Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Monday, May 17, 2010

House Republicans: Climate bill a thinly veiled attempt to mask the real truth

House Republicans: Climate bill a thinly veiled attempt to mask the real truth

From the House Republicans

In Case You Missed It: "Just Don't Call It a Climate Bill"
WASHINGTON – Last week, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) unveiled their long-awaited climate bill in the Senate. In an editorial today, The Wall Street Journal says Americans should not be deceived into believing this is a dramatically new approach from the controversial cap and tax bill that barely passed the House of Representatives last summer. In reality, Kerry and Lieberman’s attempt to dress this bill up and sell it as a new approach on climate change is nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to mask the real truth underlying their job-killing cap and tax energy plan.
In its editorial, The Wall Street Journal writes of the Kerry-Lieberman cap and tax bill:
“Despite the most creative rhetoric this side of ObamaCare, voters have figured out that ‘cap and trade’ involves artificial carbon rationing and vast new energy taxes. So the main goal of John Kerry and Joe Lieberman has been attempting to disguise these truths in the climate bill they released to much fanfare last week.
“The bill was nine months in gestation once it became clear that the version the House passed last summer—which one of five Democrats opposed—was doomed in the Senate. Yet no one should mistake Kerry-Lieberman for a new approach.
“Jim Lucier, an investment analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, calls it the Mr. Potato Head bill. The cosmetic features can be rearranged, but it's still a Mr. Potato Head. This is still cap and tax—except with new and larger subsidies, outright corporate bribes, and the rest of the political palm-greasing that Democrats hope can still lead to a Rose Garden ceremony this year.”

Fw: Press Release: House Agriculture Committee Holds Farm Bill FieldHearing in Lubbock, Texas

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

-----Original Message-----
From: AgPress <AgPress@mail.house.gov>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 12:26:09
To: News Distribution<news@aglist.house.gov>
Subject: Press Release: House Agriculture Committee Holds Farm Bill Field
Hearing in Lubbock, Texas

News from the House Agriculture Committee

http://agriculture.house.gov

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 17, 2010

Media Contact:
April Slayton (202) 225-6872
April.Slayton@mail.house.gov

House Agriculture Committee Holds Farm Bill Field Hearing in Lubbock, Texas

LUBBOCK, TEX. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson held a field hearing in Lubbock, Texas to review U.S.
agriculture policy as the Committee begins the process of writing the 2012 Farm Bill. This is the seventh in a series of hearings
scheduled across the country to consider new ideas regarding Federal food and farm policy. Eight Members of Congress attended today's
hearing and heard testimony from thirteen witnesses on a variety of farm policy issues.

"When they say 'everything is bigger in Texas,' you can include agriculture in that because Texans produce more than $21 million in
agriculture products every year." Chairman Peterson said. "We need to be sure that the Farm Bill is meeting the needs of Texas
farmers."

According to U.S Department of Agriculture statistics, Texas ranks first in the nation in cotton, cattle, and sheep and goat
production. More than 6.5 million acres of land in Texas are enrolled in USDA conservation programs.

Approximately 300 members of the community attended the hearing, including local agriculture producers and leaders. House
Agriculture Committee Members attending the hearing included: Chairman Peterson; Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas; Congressman
Travis Childers of Mississippi; Congressman Mike Rogers of Alabama; Congressman Randy Neugebauer of Texas who serves as the Ranking
Member of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry; Congressman K. Michael Conaway of Texas who
serves as the Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops and
Foreign Agriculture; Congressman Adrian Smith of Nebraska; and Congressman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania.

"Thanks to the Agriculture Committee, Texas Tech University and the producers from Texas who participated in the hearing for making
this day a success. As we heard from the producers today, Texas has a diverse and productive agriculture sector, and Texas
producers have useful feedback for us when it comes to current and future agriculture policy," Congressman Randy Neugebauer said. "I
encourage my colleagues to keep what they heard here today in mind as the Ag Committee moves forward with laying the groundwork for
responsive farm policy in the future that allows producers to continue to meet the needs of American consumers and a growing
population around the world."

"The 2012 Farm Bill is vitally important to the thousands of Texas farmers and ranchers in my home state. That is why it is
critically important for us to hear first-hand from these individuals as we begin the process of writing the bill," Congressman
Henry Cuellar said. "This ensures Texas has a voice in shaping the 2012 Farm Bill."

"Today's hearing provided excellent first-hand testimony on how our federal policies are affecting individual producers and
businesses within the agriculture industry. I am thankful to not only to our witnesses but the many Texas producers who took the
time to come and attend the Farm Bill hearing," Congressman Michael Conaway said. "We must make certain that our farmers and
ranchers have an adequate safety net and the proper resources necessary to continue providing the American public with world's most
affordable and abundant food and fiber supply. In order to do so it is imperative that Congress listen to the thoughts and concerns
of industry experts and producers as we move closer to drafting a new Farm Bill. I will continue to listen to the producers and
constituents of Texas District 11 as their elected representative and continue to voice the concerns and advocate their positions in
the people's House of Representatives."

Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html.
A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.

To receive updated schedule and news information from the House Agriculture, please visit the House Committee on Agriculture website
to sign up for email updates: http://agriculture.house.gov/Eupdates/updates.html.

