"Poisoned food"

Here is the link to the CNN site promoting the "poisoned food" special that runs tonight and tomorrow night. No video of the segment is available from CNN yet, but this appears to be setting up as the type of news feature that tends toward the bias that more needs to be done, perhaps in regard to a single food safety agency.

Labeling transition produce?

One of the things that United's Tom Stenzel mentioned in passing during his talk at The Packer's editorial meeting relates to the issue of labeling on transitional produce that is grown organically. He noted some consumers feel like they should know if produce is grown organically or not. That should include, some consumers believe, produce that is grown organically but is in the transition period from conventional to organic. For good reason or not, some consumers have expressed unease with crops grown organically - perhaps because they think organic production methods are more prone to food safety risks.

In the course of discussion both then and later, I think such a labeling scheme is folly. Already, some organic produce is marketed undifferentiated as conventional because of market conditions. It would be confusing and offer no public benefit to to require a label denoting organic growing methods were used on transitional produce.

New consumer f/v discussion group

I've created a consumer-oriented discussion group (note box on the side of the blog). Right now the only member is me. so the value of the discussion group is severely limited. Join the group and tell your sister, aunts, neighbors, co-workers, uncles, mothers, daughters, sons, fathers, etc. This is a group that is open to one and all, and will focus on consumer level issues relating to fruits and vegetables.