286 arrested in ICE enforcement surge

286 arrested in ICE's largest ever enforcement surge targeting criminal aliens
2 convicted rapists and armed robber among those captured in 3-day California operation

LOS ANGELES - Nearly 300 foreign nationals with criminal records have been removed from the United States or are facing deportation following a three-day enforcement surge in California, making it the biggest operation targeting at large criminal aliens ever carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

During the operation, which concluded late Thursday, ICE officers located and arrested a total of 280 criminal aliens statewide, along with six non-criminal aliens who had final orders of deportation. More than 80 percent of the criminal aliens taken into custody had prior convictions for serious or violent crimes, such as rape by force, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Also included in the group are 30 convicted sex offenders, many whose crimes involved sexual assaults on children. Of those arrested, at least 100 have already been removed from the country.

At a news conference here Friday morning, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton announced the results of the special operation, which involved more than 400 agents and officers from ICE, the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as several other state and local agencies. Assistant Secretary Morton cited the operation as another example of the vital role multi-agency cooperation and targeted immigration enforcement play in protecting our communities.

"Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE's mission," said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary John Morton, who oversees ICE. "Legal immigration is an important part of our country's history and the American dream exists for many immigrants. However, that dream involves playing by the rules and those who break our criminal laws will be removed from the country. Sadly, many of the people victimized by aliens who commit crimes are other members of the immigrant community, who are following the rules."

Northern California accounted for the largest number of arrests during the operation where a total of 119 criminal aliens were taken into custody. The Los Angeles-area recorded the next highest number of arrests with 96, followed by San Diego and Imperial counties collectively with 71. The arrestees, 257 men and 29 women, represent more than 30 different nations, including countries in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Because of their serious criminal histories and prior immigration arrest records, at least 17 of those arrested during the enforcement surge will face further federal prosecution for reentering the country illegally after a formal deportation. A conviction for felony re-entry carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Among the arrestees being federally prosecuted is a previously deported Guatemalan national with ties to the Mid-city street gang whose criminal history includes a prior conviction for first degree robbery. Ulises Vazuiz Arucha, 37, was taken into custody by ICE officers Dec. 8 in Reseda, Calif. Also facing felony re-entry charges is Ignacio Camacho-Madrigal, 43, a Mexican national formerly convicted of committing a lewd act on a child under 14. Camacho-Madrigal was arrested by ICE Dec. 8 in Rialto, Calif.

The foreign nationals detained during the operation who are not being criminally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining aliens are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.

This week's special enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE's Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for locating, arresting, and removing at large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives - aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation handed down by the nation's immigration courts. ICE's Fugitive Operations Teams (FOTs) give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including members of transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.

Last year, ICE's 104 FOTs nationwide made 35,094 arrests. More than 31,000 of those arrests, or nearly 89 percent, involved immigration fugitives and aliens with prior criminal convictions. Criminal aliens specifically accounted for approximately 45 percent of the overall total, including more than 3,600 individuals with prior convictions for violent crimes, such as murder and assault.

The officers who conducted this week's special operation received substantial assistance from ICE's Fugitive Operations Support Center (FOSC) located in South Burlington, Vermont. The FOSC conducted exhaustive database checks on the targeted cases to help ensure the viability of the leads and accuracy of the criminal histories. The FOSC was established in 2006 to improve the integrity of the data available on at large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives nationwide. Since its inception, the FOSC has forwarded more than 150,000 case leads to ICE enforcement personnel in the field.

ICE's Fugitive Operations Program is just one facet of the Department of Homeland Security's broader strategy to heighten the federal government's effectiveness at identifying and removing dangerous criminal aliens from the United States. Other initiatives that figure prominently in this effort are the Criminal Alien Program, Secure Communities and the agency's partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies under 287(g).

Largely as a result of these initiatives, ICE removed a total of 136,126 criminal aliens from the United States last year, a record number.

-- ICE --

Can we afford health care reform? NYT Edit

Can We Afford It? - NYT

Published: December 12, 2009

Republican critics have a fiercely argued list of reasons to oppose health care reform. One that is resonating is that the nation cannot afford in tough economic times to add a new trillion-dollar health care entitlement.
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We understand why Americans may be skittish, but the argument is at best disingenuous and at worst a flat misrepresentation. Over the next two decades, the pending bills would actually reduce deficits by a small amount and reforms in how medical care is delivered and paid for — begun now on a small scale — could significantly reduce future deficits. Here is a closer look at the benefits and costs of health care reform:

STATUS QUO IS UNSUSTAINABLE More than 46 million Americans have no insurance, and millions more have such poor coverage that a severe illness threatens bankruptcy. Small employers are dropping coverage because of the cost. Those lucky enough to have insurance are struggling with higher premiums and co-payments, and worry that if they are laid off they could lose coverage.

Without reform, that bad situation will only get worse. The Commonwealth Fund, a respected research organization, warned that the average premium for family coverage in employer-sponsored policies would almost double in the coming decade, from about $12,300 in 2008 to $23,800 in 2020, with part paid by workers and part by employers. Premiums are also soaring for individuals who buy their own coverage directly.

BUT A TRILLION DOLLARS? Both the House and Senate bills would cover more than 30 million of the uninsured, and fully pay for it — in part by raising taxes (either on wealthy Americans or high-premium health plans and certain manufacturers and insurers) and in part by cutting payments to health care providers and private plans that serve Medicare patients.

A trillion dollars is still a lot of money, but it needs to be put in some perspective. Extending Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy would very likely cost $4 trillion over the next decade. And the Medicare prescription drug benefit, passed by a Republican-dominated Congress, is expected to cost at least $700 billion over the next decade. Unlike this health care reform, it became law with no offsetting cuts and very little provision to pay for it.

YES, THEY OVER-PROMISED President Obama and his aides have, at times, made it sound as if health care reform was the answer to runaway deficits and soaring premiums. That is true in the long run, but not now.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that the vast majority of Americans, those covered by employer-sponsored insurance, would see little change or a modest decline in their average premiums under the Senate bill. It predicts that the bills would reduce deficits in the first decade by a modest $130 billion or so and perhaps $650 billion in the next decade — a small share of the burden.

