Not in My Food

News and Articles

FDA adds up to 100 labs to help trace salmonella outbreak USA Today (July 2, 2008)
The FDA activated its Food Emergency Response Network adding as many as 100 laboratories to its efforts to trace the source of the salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 800 since April.

Bad Tomatoes May Still Be on Shelves Washington Post (June 28, 2008)
Tomatoes carrying a rare form of salmonella that has sickened more than 800 people may still be on the market, federal officials said yesterday, two weeks after they first warned consumers about the risk.

Canada probes new mad cow case; no threat seen Reuters (June 24, 2008)
Canada confirmed a new case of mad cow disease on Monday, its 13th since 2003, but said the case in British Columbia did not pose a health threat.

Tainted Tomato Cases Jump to 383 People in 30 States Washington Post (June 19, 2008)
The ages of the patients range from under 1 to 88 years old, and 47 percent of them are female. The most recent onset of illness was June 5; the outbreak was first discovered in April.

Stop the Madness New York TImes (June 20, 2008)
THE Korean beef market, once the third-largest importer of American beef, has shut its doors to the United States. Why?

A Healthier FDA LA Times (May 22, 2008)
A proposal to increase funding for the financially starved watchdog agency deserves approval

Can We Trust What We Eat? San Francisco Chronicle (Oct. 5, 2007)
Op-ed by Elisa Odabashian, Consumers Union

A Year Later, Questions Still Exist About E. Coli Outbreak KPCC Southern CA Public Radio (Sept. 18, 2007)
This week's recall of salad bags put out by Dole is prompting memories of last September's e-Coli outbreak.

Let's keep Monsanto out of our milk Ashville Citizen-Times (Aug. 27, 2007)
The recent announcement by Kroger stores to prohibit the genetically engineered growth hormone rbST (also known as rbGH) from its private label milk brand is part of a nationwide trend among dairy processors, retailers and farmers.

New mad cow discovered in Canada brings total to 9 News-Medical.net (Feb. 12 2007)
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says there has been another case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canadian cattle.

Chicken over Chips Washington Post (August 30, 2006)
The chemical acrylamide, a probable carcinogen, has been found in fried starchy foods, especially potato chips and French fries.

USDA Issues Final Rule on Organic Standards Natural Products Insider (June 8, 2006)
The USDA published a final rule in the June 7, 2006, Federal Register revising the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations for compliance with the Harvey v. Johanns lawsuit and Congressional amendments made in late 2005 to the Organic Food Production Act (OFPA).

As 'organic' goes mainstream, will standards suffer? The Christian Science Monitor (May 17, 2006)
Advocates are cheered by the growing appeal of organic foods. But shoppers, confused by labels, don't always get what they think they paid for.

Wrongly Blaming The FDA Washington Post (May 8, 2006)
Last month the Government Accountability Office released another report criticizing the Food and Drug Administration's efforts to ensure the safety of prescription drugs.

The falling prices of organic food Palm Beach Post (May 4, 2006)
As Wal-Mart doubles organic options this month, will the movement go mainstream?

Growing organic Daily Brun (May 1, 2006)
The national popularity of organic foods has continued to increase over the past decade, and UCLA students and officials are looking to jump on board with plans to include several organic food options at on-campus eateries.

Maine backs off animal ID plan Bangor Daily News (April 22, 2006)
Even as some farmers vow never to open their farms to state agriculture inspectors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released an ambitious timetable for its national animal identification program.

Canada's mad cow case puts pressure on USDA Christian Science Moniter (April 20, 2006)
This week's news about a case of mad cow disease in Canada, the eighth confirmed incident in North America, has led to calls for a ban on imports of Canadian cattle and a permanent ban on sick or injured cattle ("downer" cows) being allowed to enter the human food chain.

Japan confirms 25th mad cow disease case Forbes (April 19, 2006)
Japan confirmed its 25th case of mad cow disease, amid growing US pressure on Tokyo to resume US beef imports stopped twice over fears of the brain-wasting disease.

EU commission 'admitted GM food uncertainty' Guardian Unlimited, UK (April 18, 2006)
The European commission has been approving genetically modified crops for human consumption while secretly warning about their impact on health and the environment, a report published today reveals.

