Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Fw: [BITES-L] bites Nov. 16/10

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From: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>
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Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:54:56 -0600
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bites Nov. 16/10

Health officials confirm E. coli in cheese samples

Calls from fake health inspectors in NC a fraud scam

MINNESOTA: Preliminary cattle-vaccine results show promise: Cargill

US: Two easy moves for the lame duck

US: Food groups oppose exempting small, local shops from safety protocols

US: Local food supply chains use diverse business models to satisfy demand

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Health officials confirm E. coli in cheese samples
16.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/145135/10/11/16/health-officials-confirm-e-coli-cheese-samples
The New Mexico Department of Health has confirmed an outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 in an intact sample of cheese sold at Costco stores.
The Alamogordo Daily News and Associated Press say the outbreak strain had been isolated at other laboratories in already opened packages of cheese, but this is the first confirmation from an intact cheese sample.
The findings confirm what scientists have found in the past: 60-days don't mean much when the cheese is made from unpasteurized or raw milk (see abstract below; thanks Carl).
The Bravo Farms Dutch Style Raw Milk Gouda Cheese was offered for sale and for in-store tasting between Oct. 5 and Nov. 1 at Costco stores in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and the San Diego, Calif., area.
Health officials say at least 37 people from five states have become sick with E. coli since mid-October. Cases in New Mexico include a 41-year-old man, a 7-year-old girl from Bernalillo County and a 4-year-old boy from Valencia County who are all recovering. Arizona has 19 cases reported, Colorado has 10, California has 3 and Nevada has two. Nationally there have been 15 reported hospitalizations, one case of hemolytic uremic syndrome and no deaths.
People who have any of the cheese should not eat it. People should return the cheese to the place of purchase or dispose of it in a closed plastic bag placed in a sealed trash can. This will prevent people or animals from eating it.

Survival of a five-strain cocktail of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the 60-day aging period of cheddar cheese made from unpasteurized milk
May 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 5 pp. 990-998(9)
Schlesser, J.E.; Gerdes, R.; Ravishankar, S.; Madsen, K.; Mowbray, J.; Teo, A.Y.L.
Abstract:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Standard of Identity for Cheddar cheeses requires pasteurization of the milk, or as an alternative treatment, a minimum 60-day aging at ‰¥2°C for cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, to reduce the number of viable pathogens that may be present to an acceptable risk. The objective of this study was to investigate the adequacy of the 60-day minimum aging to reduce the numbers of viable pathogens and evaluate milk subpasteurization heat treatment as a process to improve the safety of Cheddar cheeses made from unpasteurized milk. Cheddar cheese was made from unpasteurized milk inoculated with 101 to 105 CFU/ml of a five-strain cocktail of acid-tolerant Escherichia coli O157:H7. Samples were collected during the cheese manufacturing process. After pressing, the cheese blocks were packaged into plastic bags, vacuum sealed, and aged at 7°C. After 1 week, the cheese blocks were cut into smaller-size uniform pieces and then vacuum sealed in clear plastic pouches. Samples were plated and enumerated for E. coli O157:H7. Populations of E. coli O157:H7 increased during the cheese-making operations. Population of E. coli O157:H7 in cheese aged for 60 and 120 days at 7°C decreased less than 1 and 2 log, respectively. These studies confirm previous reports that show 60-day aging is inadequate to eliminate E. coli O157:H7 during cheese ripening. Subpasteurization heat-treatment runs were conducted at 148°F (64.4°C) for 17.5 s on milk inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at 105 CFU/ml. These heat-treatment runs resulted in a 5-log E. coli O157: H7 reduction.
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13509569
http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_16623679
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145115/10/11/15/cheese-and-food-safety-risk
http://www.foodprotection.org/QuickLinks.htm




Calls from fake health inspectors in NC a fraud scam
16.nov.10
barfblog
Ben Chapman
http://barfblog.com/blog/145134/10/11/16/calls-fake-health-inspectors-nc-fraud-scam
My buddy Larry Michael with the NC Dept of Environment and Natural Resources, Food Protection Branch is quoted in an AP story as warning restaurant operators in NC to be wary of someone posing as health inspector and calling for business information.Officials say someone is calling restaurants claiming to be a health inspector or other government official with new inspection procedures. They give the restaurants a code and tell them to provide the information when they get an automated call or when an inspector visits.
Larry says that the business information is being used to create dummy accounts for online shopping and auction sites.
This scam has beeen reported all over the U.S. and Canada. Back in June officials in Washington state also reported the information phishing:
The first caller tells the restaurant that it will receive an automated call providing a numeric confirmation code. A second caller, claiming to be a health inspector, requests the code and seeks to set up an in-person restaurant inspection. The caller threatens fines if the restaurant doesn't cooperate.
http://www.wwaytv3.com/nc_health_officials_warn_restaurant_inspection_scam%20/11/2010
http://blog.seattlepi.com/boomerconsumer/archives/212933.asp