Witness List
Panel I
. Mr. Brad Bouma, dairy producer, Plainview, Texas
. Mr. Jimbo Grissom, peanut producer, Seminole, Texas
. Mr. John Lackey, citrus producer, Weslaco, Texas
. Mr. Ronnie Holt, cotton, corn, and sorghum producer and crop insurance agent, Muleshoe, Texas
. Mr. Joe Parker, Jr., cattle producer, Byers, Texas
. Mr. Dale Murden, sugarcane, citrus, vegetable, soybean and sorghum producer, Monte Alto, Texas

Panel II
. Mr. Billy Bob Brown, irrigated and dryland wheat, sorghum and beef producer, Panhandle, Texas
. Mr. Brad Heffington, cotton, corn, and sorghum producer, Littlefield, Texas
. Mr. David Cleavinger, wheat, corn, cotton, and grain sorghum producer, Wildorado, Texas
. Mr. Lowell Raun, Jr., rice producer, El Campo, Texas
. Mr. Doyle Schniers, cotton producer, San Angelo, Texas
. Mr. Dan Smith, sorghum producer, Lockney, Texas
. Mr. Dee Vaughan, corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, and sorghum producer, Dumas, Texas

###

The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture web site http://agriculture.house.gov has additional information on this and other subjects.

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Canada Likely to Continue Spud Dumping Case - USDA FAS

Canada Likely to Continue Spud Dumping Case
As has been the case every five years since 1990, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in late December launched an investigation of its anti-dumping order on U.S. potatoes shipped to the western Canadian province of British Columbia (B.C.). Based on CBCA’s four-month review, they have predicted that U.S. potatoes will likely fit the dumping criteria in B.C. if seasonal anti-dumping duties don't remain in place. Before the duty can continue, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal's (CITT) must conduct an inquiry to determine whether the expiry of the order is "likely to result in injury or retardation to the Canadian industry." The CITT is scheduled to make that ruling by September 10, 2010. The duty applies to whole potatoes originating in or exported from the United States for use or consumption in B.C., but excluding imports to that province during the period from May 1 to July 31, inclusive, of each calendar year. Also excluded are seed potatoes, red potatoes, yellow potatoes, exotic potato varieties and white and russet potatoes imported in 50-pound cartons in count sizes of 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80. It is the importer's responsibility to calculate and declare anti-dumping duty liability, and to advise customs brokers that the potatoes are subject to anti-dumping measures. Currently, duties are announced weekly based on the difference between calculated normal value and the export price published in USDA’s National Potato and Onion Report. In 2009, Canada imported more that C$95 million in potatoes from the United States.

Study by The Produce Safety Project Finds U.S. Food Safety System Needs To Integrate Human Health, Animal, and Plant Pathogen Data

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/05/report-takes-lessons-from-eu-food-safety-reforms/

Study by The Produce Safety Project Finds U.S. Food Safety System Needs To Integrate Human Health, Animal, and Plant Pathogen Data

The Produce Safety Project, a joint initiative of Georgetown University and the Pew Charitable Trusts, issued a report last week that examines select European Union (EU) countries' efforts to improve their food safety data collection and analysis systems over the past two decades.

Drawing from Denmark, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom's experience, the report offers key recommendations for improving the U.S. food safety system.

lessons-learned-featured.jpgAuthors Michael Batz, head of Food Safety Programs, Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, and J. Glenn Morris, Jr., director at the Institute, explain in the report they aimed to "discover what

we could learn from the experiences of these European countries, and what actions, if any, could be taken from their experiences and used to improve the information foundation of the U.S. food safety system.

One key recommendation of the report is the annual publication of a unified cross-agency report on tracking foodborne pathogens in humans, animals, food, and feed.

Batz and Morris suggest the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should summarize surveillance data on human foodborne illnesses, including outbreaks and sporadic cases, and on pathogen contamination in domestic and imported animals, food, and feed.

"A national annual report on food safety will actually tell us if we are making progress or not in reducing the burden of foodborne illness," said Jim O'Hara, director of the Produce Safety Project, in a release last week. "It is a yardstick we don't have now."

"Not only will an analysis give us a consolidated examination of the current state of affairs throughout the country, it will also require our food safety agencies to gather, organize, and analyze data in a consistent and timely manner," said Batz, co-author of the report.

"We also believe there is an advantage to be gained by creation of an independent federal institute for food safety risk analysis," said Morris, co-author of the report. "It would be comprised of the majority of scientists and analysts currently within FDA, CDC, and USDA food safety groups and tasked with supporting a risk-based food system through integrated research, data collection, and analysis. That is the model from European countries with strong food safety systems."

Though the study notes that in some cases food safety responsibilities remain spread across several agencies in the highlighted countries--and fragmentation and duplication remain issues--efforts to consolidate have helped "clarify the roles and responsibilities of these agencies and have led to increased coordination and integration of food safety information."

Though several U.S. lawmakers and food safety experts have long called for a consolidated food safety agency to improve coordination of the federal food safety system, widespread support for that degree of reorganization is lacking.

Findings

Batz and Morris identified nine policies and activities that have improved "the information foundation for food safety that is science-based, risk-informed, and data-driven." Here is a summary of their key findings:

(1) The consolidation and centralization of food safety authority has improved information flows supportive of science- and risk-based policy.

(2) Annual reports provide policymakers and stakeholders with unified analysis of pathogen surveillance in humans, animals, food, and feed.

(3) Integrated approaches to data collection, collation, and analysis include advanced food attribution programs that combine human data with animal and food data.

(4) The European Union and some EU countries employ coordinated surveillance programs for pathogens in animals, food, and feed.

(5) Independent scientific institutes facilitate integrated approaches to managing and analyzing data.

(6) Regulatory agencies prioritize and partially coordinate research programs.

(7) Risk analysis is the defined process for policy decision-making.

(8) Programs and policies employ transparency and public participation as key principles.

(9) The European Union has extensive traceability requirements and has made major investments in next-generation systems.

But is food safer in Europe?

According to the report, "Rates of foodborne illnesses are generally similar in both spheres, and no substantial data suggest that food consumed in the United States is any safer or less safe than that consumed in Europe." Though, as Batz and Morris note in their paper, it's problematic to directly compare the U.S. food safety system to those of nations in the EU.