Critics scoff that Congress will never carry out the required cuts in payments to Medicare providers. It is true that Congress has repeatedly deferred draconian cuts in doctors’ reimbursements. It has had no reluctance imposing other savings. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal analytical group, examined every major Medicare cut in deficit reduction bills over the past two decades. Virtually all of the savings imposed in the 1990, 1993 and 2005 bills survived intact. So did 80 percent of the savings in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.

There is an easy way to stiffen Congress’s spine: it should adopt separate pay-as-you-go rules that would require that any concession to providers be paid for by tax increases or compensating cuts in other programs.

SHOULD WE GIVE UP ON SAVINGS? The House and Senate bills, and the stimulus legislation, have a lot of ideas that could bring down costs over time.

Electronic medical records could eliminate redundant tests; standardized forms and automated claims processing could save hundreds of billions of dollars; “effectiveness” research would help doctors avoid costly treatments that don’t work; various pilot projects devised to foster better coordination of care and a shift away from fee-for-service toward fixed payments for a year’s worth of a patient’s care all show some promise.

These reforms are mostly untested. And the C.B.O. is properly cautious when it says that it does not see much if any savings for the government during the next decade, in part because of upfront costs and in part because no one knows what will work. These efforts are unlikely to be tried on any serious scale without reform.

NO SINGLE FIX The debate is not over and sensible proposals are emerging in the Senate to strengthen cost control. Various amendments would increase the penalties for hospitals that infect patients, let Americans import cheaper drugs from abroad and modestly increase the powers of a new commission that is supposed to recommend ways to reduce Medicare costs. The House bill has cost-cutting measures that could be incorporated into a final bill, including authority for the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries.

Aggressive testing of promising ideas should increase the likelihood of ultimate success. And millions of uninsured Americans should not be forced to wait until all the answers are found.

What's cooking for kids' meals? Austin Daily American

What's Cookin'?
-- Angela Moore, U.S. commentary editor

Food on children's plates may be linked to learning

Tomorrow morning, many students at Southgate Elementary school will start off their day with two Pop Tarts. For lunch they’ll have a “Saucy Blues Chicken Sandwich,” and a few sides.

As one could guess, these meals are not made from scratch. Breakfasts and lunches served at Austin Public Schools, and in districts and private schools across the state, are often composed mainly of processed foods.

This keeps costs down, and enables schools to receive government subsidies for providing nutritional meals at an affordable rate for all students.

The meals served in APS’s schools meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutritional standards, with near flying colors.

However, next year, Congress will revisit the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, which governs the lunch program.

For now, APS’s food service is okay by the USDA, the federal and state government, and the vast majority of students who eat the meals each day, but a new study suggests certain processed foods may be linked to an increase in children’s learning disorders.

The study, published in November’s issue of "Behavioral and Brain Functions Journal," suggests better policies are needed to keep healthier foods in front of kids.

Nutrition and learning

Researchers documented links between synthetic food dyes, mercury consumption, and mineral deficiencies to increases in child learning and behavioral disorders in the study, “Mercury Exposure, Nutritional Deficiencies and Metabolic Disruptions May Affect Learning in Children.”

Report co-author Dr. David Wallinga, director of the Food and Health Program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, told the Minnesota Newspaper Association that his research found evidence that several common processed foods and ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, contain mercury — a known neurotoxin.

Wallinga said the average American gets about 1 in 10 calories from high fructose corn syrup, which can contain mercury as a result of manufacturing processes.

Food companies often take issue with criticism of high fructose corn syrup, saying it is equal in nutrition to natural sugar.

The study also states that food color additives — specifically yellow 5 and yellow 6 — contain a small amount of mercury and also have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Wallinga recommends a diet with more healthy, whole, unprocessed foods to avoid the food dyes, mercury consumption and mineral deficiencies.

Hy-Vee dietitian Jen Haugen said there are plenty of things parents can do to feed their kid’s brains early on.

“Parents should not limit fat at all until the child is 2-years-old,” she said.

Haugen noted that the brain is 60 percent fat, and said children who don’t get enough fat early in life can have problems later.

After age 2, fat is still very important though.

Haugen said kids need Omega-3 fatty acids — which can be found in fatty fish, walnuts, chia seeds and flax.

“There is a link between kids with Omega-3 deficiencies and Attention Deficit Disorders and Dyslexia... In the Midwest we tend not to eat a lot of seafood, but you can get Omega-3s from those other sources,” she said.

The study also says that “Omega-3 fatty acids are required for normal neural development,” but reminds readers that some types of fish are widely known to be contaminated with mercury.

Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA also notes that albacore or white tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna.

Zinc and iron deficiencies can also result in low cognitive performance, according to both Haugen and the study.

To avoid this, kids need protein. Red meat can be a good source.

Haugen said that well-balanced meals help children’s behavior and can even prevent learning problems and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

The complete Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy study is available in the “Behavioral and Brain Functions Journal” and online at www.behavioralandbrainfunctions.com/content/5/1/44

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is working to reform how toxic chemicals are regulated in Minnesota and nationally to help ensure a healthy food system.

School lunches

President Obama noted earlier this year that for many children school lunches are "their most nutritious meal — sometimes their only meal — of the day," as quoted in USA Today.

APS, along with the state, operates their meal service under the USDA’s National School Lunch Program (NSLP) which operates under federal legislation, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Basic nutrition standards have not been revamped since 1995 and next year, Congress could do so in revisiting the Child Nutrition Act, which governs the program.

As it currently stands, the lunch program is a federally-assisted meal program in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions. It is meant to provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children.

More than 50 percent of Austin’s elementary students, and a bit less than 50 percent of middle and high school students receive free or reduced lunches.

Mary Weikam, director of food and nutrition for APS, said her task is to create lunch menus within USDA nutrition standards, while breaking even on the cost.