MINNESOTA: Preliminary cattle-vaccine results show promise: Cargill
15.nov.10
Meatingplace
Tom Johnston
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=19756
Cargill said today it will enter a second stage of testing vaccines intended to reduce E. coli O157:H7 occurrence in cattle, following promising results in the project's first round.
 
Dan Schaefer, Cargill assistant vice president for beef research and development, told the food and feed safety committee of the United States Animal Health Association in Minneapolis on Sunday that researchers saw a favorable immune-system response to the vaccine and the cattle had no adverse reaction. 
 
"[We] believe there is enough evidence to move forward with a second vaccine trial and anticipate doing so in summer 2011 at a Midwest beef processing facility supplied by mid-size feedlots in the region," Schaefer said, according to a Cargill news release. "We're determining the best way to proceed with this science-based, evolutionary process, which we hope will lead to validating the potential value of vaccine as another food safety tool for beef production."
 
The first trial in 2010, at a cost of $1 million, entailed vaccination of the entire cattle supply from 10 feedlots dedicated to slaughter at the company's Fort Morgan, Colo., plant from May through August. Of the 85,000 head of cattle, nearly 60,000 head received two doses of the vaccine, one upon arrival at the feedlot and one about 90 days before harvesting. The remaining cattle received a single dose and served as buffers before and after those cycling through the feedlots and that had received two doses.
Buffers allowed Cargill to establish scientific controls to test the effect of whole-feedlot vaccination under commercial conditions.
 
Replicating the first trial will be a challenge given the number of factors that can potentially influence the effectiveness of a vaccine for reducing E. coli in beef cattle. Among them are weather, geography, seasonality, animal and herd care and management and vaccine dosage.
 
Moreover, Cargill noted a low level of E. coli O157:H7 in the beef produced at Fort Morgan from the non-vaccinated cattle while vaccinated cattle were being harvested. That, Schaefer said, might influence the significance of the data now being analyzed by independent researchers at Kansas State and Texas Tech universities, the USDA's Meat Animal Research Center and the Beef Checkoff, results of which will likely be available early next year.
They're trying to better understand the meaning and value of the reduction in E. coli in beef from the vaccinated cattle, compared with beef from non-vaccinated animals. This vaccine trial marked the first completed pre-harvest intervention trial that monitored activity from the time of vaccination through measurements in meat.
 
"The low level of E. coli O157:H7 in the beef from control cattle is something we need to take into consideration when we analyze the data to determine the vaccine's true impact and potential," Schaefer said. "The scientist in me tells me much more research remains to be conducted before we can draw any meaningful conclusions about the long-term efficacy of vaccine use to reduce any strain of bacteria potentially found in beef that could pose health risks to consumers."




US: Two easy moves for the lame duck
15.nov.10
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/opinion/16tue4.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
The lame-duck Congress, according to this editorial, needs to approve two food-related measures that are badly needed to protect the nation's health. The good news is that a version of each has already passed one chamber, and both have strong bipartisan support.
The Senate needs to approve a House food safety bill that would significantly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration's ability to combat food-borne illnesses, including giving it the authority to recall contaminated products and other tools to prevent contaminated foods from reaching the marketplace in the first place.
This bill has strong bipartisan support. But a few senators, led by Jon Tester, a Democrat of Montana, appear determined to tack on an amendment exempting from safety standards a significant number of produce items and processed foods. That would weaken the F.D.A.'s ability to protect Americans' health. The Senate needs to approve the bill without this amendment.