The U.S. is double the geographic size of the EU, but has only 60 percent of the population. The UK is the size of Michigan, yet its population is equal to those of California and Texas combined. Comparisons with the Netherlands and Denmark are similarly difficult, both are much smaller in size and population.

EU governance structure as well as a wide diversity of cultural, demographic, and sociopolitical differences further complicate making direct system comparisons.

Recommendations

Though direct comparisons are tricky, Batz and Morris point out that there are plenty of lessons to be learned from successful food safety reforms in EU countries with strong food regulatory systems. In a release last week they outlined some of their recommendations, all of which can be implemented within the existing U.S. food safety system:

(1) Revamping farm-to-table surveillance of domestic and imported food by developing a national surveillance plan and expanding collection of data on contamination of foods.

(2) Increasing capacity for integrated food safety analysis by developing cross-agency strategies for priority setting and attributing the burden of specific foods to overall foodborne illness.

(3) Better coordination of food safety research by publishing annually updated lists of prioritized research needs and increasing the role of regulators in research program priorities.

(4) Ensuring transparency and public participation.

(5) Improving effectiveness of trace-back and trace-forward data for outbreak response by expanding traceability requirements along food chain. Standardizing record-keeping and creating incentives or requirements for electronic information tracking will further help gather this data.

As Batz and Morris explain in the report, "Ultimately, improving the risk basis of the U.S. food safety system will require a more coordinated and integrated approach to collecting, managing, analyzing, and communicating food safety information."

CVS, Walgreens Vie for Quick Trips

http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/1251

CVS, Walgreens Vie for Quick Trips

Months after Walgreens laid out its plans for fresh foods, building on its strong front-of-store posture with convenience foods, CVS is doing the same. There’s barely an inch uncontested between these two retail pharmacy giants – and that includes vying for more traffic and trips through food.

If the classic way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, these drug chains believe they can nourish relationships with all kinds of shoppers through healthy prepared foods. Walgreens currently looks more committed to the strategy than CVS, which is merely testing the idea in selected urban stores.

Walgreens has long carried food for every daypart, and it has more recently positioned some of its Chicago stores to fill in ‘food deserts’ where supermarkets are lacking. It is making a big bid to be a food purveyor to New York City residents through the 257 Duane Reade stores it acquired earlier this year.

Bryan Pugh, vp-merchandising and store format development, told Bloomberg News that the Walgreens chain would test the sale of ready-to-bake pizzas, pre-cut fruits, salads, sandwiches and other freshly prepared foods. “We won’t get our customer every day on the way home, but if we could get 50% of our customers one day a week, that would do wonders for our sales,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Duane Reade locations have high food ambitions with baked goods, Starbucks coffee, fresh vegetables, frozen convenience items and more.

CVS has less of a food platform to build on – its mix is more skewed toward candy, snacks and private label. But by expanding grocery in certain stores, and tracking shopper uptake closely through its sophisticated ExtraCare loyalty program, the chain could refine assortments and maximize performance.

CVS has had some troubles in Connecticut, where the state alleges it sold out-of-date items including food. The chain will have to seal such operations gaps, but at least on one count it is making early strides: A direct-mail piece to some ExtraCare members this month promoted food and offered $5.50 in brand-name coupons on Kellogg’s Fiber Plus, Campbell’s Chunky, General Mills’ Cheerios, Eight O’Clock Coffee, Kraft Foods’ South Beach Living, and Planters, reported In-Store Marketer of the In-Store Marketing Institute.

The Lempert Report sees these efforts as added threats to supermarket Quick Trips. Although their assortments may be limited vs. grocery stores, the ubiquitous Walgreens and CVS stores promise quick in-and-out visits and the possibility of filling other household needs on the same trip.

Sweeter green kiwifruit to rival Zespri's

http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/sweeter-green-kiwifruit-rival-zespri-s-3535979

Turners and Growers says that early-maturing sweeter green kiwifruit cultivar it has licensed from Italy has potential for exports of 12 million trays a year, worth $84 million.

The Summerkiwi cultivar matures at around the same time as gold kiwifruit and will be available around four weeks earlier than the normal Hayward cutlivars.

It is owned by Giampaolo Dal Pane whose company, Summerfruit SRL, licensed the New Zealand production and marketing rights for the variety to Turners and Growers, which is involved in legal row with other kiwifruit growers and Zespri over control of exports outside Australasia.

It has claimed the new green cultivar could give New Zealand exporters an earlier start to the export season ahead of Southern Hemisphere competitors.

But fruit industry website Portal Fruticola reported that a deal signed on March 11 will unite nine Chilean exporters (normally rivals to New Zealand growers) with Summerfruit and Turners and Growers arm Enza, which will represent the group in Asia and Australasia.

The Chilean exporters involved in the initiative - Subsole, Copefrut, David del Curto, Frusan, Alsu, Lafrut, Sofruileg, Trinidad and Unifrutti - already produce Summerkiwi for export and have about 350ha planted with Summerkiwi, which they expect to lift to about 500ha. Planting began in Chile in 2007.

In New Zealand, Turners and Growers said it has grown the Summerkiwi vines at Kerikeri and would next year start commercialising the cultivar in this country.
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It has already started converting many of the company's own Hayward vines to a gold kiwifruit it has branded as Enzagold, and in 2011 it would graft several thousand Enzared plants on its orchards to grow red kiwifruit.

Turners and Growers managing director Jeff Wesley said the first pick of Summerkiwi in early April from the company's grafted vines produced sweet fruit with sugar levels up to 20-plus brix points, and a high dry-matter rating - which some experts use as a guide to taste - above 20 points.

"We are very pleased with the quality of the first fruit produced and how the fruit has matured," he said.

"Growers here should be the leading suppliers of Summerkiwi in the Southern Hemisphere," said Mr Wesley.