“Our goal is to be self-sustaining,” Weikam said, noting they get funds from lunch sales, a la carte sales and government subsidies.

Ellis and Austin High School serve the a la carte food, which is not a part of the federal program and thus not regulated. A la carte offerings at AHS include pizza, hot dogs, cheeseburgers and sandwiches.

The new legislation might set standards for foods sold outside the lunch line.

“The nutrition standards are definitely outdated.” Weikam said of the lunch program. “It’s based on the old food pyramid.”

The USDA sets nutrition standards but decisions about what to serve and how to prepare it rests with the schools, according to the USDA.

Standards are based on 1995 Dietary Guildelines, mandating that no more than 30 percent of calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations say that school lunches must provide one third of recommended dietary allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories (based on 1995 data). Total calorie intake is not mandated.

Weikam noted that much of the food served in APS is processed, frozen or canned — fresh fruit does get served a few times a week, and fresh vegetables once a week.

The meat is typically purchased pre-cooked, and Weikam said most schools would have it no other way because of food safety.

USA Today reported Wednesday that meat the government has provided the nation's schools wouldn't meet the quality or safety standards of many fast-food restaurants. APS purchases their food from commercial suppliers, but does receive some commodities from the government, which is often canned vegetables or fruit, Weikam said.

The government buys up farming surpluses and gives it to schools based on the number of students eligible for government assistance.

Weikam said she does not see a way right now to move past serving processed foods in the schools. As it stands currently, 60 percent of the programs costs are wrapped up in labor.

“There’s what is ideal and what is reality,” Weikam said. “Unless they increased the reimbursements for lunch, there is no way we can afford the labor to scratch-cook.”

It is difficult to tell what is to come until the legislation lands in Congress next year.

President Obama proposed an additional $1 billion for child nutrition programs, including school lunch, in his 2010 budget.

Brain food

Haugen said kids, and adults, should go back to the basics if they are looking for brain food.

Lunches high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains help power concentration for the rest of the day, she said.

Fiber and antioxidants provide “staying power,” she said.

“Foods rich in these will help kids focus,” Haugen said.

Haugen also said not to forget the most important meal of the day.

“Kids that eat breakfast have shown to have higher test scores,” she said.

A healthy breakfast consists of a grain, a fruit and a dairy or protein, she said.

“A good breakfast is not just having toast and going out the door.”

Haugen’s healthy, quick breakfast suggestions for kids and adults are shown in a sidebar.

Haugen also noted that having a meal at home with the whole family five times a week has been linked to good behavior and academic standing.

“This should be a huge priority,” she said. “It does not have to be supper; it can be breakfast if that is more convenient.”

Haugen continued, “You are more likely to eat healthy at home, so this gives families a chance to spend time together, and see positive results both in their health and their lives.”

French agriculture addressing climate change - USDA FAS

French Agriculture Addressing Climate Change

Report Highlights: Agriculture being a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption in France, many research institutes have conducted programs to assess the impact of climate change on French agriculture and identify how agriculture can adapt to climate change. Climate change was identified as the major factor explaining the stagnation in wheat yields observed over the past decade in France. By contrast, corn yields have continued to increase gradually, and the same trend is expected in the next 30 years, actually benefitting from climate change. On cattle farms, reducing indirect energy consumption (consisting of fertilizer use and animal feed purchase) and increasingly producing and consuming renewable energies (biogas to produce heat and electricity, photovoltaic electricity and biomass to produce heat) are recommended.

Impact of Climate Change on Crop Production: Winners and Losers In France, agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption, and the French government has taken a number of policy initiatives to increase energy independence on the farm and develop bioenergy production (see GAIN report FR9022 [1] ). Also, many research programs have been conducted to assess the impact of climate change on French agriculture and identify how agriculture can adapt to climate change. INRA/CIRAD observed that in the French Mediterranean area, temperatures have increased faster than than normal since 1980, accelerating the development of plants, and causing species to mature earlier before. An expansion of the area covered by the Mediterranean climate in France was observed. The average water shortage has increased in summer and fall. According to ADEME, agriculture and forestry production will need to adapt to the reduction in water availability, increase in pest damage, modification in vegetative periods, and slow down in yield increase. o Wheat Arvalis and INRA have studied the stagnation of average wheat yields since 1980. They concluded that climate change, with drought and higher temperatures, is the major factor explaining this stagnation, particularly since 1995, more than genetic improvement, fertilizer use, crop protection, or crop rotation. The French Animal Breeding Institute has recommended that wheat should be planted earlier, and earlier wheat varieties should be grown to avoid scalding, high temperatures, and strong water deficit. Arvalis noted that with warmer conditions and an earlier end to winter, farmers could begin planting earlier in the season. Arvalis recommended that research on wheat varieties target shorter maturity than they do currently, so that grain test weight would not decline.