US: Food groups oppose exempting small, local shops from safety protocols
15.nov.10
Meatingplace
Rita Jane Gabbett
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=19753
More than 30 groups representing poultry, meat and other fresh food makers sent a letter today to legislators asking them to oppose an amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act that would exempt some small food producers, such as farmers' market vendors, from certain food safety protocols. A copy was made available to Meatingplace.
"We believe an operation's size, the growing practices used, or its proximity to customers does not determine whether the food offered is safe," the groups said in a letter to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and ranking minority committee member Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wy.). "What matters is that the operation implements prudent product safety practices, whether the product is purchased at a roadside stand, a farmers' market or a large supermarket.
"We believe technical assistance, training, extended transition timeframes for compliance and financial support are more appropriate ways to assist small businesses throughout the food distribution chain to comply with important food safety standards," the letter added.
Groups signing the letter included, among others, the American Meat Institute, National Chicken Council, National Meat Association, National Pork Producers Council and National Turkey Federation.




US: Local food supply chains use diverse business models to satisfy demand
01.dec.10
Amber Waves
Michael S. Hand
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December10/Features/SupplyChains.htm#2010-11-15
Case studies show that as demand has increased, local foods are reaching consumers through an expanding array of supply chain arrangements and marketing outlets.
Consumers demanding locally produced food have often had only a few options for buying food produced by nearby farms, including roadside stands, farmers' markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) programs. These market outlets—typically distributing small volumes of specialized products—stand in stark contrast to large supermarkets and other mainstream outlets that distribute the vast majority of food consumed at home in the United States.
As demand has increased, however, local foods are reaching consumers through an expanding array of supply chain arrangements and marketing outlets. Local foods may be sold in supermarkets; in small specialty stores or regional grocery chains; in restaurants, schools, or hospitals; or through a variety of direct-to-consumer outlets (see "Varied Interests Drive Growing Popularity of Local Foods").
Although many definitions and examples of local food supply chains exist, "local" generally refers to food sourced from nearby farms and producers. Proximity between consumers and producers is an essential component of any local food supply chain, yet the structure of these supply chains can take numerous forms.


bites is produced by Dr. Douglas Powell and food safety friends at Kansas State University. For further information, please contact dpowell@ksu.edu or check out bites.ksu.edu.

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Fw: FRAC's Weekly News Digest - Issue #33, November 16, 2010

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From: Food Research and Action Center <mambrose@frac.org>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:49:10 -0600
To: Tom Karst<TKarst@vancepublishing.com>
ReplyTo: "mambrose@frac.org" <mambrose@frac.org>
Subject: FRAC's Weekly News Digest - Issue #33, November 16, 2010


The Weekly Food Research and Action Center News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them.


Issue #33, November 16, 2010

  1. Number of Hungry Households Hit All Time High
  2. U.S. Food Hardship Rate is “Staggering,” but Increased SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits Keeping Rate Down
  3. Poverty Plus Corner Store Foods Equal Obesity and Overweight in Philadelphia; SNAP/Food Stamps Provide Some Hunger Relief
  4. Letter to Editor: Don’t Cut SNAP/Food Stamps to Pay for Child Nutrition
  5. Poverty Increases in Colorado, Yet Many Don’t Use SNAP/Food Stamps Although They’re Eligible
  6. California Losing Billions in Unused SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits
  7. SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Soaring Across Country (MN, OK, WV)
  8. Michigan to Start Disseminating SNAP/Food Stamps Throughout the Month
  9. WIC EBT Cards Come to Chickasaw Nation
  10. World Food Prize Winner Supports Strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Without SNAP Cuts

1. Number of Hungry Households Hit All Time High
(NPR, November 15, 2010; FRAC, November 15, 2010)

According to a report released by USDA, a record high of 50 million Americans (one in seven) experienced food insecurity in 2009; the number includes 17 million children. "It is a considerable reflection of what is going on in the economy," said Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon. "So, jobs, employment, the overall economic health of the the country are a major portion of it." The SNAP/Food Stamp program and other federal nutrition programs are credited for keeping the numbers from climbing even higher during the recession, and "dramatically demonstrates just how important the federal nutrition programs were to millions of America," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. "Participation in those programs, especially SNAP, has grown to meet the rising need. “Equally important, the increase in SNAP benefits that was included in the economic recovery act and took effect in April 2009 had a particularly powerful effect in keeping hunger from getting worse,” Weill added. “Quite simply, the increase in SNAP benefits worked." Weill hopes that these findings will help Congress avoid impending SNAP/Food Stamp cuts. "It's our hope and expectation that in the lame-duck [session], Congress will pass the child nutrition bill and do the SNAP restoration - and we think there's going to be an opportunity to do both."


