COOL under review and other top headlines for Jan. 23

This story from the NYT The Obama Administration may seek to tighten up labeling rules in the COOL rule, recently put under review by the new president.

President Obama has frozen an Agriculture Department rule set forth by the Bush administration requiring country-of-origin labeling on meat and other perishables. Opponents of the rule say that by allowing meat produced in domestic facilities that also process animals from abroad to carry a "multicountry" designation, it will blur the distinctions between U.S. and imported meats. It is expected that the new administration will seek to tighten the measure.

Here are some other headlines snatched from the Web today:

Citrus commission okays its own stimulus
The Florida Citrus Commission has agreed to spend nearly $7 million on advertising programs to increase sales of orange and grapefruit juices this year.

California stands to gain most from stimulus
In its current form, the plan would give California $4.46 billion for investment in water, roads, public transportation, highways and bridges, according to the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Fitch downgrades Dole From the story:

The downgrade is due to growing uncertainty surrounding Dole's string of significant near-term maturities, the company's negative free cash flow and the absence of a concrete plan to repay or refinance its obligations.

California farmers slash acreage to deal with drought Some Central Valley growers have credit frozen until they can show banks they have water. Processing tomato acreage to be cut, plus lettuce and melons. From the San Jose Mercury News:

Computer models of the state's parched reservoirs and this year's patchy snowfall showed shortages so extreme that federal officials could slash supplies down to zero, managers at the Westlands Water District told their members in an emergency conference call.

Costa Rica backs Ecuador in battle against EU From the Tico Times:

Ecuador and Costa Rica, the world's second- and third-largest banana exporters respectively, after Philippines, have condemned the EU's preferential treatment toward former colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific in allowing duty-free, quota-free access into the European market, while maintaining tariffs for Latin American countries.

Last year, countries in this region signed an agreement with the EU that says Europe would reduce its tax on bananas imported from Latin America from €176 ($229) to €114 ($148) a ton from 2009 to 2014.

The tariff was supposed to drop to €148 ($193) on Jan. 1, but the EU argued that the agreement was no longer binding as it was reached during a Doha round that broke down. Ruiz said the issue will be key during a meeting between Central American trade officials and the European Commission representative Catherine Ashton set for Monday in Brussels, Belgium.

Public yawns at climate change Just as I suspected. From The New Republic:
Andy Revkin passes along a new Pew report showing that very few people seem to care much about global warming—just 30 percent of respondents listed it as a "top priority," down from 38 percent two years ago.


Even good borrowers may face foreclosure soon From The Dallas Morning News

During the next couple of years, loans on billions of dollars in local commercial properties will expire, and the owners will have to find new financing.Unless the lenders change their approach, they can expect to foreclose on hundreds of local commercial properties.

A stimulus package for the world Economic crisis has already pushed 100 million into poverty, NYT says.

Wal-Mart completes takeover of Chilean grocer its biggest acquisition in Latin America

Wal-Mart's green store prototypes

Massachusetts f/v snack program feature

"Our students were thrilled to learn about the fruit and vegetable grant. The student response was very positive," Butts said. "We hope by introducing fresh fruit and vegetable snacks, our students will develop healthier eating habits and an interest in trying healthy new foods. With concerns about obesity and junk food consumption, this program has the potential to be a very positive move toward better health."

Fresh & Easy lets patrons shop for schools

Japan launches greenhouse gas rocket

In praise of pesticides Truth about Trade and Technology

There is still time to reconsider the EU’s ill-thought out new pesticide rules. Unless more people learn not to pillory pesticides but to praise them - or at least to acknowledge the good they do - there will be a big price to pay. The currency of that price will be higher European food costs and soaring death rates in developing countries.


FDA crackdown cuts back availability of Asian food for new year celebration

Exporters face new Canadian requirements Coverage from The Packer

Paying the price of obesity

Recent research by Adam Drewnowski, director of the Nutritional Science Program at the UW, has linked rising obesity rates in the United States with economic factors. The rise comes not from the amount of fats or sugars consumed, but is in conjunction with income level.

Drewnowski’s research found that obesity levels tend to increase as income levels and education decrease. Racial and ethnic minorities and areas of high poverty are also associated with higher obesity rates.