Author’s perspective: As the largest producer of wheat in Europe and a major exporter of wheat on world markets, France is concerned by the stagnation of yields, and many agricultural specialists are currently analyzing the phenomenon. Given the recent statements made by U.S. wheat producers in favor of adopting biotech wheat, French farmers are expected to closely monitor trends in U.S. wheat yields in the next few years. o Corn Arvalis and INRA observed that, unlike wheat yields, average corn yields continued to increase in the past 20 years in France. This included higher yields in Northern France, where higher temperatures were more favorable to corn development, and a declining trend in Southern France, were drought affected corn yield potential. In fact, corn cultivation of earlier varieties in areas of water deficit benefitted from higher temperatures and limited drying costs. The area of corn infestation by pests has significantly expanded (including corn borers, sesamias, and wireworms), however. Based on modeling and simulation, Arvalis and INRA concluded that perspectives for average corn yields are favorable in the medium term until 2050, due to production cycles adapting to climate change, and harvested corn having lower moisture content than the current average, therefore reducing drying costs. Until 2050, corn yields are expected to increase, benefitting from higher carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. However, perspectives are negative in the longer-term (2070-2100), as summer droughts are expected to be more severe and temperatures significantly higher. Corn plantings would need to take place earlier than current practices. Corn varieties planted would need to be more resistant to drought and higher temperatures. Increased needs for irrigation are expected to require more water storage in winter. For planting seeds, Arvalis and INRA recommended that research on corn seeds focus increased tolerance to high temperatures and drought, but also to low temperatures expected in the early stages of the developing cycle (as corn is anticipated to have to be planted as early as February), and to higher rates of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Given the past and current expansion of pest infestation areas, Arvalis underlined crop protection was a key element to manage in the future. Author’s perspective: Although adaptation of crop protection to climate change was not surveyed in the research programs presented in these conferences, reinforcing crop protection against pest damages damages is obviously a key line of research for seed companies. French researchers have already observed a higher number of generations of the corn borer within one year, and an expansion of the infestation area on sesamia (another corn pest) in some areas. In this regards, it is important to note that the biotech corn event currently banned in France (MON810) protects corn against these two insects. The impossibility for French corn growers to plant this corn reduces the number of tools they can use to protect their crops.  Dairy and Livestock Production Adapting to Climate Change According to the French Animal Breeding Institute, GHG emissions by cattle production mainly include methane emission through enteric fermentation during cattle digestion (49 percent), followed by nitrous oxide emission through fertilization and animal waste (37 percent), and carbon dioxide emission due to input purchases and fuel and electricity use (14 percent). Overall, energy consumption by cattle farms totals 15 percent of GHG emissions, of which 5 percent direct energy consumption and 10 percent indirect energy consumption through input use. o Reducing Energy Consumption The French Animal Breeding Institute studied the energy consumption of livestock and dairy farms, and concluded that indirect energy consumption (including fertilizer use and animal feed purchase) is where there is highest potential reduction, by contrast with direct energy consumption (including electricity and oil-derived products consumption). To reduce indirect energy use, the research institute recommended mainly to reduce the use of imported animal feed and favored the use of locally-produced feed. It also recommended reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and using more organic fertilizers (legume cultivation, inter-crop cultivation, use of animal waste). o Producing and Consuming Renewable Energies Biogas The French Animal Breeding Institute considers on-farm methanization can reduce methane emissions by 60 percent compared to traditional waste storage on cattle farms, and the biogas produced could replace fossil energies. A co-generation process produces 35 percent electricity (sold to the electricity company and injected on the public electrical network) and 50 percent heat (hot water, hot air, or fuel gas to be used on the farm). The research institute believes on-farm methanization not only meets environmental objectives (GHG emission reduction, production of renewable energies), but also meets social and regional objectives (diversifying sources of farmers income, improving animal waste management by farmers, modernizing public perception of farmers as suppliers of “green energy”). However, biogas production represents high maintenance and high capital investment. This may require several farmers to join their efforts in starting such production. Photovoltaic Electricity Photovoltaic electricity production requires heavy investments like biogas production, but low maintenance. There are numerous French farmers currently investing in photovoltaic electricity production, despite the high investment in equipment needed to start such business. This results from the subsidized prices at which the electricity produced is purchased by the national electricity company “Electricite de France” (EDF) when injected in the public electricity network. Support prices are expected to be reduced to zero by 2020. ADEME and the French Animal Breeding Institute consider that, with solar panels placed on the roof of farm buildings, the orientation of the buildings relative to sunlight, wind and land slope need to correspond to optimal electricity production and is adequate with animal breeding.

Biomass to Produce Heat Straw and wood are the main sources of biomass available on farms. ADEME and the Animal Breeding Institute believe biomass-based energy is viable provided local biomass is used to produce heat to local customers. Like biogas production, biomass-based energy production represents an opportunity to add value to products usually wasted with no use, but is a new sector that needs to be built. Author’s perspective: While French renewable energy production has almost exclusively consisted of biofuel production (mainly biodiesel made from rapeseed and bioethnaol made from wheat and sugarbeet), the initiatives presented above tend to diversify France’s bioenergy production. While crop producers had almost the monopoly on these technologies, livestock producers are now increasingly involved. This illustrates the fact that the whole French agriculture is now involved in fighting climate change.  R&D - Innovation CLIMATOR (2007-2010), funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), and conducted by research institutes, universities, and Meteo France aims to supply methods, tools and references on the impact of climate change on various agricultural ecosystems located in the various climates of France. The ADAGE project, funded by ANR, coordinated by INRA, and including 150 French scientific experts, industry and public authorities, aims to identify the needs for R&D and develop an ambitious national research strategy.

Costco not feeling the heat ....

The grocery business is known for its razor-thin margins, but, even as food prices plunge and stores battle for consumer dollars, Costco Wholesale Corp. said it isn't feeling pressure from its rivals.

On an earnings conference call with analysts Thursday, Costco's /quotes/comstock/15*!cost/quotes/nls/cost (COST 59.32, +0.56, +0.95%) chief financial officer, Richard Galanti, said the company hadn't been feeling an impact from the price wars in the grocery space. Read more about Costco's earnings.


"I don't want to belittle the supermarkets or Wal-Mart /quotes/comstock/13*!wmt/quotes/nls/wmt (WMT 54.65, -0.04, -0.07%) ; they are both great retailers," he said, going on to point out that markups at supermarkets are in the mid-20% range and markups at Wal-Mart are in the high teens to low-20% range, while Costco's average markup is about 11%.

Even as he acknowledged that Americans tend to visit Wal-Mart and Target /quotes/comstock/13*!tgt/quotes/nls/tgt (TGT 46.93, +0.94, +2.04%) stores once a week, and "everybody still shops at the supermarket a couple times a week" -- going to Costco less frequently -- his company's pricing hasn't been impacted by what competitors are doing.

"In terms of pricing, I don't want to be arrogant about it, but I can't predict what the future will hold," the CFO said. "We've held our own pretty well in tough times."

While grocers and discount supercenters are locked in cutthroat price competition, one industry player doesn't seem to be fazed.

British government urges supermarkets to label products from Israeli settlements

British government urges supermarkets to label products from Israeli settlements

December 11, 2009

LONDON (JTA) -- The British government advised supermarket chains to label clearly all products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights.

