- Freelance Writer
- Skagit County, Washington
- cooksonb@sos.net
Contributing Writers
Cookson Beecher
Articles Written by Cookson Beecher
Subscribe to this author via RSSConcerns About Animal Welfare, Food Safety Spur Industry Changes
The 42 Good Husbandry Grants recently awarded by Animal Welfare Approved to farms and slaughter plants across the country are yet another sign of changes occurring in the livestock industry. “It’s really a testament to how agriculture is transitioning from industrialized to pasture-based,” said AWA program director Andrew Gunther, referring to the many applications the organization received… Continue Reading
WA Dairy Recalls Improperly Pasteurized Products
A Washington state dairy is voluntarily recalling certain milk and cream products because they were not adequately pasteurized. Pure Eire Dairy of Othello, WA issued a recall of its organic pasteurized non-homogenized skim, reduced fat 2% milk, and whole and heavy cream milk products bearing the expiration dates of 5/15/13, 5/18/13 and 5/20/13 Monday. The recall… Continue Reading
Farmers Market Vendors, Managers Get Up To Speed on Food Safety ABCs
No one wants customers to get sick. That was the message that University of Vermont Extension food safety specialist Londa Nwadike used to start off her recent webinar presentation about food safety tips for farmers market vendors and managers. With an eye toward the benefits of following good food safety protocol at markets, Nwadike was quick… Continue Reading
Dessert Followed By a Hepatitis A Shot?
Not exactly what diners at an NYC restaurant had in mind
What could be better than dining with friends or family at a popular upscale candlelit restaurant in New York City — a restaurant with an “A” sanitation grade from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene? While that’s how the story began for many of the people who ate at Alta restaurant in the… Continue Reading
Two Major Farm Groups Take Opposite Tack on Raw Milk
Always a controversial topic, raw milk has landed smack dab in the middle of a tug-of-war policy disagreement between two major farm groups. Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized to kill harmful, and at times deadly, pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Pulling on one end of the rope in favor… Continue Reading
New Spray Product Takes Aim at Salmonella on Poultry
Poultry slated for grinding a good candidate
“A sneaky germ.” That’s how the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes Salmonella. The agency follows that uncomplimentary description with a warning that Salmonella can contaminate more than just poultry and eggs. “It sneaks its way into many foods — ground beef, pork, tomatoes, sprouts — even peanut butter,” says the CDC site…. Continue Reading
Whole Foods to Require Labeling of GMO Foods
‘Putting a stake in the ground,’ says company executive
Grocery giant Whole Foods Market will require all foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) sold in its U.S. and Canadian stores to be labeled as such by 2018. This puts the company in the position of being the first grocery chain in the United States to set a deadline for GMO labeling. “We are putting… Continue Reading
Two Sides of the Coin for Food Safety of Cut Leafy Greens
It’s a coin with two markedly different sides. Flip it once and fresh cut leafy greens come up as the nutritional stars in salad mixes. On that list are spinach, kale, green and red leaf lettuces, baby leaf lettuces, escarole, endive, spring mix, arugula, romaine, and iceberg lettuce, among others. Praised by doctors and public… Continue Reading
Fresh Produce at Farmers Markets Exempt from New Food Safety Regs
For farmers who sell fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, food safety will be business as usual, despite the federal Food and Drug Administration’s new proposed rules governing produce. “Business as usual,” because most market farmers are exempt from the new rules, just as they’re exempt from the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed… Continue Reading
How Do Pathogens Get Into Produce?
Leafy greens, lettuce, cantaloupes, mangoes and strawberries. These are just some of the foods that have sickened or even killed people when they were contaminated with foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella. Amidst the confusing swirl of information about these and other produce outbreaks, the question arises: Were some of these pathogens inside… Continue Reading
Organics “Thrown Under the Bus” in Farm Bill Extension, Say Industry Advocates
“We’ve been thrown under the bus.” That’s how some organic farmers and advocates are describing the government’s “eleventh-hour” decision on Jan. 1 to extend the 2008 farm bill for 9 months instead of enacting a new 2012 farm bill. Their dismay is based on how organics fared when the 2008 farm bill was extended until… Continue Reading