Tag: food
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Kauai Mayor Vetoes Bill Mandating Disclosure of Genetically Modified Crops
The mayor of the Hawaiian island of Kauai this week vetoed a groundbreaking bill that would have mandated farms to disclose pesticide use and the presence of genetically modified crops. The veto can be overridden by the Kauai County Council with a minimum of five votes. The council approved the bill Oct. 16 in a 6 to…
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Stand Up for Local Food and Farms
The deadline is approaching to comment on new rules proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These rules will impact how fresh fruit and vegetables are grown and processed in the U.S. The FDA is accepting comments on the rules, part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, through Nov. 15. The rules, as written, “will unfairly burden family…
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Do You Know Who Owns Your Food?
Corporate giants who were anonymously opposing the Washington state measure to mandate labeling of genetically modified ingredients through the Grocery Manufacturers Association were outed recently after the state attorney general filed a suit claiming violation of election disclosure laws. Funneling money through a lobbying group is not the only way that Big Food can hide…
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How Eating Healthy Improves Farming Communities and the Environment
Eating fresher, healthier food would not only be good for our bodies—it would improve the health of our farmland, environment and rural communities. The Healthy Farmland Diet, a new report from Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), uses economic modeling techniques to estimate the effects of changing food consumption on agricultural land use. [caption id="attachment_309989" align="alignnone" width="500"]…
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Michelle Obama: Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Elmo to Promote Fresh Fruit and Veggies to Kids
The nonprofit organization behind the popular children’s educational program Sesame Street will allow the produce industry to use Big Bird, Elmo and Sesame Street’s other characters free of charge to help market fruits and vegetables to kids. The goal is to level the marketing playing field to give fresh fruits and vegetables a competitive edge over…