Hunters seek morel mushrooms in Michigan's woods

http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/may/14/bc-mi-morel-hunting/?features&travel


Hunters seek morel mushrooms in Michigan's woods



LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan is more than Great Lakes and great times. It's also great mushrooms - at least for mavens of the morel.

May is morel season in the state and a tourism draw - the National Morel Mushroom Festival is under way in Boyne City, about 65 miles northeast of Traverse City.

Morel hunting is a family tradition, where do-it-yourself pickers scour woods for the mushroom that can only be found in the wild and has a short growing season.

Morels are a booming business for Ed Baker, owner of Earthy Delights in DeWitt, near Lansing. He tells the Lansing State Journal for a story Friday that morel picking is a labor of love.

Less than ideal spring weather means the festival is relying on a couple hundred pounds of morels from Earthly Delights, which imports from around the country.

_

High-fructose corn syrup cut from Hunt's recipe

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jzLsjVQ8QDOjhLNH6NRTs2UgrgqgD9FOK0N01

High-fructose corn syrup cut from Hunt's recipe


(AP) – 2 hours ago

OMAHA, Neb. — ConAgra Foods Inc. has removed high fructose corn syrup from its Hunt's brand ketchup.

Shoppers have been shying away from high-fructose corn syrup due to health concerns, and it was consumer demand that drove the changes, said Hunt's brand manager Ryan Toreson.

Hunt's is the latest brand to make the shift.

PepsiCo Inc. removed all high-fructose corn syrup from sports drink Gatorade and replaced it with cane sugar.

Some nutritionists cite the syrup as part of the country's obesity problem, though industry scientists and many dietitians say it is no more fattening than sugar.

Corn syrup is popular with manufacturers partly because it is cheaper than sugar.

Hunt's Tomato Ketchup has five ingredients: tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and other seasonings, the company said.

The products should be on all store shelves by the middle of this month.

The price has not changed, the company said.

ConAgra Foods, based in Omaha, Neb., makes brands such as Chef Boyardee, Hebrew National and Peter Pan.

Thin school lunch funding producing fat kids

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/16/EDJB1DF1E7.DTL

Thin school lunch funding producing fat kids


Trimming the fat from America's youth will require completely changing how America eats, and a good starting place is school lunch. Yet the national school lunch legislation moving through the Senate won't put better foods on the menu.

Under the current funding formula, once overhead costs are subtracted, schools have about 90 cents per meal for ingredients. The bill proposes increasing funding by 6 cents per meal per day over 10 years.

The USDA provides public schools commodities - mostly meat, potatoes, cheese, grains, eggs and oils. Only 13 percent of commodities provided are fruits and vegetables. Thus the steady diet of pizza, chicken nuggets and tater tots in the school lunchroom, rather than the lean meat, fresh vegetables and whole grains the USDA food pyramid recommends.

Is it any surprise, then, that a government-funded study of 13,500 schoolchildren found a link between childhood obesity and the carb-heavy school lunches?

Ten percent of Americans participate in the National School Lunch Program. We need to invest more than 6 cents in our kids' health.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/16/EDJB1DF1E7.DTL#ixzz0oCZGonAI

Find ways to admit immigrant workers

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100517/OPINION01/305179994/-1/opinion

'Ag Jobs' bill
Find ways to admit immigrant workers

Throughout the United States for years, foreign workers have been instrumental in harvesting fruits and vegetables. Locally, Mexican laborers have milked cows on area dairy farms.

Farmers have said that immigrant workers are doing the labor-intensive farm jobs that most Americans do not want to do. The apples need to be picked, the cabbage cut, the strawberries weeded. These chores need to be done at precise times — and cannot be postponed.

Yet the general crackdown on illegal immigration and problems with a visa program for temporary workers are complicating producers' operations. In some cases, fruit and vegetable growers have cut back production because they did not expect to have the workers necessary to harvest their crops.

The problem has manifested itself in New York and Washington state's apple orchards, in California's asparagus fields and even vegetable farms in Vermont, according to a recent Associated Press article. Those are just examples: Many more farm operations could be added.
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From 2005 to 2007, more than half of the crop workers hired in the United States were here illegally, according to the National Agricultural Worker Survey.

That is why some in the U.S. Senate, including Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., are backing an "Ag Jobs" bill that would provide undocumented immigrants working on farms a chance to gain legal status. It would introduce a program to bring temporary farm workers into the country.

The measure would also help dairy farms hire immigrant workers to year-round jobs on a temporary basis by applying the H-2A guest worker program to dairy farms for the first time.

The agricultural jobs are available. The food to be produced is valuable. But workers are needed to harvest the crops.

Rather than shut the border to migrants skilled at this type of work, we should be looking for solutions.

The "Ag Jobs" bill should be supported.

Give cancer a kick with a helping of cruciferous veggies

http://www.freep.com/article/20100516/FEATURES02/5160323/1027/Features02/Give-cancer-a-kick-with-a-helping-of-cruciferous-veggies

Give cancer a kick with a helping of cruciferous veggies


BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN
HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM


If you follow the Heart Smart column, you know about the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. But what about cancer, the No. 2 killer?

Researchers have been focusing on the potential cancer-fighting ability of cruciferous vegetables, which get their name from their four-petaled flowers, which look like a crucifer or cross.

The cruciferous family includes an interesting assortment of vegetables -- arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collards, kohlrabi, mustard greens, kale, radishes, turnips, turnip greens, watercress and bok choy.

Although research is ongoing, studies suggest that cruciferous vegetables may help ward off certain forms of cancers, especially cancer of the mouth, throat and stomach. Experts believe they contain substances that stimulate the release of anti-cancer enzymes and promote the destruction of cancer cells.

As nutrition researchers learn more about the cancer-fighting properties of these vegetables, it's important to enjoy cruciferous vegetables often. In fact, why not start today and make our Balsamic and Honey Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower?

