USDA http://www.npr.org USDA en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:35:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif USDA http://www.npr.org If Genetically Modified Apples Don't Brown, Can You Tell If They're Rotten? Genetically modified apples that don't go brown could become the first transgenic apple varieties approved for sale in the U.S. Scientists say they're safe to eat, but the real question is, will consumers buy them? Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:35:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/17/161295119/if-gm-apples-dont-brown-how-can-you-tell-if-theyre-rotten?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/17/161295119/if-gm-apples-dont-brown-how-can-you-tell-if-theyre-rotten?ft=1&f=128651863 Genetically modified apples that don't go brown could become the first transgenic apple varieties approved for sale in the U.S. Scientists say they're safe to eat, but the real question is, will consumers buy them?

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]]> Lawsuit Claims Pork Producers Council Scammed $60 Million From Farmers The Humane Society is accusing the Pork Producers Council of financing its lobbying efforts through a questionable sale of the slogan,"The Other White Meat." The lawsuit shines a spotlight on the odd and controversial world of agriculture "checkoff" programs. Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:57:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/24/161695954/lawsuit-claims-pork-producers-council-scammed-60-million-from-its-members?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/24/161695954/lawsuit-claims-pork-producers-council-scammed-60-million-from-its-members?ft=1&f=128651863 The Humane Society is accusing the Pork Producers Council of financing its lobbying efforts through a questionable sale of the slogan,"The Other White Meat." The lawsuit shines a spotlight on the odd and controversial world of agriculture "checkoff" programs.

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]]> Meat Producers And, Ultimately, Consumers Hurt By Drought The crops taking the worst hit from the current drought are the ones we feed to animals, like corn. Higher corn prices mean it can cost more to feed pigs and cattle than they will fetch at market, meaning higher meat prices for all. Wed, 25 Jul 2012 15:39:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/25/157355792/meat-producers-and-ultimately-consumers-hurt-by-drought?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/25/157355792/meat-producers-and-ultimately-consumers-hurt-by-drought?ft=1&f=128651863 The crops taking the worst hit from the current drought are the ones we feed to animals, like corn. Higher corn prices mean it can cost more to feed pigs and cattle than they will fetch at market, meaning higher meat prices for all.

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]]> Food Trucks Draw Hungry Kids For Free Summer Meals Families that qualify for free and reduced school lunches can struggle to feed kids out of their own pockets all summer. But many kids can't - or won't - come to school for free summer meals. So some administrators are loading lunches on colorful, hip food trucks and bringing the meals to the kids. Wed, 30 May 2012 14:45:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/29/153931434/food-trucks-draw-hungry-kids-for-free-summer-meals?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/29/153931434/food-trucks-draw-hungry-kids-for-free-summer-meals?ft=1&f=128651863 Families that qualify for free and reduced school lunches can struggle to feed kids out of their own pockets all summer. But many kids can't - or won't - come to school for free summer meals. So some administrators are loading lunches on colorful, hip food trucks and bringing the meals to the kids.

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]]> What Will Make The Food Desert Bloom? Improving the health of people living in food deserts is much more than making sure there are veggies on the shelves. As activists have learned, it takes education and some old-fashioned innovation, too. Tue, 01 May 2012 13:24:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/09/151707985/what-will-make-the-food-desert-bloom?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/09/151707985/what-will-make-the-food-desert-bloom?ft=1&f=128651863 Improving the health of people living in food deserts is much more than making sure there are veggies on the shelves. As activists have learned, it takes education and some old-fashioned innovation, too.

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]]> USDA To Give Schools More Ground Beef Choices After Outcry Over 'Pink Slime' The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it believes beef trimmings known officially as "Lean Finely Textured Beef" are safe to eat. Nonetheless, it announced that owing to "customer demand" it will give schools the chance to opt out of it in the next school year. Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:37:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/03/15/148685884/usda-to-give-schools-more-ground-beef-choices-after-outcry-over-pink-slime?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/03/15/148685884/usda-to-give-schools-more-ground-beef-choices-after-outcry-over-pink-slime?ft=1&f=128651863 The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it believes beef trimmings known officially as "Lean Finely Textured Beef" are safe to eat. Nonetheless, it announced that owing to "customer demand" it will give schools the chance to opt out of it in the next school year.

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]]> Hey Locavores, Are You Creating Jobs? Obama appointees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture say grants and loans supported by its Know Your Farmer initiative are a win-win that create new jobs and more locally produced food. Critics say the program serves the foodie elite and urban locavores at the expense of conventional farmers in rural America. Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/29/147647643/hey-locavores-are-you-creating-jobs?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/29/147647643/hey-locavores-are-you-creating-jobs?ft=1&f=128651863 Obama appointees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture say grants and loans supported by its Know Your Farmer initiative are a win-win that create new jobs and more locally produced food. Critics say the program serves the foodie elite and urban locavores at the expense of conventional farmers in rural America.