2. U.S. Food Hardship Rate is “Staggering,” but Increased SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits Keeping Rate Down
(Huffington Post, November 9, 2010; FRAC, November 9, 2010)

According to Gallup data analyzed by the Food Research and Action Center, 18 percent of Americans reported in September 2010 they did not have enough money to purchase sufficient food (termed “food hardship”). Although the food hardship rate in early 2009 was 19 to 20 percent, the current percentage is still “staggering.” “[E]ven as unemployment [increased], there was a decline in yes answers to this question beginning in the spring of 2009, and it was pretty obvious that one key cause of this was the increase in SNAP or food stamp benefits that Congress passed as part of the Economic Recovery Act,” said Jim Weill, president of FRAC. With SNAP/Food Stamp participation at a record high of one in eight Americans, Congress is considering cutting the benefit in order to fund increases in school meal and other child nutrition programs. The cuts could reduce a low-income family’s SNAP/Food Stamp benefit by $59 a month. Mariana Chilton, director of Witnesses to Hunger, said this cut would be “devastating” to the millions who rely on these benefits. Food insecurity is not limited to poor districts or inner-city districts, Weill said. "Well over 300 Congressional districts had ten percent or more households answering yes to this question about struggling with food hardship, so as unemployment lingers, we're hopeful that Congress will be responsive to the need to maintain and strengthen the nutrition programs."


3. Poverty Plus Corner Store Foods Equal Obesity and Overweight in Philadelphia; SNAP/Food Stamps Provide Some Hunger Relief
(Philadelphia Inquirer, October 31, 2010; Philadelphia Inquirer, November 5, 2010)

Low-income people are blamed for their high rates of overweight and obesity, notes Adam Drewnowski, a University of Washington epidemiologist and obesity expert. “The poor, without access to healthy foods, are making the best possible choices under difficult circumstances,” said Drewnowski. Celeata Bailey, a 21-year-old resident of Philadelphia’s First Congressional District – the second hungriest in America, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index – knows this first hand. “You can’t find fresh fruits and vegetables in this neighborhood,” said Bailey, who has had diabetes since age 13. Doctors say many hungry, low-income people have no other choices than the diet of cheap, processed foods in neighborhood corner stores. Bailey sometimes takes four buses – a daunting journey - to West Philadelphia, which has a supermarket. The link to unhealthy foods begins early for many of the city’s low-income people, according to Renee Turchi, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Turchi sees many mothers feeding their infants from bottles containing juice or other high-sugar beverages. “If we see a mom with a colorful bottle, we need to work quickly with that family…to forestall developmental delay,” said Turchi. “People face many problems – it’s like Hurricane Katrina every day in the First Congressional District,” said Carey Morgan, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. In December 2007, 329,903 Philadelphians received SNAP/Food Stamps; in June 2010, 416,587 received the benefit. The average benefit of $258 per household often runs out 21 days into the month. A family would need an additional $3,165 a year in order to purchase enough food to maintain the federal government’s definition of “adequate,” according to a 2008 study by the Boston Medical Center and Drexel University School of Public Health. State budget cuts have reduced the number of SNAP/Food Stamp workers, making the benefit tougher to apply for as well as keep. A North Philadelphia service center left unanswered 62 percent of phone calls last year because of a lack of caseworkers, according to an investigation by the Coalition.


4. Letter to Editor: Don’t Cut SNAP/Food Stamps to Pay for Child Nutrition
(Argus Leader, November 5, 2010)

Erin Rath supports improvements to federal programs aimed at ending childhood hunger in America, but not at the expense of other nutrition programs. The Senate’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, she notes in her letter to the editor of the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, Iowa, takes the necessary steps, but “proposes that needed improvements to the federal school-lunch and related child-nutrition programs be paid for with more than $2 billion in cuts to [SNAP/Food Stamps].” This would be “incredibly detrimental to low-income children,” writes Rath. “While improving children’s nutrition is the right thing to do, reducing [SNAP/Food Stamp] benefits to pay for such improvements makes no sense.”


