Today the United States celebrates its 57th presidential inauguration, kicking off President Barack Obama’s second term. Four years ago, a much younger-looking Obama was actually sworn into office amidst a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that would ultimately be linked to 700 illnesses and 9 deaths and lead to one of the largest product recalls in history…. Continue Reading
Opinion
I wrote a few imaginary New Year’s resolutions for some of our newsmakers that we haven’t gotten around to publishing until now. As the great Willie Nelson would say: “Funny how time slips away.” Truth be told, some of my colleagues thought I was being too harsh on the government this year. I don’t think… Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: It’s time to put out the milk and cookies for Santa Claus and read the Food Safety News Naughty and Nice List for 2012. This is the fourth N&N list we’ve prepared. Our annual Naughty and Nice List along with our New Year’s Resolutions are among the traditions we’ve continued to observe as… Continue Reading
As a boy growing up in the Midwest with rivers and lakes and the occasional hill, I always thought I was in the best place. Then came the Elvis Presley movie, “Fun in Acapulco.” The main set piece for this musical comedy was something that brought me endless fascination – a 136 foot cliff used… Continue Reading
An ad by the Romney campaign airing in Virginia since last week blames President Obama’s economic policies on the closure of a barbecue restaurant chain known to have a history of health code violations, according to a ThinkProgress report. The ad, titled “Bill’s BBQ,” suggests that restaurant chain Bill’s Barbecue had to close its final… Continue Reading
Election day is finally here. At Food Safety News, we aren’t making any predictions about the outcome of the presidential election — with key swing states in flux and a statistical dead heat nationwide, we think it’s a tossup, with the president holding a slight advantage. But we did want to remind our readers that… Continue Reading
Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote to the White House this week urging the release of key food safety rules — becoming the latest in a series of health, industry and consumer groups to call on the administration to get moving on implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act. “As pediatricians, we are keenly… Continue Reading
While food and agriculture policy often take a back seat during presidential elections, the United Fresh Produce Association got both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on the record regarding some key food issues this week. The association on Thursday released both campaigns’ responses to its policy questionnaire, which focused on immigration, taxes, environmental regulations and… Continue Reading
Republicans kept their platform secret until it was adopted by the 2012 party convention in Tampa. It was not until after it was released that we learned it contained nothing about food safety. This week, Democrats released their platform as the party convention began Charlotte. This one also does not contain any plans regarding food… Continue Reading
Opinion
Sign Change.org Petition to Save the Program. President Obama, you probably do not remember my three daughters: Morgan, Olivia and Sydney, hanging out with Sasha and Malia and Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers backstage before one of the inaugural parties, but $50,000 out of my pocket does. As you might remember, I went all… Continue Reading
Opinion
This past week, Republicans came to the realization that Mitt Romney could be elected President of the United States, and it dawned on Democrats that President Obama could lose. So reported Mark Evan Halperin, senior political analyst for Time and author of the magazine’s “The Page” website. For me, the report caused a little bell… Continue Reading