Frozen Express
Oct. 3, 2011


Long road from farm to fork worsens food illness outbreaks

The Associated Press via Forbes
The recent Listeria outbreak from cantaloupe demonstrates one likely cause of large-scale occurrences of serious illnesses linked to tainted food: the long and winding road what we eat takes from farm to fork.

Related articles:

  • Microbe hunters: The good, the bad and the the ugly (Food Safety News)
  • Lessons of the Listeria outbreak (The New York Times)
  • Federal agencies falling short in protecting US food supply (The Center for Public Integrity)

    Editor's note: The American Frozen Food Institute is organizing a series of instructional food safety webinars with leading experts to examine topics and issues related to implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. To register, or for more information, please click here.More


    Salads are nice, but burgers are what really sell

    The Associated Press via USA Today
    Americans talk skinny but eat fat. No matter that first lady Michelle Obama has been on a crusade to slim down the country. Never mind that some restaurants have started listing calories on their menus. Forget even that we keep saying we want to eat healthy. When Americans eat out, we order burgers and fries anyway.More


    Obama: Trade deals announcement in days

    POLITICO
    President Barack Obama said on Monday the White House will have an announcement on the long-delayed trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama to Congress "in the next day or so."

    Related article:

  • Opinion: Trade trauma (The Washington Post) More


    Obama campaign goes on attack

    The Washington Post
    President Barack Obama's re-election campaign argues in a memo set to be released on Monday that Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — the two frontrunners for the Republican nomination — have "embraced policies that the American people oppose" on Social Security and immigration.More


    Cain wins straw poll at GOP women's forum

    The Hill
    GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain won this weekend's straw poll at the National Federation of Republican Women Convention, reports NBC News.More


    Bachmann running on fumes in Iowa

    POLITICO
    If you're looking for evidence that the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is struggling to stay out of the red, financially, and keep forward momentum in Iowa, here it is. More


    Many egg producers still not complying with rules

    The Washington Post
    Two-tenths of a penny per dozen. That's what it costs Pennsylvania farmers to make eggs safer. By disinfecting henhouses, trapping rodents and testing regularly for harmful bacteria, the state's egg farmers have cut the presence of salmonella by more than half. But egg producers in much of the rest of the country haven't followed suit.

    Related article:

  • New egg rule trips up Minnesota producer (Food Safety News)More


    USDA schedules food import-export public meeting

    Food Safety News
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is holding a public meeting on Tuesday to provide information and receive comments on agenda items, as well as to draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 19th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems.More


    US agencies join forces on information sharing

    Environmental Protection
    The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has signed agreements with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to advance information-sharing to improve targeting of imports for health and safety violations.More


    UK wins foods fight

    The Meat Site
    Following a vote on Friday, food labeling will be clearer, simpler and more honest in the European Union, allowing consumers to know what's in the food they buy.More


    UK authorities slammed after unpublicized E. coli outbreak

    Food Production Daily
    U.K. health safety authorities have been criticized for their handling of an unpublicized, eight-month E. coli outbreak that sickened 250 people and included a death.More


    Scientists eye potential of 'climate proofing' crops

    Food Ingredients First
    Responding to appeals from African leaders for new tools to deal with the effects of climate change on food production, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security has released a series of studies focused on "climate proofing" crops critical to food security in the developing world. More


    NFU: Senate must pass bill to improve trade agreements

    National Farmers Union
    National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson sent a letter to U.S. Senate leaders on Friday, urging them to pass S. 1619, which would give the U.S. Treasury the authority to enforce existing currency manipulation laws with countries that trade with the U.S.More


    EFSA confirms link between vitamin D, lower risk of falling

    FoodBev
    On the basis of data presented, the European Food Safety Authority concludes that a cause-and-effect relationship has been established between the intake of vitamin D and a reduction in the risk of falling.More


    E. coli found in 80,000 pounds of Manning's Natural Beef

    Examiner
    A California-based company, Manning's Natural Beef, has announced a voluntary recall of approximately 80,000 pounds of beef that might be positive for E. coli.More


    Food & Water Watch issues new primer on GE foods

    Food Safety News
    A new 25-page background paper from the environmental group Food & Water Watch is long on information supporting its views on the science and politics surrounding genetically engineered food. But the extensively footnoted paper devotes just three paragraphs under a "Safe to eat?" section.

    Related articles:

  • March in NYC against genetically modified food (The Associated Press via The Wall Street Journal)
  • Canada: Petition circulating to label all GE foods (The McGill Daily)More


    How Gerald Shreiber keeps J&J Snack Foods ready to grow

    Smart Business Philadelphia
    As the economy slowly crawls out of the pits of the worst economic nosedive in almost 80 years, J&J Snack Foods Corp.'s acquisition of several ConAgra Foods product lines is a reflection of Gerald Shreiber's philosophy on running a business: Don't be afraid to take a calculated risk in the name of growth.More


    Ralcorp consider new product line for frozen bakery goods

    The Courier-Journal
    Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, which makes frozen foods such as bread and breakfast items, is considering adding a new product line at its Louisville, Ky., facility, a move that would create 57 new jobs.More


    Changes at Hormel Foods

    The Meat Site
    Hormel Foods has announced several upcoming staffing changes, including the retirement of several high-level executives.More


    Request Foods adding 250 jobs at frozen meal factory

    The Grand Rapids Press
    Contract food manufacturer Request Foods is gunning for a little bit more space in your freezer.More


    Fast food chain introduces 2 new sandwiches

    FBR
    Jack in the Box, a U.S.-based hamburger restaurant chain, has launched two new savory products at its outlets: the Outlaw Burger and Outlaw Spicy Chicken Sandwich. More


    FSNS offers comprehensive STEC testing

    PRWeb
    FSNS offers STEC testing through various rapid detection systems and is committed to helping the food industry meet new USDA regulations governing six additional E. coli serogroups. More


    McDonald's USA names Dean Foods 2011 US Supplier of Year

    Stock Markets Review
    McDonald's USA recently announced that it has selected Dean Foods, a leading dairy supplier for many of McDonald's restaurants, as the 2011 U.S. Supplier of the Year.More