The move was condemned by Israeli officials who promised to fight against it, but the British government says the decision simply provides clarity and openness to consumers.

When asked about it some time ago, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that the aim is to make sure that shoppers have clear information.

In Israel, the move was described as "capitulation to Palestinian organizations." While the international community considers neither territory to be part of Israel, the Golan Heights was annexed by Israel nearly three decades ago.

Recently pro-Palestinian campaigners in Britain have increased their pressure on major supermarket chains that import Israeli products, demanding that they bar all imports from Israel in addition to those produced by Israelis in the West Bank.

Currently all products state the country of origin in small letters, and all products from Israel are labeled as those from other parts of the world. Some food chains did indicate specifically if products were made in the West Bank, but did not say if they were made in Arab or Jewish areas.

It is not yet clear if and how the supermarkets will respond to the new advice.

Healthy school snack program at Beverly J. Martin hurting for funds

Healthy school snack program at Beverly J. Martin hurting for funds

ITHACA -- A child nutrition program at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School may end before the school year is out if additional funding cannot be found.

he Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program needs $43,000 to continue until the end of the school year, said Amie Hamlin, executive director of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. Current funds will run out Jan. 4.

The program provides students with four free servings of fruits and vegetables as a snack each day. The food is all raw, mostly locally-grown and organic, and eaten without dips or dressings.

Hamlin and program director Lara Kaltman are trying to get a referendum to support the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Snack Program on the ballot in May along with votes on the school budget and board member elections. But a referendum to support the program may be more difficult than they thought.

"Including the program under the general fund budget is not a good idea, which is why we want to propose a separate referendum," Kaltman said. "However, we're hearing this might not be possible. Without this support, there is no way to continue this program on an ongoing basis, nor expand to other schools."

Hamlin said that because the grants that were flowing to the program last school year have slowed this year, the program's financial situation has deteriorated.

"I would say that certainly the foundations that give out money are under more pressure than ever before," she said. A poor economy has resulted in more applications for the same amount of grants. "That means we have the same number of dollars to split up among many others."

The New York Coalition for Healthy School Food is dedicated to education about nutrition in school food and to bringing healthier food into school cafeterias. In September, the coalition was recognized for its efforts with an award and grant from The Moms of the Revolution contest, sponsored by Revolution Foods and KIWI Magazine.

Though much of the work of preparing the snacks is done by volunteers, the program's main expense is a full-time program manager, Hamlin said.

The coalition has raised nearly $100,000 to fund the program since its beginnings in the spring of 2008.

"The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program created a school wide culture of wellness," said BJM Principal Denise Gomber. "There are no longer situations of have and have not related to affordability and access because this program has completely eliminated that inequity in our school."




I commend you for a great program which encourages lifelong healthy eating! However, I cannot afford to give all organic produce and fruit to my family, although I would like to, since it is priced at a premium. Perhaps that is where the cuts will need to be.



Thanks to the Ithaca Journal for a great article. I need to clarify that the program manager's salary is NOT the main expense of the program. Her salary is just over one-third of the budget. The largest single expense expense of the program is fruits and vegetables. Our budgets are scrutinized by all of the foundations that have funded the program.
~ Amie Hamlin, Executive Director

China asparagus: USDA FAS

China - Peoples Republic of Post: Beijing Asparagus Annual 2009

Highlights: Marketing year (MY) 2010 fresh asparagus production is forecast at 200,000 metric tons (MT), a 20 percent drop from last year on significant acreage decline. Farmers are expected to shift production to other crops because of continued low prices. However, MY 2010


Executive Summary: Marking year (MY) 2010 fresh asparagus production is forecast at 200,000 metric tons (MT), a 20 percent drop from last year based on significant acreage decline. Farmers are expected to shift production to other crops on expectations of continued low prices. MY 2008 and MY 2009 production estimates were also reduced because of weaker export demand (due to the effects of the global economic recession), which caused planted acreage to drop more dramatically than what was earlier projected. However, MY 2010 canned/jarred and frozen asparagus exports are projected to rise to 84,000 MT and 33,000 MT due to strong demand from Europe, Japan, and South Korea. Domestic consumption is believed to be relatively stable, and has been revised in the PSD table (for the last 3 years). canned/jarred and frozen asparagus exports are projected to rise to 84,000 MT and 33,000 MT due to strong demand from Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

Production: For MY 2010, China’s fresh asparagus production is forecast at 200,000 metric tons (MT), a 20 percent drop from last year based on significant acreage decline. Domestic processing plants purchase the majority of China’s fresh asparagus crop for export; however, in the last few years, processor purchases of fresh domestic asparagus have decreased. In MY 2009, more than 50 percent of canned/jarred asparagus processors and 60 percent of frozen asparagus processors suspended production, which caused farm gate prices to drop to extremely low levels (the lowest in 10 years) and significantly cut farm profit margins. Because of extremely low prices, for MY 2010 farmers are expected to shift acreage to other crops in lieu of asparagus, such as corn. MY 2008 and MY 2009 production estimates were also reduced on weaker export demand (due to the effects of the global economic recession), which caused planted acreage to drop more dramatically than what was earlier projected. Seed quality continues to be a major constraint for China’s asparagus production. F1 seeds generate higher yields and a better quality product, but are significantly more expensive than their F2 counterpart, which produces a lower yield and is prone to disease. F1 seeds cost about USD $510 per lb (RMB $8,000 per kg), while F2 seeds are USD $26 per lb (RMB $400 per kg). Industry sources indicate that F2 seeds are planted on 70 to 80 percent of China’s total asparagus acreage. Such a high percentage is not just because of its lower price, but also due to swindling. Middle men have been known to sell F2 seeds that are labeled as the F1 variety. As a result, because it is difficult to visually differentiate between the seeds, a farmer does not know if he purchased the higher quality seed until harvest, or 2 to 3 years after planting. Such misrepresentation can be very expensive (and financially ruin some farmers) since green and white asparagus production requires a certain amount of seeds to be used per hectare. For example, one hectare of green asparagus requires 1,050 to 1,200 grams; while one hectare of white asparagus requires only 750 to 900 grams. The harvest season for fresh asparagus is from April to August, but off-season greenhouse production allows asparagus to be available year round. Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, Henan, and Fujian provinces are the largest asparagus producers, accounting for 80 percent of total production. Because of lower returns in the last few years, some farmers have used fewer inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides. This asparagus has been marketed as “organic,” although it should not necessarily be labeled as such since true organic products utilize only natural inputs. Consumption: Many Chinese generally do not purchase asparagus as it is not a traditional food . However, because many Chinese consumers are health-conscious, the vegetable has a lot of marketing potential. Unfortunately, there is a general lack of knowledge about its health benefits. Asparagus is rich in amino acids, protein, and vitamins that are believed to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and hypertension.