Mad-cow disease confirmed in Canada CNN (April 17, 2006)
The Canadian government said Sunday that it has confirmed a case of mad-cow disease in a cow in British Columbia.

Group to revisit animal ID program in 2007 Brenham Banner-Press
(April 5, 2006)
The Texas Animal Health Commission announced Tuesday that it would wait until next year to develop mandatory premises registration regulations for places that livestock and fowl are held, handled or managed.

Local farmers fear costs of tracking mad cow disease WATE, TN
(April 2, 2006)
Proposed legislation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would force people to implant electronic tracking devices in their pets and livestock, at the owners' expense.

Buying organic Portsmouth Herald (April 2, 2006)
A decade ago, organic foods were hard to find and made a definite hole in the wallet. Over the past few years, however, there has been increasing demand for these food items that are better for the body and for the environment.

Meatpacker sues U.S. for right to do mad cow tests USA Today
(March 23, 2006)
Meatpacker John Stewart has sued the U.S. government to provide it with cattle testing kits so his Kansas company can prove to customers, especially in mad cow-leery Japan, that its beef is safe.

U.S. still unable to track diseased livestock The Seattle Times
(March 19, 2006)
Investigators may never figure out where the Alabama cow with mad-cow disease was born and raised, in part because the United States lacks a livestock-tracking system the Bush administration promised two years ago.

Japan confirms case of mad cow disease MSNBC (March 17, 2006)
Officials in Japan have confirmed the country's first case of mad cow disease in cattle raised to provide meat, an official of the Health Ministry said Friday.

USDA aims to reduce Salmonella in meat and poultry CIDRAP
(March 6, 2006)
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a new initiative to reduce Salmonella contamination in raw meat and poultry, mainly by focusing more effort on processing facilities that need improvement and reporting test results faster.

Japanese authorities to kill 45 cows for fear of mad cow disease Forbes (Feb. 9, 2006)
The authorities said they will kill 45 cows on a farm for fear of mad cow disease.

EPA cuts deal with farms over animal waste MSNBC (Jan. 31, 2006)
In a move opposed by environmentalists, the Bush administration will let thousands of factory-style farms escape severe penalties for fouling the air and water with animal excrement in exchange for data to help curb future pollution.

Prions That Cause Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Venison Meat WMTV, WS (Jan. 27, 2006)
A new study says chronic wasting disease has been found in the venison of infected deer. But there's still no evidence the disease can be transmitted to humans.

Organic revolution-it�s not just for hippies anymore Pittsburg Tribune
(Jan. 26, 2006)
Linda Gill is a fairly typical organic food shopper: she's willing to pay more because she believes organic food is healthier.

Fear of contamination triggers recall of Lunch Makers kits
The Seattle Times (Dec. 3, 2005)
ConAgra Foods is recalling Armour Lunch Makers kits with ham, turkey and bologna that may be contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Threatened with protests, Korea delays beef decision again Cattle Network (Nov. 30, 2005)
South Korea's animal quarantine committee met Tuesday, expected by some to announce an end of the ban on beef from the United States and Canada, but instead put off a decision until its next meeting, set for mid-December.

Food-safety agencies mince their meats Washington Post (Nov. 22, 2005)
After years of trying to sort out who should regulate such culinary delights as the bagel dog, the Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department may be coming to a resolution.

USDA to prolong expanded BSE testing program CIDRAP (Nov. 18, 2005)
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to keep its expanded testing program for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) going indefinitely instead of scaling it back at the end of this year, according to recent reports.

Dole Facing Lawsuits Over Bagged Salads IFSS (Nov. 12, 2005)
Dole Food Co. Inc. has been sued over the past few weeks by consumers who contracted a serious form of E. coli from its bagged salads, one of the company�s fastest-growing product lines.

Japan delays beef decision yet again Cattle Network (Oct. 25, 2005)
A Monday meeting of a government panel that was expected to produce a recommendation to reopen the Japanese market to U.S. beef instead produced no decision because some members could not attend and others brought up last-minute objections.

Mad Cow: Take Canada's cue Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sept. 21, 2005)
Federal officials may have a second wind in their efforts to prevent mad cow disease.

Cattle ID program could help combat mad cow disease
Montrose Daily Press (July 1, 2005)
In the wake of Wednesday's announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that a confirmed case of mad cow disease had been traced to a cow in Texas, state and area officials are touting a national identification program as one of the best ways to keep animal herds safe.