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]]> What's In That Food? The SuperTracker Knows Tracking what you eat and how much you exercise seems to work when it comes to weight loss, and the USDA's new SuperTracker wants to help. The new online interactive tool taps into the government's nutritional database. The database, though, doesn't include some popular foods like Pop-Tarts. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:23:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/05/144754788/whats-in-that-food-the-supertracker-knows?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/05/144754788/whats-in-that-food-the-supertracker-knows?ft=1&f=128651863 Tracking what you eat and how much you exercise seems to work when it comes to weight loss, and the USDA's new SuperTracker wants to help. The new online interactive tool taps into the government's nutritional database. The database, though, doesn't include some popular foods like Pop-Tarts.

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]]> Local Food Is No Small Potatoes: Farmers Rake In Almost $5 Billion More than half of the $5 billion in local food sales came not from farmers' markets but from restaurants and grocery stores, according to a government report. Those points of sale have attracted bigger farmers who might not bother with direct-to-consumer sales. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:50:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/14/142306970/local-food-is-no-small-potatoes-farmers-rake-in-almost-5-billion?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/14/142306970/local-food-is-no-small-potatoes-farmers-rake-in-almost-5-billion?ft=1&f=128651863 More than half of the $5 billion in local food sales came not from farmers' markets but from restaurants and grocery stores, according to a government report. Those points of sale have attracted bigger farmers who might not bother with direct-to-consumer sales.

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]]> Vilsack: Not Done With Potatoes And School Lunch Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says changes to the school nutrition rule are underway, including more clarity on the recommendation to reduce kids' potato and starchy vegetable consumption. He also says rural America needs a 'thank you.' Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:49:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/09/30/140930754/vilsack-not-done-with-potatoes-and-school-lunch?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/09/30/140930754/vilsack-not-done-with-potatoes-and-school-lunch?ft=1&f=128651863 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says changes to the school nutrition rule are underway, including more clarity on the recommendation to reduce kids' potato and starchy vegetable consumption. He also says rural America needs a 'thank you.'

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]]> USDA To Ban 6 More Strains Of E. Coli In Ground Beef Meat processors warn the move will cause consumers to pay more for meat, but some large companies like Costco already require suppliers to prove their products are free from several strains of <em>E. coli </em>banned by the new rule. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:33:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/09/13/140429297/usda-to-ban-6-more-strains-of-e-coli-in-ground-beef?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/09/13/140429297/usda-to-ban-6-more-strains-of-e-coli-in-ground-beef?ft=1&f=128651863 Meat processors warn the move will cause consumers to pay more for meat, but some large companies like Costco already require suppliers to prove their products are free from several strains of E. coli banned by the new rule.

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]]> Same Plant, New Month: Cargill Ground Turkey Recall, Take 2 A food safety expert says there are a few possible explanations for a new recall of ground turkey involving the same plant and the same strain of drug resistant bacteria that led to a massive recall in August. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:15:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/09/12/140398110/same-plant-new-month-cargill-ground-turkey-recall-take-2?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/09/12/140398110/same-plant-new-month-cargill-ground-turkey-recall-take-2?ft=1&f=128651863 A food safety expert says there are a few possible explanations for a new recall of ground turkey involving the same plant and the same strain of drug resistant bacteria that led to a massive recall in August.

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]]> Regulators Grapple With Outbreaks As Salmonella, E. Coli Illnesses Grow More people are getting sick from recent outbreaks of an antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella found in ground turkey, and <em>E. coli</em> found in strawberries. But there's probably not a quick fix for the food safety system in sight. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:30:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/12/139575236/regulators-grapple-with-outbreaks-as-salmonella-e-coli-illnesses-grow?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/12/139575236/regulators-grapple-with-outbreaks-as-salmonella-e-coli-illnesses-grow?ft=1&f=128651863 More people are getting sick from recent outbreaks of an antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella found in ground turkey, and E. coli found in strawberries. But there's probably not a quick fix for the food safety system in sight.

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]]> Salmonella Leads Cargill To Recall 36 Million Pounds Of Ground Turkey Food giant Cargill is shutting down a plant in Springdale, Ark., and recalling turkey processed there because the meat may be contaminated with a strain of salmonella resistant to multiple antibiotics. Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:31:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/04/138978064/salmonella-leads-cargill-to-recalls-36-million-pounds-of-ground-turkey?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/04/138978064/salmonella-leads-cargill-to-recalls-36-million-pounds-of-ground-turkey?ft=1&f=128651863 Food giant Cargill is shutting down a plant in Springdale, Ark., and recalling turkey processed there because the meat may be contaminated with a strain of salmonella resistant to multiple antibiotics.

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]]> Got Enhanced Meat? USDA Rule May Make It Easier To Tell About 30 percent of poultry, 15 percent of beef, and 90 percent of pork are injected with some kind of liquid enhancement before sale, USDA says, and it's usually something high in sodium. Yet consumers are often unaware that a solution has been added. Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:44:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/07/22/138606851/got-enhanced-meat-usda-rule-may-make-it-easier-to-tell?ft=1&f=128651863 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/07/22/138606851/got-enhanced-meat-usda-rule-may-make-it-easier-to-tell?ft=1&f=128651863 About 30 percent of poultry, 15 percent of beef, and 90 percent of pork are injected with some kind of liquid enhancement before sale, USDA says, and it's usually something high in sodium. Yet consumers are often unaware that a solution has been added.

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