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Smart Snacks Loophole Means Chips are Still in Schools, Study Finds
Healthier versions of unhealthy snack foods in schools follow the letter of the USDA Smart Snacks program but not the spirit, according to a new study from the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center...
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Lawsuit Over Major Changes to Organic Foods Production Act Moves Ahead...
U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack illegally changed a key provision of the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act....
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USDA Approves 3rd GMO Apple for Sale in U.S.
USDA has given its approval to yet another genetically modified apple, making the Arctic Fuji the third non-browning GMO apple to receive authorization in the U.S. According to the USDA’s Animal and...
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Healthy Eating Habits Created Through Government Assistance Program
A recent review of the nation’s federal food subsidy program known as WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children), found that healthy foods took precedent for...
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Thousands of Farmers and Consumers Demanding USDA Organic Program Overhaul
In an effort to protect the integrity and critical function of the National Organic Program (NOP), food and farm policy research group, the Cornucopia Institute, has delivered more than 5,000 letters...
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3 GMO Potatoes Get USDA Approval
Three varieties of genetically modified potatoes have received approval for U.S. cultivation. The GMO potatoes are produced by Minnesota-based Calyxt, which received approval of another potato in...
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USDA’s National Organic Program Operating Illegally, Says Industry Watchdog...
istock/dmbaker Organic industry watchdog group, The Cornucopia Institute, has requested the USDA’s Office of Inspector General conduct an independent audit of the National Organic Program (NOP), over...
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40 Years of Failure to Update Humane Slaughter Act Lands USDA in Court
iStock/albertogagna The Animal Welfare Institute is suing the USDA for failing to respond to a petition calling for a Department update of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requiring all slaughter...
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USDA to Reimburse Organic and Transitional Farmers
istock/casaraguru Beginning on March 20, 2017, the USDA will accept applications for financial assistance from farmers transitioning to or maintaining organic certification, the agency announced this...
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On the Road to Organic, USDA Launches ‘Certified Transitional’ Program for...
istock/maximili In a partnership with the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans this week to develop a National Certified Transitional...
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Global Organic Food and Beverage Market Expected to Nearly Triple by 2022
iStock/valentinrussanov The global organic food and beverages market is expected to reach $327.6 billion by 2022, according to a new report by Allied Market Research. This projection would nearly...
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Got Organic? USDA Moves Closer to Organic Industry Checkoff Program
istock/gilaxia The USDA has announced plans to promote organic foods through a new national checkoff program, the Generic Research and Promotion Order for Organic (or GRO Organic), that could bring...
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Ground Beef Contains ‘Unlimited Quantities’ of Beef Hearts and Tongues
iStock/sergeyryzhov Producers can now add an unlimited amount of beef hearts to ground beef. This policy has been in place since July 2016 when USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) modified...
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USDA Violated Freedom of Information Act in Removing Animal Welfare Web...
istock/agnormark A lawsuit filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by five animal rights groups, says the USDA’s recent removal of web pages relating to animal welfare...
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Bird Flu Hits Tyson Foods Supplier in Tennessee
istock/roibu More than 73,000 bids on a Tennessee farm will be culled over the presence of the highly contagious bird flu virus (H7 avian influenza or HPAI). The birds, part of Tyson Foods Inc., supply...
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Hydroponic Farming Faces Ban on Organic Certification
iStock/primeimages The validity of the organic status of hydroponic farming will be addressed at the National Organic Standards Board meeting in Denver this week. The hydroponic farming issue...
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USDA Researchers Claim Scientific Integrity Has Been Tampered With
iStock/DragonImages Nearly ten percent of USDA scientists claim that their research has been altered or tampered with by superiors “for reasons other than technical merit,” a new survey showed earlier...
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USDA Begins Systematic Dismantling of Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
iStock/SolStock While efforts are underway in states like California to improve school lunches by banning unhealthy processed meats and adding vegan options to the menus, the Trump administration is...
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36 Million Pounds of Conventional Soybeans Fraudulently Sold as Organic in...
iStock/stevanovicigor Thirty-six million pounds of organic soybeans shipped to California from Turkey last December were not organic, but conventionally grown soybeans, according to documents obtained...
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Federal GMO Labeling Law Regulations Delayed
iStock/gilaxia The USDA is delayed in finalizing the regulations of the law mandating the labeling of genetically modified food. While the regulations were originally meant to be in place by July 2018,...
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