USDA
The Pump Handle
Tag archives for USDA
Will Tom Vilsack’s USDA keep its promise to poultry plant workers about their grueling, disabling work?
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on April 25, 2013 The USDA Secretary tells Congress that his agency still plans to implement a new poultry slaughter inspection system that will allow producers to drastically increase line speeds, while a disturbing new report on poultry workers in Alabama explain the harmful effects of the current working conditions.
Pain and fear in Alabama’s poultry industry
Posted by Liz Borkowski on March 13, 2013 The Southern Poverty Law Center and Alabama Appleseed interviewed 300 Alabama poultry workers, and find that many have musculoskeletal problems linked to fast-moving processing lines. That problem could get even worse if a proposed USDA poultry rule to increase maximum line speeds takes effect.
Public health officials urge USDA to withdraw plan to “modernize” poultry inspection, worker and food safety will suffer
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 27, 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. (Re-post)
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.
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.
Largest Hispanic civil rights group provoked by Obama USDA’s disregard for poultry plant workers
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on May 18, 2012 The nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization issued an action alert to its members urging them to tell USDA Secretary Vilsack to withdraw a proposed rule that would allow poultry plant operators to increase assembly line speeds to 175 birds per minute. The majority of employees in poultry processing are Hispanic or other vulnerable 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…
Dissing people in U.S. who need food assistance
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 17, 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich likes to pump himself up by picking on other people. Several weeks back his target was “children in the poorest neighborhoods.” Now it’s people who receive food assistance. Others have checked his claims about President Obama being the “food stamp President,” but Gingrich also suggested that if you are on…
Salmonella in chicken: Multiple missed opportunities for prevention
Posted by Liz Borkowski on October 5, 2011 The Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News has put together an excellent – and alarming – story on salmonella in chicken. Jeffrey Benzing, Esther French and Judah Ari Gross outline the problem this way: Salmonella is found in a range of food products, including meat, produce and eggs. Chicken is the single biggest source of…