Update on H1N1
I spent many years talking to the press saying H5N1 was a disease of chickens. This morning I spoke with my son's pig and explained H1N1 was a disease of humans. I hesitate to make light of the situation but…
I spent many years talking to the press saying H5N1 was a disease of chickens. This morning I spoke with my son's pig and explained H1N1 was a disease of humans. I hesitate to make light of the situation but…
Release No. 0137.09 Contact: Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 April 28, 2009 "I want to reiterate that U.S. pork is safe. While we in the U.S. are continuing to monitor for new cases of H1N1 flu, the American food supply…
Animal Welfare Approved program director Andrew Gunther gives pointers for farmers and consumers regarding Swine Influenza.
Animal Welfare Approved posts USDA statement on Swine Flu (Swine Influenza A/H1N1).
In response to last week's Op-Ed in the New York Times by James E. McWilliams entitled Free-Range Trichinosis, the folks from Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University wrote this blog. April 10th, 2009 Smoked "Bacon" and Mirrors…
New York Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristoff recently published a piece on the connection between the rise of MRSA-related infections and industrial hog farming. "Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health," documents new and frightening research on this antibiotic resistant-bacterium that…
Jesse Kornbluth on the Huffington Post sings the praises of Omega-3. He writes: "I started paying attention to these fatty acids when I read Nina Planck's Real Food: What to Eat and Why, and was dazzled by the range of…
As of January 2009, you will now be able to purchase and consume products from genetically engineered animals - without one mention of that fact on the label. Whether you welcome or dread your first GE dish, we all have one thing in common--we won't know when we eat it. Our friends at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have decided that products from genetically engineered animals will not be labeled as such. The FDA says that it will not require labeling of products from genetically engineered animals because those products are not "materially different" from conventional ones. Ironically this ruling follows a recent Consumers Union poll which found that 95% of respondents favored labeling of milk and meat from genetically engineered animals. A spokeswoman for the FDA defended its decision, stating, "...the FDA doesn't require that a pork chop label specify [the breeding method of the pig]." Translation: the FDA has decided genetic engineering is just another way to breed animals and therefore, it doesn't make the meat, eggs or dairy from those animals any different from the meat, eggs or dairy out of grandma's barnyard.
Linda Black of Washington Post writes about US food policy or lack thereof and how we can gather together to affect change.
Despite significant protest from organizations (including ours) and many thousands of concerned individuals, the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has defined "naturally raised" to mean something far from it. Producers are now allowed to to label products "naturally raised" as…
It turns out the old adage "You are what you eat" is true for livestock too. Researchers at the University of Exeter recently published a study which found that meat from animals grazed in quality, biodiverse systems is nutritionally superior…
This terrific short was brought to our attention by Debbie Davis of DWD Longhorns. She writes: Here's a "great 15 minute video on the state of our food supply from the perspective of some of today''s greatest minds in sustainable…