For the fourth year in a row, Food Policy Action has published its National Food Policy Scorecard which reflects the votes of members of Congress and their co-sponsorship on bills related to a range of food issues. “While the average scores have increased by four points, the 2015 report illustrates a Congress that has so…
Grandmother of E. Coli Victim Backs Oregon Bill to Require Earlier Testing
The grandmother of a 4-year-old Oregon girl who died last September after testing positive for an E. coli infection is advocating legislation to require testing of children for the pathogen after four consecutive days of specific symptoms.
Sherri Profitt of Otis, OR, told KATU-TV that her granddaughter, Serena Profitt, should have been tested for E.
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Food Policy Action Releases Scorecard for 113th Congress
The latest Legislative Scorecard calculated by Food Policy Action (FPA) gives 71 members of Congress perfect scores and 35 a score of zero when it comes to food issues. “The National Food Policy Scorecard is a tool that helps Americans see how our elected leaders vote on food and farm issues,” said Tom Colicchio, FPA…
Slaughter and Waxman Introduce Bill to Gather More Data on Antibiotics in Ag
Two leading Democrat members of Congress, Henry Waxman (CA) and Louise Slaughter (NY), introduced legislation this week aimed at providing more detail on the amount and use of antimicrobial drugs given to animals raised for food. The legislation, dubbed the Delivering Antimicrobial Transparency in Animals (DATA) Act, says it will help public health officials and…
Legislative Cutoff Dates Begin to Kill Raw Milk Bills
A bill to open the door to raw milk distribution in Wyoming was slammed shut after it missed a key cutoff date. It is unlikely the Wyoming Legislature will see any further action taken on Senate File 0112. Wyoming bans the sale of raw milk, but SF 0112 would have allowed holders of “small…
State Food Freedom Bills Go Down to Defeat Again
Tagged as “inexpedient to legislate” in New Hampshire and shelved in Utah, state food freedom bills got little traction for a second straight year.
Shannon Shutts, spokeswoman for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, says when America’s largest state legislative body decides a bill is “inexpedient to legislate” it means the measure is dead. …
Indiana Legislature Orders Raw Milk Study
The Hoosier Legislature is over, but it left behind an assignment for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health — study whether farmers should sell unpasteurized milk to consumers and publish a report by Dec. 1.
Those instructions are contained in House Bill (HB) 1129, a largely technical bill dealing with powers of the …
Not Much Raw Milk Regulation Change Expected in 2012
In an election year when only 39 state legislative bodies are meeting in regular sessions, with most of those entering their second halves and no special sessions currently underway, there will likely be few changes involving raw milk regulation.
In New Hampshire today, the “homestead food” bill — which would allow the direct sale of …
Iowa Approves Nation’s First ‘Ag-Gag’ Law
Four years ago, undercover video recorded workers on forklifts forcing “downer” cows into slaughter at the Hallmark and Westland meat plant in Chino, CA, which at the time was a top supplier to the National School Lunch program.
The sting, by the Humane Society of the United States, put Hallmark and Westland out of business. …
Cottage Food Bill Introduced in California
Last year, Mark Stambler, co-founder of the Los Angeles Bread Bakers (LABB) and an avid artisanal baker, ran into some trouble with the Los Angeles Department of Environmental Health for selling his homemade bread at local shops.
After that experience, Stambler reports he “made a commitment to work with the department to see if…