According to the study, the reason for the link between income and obesity is attributed to the fact that high-energy foods simply cost less to produce compared to healthier options such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Victory gardens to bloom again? More on the unlikely popularity of vegetable gardening. From the story:

During World War II, "victory gardens" planted at the behest of the federal government helped Americans cope with food shortages. (In World War I, they were called "liberty gardens.") By 1943, Americans had planted more than 20 million victory gardens and reportedly produced 8 million tons of food that one old film called "America's hid den weapon."

Now, in a fractured economic climate, a new victory-garden movement has captured the attention of people who want to lessen their reliance on mass-produced or imported food, reduce their carbon footprint, foster a sense of community or save on grocery bills.

United, food groups to Congress: "Quickly enact food safety reforms"

What the food industry wants from food safety reform is coming into tighter focus. This letter was sent yesterday by United Fresh, the NRA, FMI, GMA and others. No signature on this letter from PMA, FFVA or Western Growers on this letter, however. Open question -why not?


January 22, 2009
The Honorable Henry Waxman
The Honorable Joe Barton
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC, 20515
Dear Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Barton:
Our organizations urge you to quickly enact food safety reforms. Americans continue to enjoy the
safest food supplies in the world but rising food imports and changing consumer preferences pose new challenges that require Congress and the Administration to modernize our food safety net.
In particular, we urge you to:
• Require Food Safety Plans. Congress should require every food company manufacturing food for the US market to conduct an evaluation of food safety risks that identifies potential sources of
contamination, identifies appropriate food safety controls, and documents those controls in a food safety plan available for FDA review.
• Require Foreign Supplier Safety Plans and Build Foreign Capacity. Congress should build the
capacity of foreign governments to regulate food safety and to require every food importer to
police their foreign suppliers. In particular, Congress should require that food importers document the food safety measures and controls being implemented by their foreign suppliers, and to requirefood importers to make a foreign supplier food safety plan available for FDA review.
• Ensure the Safety of Fruits and Vegetables. Congress should give FDA the power to establish safety standards for certain fruits and vegetables – when risk and science demonstrate that standards are needed. FDA should be permitted to work with states and others to tailor standards to meet local growing conditions and to ensure that standards are being met.
• Adopt a Risk-Based Approach to Inspections. Congress should increase food safety inspection
and should focus domestic and foreign inspections on facilities that pose the greatest risk of
contamination that could result in foodborne illness or injury.
• Authorize Mandatory Recalls. Congress should give FDA the authority to order a mandatory recall when a company has refused to conduct a voluntary recall and there is a significant risk to public health. Specifically, where the responsible party refuses to voluntarily recall a product for which there is a reasonable probability that the food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death, the Secretary should be permitted to order the company to conduct a recall. Our organizations support efforts to continually improve the safety of America’s food supplies andurge Congress to continue to make the prevention of contamination the foundation of our nation’s food safety strategies. We urge Congress to quickly enact food safety reforms that w ill give FDA newpowers to reduce the risk of food-borne illness.


Sincerely,
American Frozen Food Institute
Food Marketing Institute
Grocery Manufacturers Association
International Bottled Water Association
International Dairy Foods Association
National Fisheries Institute
National Restaurant Association
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Snack Food Association
United Fresh

Crop damage in Florida - news roundup

Florida's freezing temperatures are grabbing headlines this morning. Here is a list of what's out there so far:

Florida freeze nails beans and other vegetables From The Packer's Doug Ohlemeier

A freeze that struck south Florida growing areas caused extensive damage to the region’s winter green beans and sweet corn.

Florida grower-shippers were assessing damage after temperatures plummeted to subfreezing levels — between 26 and 30 degrees — in the Homestead, Belle Glade, Immokalee and Plant City growing regions during the early morning hours of Jan. 22.

Florida strawberry growers, who spray their fields with water to form ice domes that protect the tender berries from freezing, in initial reports appear to have escaped serious damage.

While damage estimates weren’t available Jan. 22, some Belle Glade-area corn and green beans fields in initial reports sustained losses of at least 80%.

Emergency order in effect to speed harvest, crop transport From Marco Island Sun Times

Agricultural producers as far south as Lake Okeechobee are assessing crop damage caused by the frigid temperatures of the past two nights. Seventy million citrus trees and tens of thousands of acres of fresh fruits and vegetables were in regions where temperatures remained below 30 degrees for several hours.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said that while initial reports are coming in, the extent of the damage will not be known for several days.

Florida freeze threatens orange, blueberry crop From the AP

Freezing weather strikes Florida citrus groves From Reuters

Fearing frozen foods From Gainesville.com