Don't deny the poor milk and meat: International Livestock Research Institute

Livestock lead to better health in developing nations, rising consumption poses challenge
11.dec.09
International Livestock Research Institute
Megan Dold, Jeff Haskins

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK -- In the face of reports about the ills livestock generate for the climate, environment and health, a new study published in the December issue of the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability emphasizes that livestock production in developing and developed countries are very different animals.
While rising consumption of meat, milk and eggs is one of the factors in epidemics of obesity and heart disease in developed countries, consumption of meat and milk in developing countries is associated with good rather than bad health. In poor countries, where most people subsist on poor starchy diets, the study highlights the fact that modest amounts of these foods improve people's nutrition and health, lower mortality rates, and enhance child development.
Furthermore, the new analysis by researchers at the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Center for Collaborative Conservation at Colorado State University, finds that the current environmental risks posed by livestock are driven mainly by the impacts of over-consumption of livestock foods in wealthy countries and rapidly growing demand in emerging economies, particularly in China, Southeast Asia, and Brazil.
"Livestock are a lifeline for hundreds of millions of people, for whom livestock represent one of few options available to improve their incomes and nutrition," said Carlos Seré, director general of ILRI.
Nowhere is the "meat divide" between rich and poor greater than in levels of consumption of livestock foods. The authors note, for example, that although annual consumption of milk in the developing world is expected by 2050 to rise from an average of 44 to 78 kilograms per person, this is still far less than the 202 kilos per person consumed today in wealthy countries.
"It would be unethical, even for the sake of the environment, to advocate policies that prevent the poor from increasing their consumption of milk and meat, when they consume significantly less than people in rich countries," said Mario Herrero, the paper's lead author and a senior scientist at ILRI, which is one of 15 research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). "However, without further investments in livestock that improve production and marketing efficiencies, rapid increases in milk and meat consumption in developing countries pose serious threats to the environment and will still fail to feed many of the world's poorest and hungriest people."
Milk, beef, eggs, chicken, and pork are key global commodities. Livestock production systems occupy 45 percent of the earth's land surface, excluding Antarctica, and are worth at least US$1.4 trillion. Livestock production employs 1.3 billion people globally and is directly responsible for the livelihoods of 600 million poor livestock keepers. The market for dairy products produced by smallholders, for example, is significant in many developing economies, with India now the largest dairy producer in the world. And growing dairy enterprises mean more jobs for the poor: every 100 litres of milk handled daily in Kenya, for example, provides two full-time jobs, and at higher than the minimum wage.
According to the ILRI study, most livestock operations in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are far from industrial. Livestock are either raised on small farms where they feed largely on leaves, stalks and other non-edible remains of food crops, or are herded over marginal lands unsuited for crop cultivation by pastoralists in search of grass.
Emissions from animal products account for about 18 percent of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Expanding industrial livestock operations in China and other emerging Asian economies, and deforestation driven by large-scale cattle farming, are significant sources of livestock-related GHG emissions in developing countries.
"Livestock are not bad for the environment everywhere," said Herrero. "We need a thorough consideration of the trade-offs involved in livestock systems, so that we know where and how it makes sense to limit livestock production and consumption and where and how to increase production in sustainable ways."
The authors cite major opportunities for easing the tradeoffs, such as improved management of vast rangelands to remove significant quantities of carbon from the atmosphere in exchange for environmental service payments. There are also opportunities for exploiting synergies among different components of livestock-based agro-ecosystems, such as by breeding food crops to make better and wider use of their stover for livestock feed and providing incentives to pastoral livestock herders to continue to conserve the wildlife on their rangelands.
Changes in animal diets can dramatically reduce the amount of methane produced per animal. Shifting to more productive breeds would allow farmers to reduce the number of animals they keep while increasing their production levels.
"Governments and policymakers need to design policies that cap animal numbers, while at the same time providing incentives that encourage farmers to feed their animals better, so they can produce more food with fewer emissions," said Seré.
There are also proven technologies that significantly reduce emissions from manure on industrial farms. According to the ILRI study, paying communities for their "environmental services" would encourage herders on vast rangelands of Africa and Latin America to adopt practices that would help protect biodiversity, as well as store carbon.
"Right now, farmers get paid only for the beef or milk that they produce. If these other options come on board, then people will adopt more sustainable practices to cash in on environmental services," said Seré.
About International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI): The Africa-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality science and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It has its headquarters in Kenya and a principal campus in Ethiopia. It also has teams working out of offices in Nigeria, Mali, Mozambique, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam and China. For more information, please visit: www.ilri.org.

First decline in U.S. food prices since 1967-Gov't

First decline in U.S. food prices since 1967-Gov't
Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:17pm EST

WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. food prices will rise by a scant 2 percent this year, posting the first decline in the year-on-year rate of increase in four decades, an Agriculture Department official said on Thursday.

The rate decline, due to the economic slowdown that hit a year ago, follows a 5.5 percent surge in food prices in 2008, the largest increase in two decades.

Ephraim Leibtag, USDA's food price forecaster, said sustained downturns in prices for beef, pork, milk, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit would result in the first year-on-year decline in food inflation since 1967.

"It's going to be hard to see more than 2 percent in 2009," he said, with one month left to record.