HEART SMART is a registered trademark of the Henry Ford Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute. Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD, is program contact; for questions about today's recipe, call her at 313-972-1920, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

'Doping' scandal hits Italian kiwifruit

http://www.fruitnet.com/content.aspx?cid=6811

'Doping' scandal hits Italian kiwifruit



Region of Lazio at centre of investigation into use of illegally produced substance Forchlorfenuron to encourage higher yields

Italy's kiwifruit industry has suffered a further setback after an investigation by Giuseppe Miliano, the public prosecutor for Lazio, found that an "illegal and cancerous" phytosanitary substance was being imported from China and applied to a number of kiwifruit orchards in the region.

As part of the investigation, which began at the start of last year, a 49 year-old man from Faenza, further north in Emilia-Romagna, has reportedly been arrested and charged with receiving stolen goods, having been found in possession of two bottles of Forchlorfenuron – the substance in question.

Another man, believed to be a farmworker also based in Faenza, is also understood to have been arrested and charged with posession of the pesticide, which was apparently found in bottles bearing the labels of "a well-known water brand".

Although Forchlorfenuron can apparently boost kiwifruit yields significantly, the prosecutor said the substance could also lead to skin irritation, nausea and vomiting.

According to the report, a secret laboratory sent bottles of the product to growers who, separately, received false labels printed with the name of a legal substance.

Around 186 tonnes of Forchlorfenuron a year, worth an estimated €1.3m, are believed to have been imported into the country.

As a region, Lazio turns out the largest single kiwifruit crop in the country, producing around 7,000 tonnes (30 per cent) of the total 23,000-tonne national deal.

Pesticides on Produce Tied to ADHD in Children

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/639165.html


Pesticides on Produce Tied to ADHD in Children

Organophosphates may alter chemistry of developing brain, researchers say

By Amanda Gardner

MONDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that exposure to high levels of organophosphate pesticides, commonly found on berries, celery and other produce, could raise the odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

At this point, though, there is no evidence that pesticide exposure can actually cause ADHD, stated the authors of a paper appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics.

Certainly parents and children shouldn't swear off fruits and veggies, said study lead author Maryse Bouchard, an adjunct researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal and at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre. However, "I think it's safe to say that we should as much as possible reduce our exposure to pesticides," she said.

That would meaning going organic, buying at farmers' markets and washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consuming them, she said.

"I always encourage my families to embrace healthy lifestyles in general," agreed Dr. Nakia Scott, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a child psychiatrist with Lone Star Circle of Care. "I think it's much more important that they're eating fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains instead of sodas and fast foods and I'm not saying that they're not going to eat any produce because it might contain pesticides."

Previous research has shown an association between both prenatal and postnatal organophosphate exposure and developmental problems in young children.

But most prior studies have focused on excessive rather than average exposure to organophosphates.

"Organophosphates are one of the most widely used pesticides in agriculture to protect crops and fruits and vegetables," Bouchard noted. "For children, the major source of exposure would be the diet -- fruits and vegetables in particular."

In their study, Bouchard and her colleagues analyzed data on pesticide exposure and ADHD in more than 1,100 American children aged 8 to 15.

Children with higher pesticide levels in their urine were more likely to have ADHD, the team found.

"The analysis showed that the higher the level of exposure [as measured by metabolites in the urine], the higher the odds of having ADHD," Bouchard added.

Just how might pesticides harm brain development? According to the authors, high doses of organophosphates may inhibit acetylcholinesterase, a nervous system enzyme. Lower doses of the pesticide may affect different growth factors and neurotransmitters.

The findings, if replicated, may provide another clue into the causes of ADHD, a condition which affects three to seven percent of school-aged children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We do have a fair amount of evidence about other causes of ADHD," Scott said. "We know that ADHD is a highly heritable disorder. At least one-third of fathers who have had ADHD in their youth have a child with ADHD."

"There are also prenatal risks such as tobacco exposure and alcohol exposure," she added. "There's also a possibility that children who are exposed to high levels of lead prior to the age of six may develop ADHD."

More information

There's more on shielding kids from pesticides at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

SOURCES: Maryse Bouchard, Ph.D., adjunct researcher, department of environmental and occupational health, University of Montreal and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, Canada; Nakia Scott, M.D., clinical assistant professor, psychiatry and behavioral science, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and child psychiatrist, Lone Star Circle of Care, College Station, Texas; June 2010 Pediatrics

Plant an extra row for the needy, Poughkeepsie group suggests

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2010/May/17/DC_FP_plant-17May10.html

Plant an extra row for the needy, Poughkeepsie group suggests

POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County is asking local gardeners to consider planting an extra row of vegetables to provide fresh produce to needy families through the Beverly Clos Food Pantry in the Family Partnership Center in Poughkeepsie.

The Dutchess Outreach Food Pantry provides a variety of food items for the needy, but often finds it difficult to stock fresh produce.

“Though our clients would greatly appreciate the nutritional, tasty produce many of us take for granted, it’s often hard to have it available for them in the food pantry,” said Kathleen Murphy, assistant director of Dutchess Outreach and manager of the food pantry. “We rely on donations, and when we can purchase food to supplement donations, fresh produce is often not available to us at prices we can afford.”

Murphy said if gardeners through the area would consider donating some of their produce this season, families could benefit from the nutritional value of vegetables.

To make a donation, call 845-454-3792.

Filling the fresh void

Filling the fresh void

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100517/BIZ/5170336/1001/Filling-the-fresh-food-void

develop plans to attract grocers to areas in need of full-service markets

As Metro Detroit activists and business development officials look at options to expand the availability of fresh food outlets in the city, Congress is considering big investments to help make "food deserts" less nutritionally desolate.

