U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA.) on Wednesday re-introduced a new, bipartisan version of a previously-introduced bill to combat widespread seafood fraud “that cheats fishermen and consumers, while posing health risks to pregnant mothers and others,” according to Markey. The bill comes on the heels of recent studies that found, on average, 33 percent of the… Continue Reading
Food safety remains on the Government Accountability Office’s “high-risk” list, according to an update put out by the agency Thursday. As GAO noted in its report, the U.S. government is the “world’s largest and most complex entity” that runs an incredibly diverse range of programs, so the agency uses its high-risk list to draw attention… Continue Reading
Opinion
I recently had the honor of speaking at the 2012 Safe Quality Food International Conference in Cincinnati on the topic of the crucial role of third-party audits in moving forward with FSMA and food safety. In the talk, I spent time looking at what is working well with third-party audit systems, and where some of… Continue Reading
While in Boise, Idaho on Thursday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) publicly committed to holding a vote on the 2012 farm bill after the election. The commitment comes nearly a month after Congress let the last farm bill expire. “I’m committed to bring the issue to the floor and then to see a way… Continue Reading
The Government Accountability Office issued a report this week recommending that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clarify its food recall process and do a better job communicating recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks to the public. The report is the latest in a series of GAO reports calling for reforms. The government watchdog agency has… Continue Reading
Senator and former presidential contender John McCain (R-AZ) is at war against “senseless” measures in the farm bill and the pending catfish inspection program is on his list of top targets. On the floor Thursday, Sen. McCain mocked a variety of farm bill programs, including a $15 million grant program to improve the sheep industry,… Continue Reading
Though researchers are familiar with pre-slaughter E. coli interventions such as probiotics, vaccines, certain chemicals and viruses that kill the bacteria, few manufacturers are seeking approval for these technologies. Government could do more to encourage innovation in this area, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. Reducing contamination before cattle enter the slaughterhouse could… Continue Reading
There’s red tide in Texas, salinity levels in state waters are way off in Mississippi, and Louisiana has fallen behind Washington state in oyster production. To say Gulf oystermen have not had much cause for optimism since the 2010 BP oil spill is to put it lightly. Gulf oyster production — at about 15 million… Continue Reading
The government and seafood industry must work together to reduce illnesses from Vibrio vulnificus – a naturally occurring but potentially fatal bacterium found in Gulf Coast oysters – says the Government Accountability Office. The GAO this week called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) to agree on a… Continue Reading
The federal government is not efficiently managing or utilizing resources in the defense of the nation’s food system, according to a new Government Accountability Office report, released on the heels of the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in 2001, President Bush and Congress launched policies aimed a protecting… Continue Reading
Federal agencies have made “limited progress” in addressing antibiotic use in food animals and lack the data needed to track progress, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. The GAO found that the government is lacking the detailed data needed to measure efforts to reduce antibiotic resistance and fully examine the relationship between using… Continue Reading