Round 2 for mad cow disease Food Consumer (July 1, 2005)
Mike Johanns, the new U.S. agriculture secretary, was quoted as saying a few days ago, "I enjoyed beef this noon for lunch. It is the safest beef in the world."

USDA says sick cow was born in Texas USA Today (June 29, 2005)
The USA's second case of mad cow disease was in a beef cow born, raised and slaughtered in Texas, making it the nation's first home-grown example of the brain-wasting disease, Department of Agriculture officials said Wednesday.

USDA: a cow is mad Food Consumer (June 12, 2005)
On June 10, the USDA was notified that a cow was confirmed to be positive for mad cow disease or BSE.

USDA finds second potential case of mad cow CTV News (June 11, 2005)
U.S. officials have discovered a second potential case of mad cow disease, but added that it did not enter the food system and poses no risk to human health.

Blood filter offers hope in curbing mad-cow disease The Seattle Times
(June 12, 2005)
A filtering device developed by a Long Island, N.Y., company is being tested in Britain for its ability to rid the blood supply of the misfolded proteins responsible for the human form of mad-cow disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

Consumers Union Is Getting COOL Cattle Network (June 8, 2005)
Consumers Union comes down hard in favor of COOL, adding heavyweight political punching power to the effort.

Experts debating scope of decision San Diego Union Tribune (Apr. 16, 2005)
A national ban on diet pills containing the herbal stimulant ephedra remains largely intact despite a ruling by a federal judge in Utah that low-dose products can't be barred, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.

FDA ban on ephedra overturned by judge San Diego Union Tribune
(Apr. 15, 2005)
A federal judge yesterday overturned the Food and Drug Administration's ban on ephedra, the diet supplement that was pulled from the market last year after being linked to more than 150 deaths.

Riding sidesaddle: U.S. trade policy with 'friends' Billings Gazette
(March 13, 2005)
Francis Bardanouve, the legendary Montana citizen-legislator from Harlem, just a few miles south of the border with Canada, was fond of reminding folks that "if the world was ruled by logic, men would ride sidesaddle."

Japan confirms first human case of mad cow MSNBC (Feb. 4, 2005)
Japan confirmed its first human case of mad cow disease Friday following the death of a man who had symptoms of the fatal brain wasting illness.

Canada finds new case of mad cow MSNBC (Jan. 11, 2005)
A third case of mad cow disease in Canada was confirmed on January 11, bringing the total number of North American cases to four.

Meat firms accused of weakening food rules MSNBC (Jan. 4, 2005)
The meat industry's lobbying and close ties to the Bush administration helped prevent more stringent food-safety rules that guard against listeria from being enacted, a consumer group charged Tuesday.

Two groups urge U.S. to delay imports of Canadian cattle The Seattle Times (Jan. 4, 2005)
Two U.S. consumer groups yesterday urged the United States to delay reopening its border to young Canadian cattle due to concerns that Canada may find more cases of mad-cow disease.

How mad cow may escape into the body MSNBC (Dec. 15, 2004)
Scientists learn why infectious proteins survive digestion

Suspected mad cow case another false alarm USA TODAY (Nov. 23, 2004)
After a tense six days of waiting, the nation's beef industry got an early Christmas present Tuesday with word that an animal whose test for mad cow came back as inconclusive twice last week in fact did not have the brain-wasting disease.

Second Possible Case Of Mad Cow Disease Discovered In U.S. KWTX-TV,
Waco, TX (Nov. 18, 2004)
There may be a second case of mad cow disease in the U.S., but the Agriculture Department says it will be four to seven days before the possible case can be verified.

Consumers Union Press Releases

Increased inspections needed for produce
The FDA needs to be more effective in enforcing food safety standards.

Opposition to mad cow testing is anti-consumer
CU calls on the USDA to test slaughtered cows for mad cow disease

Groups angered by inaction on CO-treated meat
A national survey indicates consumer opposition to coloring meat with carbon monoxide.

Strengthen FDA�s authority over medical devices
CU also supports for the FDA to require recalls of unsafe food and drugs

New authority and funding needed for FDA
CU welcomes commitment to protect nations� drug & food supply

Congress moves forward to protect food supply
FDA inspections and oversight essential

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