Lawmakers in Washington are pushing a program dubbed the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, modeled after one in Pennsylvania, where 88 new groceries, food co-operatives and farmers markets have been supported with government-backed grants and loans. Plans for the national program call for at least $400 million -- and up to $1 billion -- to go toward building and improving stores where access to fresh food is limited.

Community groups, city officials and nutritional experts have tried for years to tackle the problem of a lack of full-service groceries in Detroit, often with little success. Today, Mayor Dave Bing is expected to lead other city and business leaders in announcing a new citywide program that would help establish new grocers and assist existing ones to grow their businesses.

Only a few chains have opened stores within the city limits, but keeping the doors open has proven to be a challenge. That leaves many Detroiters to turn to convenience stores, smaller, locally owned groceries or suburban stores. What's often sacrificed is selection, fresh foods and lower prices.

Several groups have sought a solution to the problem, including the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. and the St. Cecilia-Pontchartrain Community Council, which held a recent meeting of residents, store owners and representatives from the state Department of Agriculture to discuss ways to improve access to fresh foods and grocery stores.

William Carr, the council's chairman, said residents in his west side Detroit neighborhood have been working with store owners to improve the quality and availability of fresh produce and meats and the condition of stores.

"Since the bigger chain stores left the city, we haven't had the same options as the suburbs," Carr said.

"We're trying to work with store owners to make sure there's fresh produce and meats available in a store people want to shop in."
A dearth of healthy food

The community council's concerns likely will reflect the results of a two-year study by the DEGC that is expected to be released today and will build upon an initial report from 2008 as well as earlier research showing Detroit was in dire need of more grocery stores with better selections of fresh foods.

Carr said the prospect of federal subsidies to increase the number of grocery stores could be a boon to a city where large areas for years have had limited access to fresh produce and meats. In 2003, a University of Michigan study showed Detroit could easily support 41 large supermarkets -- which measure more than 40,000 square feet -- but at the time had only five with more than 20,000 square feet, and at least two of those have closed since the study was done.

The push for a federally funded national program to encourage new grocery stores has received significant support from the White House and House Democrats.

In February, the Obama administration said it would like to see $400 million in the 2011 federal budget go toward a program modeled after the one in Pennsylvania. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., along with Democrat Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York, said she wants to increase that amount to $1 billion.

In unveiling her plan, Gillibrand said federal money, combined with grant and loan funding from private partnerships, would "give people the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives, save billions in health care costs, and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs."

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, said after a recent meeting on childhood and family nutrition efforts that she "would absolutely" support any request to bump up the $400 million requested by the White House for a food access initiative.

"This is one of the most important issues facing families, especially in Michigan," Stabenow said. "How can we preach to our kids about good nutrition and healthy eating when there isn't adequate access to the foods they need?"

Aides for a handful of House Democrats said the likelihood the initiative would receive federal funding is good, and the only question is how much.

A House resolution recognizing the value of such a program received co-sponsorship of 40 representatives in December, including Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Detroit, the only Michigan delegation member to sign on.

"We would, of course, be interested in any help that could come and help our efforts here," said Sarah Fleming, program manager for the Fresh Food Access Initiative, a DEGC-led consortium of business and community leaders working to expand the number of grocers in Detroit.
Helping the good get better

Higher costs, financing issues and other problems have made keeping doors open in Detroit more difficult than in the suburbs.

Two newcomers in Detroit closed shortly after opening last year: the upscale gourmet Zaccaro's on Woodward and Downtown Foodland in Lafayette Park. And the Farmer Jack stores closed in 2007.

Yet there have been successes, as well. Meijer, the privately held superstore chain based near Grand Rapids, recently signaled its intention to open its first store in Detroit at Eight Mile and Woodward. And Aldi, a discount wholesale store, has opened several stores in Detroit and Highland Park.

Jamal Abro, owner of Mike's Fresh at Seven Mile and Gratiot, has been doing brisk business at a new location at Seven Mile and Livernois that he renovated after the Farmer Jack closures left Detroit the biggest city in America without a chain grocer.

Other stores, like Mexicantown's Honey Bee Market La Colmena, have thrived, while state-supported programs have expanded access to Eastern Market's vendors for food assistance beneficiaries and helped spur fresh produce delivery services for underserved areas.

Fleming said any successful program wouldn't just target new grocers, but also work to help those in business.

"Some of the issues we're looking at locally include not only looking at expanding access in underserved neighborhoods, but also improving the markets we already have," she said. "That's important because there's already a lot of good stores out there that could be even better."

nhurst@detnews.com (202) 662-8738

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100517/BIZ/5170336/1001/Filling-the-fresh-food-void#ixzz0oCTmVsjb

Going local: the diary of a supermarket junkie

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/pricewatch/2010/0517/1224270540889.html

Going local: the diary of a supermarket junkie


SHOPPING LOCAL: Supermarket chains are certainly convenient, but is there a better way? Pamela Duncan spent two weeks shopping in local and independent shops to find out

IT STARTED WITH a poll. Darren, a chirpy Red C pollster, calls and asked if I would mind talking about my shopping habits. “So, where do you do your weekly shopping?” he begins.

“Tesco,” I reply.

“And where do you do your daily top-up shopping?” Darren continues.

“Tesco,” I say again. “And where do you do most of your top-up shopping?”

“Eh, Tesco,” I explain. I begin to feel ill at ease. Darren is making me realise that I do almost all my shopping in Tesco, except for the odd foray into a Spar, Centra or Londis.

I’m annoyed, not least because I am prone to the occasional moan over the Tescoisation of the Irish food market and go on about the importance of shopping locally. “After all”, I’ve been known to tell my friends, “if you don’t support your local shop/ butcher/ greengrocers you might just find that they aren’t around anymore.”

So surely, if I put my mind to it I could successfully do all my shopping in independent shops for at least a fortnight? Or has independent shopping become impossibly cumbersome and expensive in modern-day Ireland?

