This and that

Two irradiation plants being built in Pakistan should be done in February- can mangoes be far behind?

Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley thinks the FDA should stop worrying about trace back and use irradiation at the source to kill pathogens. Vegetable pasteurisation, so to say.

This link to a NY Times piece, "The Vegetable Industrial Complex", wonders if FDA action to clean up the produce industry will get rid of the little guys. If it means meeting HACCP standards, that indeed may be the unintended result.

The produce industry's one-time Congressional advocate and now Food Products Association leader Cal Dooley is quoted in this story about the rising demand for ethanol and the impact on food prices.

"The Gatekeeper" sounds like a horror novel by Stephen King, but this story about nutritional gatekeepers - i.e., parents. A poll finds that parents think they control about 72% of the food their children eat, but the perception is that they are slipping in authority. Researchers mention how dinner time is when the Gatekeeper can reassert control and boost f/v intake. Also, increasing access to fruits and vegetables is key to promoting healthier habits.

Politicians who attack Wal-Mart do so at their own peril, according to this story about a poll in Ohio and Florida.

Wal-Mart announces that its global procurement chief is leaving the company. The retailer is under pressure to grow sales, so analysts say turnover at the top is not surprising.

This story goes behind the headlines of the Miami port terror scare and revisits concerns about terrorism in the trucking industry. Another report talks about trucking company resistance to the cost of state and national security cards for drivers.

The new proposal from the Governator in California to expand health insurance is sketched here. The LA Times says the plan, announced today, will mandate employers with 10 workers or more to buy insurance for their workers or pay a fee of 4% of their payroll into a program to help provide coverage for the uninsured. I saw no stated exemptions for growers in this report.

This story talks about school wellness policies and notes the demise of cupcake-dominated class parties in favor more healthy food.