Agriculture: Page 30

USDA Announces Fair Practices Rule to Protect Farmers' Rights

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) announced Wednesday updated regulations intended to protect the rights of farmers.

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Software Solutions

High-Tech Agriculture Continues to Reap Rewards for Farmers and Society

Through new technologies, farmers produce more efficiently and see an increase in profits while improving stewardship of ecosystems and local communities.

The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is one of the newest technologies being studied for improvements in agricultural precision.

Packaged Vegetables Recalled Over Listeria

The company announced Friday that the recall affects packages shipped to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, and with the “best if used by” dates between Aug. 7 and Aug. 19, 2016.

Affected items are in a clear plastic container or in Styrofoam trays wrapped with clear plastic film. They were sold at various vendors, including Publix, Wal-Mart, Winn Dixie, Harris Teeter Supermarkets and BI-LO.

Growers Eye FSMA Enforcement

Most produce growers, packers, processors or sellers will be subject to the rule, with staggered compliance deadlines ranging from two to four years, depending on the size of the operation.

Published in the Federal Register on Nov. 27, 2015, the final version of the Produce Safety Rule “establishes, for the first time, science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption,” according to the Food and Drug Administration.

What’s Driving Deforestation?

Land ownership and economic power are extremely unequal, and so is the responsibility for deforestation. We need to focus our efforts on the drivers that are most important.

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Rep. Rosa DeLauro Calls On FDA To Close Dole Salad Facility Over Listeria

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The outbreak spans the U.S. and Canada, was ongoing from May 2015 through spring this year and sickened at least 33 people.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Dole’s continued operation of the plant was “an outrage.”

USDA Certification To Help Growers Meet Retailers’ On-Farm Safety Requirements

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced the official launch of GroupGAP, a new certification program that helps small and mid-sized growers and cooperatives meet retailers' on-farm food safety requirements.

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Arizona Proposal To Eliminate Licensing Alarms The Produce Industry

Arizona lawmakers are considering a bill that seeks to do away with state licensing for a wide variety of professions, trades and positions — including packers of fresh produce and other foods.

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Farmworkers Call For Wendy’s Boycott Over Tomato Buying

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) are calling for the boycott as part of its long-running campaign to convince Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program.

The group claims that Wendy’s has decided to stop buying tomatoes from Florida growers after the Fair Food Program was implemented there, and now buys tomatoes from Mexico.

Chiquita Brands’ Fresh Express Inc. Recalls Bagged, Chopped Romaine

Chiquita Brands International | Fresh Express

The condiments’ ingredients are not included on the chopped romaine labels and therefore pose an allergen threat for people with food allergies or sensitivities to milk, eggs, wheat and fish.

The romaine from the Salinas, Calif., company primarily went to retail stores in Eastern and Southern states, according to the notice. Individual states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia.

Why Listeria Continues To Plague The Produce Industry

The food industry has controls in place to combat Listeriosis, along with other pathogens; yet outbreaks continue to occur, and we must ask the difficult question… why?

A look at the disease transmission factors associated with Listeria monocytogenes point out some unique and difficult problems that can confound our controls.

Listeria Outbreak Linked To Dole Salads Claims One Death, 12 Hospitalizations

Dole Food Company

Officials from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced they have been investigating the six-state outbreak since September 2015.

Dole Food Co. issued a voluntary market withdrawal of packaged salads from 23 states and three Canadian provinces a few hours after the CDC announcement.

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