Economic recovery in 2010 will bring a 3-4 percent increase in food prices due to higher demand.

Leibtag said food prices would hold steady during the early months of the new year and then rise moderately. The largest gains would come in seafood, fruits and vegetables. Beef and pork would rise by less than 2 percent.

"Right now, the factors are not in place to repeat what we saw in 2008," Leibtag said during a Reuters Insider interview.

If the widely forecast recovery falters, food demand would slip and food prices would show little gain in 2010, he said.

U.S. food prices usually are in line with the overall inflation rate. They soared by 4 percent in 2007 and by 5.5 percent in 2008 as crop and energy prices climbed worldwide and harvests fell short in some regions. (Reporting by Charles Abbott; editing by Jim Marshall)

Urban barns of Vancouver makes acquisition

Urban Barns of Vancouver acquires fruit and vegetables grower for 25 million shares

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Urban Barns Foods (OB:URBF), a Vancouver based vegetable supplier, says it has acquired a private company owned by Urban Barns' founders, a company that grows fruit and vegetables in urban environments.

Under the deal, announced Thursday, the public company issued 25 million shares to the original shareholders of Urban Barns.

"Now that all of these administrative issues are behind us, we can start moving Urban Barns forward at a rapid pace," said Jack Benne, president and CEO of Urban Barns.

"We're confident that in the next few months we'll provide our shareholders with many exciting developments as our company expands and changes the way people in urban environments get their fruit and vegetables."

Urban Barns Foods uses specialized equipment to produce fruits and vegetables in controlled indoor environments.

Watermelon: fruit on the fast track - USDA ARS

US: Watermelon: Fruit on the fast track
11.dec.09
ARS News Service
Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are studying how watermelons grow from tiny flowers to plus-size, market-ready produce in only five weeks. Their findings have resulted in the first reported large-scale study that identified and characterized key genes regulating watermelon growth and development.
The researchers included plant geneticist Amnon Levi and plant pathologist Pat Wechter at the ARS U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. Plant geneticist Karen Harris at the ARS Crop Genetics and Breeding Research Unit in Tifton, Ga., plant geneticist Angela Davis at the ARS South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Okla., and molecular biologist Jim Giovannoni at the ARS Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, N.Y., also contributed to the research.
Tissue was taken from watermelons at three distinct stages during growth and ripening. Then the team analyzed RNA from all the tissue samples and used the RNA to develop a library of genes called expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which are unique gene segments involved in different aspects of development and metabolism.
The researchers found that these genes were active in metabolism, cell growth, cell development, and transporting nutrients and other substances across cell walls. The genes also came into play in cell division, cellular communication, DNA copying, plant defense and stress response.
The scientists also found a large number of ESTs that appear to be modulated in the fruit during development and ripening. But they can't match them up with any other known plant ESTs, so they may be unique to watermelon.
This information could benefit plant breeders and watermelon producers alike. Since cultivated watermelons are not genetically diverse, they are more vulnerable to pathogens and environmental stresses. So finding sources of genetic resistance to watermelon diseases is essential to the continued success of U.S. production.
Results from this study were published in Biomed Central Genomics.

Benefits are meager and underused - Food Stamps - NYT

Benefits Are Meager and Underused - NYT

Christopher Greenslate

Christopher Greenslate is co-author of “On a Dollar a Day: One Couple’s Unlikely Adventures in Eating in America,” to be published by Hyperion in February 2010.

Despite the roar from the well-fed about what people in poverty should do to be self-reliant, federal nutrition programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) are doing what they can to make sure people who need help are able to get it, at least at the federal level. However, in the debate over food stamp allocation, common misperceptions travel faster than truth.

People on food stamps know what is healthy, and what isn’t.

To understand the problem on a more personal level, my partner and I lived it: for a month. We ate according to the average SNAP allotment, and contributed the suggested amount of personal income as well. We even followed the USDA’s “Thrifty Food Plan” and bought only food listed on its menu plan; we ran out of food before the end of the month.

What we learned about food stamps was at odds with everything we had heard. For instance, while many people think that the poor are duping the system, the actual rate of fraud is only 2 to 4 percent. The government has mostly settled the controversy over what types of foods people should buy, and these issues only serve as distractions. The real challenges facing SNAP are mostly at the state and local levels.

Where we live in San Diego, only 29 percent of those who are eligible for benefits are receiving them, the worst rate for an urban area in the country. The application process is complex, intrusive and humiliating. The average applicant has to make five trips to a center, have every adult in the home fingerprinted, and is subject to home searches by the district attorney’s office.

The irony is that these costs put a drain on the economic boost that food stamp funds give to the economy. Every dollar of food stamps spent generates $1.84 in economic activity, which means that since our county is not getting benefits to those who need them, we’ve lost over $250 million this year. For California, that’s a $3-million loss in potential tax revenue.

People on food stamps know what is healthy and what isn’t. But this doesn’t help them unless local governments are doing everything they can to ensure that those who are eligible are getting access to the benefits they so desperately need.

The Job loss factor - Food Stamps - NYT

The Job Loss Factor - NYT
Marion Nestle

Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, is the author of “Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health.” Her comments are excerpted from her blog.

The Food Stamp program, now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is one of several food assistance programs run by the U.S.D.A. SNAP is an entitlement program, meaning that anyone who meets income eligibility requirements can get benefits. Even so, only two-thirds of people eligible for the program apply for and get the benefits. Recipients get a credit card to use at grocery stores. The cards were worth an average of $101 per month in 2008 for individuals, and $227 for households.

SNAP participants can use the money to buy foods, seeds and food plants. They cannot use the cards for alcohol, tobacco, pet food, supplements, paper goods, or hot prepared foods.

So what’s going on? Nearly 15 percent of American households, up a couple of percentage points this year, are considered “food insecure,” meaning that they cannot count on a reliable, legally obtained source of food from one day to the next. Surprise! The uptick in SNAP participation exactly parallels the uptick in jobs lost.