Saturday, April 3rd to Friday, April 16th

If you’re going to carry out an experiment, even one which isn’t terrible scientific, you need a control, so I spend two weeks living out of Tesco which is not a great stretch for me. My grocery life, like the shopping experience in my local Tesco Express, is pretty bland. The shop has most of the stuff I want and it’s five minutes away. The staff are civil but there is little interaction. Despite living in this area for the past six months and buying something in the shop practically every day, I have no sense that I know any of the staff.

Saturday, April 17th

I take my first tentative steps toward independent living in my local farmer’s market. Open from 9.30am until 3.30pm, it gives plenty of scope for a Saturday morning lie-in but there are a few things which are discombobulating. Choice is relatively limited when compared with Tesco and prices are high. A small loaf of bread costs €3, which, for an occasional purchase is fine, but for everyday living isn’t sustainable.

On the plus side the stallholders are full of chat and take their time as they weigh up vegetables and other sundries.

On the way back I stop at the local butchers. A board outside boasts a range of special offers but I am drawn to the steak. An expensive start to independent living (but man does it taste good). It also stocks a range of well-priced vegetables and staples such as rice, pasta – even tortilla wraps and a range of sauces and condiments which could come in handy during the next fortnight. What’s more, I get a dollop of banter with my purchase, a tip on the best way to cook steak and he chops the chicken breasts for me.

Sunday, April 18th

I fall at the second hurdle. Despite all my planning I forgot to buy milk and without it Sunday afternoon coffee would have been ruined. Having tried two independent shops, both of which are closed, convenience takes over and I acquire milk and newspapers in the local Tesco. An unimpressive start.

Monday, April 19th

Back on track but also back in work. It’s all well and good strolling down to the market on a Saturday but what about when you’re juggling work as well? My local independent shop is open late and while there isn’t a wide selection it’s just about enough. I buy bacon, bread and cream, the latter a rip-off at €2.20, but I’m pleasantly surprised at the bacon and bread, both of which come from local suppliers which I have never seen elsewhere. The bacon is really good quality – no fat or run off. The bread is, very simply, delicious. In fact, I have to say that dinner, a dish I cook all the time, tastes much better this time round.

Tuesday, April 20th

Because I sometimes work nights I’m used to grabbing a ready meal 10 minutes before work and bunging it in the microwave. Alas, that is not an option in this experiment. So tonight it’s a leftover pasta dish, a portion of the salad from the market and bread from the local shop. I’d noticed already that I was enjoying my food more. Now other people have joined in – my sister contacts me to tell me how delicious the dinner I left her is while three different work colleagues comment on how good it looks and smells.

Thursday, April 22nd

I’m more aware of independent shops already. Before I was blinded by franchise vision – I could only seem to see shops which I was already familiar with as I had a general idea of what they stocked. But now I notice the butchers, the hardware shop, the tiny independent shop down the road that looks like it was recently excavated from the early 1970s.

People in the independents expect a bit of a chat. I find myself hanging around to hear about the counterfeit €10 notes which are the blight of shops in the local area and listen to one shopkeeper speak of how she managed to juggle the upkeep of the shop with two small children after her husband died suddenly. Random interactions with strangers – you just can’t beat them.

Monday, April 26th

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I barrel into the kitchen, throw on the oven and have one part of my dinner half cooked before I realise that I’ve nothing to go with it. I run to the local to grab a salad. The problem is that there is none – nor is there couscous or ready-made pasta sauces or anything which I would usually rely on for a quick fix. I’m already running late for the night shift at work and there’s simply no time for this. I’m late and I’m frazzled and I can’t be bothered anymore. I give up and buy a salad in Spar. Note to self – independent living doesn’t work on short notice.

Tuesday, April 27th

I’m in town and run into an Asian shop where I’m sure prices for the likes of rice and other sundries are cheap. However, I don’t know what half the stock is due to the fact that, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s all foreign to me. I’m overwhelmed and run away.

But what do I do about dinner? Suddenly I remember a shop which was recommended to me by a friend – a supermarket chain called Fresh. I pause and wonder if this constitutes cheating. My stomach rumbles and my train of thought changes. Technically it’s a chain (there are four Fresh supermarkets around Dublin) but it’s Irish (tick), it stocks local produce alongside well-known brands (tick) and it’s on my way home (tick). For the first time in 10 days I find myself in an actual supermarket and I’m like a kid in a candy shop – the fact that I can buy naan bread is heaven in itself!

Saturday May 1st

A month after the experiment began I’ve discovered that both the big problem and the big advantage with independent living is that it takes planning. The downsides of this are obvious but there are good aspects too.

Firstly there’s price. When I tot up the receipts for the two fortnights I’m hugely surprised. I genuinely thought my Tesco lifestyle would work out a lot cheaper – but in actual fact I spent less in the two weeks of independent living. Independent shops are not cheaper item-by-item but planning ahead coupled with the absence of impulse buying means that I have spent almost €10 less per week living independently than shopping at the big name stories.

Consumers still order easy delivery of groceries



Consumers still order easy delivery of groceries




Have you heard the one about the milkman who never quite disappeared?

It's true. The milkman ­-- that retro, even anachronistic, fixture of lame jokes and old movies -- is still around, although his job description today extends beyond milk and dairy products.



And even in a shaky economy that's prompting some consumers to pare back or eliminate their delivery purchases, others remain loyal to home-delivered grocery companies.

Maggie Godwin of Las Vegas visits the supermarket, but supplements her store-bought groceries with deliveries of family favorites from Schwan's.

"There are certain items my family orders every order," says Godwin, who has been a Schwan's customer for about 10 years.

