Food
The Pump Handle
Category archives for Food
USDA’s focus should be food safety, not increasing profit for poultry industry
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on December 18, 2012 McClatchy Newspapers’ reporter Lindsay Wise reports in two new articles on a proposed USDA rule to allegedly “modernize” the poultry inspection process. USDA and the poultry industry are having a love fest over the proposal, but food safety and workers’ safety advocates oppose the rule. The White House will soon be deciding the rule’s fate.
Exploring links between working conditions and obesity in low-wage workers
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on November 28, 2012 Most current strategies to address the obesity problem in Americans focus on individuals changing their behavior. A new report illuminates why those strategies alone ignore the work environment as a contributor to obesity risk.
Where did the pardoned Thanksgiving turkey come from? Inspector records tell the filthy story
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on November 21, 2012 The turkey pardoned by the President was headed for a slaughterhouse with a history of food safety violations such as fecal contamination. Surprisingly, the USDA considers it a model for a modernized, streamlined inspection system.
Is USDA serious? Inspecting a chicken in 1/3 of a second?
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on September 24, 2012 An animation created by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards shows us the speed at which the USDA is proposing for its inspectors to find fecal contamination on poultry carcasses.
“Organic, schmorganic” – unless it’s your child’s ability to learn that’s impaired by pesticides
Posted by The Pump Handle on September 13, 2012 The New York Times’ Roger Cohen may dismiss organic agriculture, but new research on the effects of pesticides on developing brains gives a reason to reduce the use of organophosphate pesticides.
The Hands that Feed Us: Most food industry workers earn low or poverty-level wages
Posted by The Pump Handle on August 29, 2012 A Food Chain Worker Alliance survey of food industry workers — including agricultural and farmworkers, food processing and slaughterhouse employees, and those working in food distribution and retail — found that 86% earned low or poverty wages.
Hunger games: Congress targets food assistance for the most vulnerable, despite the nation’s growing food insecurity problem
Posted by The Pump Handle on July 13, 2012 Hunger in America can be hard to see. It doesn’t look like the image of hunger we usually see on our TVs: the wrenching impoverishment and emaciation. Talking about American hunger is hard because, well, there’s food all around us.
Public health officials urge USDA to withdraw plan to “modernize” poultry inspection, worker and food safety will suffer
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on May 31, 2012 The Obama Administration’s quest to appease businesses’ claims about burdensome regulations awoke a giant in the form of the civil rights, public health and workers’ safety communities. From the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Council of LaRaza, to the American Public Health Association, the feedback on USDA’s proposal to “modernize” the poultry inspection process is loud and clear: scrap the idea because faster line speeds will take a grave toll on poultry plant workers.
USDA gives us 30 more days to tell it why 175 birds-per-minute line speeds will take a toll on poultry workers
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on April 26, 2012 Gabriel Thompson writes today in The Nation about a summer job he had a few years back, working on the assembly line at a Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plant in Alabama. The chickens flew by on hooks at 90 birds-per-minute as he sliced and cut the meat non-stop. It didn’t take long for him to meet…
How meaningful is FDA’s latest move on antibiotics in livestock?
Posted by Liz Borkowski on April 13, 2012 Yesterday, the FDA announced a new program that has the potential to slash the routine use of antibiotics by livestock producers. The routine administration of antibiotics to livestock with no signs of sickness helps animals grow more quickly, but it’s also a significant contributor to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. An estimated 70% of the…