What do you have to do to qualify for food stamps? For a family of four, your household must make less than $2,389 per month gross, or $1,838 net and meet certain other requirements. An individual can’t make more than about $1,000 a month. These days, 36 million Americans make less than that or otherwise qualify for food assistance, and their numbers are rising rapidly.

This doesn’t look like an improving economy to me. Or am I missing something?

Poor people get the dregs - NYT

Poor People Get the Dregs - NYT

Julie Guthman

Julie Guthman is an associate professor of community studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has written extensively on the American food system.

Recently I spotted a hand-written sign at the checkout counter of my local Whole Foods supermarket. The sign requested that customers bring in cans of conventional food, for which they would receive the equivalent in 365, the market’s private label. The donated cans would be taken to the county food bank.

Increased use of food stamps must be seen as a good thing in a worsening economy. The system works.

That sign captured perfectly the limits of food charity as a way to address the problem of food insecurity in America: poor people get the dregs.

Much of the enormous network of food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens that collect and distribute donated food to those in need relies on the damaged goods of low-cost retailers and the surplus of the government’s commodity support programs. Processed cheese made from milk byproducts is not the sort of fare you’d find at Whole Foods, much less the farmers’ market.


Food banks around the country are depleted right now, as one might expect during a recession. The biggest problem with food charity is that when people need it most, these programs are least able to deliver.

Scholars of hunger have long championed entitlement programs, such as the food stamp program, as the most efficient, dignifying and effective way to provide reasonably nutritious food to people with insufficient income to buy it. Unlike food charity, the food stamp program is countercyclical – it picks up when times are tough. The increased use of food stamps must therefore be seen as a good thing despite that it reflects a worsening economy.

Those who complain about the use of food stamps to purchase cheap, junkie food ought to set their sights elsewhere. They should consider the myriad policies that allow products laden with high fructose corn syrup, transfats, growth hormones and synthetic processing aids to be sold as food. In my view, the unemployed and poor shouldn’t pay the moral price for our collective failure to curb the excesses of the food industry.

Obesity and underclass - "Larger portions of broccoli are not going to help the poor."

Obesity and the Underclass - NYT

Adam Drewnowski

Adam Drewnowski is director of the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research.

The issue of the affordability of healthy diets will only become more pressing as more people slide into poverty.

Larger portions of broccoli are not going to help the poor.

I agree that we tend to censure food choice behaviors of low-income groups, no matter what they do. It’s as though being poor were equivalent to a moral failure, and uplifting homemade lentil soup were the only cure. The new WIC package in Washington State is full of contradictions — no white potatoes, no yogurt, no canned soups or vegetable juices — but plenty of fresh kale. We do not want those low-income mothers to have too much fun at the taxpayers’ expense.

Of course, distributing more fruits and vegetables probably is not the answer either. The problem is that the fiscal policies of the last two decades have created a permanent underclass that has become obese and diabetic. The only way out of this is to promote jobs, education and yes, health reform. Larger portions of broccoli are not going to do it on their own.

Good Nutrition, on a Budget NYT

Good Nutrition, on a Budget NYT
Caryn Sweeney

Caryn Sweeney, a writer for an international nonprofit agency, has been writing “A Mile in Another’s Shoes,” about her experience of living on a food-stamp budget.

Before the age of fast food, poor families cooked from scratch after long hours in the fields and factories.

During my month-long challenge of living on a food-stamp budget, I chose to get the most nutrition for my dollar rather than the most food volume. Given my health problems, I could not base my menu on grains. I set out getting as much produce and protein as I could afford.

I researched in-season produce and found farmers’ markets offering deals to those receiving assistance. I adjusted those prices in my budget as if I had actually qualified. I managed an average of just over six servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

I checked the sale fliers, and made a spreadsheet of recipes to determine what to buy. I favored eggs, whole chickens and beef with bones for protein. From the leftovers I made stock to use in stir fries, soups, and rice to make them tastier and more filling.

I made multiple stops in a single grocery shopping trip for different sales. I had marathon vegetable chopping sessions on weekends, packing away sliced peppers, diced onions, blanched beans and more for use during the work week.

It’s hard work being poor, and many families on assistance are already working hard for long hours at low-paying jobs. I think a good addition to the food stamp program would be materials with time-saving tips, recipes for alternative appliances like electric skillets and toaster ovens for those who don’t have full kitchens, and ideas on how to maximize nutritious ingredients. Poor families for generations cooked from scratch after long hours in the fields, factories or mills because they had no 7-Eleven or McDonald’s on hand.

Today, too many poor Americans are both malnourished and overweight, at risk for diabetes and heart disease, because empty calories come so cheaply.

Subsidize Salads, Not Snacks - NYT

Subsidize Salads, Not Snacks - NYT
Tom Laskawy

Tom Laskawy blogs on food policy for Grist.org and Beyond Green.

Anti-poverty programs in this country currently operate from the premise that poor people cannot be trusted with cash benefits, and as a result such programs come with strict eligibility and performance requirements. Food stamps (now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) have been politically sustainable precisely because they are not cash transfers, and thus can’t be “misspent” by the “idle,” “improvident” or “uneducated” poor people to whom they are given.

Why, then, the furor over reform proposals that would allow the food stamp program to favor — even subsidize — the purchase of healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables over snacks and soda?

Could this controversy result from a belief on the part of pundits and policy makers that being poor in America means acquiescing quietly to a substandard diet? Healthy foods, in this line of reasoning, are a luxury that should be reserved for those who can afford them. As unjust as this sounds when presented so baldly, it is exactly this belief that underlies attempts to deny government the right to make good nutrition a cornerstone of the food stamp program.

We know that demand among low-income people for fresh, healthy food is high. New York City recently reported that food stamp use at its farmers’ markets doubled in the past year. The city’s subsidized vegetable cart program for underserved neighborhoods has also been a great success. And market research has for years shown no connection between buying organic and income level.

Food stamp benefits should be reserved for whole, nutritious foods — meats, grains, dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables. Such a common-sense position should be entirely uncontroversial. Shame on us that it is not.