December 23, 2010· Money woes threaten food-safety bill · Drug war hinders US-Mexico produce trade · 2010: A year of growth for ag machinery · Ultrasonic veggie washing shows promise · Hotel chefs go beyond locally grown Money woes threaten food-safety bill(DesMoinesRegister.com)
– "We simply don't have the money to pay for it," Republican Rep. Tom Latham said in an interview Wednesday, a day after the bill got final congressional approval in the House. He voted against the bill along with the three other Republicans on the House agricultural appropriations subcommittee that controls the budget of the FDA. Consumer advocates and food industry groups that pushed for the bill's passage are pledging to work to ensure that Congress comes up with the increases in funding. Finding that money is certain to be a challenge, given the growing concern about the federal budget deficit and the turnover in Congress next year. Republicans will take control of the House next year, and they voted heavily against the bill: The 215-vote majority for the bill included just 10 GOP members. One sure way to dampen the impact of the bill is to hold the line on the FDA's budget. The bill directs the FDA to increase inspections of farms and food companies and to ensure that processors have adequate plans and procedures for preventing contamination of foods. "The funding issue is really going to be the
kicker," said Jennifer Williams Zwagerman, an
attorney in There could be a tussle with the Senate over the FDA funding. Democrats will still be in control of the Senate, and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., a leading architect of the FDA bill, is on the agricultural appropriations subcommittee there. He says he'll push for funding the legislation. Latham denied that Republicans would withhold funding to stop the bill's provisions from being implemented. "The problem is we don't have the funding to start with," he said. Latham supports the increased scrutiny of imported foods required by the legislation but he questions the expanded FDA oversight over domestic production. He said he's also concerned about the impact on smaller producers, although the bill exempts farms and processors with sales of less than $500,000 a year. The bill was estimated to cost more than $1.4 billion over the next five years, with most of that spending coming in 2014 and 2015 after a phase-in period for the new regulations. The bill authorizes the FDA to hire nearly 18,000 new field staff. The FDA's budget for food regulation has nearly doubled over the last four years to more than $800 million. The bill's provisions for oversight of imported foods includes requirements that the FDA inspect foreign producers, set up some overseas offices and write regulations for verifying the safety of products brought into the country. The FDA, which regulates nearly all foods except for meat and poultry, also would be empowered for the first time to force companies to recall tainted products. Recalls are now conducted voluntarily. Drug war hinders US-Mexico produce trade(Reuters
via Yahoo! News) The Arizona Department of Agriculture, or The retreat of More than 30,000 people have been killed in drug violence in
the past four years in The State Department has issued travel warnings for Mostly tomatoes and table grapes are inspected in TOMATO HARVEST With the tomato harvest just beginning
this month -- "It's created a logistics nightmare for us as a
company," said Gil Munguia, a manager at packing
company L&M in "There's not enough space, there's not enough
inspectors and there is not enough time in the day to get this done on the Adding to worries, Hold ups in inspection could stall distribution chains, forcing
Mexican farmers to leave their fruit in the fields or face higher costs to
export through alternative ports of entry, the Fresh Produce Association of the
Some Some Mexican growers may even find the new system beneficial
since they will only have to unload once instead of unloading on the Mexican
side for inspection and again on the State inspectors agreed to change their schedules to handle
the more than 1,000 truckloads of goods that can cross the border during peak
harvesting in mid-January, February and March, said Lance Jungmeyer,
president of the FPAA based in But Jungmeyer added the real squeeze will be as the harvest hits full swing. "There is really no room for error and very little time for getting up to speed." 2010: A year of growth for ag machinery(Industry
Week) – Last week the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) released
its business outlook survey saying that agricultural machinery manufacturers
predict overall In 2010 they predict growth of 2.4%, followed by 2013 growth of 3%. AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing the off-road equipment manufacturing industry. Canadian business overall is expected to be 4.1% higher in 2010 than the previous year, but then flatten out, down 0.5% in 2011, up 1% in 2012 and up 1.5% in 2013. Industry business to the rest of the world is expected to increase the most through 2013 -- up 2.8% in 2010, followed by 7.6% growth in 2011 and gains of 6.9% in 2012 and 5.9% in 2013. The survey asked respondents to rank how several factors would influence sales. Positive commodity prices were a key factor as well as strong export sales. Credit availability to finance purchases remains a concern as are steel prices. "While there has been a recession, agriculture has been fortunate to have powered through, showing positive signs in most areas. I emphasize most, because some have struggled along with other economic sectors. Those serving consumers more directly and those in the dairy industry coping with volatile milk prices have certainly faced difficulties. But for the most part, agriculture has remained in good shape," stated AEM's Charlie O'Brien, vice president, agricultural sector. O'Brien emphasized that export sales have been a bright spot
