.

 

China and the U.S., the world's largest carbon polluters, had sought to give the negotiations a boost on Thursday with an announcement and a concession.

 

Clinton said Washington would press the world to come up with a climate aid fund amounting to $100 billion a year by 2020, a move that was quickly followed by an offer from China to open its reporting on actions to reduce carbon emissions to international review.

 

That issue -- money to help poor nations cope with climate change and shift to clean energy -- seemed to be where negotiators at the 193-nation conference could claim most success. That text under discussion early Friday.

 

Pollution cuts and the best way to monitor those actions remained unresolved. And negotiators also didn't come to an agreement on an important procedural issue -- just what legal form a future deal would take.

 

Yvo de Boer, the U.N.'s top climate official, said early Friday that a political declaration needed to include a deadline for agreeing on a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, whose modest emission cuts for 37 industrialized nations expire in 2012. The U.S. rejects Kyoto and would be covered by a separate eventual agreement.

 

"You can reach an agreement here that sets out major political contours, a long-term goal, targets for industrialized countries, engagement by major developing countries, financing," he told The Associated Press. "But people will want to see a clear deadline that turns that into a legally binding instrument."

 

Delegates filtering out of the predawn discussions Friday sounded disappointed.

 

"It's a political statement, but it isn't a lot," said Chinese delegate Li Junhua.

 

"It would be a major disappointment. A political declaration would not guarantee our survival," said Selwin Hart, a delegate from Barbados speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States, many of which are threatened by seas rising form global warming.

 

The conference has been plagued by growing distrust between rich and poor nations. Both sides blamed the other for failing to take ambitions actions to tackle climate change and bickered over a post-Kyoto legal framework. At one point, African delegates staged a partial boycott of the talks.

 

World leaders handed off the draft text of about three pages at about 3 a.m. local time to their ministers and they continued to work on it through the night. But by 5 a.m., negotiators from Mexico and the G-77 plus China said they were nowhere near agreement on the final document.

 

Clinton's announcement on funding was widely praised. Yoshiko Kijima, a senior Japanese negotiator, said it sent a strong signal by Obama "that he will persuade his own people that we need to show something to developing countries. I really respect that."

Carlgren, speaking for the EU, said Clinton added "political momentum" to the talks and India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh called it "a good step forward."

 

But none of the leaders at the summit offered to increase their emissions targets, which the United Nations has concluded would fall far short of what is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

 

Sudan's Lumumba said the agreement that was being worked on included a goal of keeping temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C above preindustrial levels, a ceiling a half-degree warmer than developing nations demand.

 

Carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere have already increased global temperatures by 0.7 degrees C (1.3 degrees F) since the Industrial Age began the extensive burning of fossil fuels.

 

A U.N.-sponsored scientific panel says any further rise to above 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) more than preindustrial temperatures could lead to a catastrophic sea-level rise threatening islands and coastal cities, the die-off of many species of animals and plants, and damaging climate shifts to the agricultural economies of many countries.

 

An internal U.N. calculation, obtained by The Associated Press, said pledges made so far by both industrial and developing countries would mean a 3-degree Celsius (4.8-degree Fahrenheit) temperature rise over preindustrial levels.

 

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