Ice cream -- Schwan's signature product -- and particularly in the summer. Bagel dogs -- "My husband and my son eat those like crazy," she says -- pizzas and baguettes, frozen and ready to pop into the oven, are other favorites. Godwin, herself, is a fan of Schwan's line of microwave-ready, healthy vegetables.

Utah-based Winder Farms has been delivering milk, dairy products, organic produce and meats, all-natural frozen dinner entrees and other grocery items to Southern Nevada households since August 2006. The company has about 7,000 customers here, served by a delivery corps that heads out at about midnight to make their rounds, according to Sean McCrady, assistant general manager for Winder Farms Las Vegas.

By 8 a.m., customers need merely to walk outside to find their food selections waiting for them in an insulated cooler.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas-based Prime Foods Inc. since 1982 has been delivering meats, prepared foods, quick-serve dinners and almost everything that can be found in a supermarket.

In addition, delivery trucks for Minnesota-based Schwan's drop off an array of grocery items that includes its own private label pizzas and prepared foods. Bob Corscadden, Schwan's chief marketing officer, says many people become Schwan's customers only after "they see a truck and ask a neighbor."

Home delivery customers often use these services either to augment their trips to the supermarket or nearly replace them.

At Prime Foods, for example, customers figure out how much they spend on groceries during a typical month, then sign up for a plan based on that figure. Prime Foods will deliver to the customer meats -- the company even supplies a home freezer -- packaged goods, toiletries and other items, leaving the customer to purchase only perishables at the store.

Of course, with either model, consumers are likely to pay a delivery charge, and the prices they pay for individual items may well be higher than they'd pay at a supermarket or big box retailer.

Winder Farms customers, for example, would pay a delivery charge of $12.99 per month on top of the cost of the items they purchase each week. Among Winder Farms' current prices: A half-gallon of whole milk in a glass bottle, $3.49; three pounds of organic Gala apples, $5.99; a 1.5-pound package of applewood-smoked bacon, $8.49; six blueberry bagels, $4.99; a 20-ounce loaf of white bread, $3.19; a 1.5-pound package of tomatoes on the vine, $6.99; and a dozen cage-free brown eggs, $3.69.

So why opt for home delivery? Convenience is the obvious reason.

Home delivery companies also can supply consumers with custom items. For example, Nick Sokolowski, director of operations for Prime Foods, says the company's on-site meat-cutting facility can cut meats to order and then package them in whatever size a customer prefers. Then, when a delivery is made, the delivery person will place the meat in the freezer and even rotate stock in the customer's freezer and cupboards.

A customer may opt for home delivery to obtain products that aren't available elsewhere. Corscadden notes that Schwan's first product was ice cream, delivered regionally near its Minnesota headquarters. Today, however, Schwan's offers a complete line of products that includes its own private-label prepared dinners, side dishes and appetizers and even pizzas baked in its own Kansas pizza plant.

Sometimes, a home delivery customer may simply prefer the quality of a home-delivered product to an analogous supermarket product. McCrady, for example, says enjoying "dairy-fresh milk" is key for Winder Farms' customers.

"Our milk is delivered to their front door around 36 hours" from the farm, he says. "We don't inject cows with artificial growth hormones to make them lactate or produce milk, and we process it in a slower, gentler process, and we cold-separate our milk."

And, unlike in a supermarket, Winder can control the supply chain from farm to customer's refrigerator, McCrady says.

In what may be the most counterintuitive reason of all, some customers find that having groceries delivered to their home saves money.

Who's the typical home delivery customer? "I'm sure you expect me to say the affluent and the wealthy," says Angeline Close, an assistant marketing professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

But, Close says, by forcing consumers to create and then stick to a predetermined shopping list and by eliminating impulse purchases at the store, home delivery actually can save consumers money. There also is a savings on gasoline and car wear and tear, she adds.

However, actually realizing that cost savings does require the consumer to be organized. Close recommends that consumers crunch the numbers by tracking what their family buys and then comparing that to the costs of a delivery service. She also recommends that shoppers take advantage of such enticements as no-obligation trial periods and specials.

According to Close, customers of home delivery food services also include those living in cities such as New York City where having, or keeping, a car is difficult; those with active lifestyles and busy schedules who appreciate the convenience of not having to shop; and people with "limited access to driving -- for example, someone who might be handicapped, someone who might not have a driver's license, and maybe the elderly who are not physically able to carry heavy groceries and load them into the car."

One local supermarket chain, Vons, offers home delivery for a fee ranging from $6.95 to $12.95. Orders are made online and delivered to 73 valley ZIP codes.

Albertsons did offer home delivery here from 2002 to 2009, according to Lilia Rodriguez, the company's public affairs manager. But, customer polling revealed consumers appreciated someone doing the shopping for them more than the home delivery, she says. Now the chain offers a shopping service and customers pick up the items at the store.

Lately, the additional costs associated with home food delivery have made some recession-strapped consumers think twice. Sokolowski estimates that his workforce has dropped from 58 to 18 during the past few years, and that Prime Foods' customer rolls are down to about 1,000, versus about 6,000 during its heyday.

The reasons include high unemployment, families moving from homes into apartments, and foreclosures, he says. "If you don't have a home, you don't need a freezer full of food."

Corscadden says that, at Schwan's, "what we have been seeing is people buying fewer items."

But, Corscadden continues, "we're out every day bringing on new customers. So we still have a very strong business model, and I'm thankful we're not in the position a lot of other folks are in terms of the economy."

And, at Winder Farms, McCrady says, "what you always get is, they wanted to cancel with you, but they went back to the store and started buying milk again at the store, and (their) kids couldn't drink it. People say they will cut back to just the milk."

Schwan's customer Godwin says her family probably has "cut back a little. But it's cutting back across the board, not just specifically my home-delivered food."

"I can't ever see giving up the grocery store," she adds, but "it's nice when you can have these certain items (delivered)."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@review journal.com or 702-383-0280.