for Ultrasonic veggie washing shows promise(mb.com.ph) Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) executive director Ricardo Cachuela says his agency has been conducting tests on the technology for at least a year and adds that results were encouraging. "Our initial tests show that ultrasonic treatment on mangoes can remove the latex from the skin without affecting the color and weight," he revealed. PhilMech tests also showed that lettuce, bitter gourd (ampalaya) and banana treated with 10 minutes of ultrasonic washing at 40 kilohertz (kHz) removed pesticide residues from the fruits and vegetables without affecting their quality and shelf life. Even as the results were promising, Cachuela hastened to add that the commercialization of the technology is not expected in the short term. The PhilMech chief is batting for its eventual use, stressing that the technology will benefit Philippine agriculture in the long haul. "More and more consumers are giving priority to food safety and this means that over time, the demand for less chemical residues in food that they buy. By using ultrasonic washing, this demand may be satisfied," he explained. Presently, removing pathogenic microorganisms from vegetables and fruits is done by using chemical solutions or heat technology. However, the use of chemical solutions to decontaminate vegetables can have serious health implications, with some researchers insisting that ingestion of residues can lead to serious risks in the long term Hotel chefs go beyond locally grown(The
New York Times) – David Garcelon, a chef, says he
enjoys checking on the little alpine strawberries, Malabar spinach, mojito mint and several varieties of wine grapes in his
small garden. But he is not out in his backyard; he’s on the 14th-floor roof of
the Fairmont Royal York in “You can just grab a handful of ripe tomatoes and they’re ready to add to a dish for a small lunch for a board meeting,” said Mr. Garcelon, executive chef of the hotel. “It is a much more interesting way to eat. It is almost inevitably fresher and better.” Eating local, homegrown cuisine is not new. There are plenty of practicing “locavores,” and restaurants have been serving fresh, local food for a while. But now, hotels are “going local,” establishing partnerships with area farmers and growing food in rooftop gardens as they begin to cater to travelers seeking to eat healthily on the road. Nor are the hotels’ efforts limited to growing fruits and vegetables. Some hotels are now keeping bees, whose honey sweetens tea and soups, desserts and cocktails. “There is almost not a more versatile product,” Mr. Garcelon said. The hotel installed hives in 2008, and last year harvested about 450 pounds of honey. Mariano Stellner, a corporate director of food and beverage for the hotel’s parent, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, said the company encouraged its chefs to “stay local, stay seasonal, whenever possible.” “Hotels have long had ornamental gardens,” said Marion
Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at Jim McIntosh, a senior vice president for Colliers
International, who travels frequently selling industrial real estate, said that
when he stayed at the The number of hotels with working gardens and bees is
quickly rising, said Bjorn Hanson, divisional dean of
the The Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile has its own garden, too. But it also cures its own meats, makes its own cheeses and pastas, and even stomps grapes in the lobby (with guests’ help) to create wines, said Myk Banas, executive chef and director of food and beverage operations. “If you order mac and cheese, we make the macaroni, and we make the cheese and the cheese sauce.” The hotel also has bees in its ninth-floor rooftop garden, and some of the honey is used in Rooftop Honey Wheat Beer, made in partnership with a local brewery. “It is so local, it’s only sold on one block,” Mr. Banas said. Some hotels do not have their own gardens but establish
close relationships with nearby farms. “We change our dinner menu up until 5
p.m., depending on what products we get,” said Jason McLeod, the executive chef
the Elysian Hotel in The hotel has gone one step further by reserving land at
Heritage Prairie Farm in Westin Hotels have two properties — in Mr. Barrett said he inherited the bees after his father died in November, and the hives are now installed on the hotel’s rooftop. Recently, a neighbor of the Westin Annapolis stopped by to say his wildflower garden had taken off this year because of the bees. “When I’m up on the roof,” Mr. Barrett said, “that buzzing sound is like white noise. It’s time to reflect on the relationship with my father, and the impact he had on me.” End Transmission |
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