5. Poverty Increases in Colorado, Yet Many Don’t Use SNAP/Food Stamps Although They’re Eligible
(Denver Post, November 12, 2010)

Census data for 2009 show that Colorado’s poverty rate grew 15 percent, and the state’s child poverty rate jumped from 13 percent in 2007-2008 to 16.3 percent in 2009, notes Kathy Underhill, executive director of Hunger Free Colorado in this op-ed. But many in the state are not taking advantage of federal nutrition programs. Families who could make ends meet previously are struggling with unemployment and other recession-related financial problems. “We must help ensure Colorado kids and families get the nutrition they need,” writes Underhill. The state ranks last in SNAP/Food Stamp participation, and “nearly three-quarters of households living below the poverty line went without any help from SNAP even though they qualify.” In 2009 Colorado missed out on $750 million in SNAP/Food Stamp benefits – enough to feed 480,000 in the state for a year. Outreach – making sure people know the program exists – can help. In 2009, the Summer Food Service Program only reached 6.9 percent of eligible kids, serving 767,800 meals; in 2010, after the state and partners expanded outreach, the number of meals served increased to more than 960,000 at 300 community sites across the state. Colorado’s 26-page SNAP/Food Stamp application needs to be shortened – the state’s permit application to carry a concealed firearm is only two pages. Hunger has costs in human terms, notes Underhill, but also costs the state. “Hungry adults can’t work as hard or earn as much, and children who go to school hungry can’t learn.” She concludes that the “solution is simple: Let’s make sure Coloradoans know about and can easily access the programs that are available to help them weather this economic storm.”


6. California Losing Billions in Unused SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits
(LA Biz Observed, November 4, 2010)

Low SNAP/Food Stamp participation in California means the state is losing nearly $3.7 billion in federal dollars – which translate to nearly $7 billion in economic activity. In spite of a recession-related increase in program participation, there remains three million eligible Californians who have not signed up, and SNAP/Food Stamps went to only 9.3 percent of the state’s population in August 2010. The national average is 14.3 percent;  only five states have lower participation than California. The LA Times reported that demand has increased, but welfare offices are unable to cope with the long lines, and applicants face long wait times for benefits, once they navigate the complex application process and provide the many documents needed. Many of the state’s immigrants are wary of applying, thinking there may be negative repercussions in doing so, although they are eligible if they have lived in the U.S. for five years. Others don’t know about the program, or are stymied by the application process.  


7. SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Soaring Across Country

Minnesota
(Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 6, 2010; Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 7, 2010)
In September 2009, 381,000 Minnesotans received SNAP/Food Stamps; the number jumped to a record high of 444,000 in October 2010 – a figure representing more than the population of Minneapolis. The state estimated that participation would increase by 39,000 people in 2009, after the federal government removed the SNAP/Food Stamp time limit for healthy adults without children. However, more than 145,000 people signed up since 2009, and advocates are surprised the increase isn’t higher, since half of those eligible don’t apply for the benefit. They don’t think they’re eligible, or they believe the application process is too complicated, noted a report from Hunger-Free Minnesota. Even more in the state can receive the benefit now that the state removed the asset test and raised the income limit for eligibility. The state’s soaring numbers prompted Kevin Winge, in an editorial, to reflect on his purchasing power and habits, and compare his life to that of a SNAP/Food Stamp recipient’s. He notes that the average SNAP/Food Stamp recipient receives $121 a month or $3.29 a day. At a recent trip to the store, Winge spent $22.68 on a box of cereal, some organic bananas, organic milk, a yogurt and loaf of bread. “By clipping coupons, switching brands and going to three different stores, I could reduce the cost of my previous night’s purchases from $22.68 to $9.94,” writes Winge. “That would mean foregoing all organic foods, replacing a pound of bananas with a pound of apples and going with significantly less healthy choices on cereal and yogurt. Of course, that also means that I have access to the coupons, which come with my paid subscription to the newspaper, and that I have transportation to take me to three different stores. Oh, and it also means that I have the time to research bargains and to shop at three different locations which, in my neighborhood, are approximately three miles away from each other.” Winge plans on taking the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge between November 18 and Thanksgiving, and invites readers and elected officials to join him.

Oklahoma
(KRMG, October 7, 2010)
Oklahoma’s SNAP/Food Stamp participation rose 30 months in a row, notes David Blatt, president of the Oklahoma Policy Institute. About one out of every six of the state’s residents receive the benefit – 600,000 people. Many of these recipients have never imagined they would need this kind of help, said Blatt.

West Virginia
(Charleston Daily Mail, November 8, 2010; WV Headline News and Talk Radio, November 4, 2010)
SNAP/Food Stamp enrollment increased to 305,960 West Virginians in 2010, after a steady rise from 262,442 in 2005 to 276,800 in 2008. Increased unemployment and the recession are largely responsible for the 2010 increase rather than changes in the state making more people eligible for the program noted Don Purdue, chairman of the House of Delegates’ Health and Human Resources Committee. In 2007, 4.2 percent of residents were unemployed; in 2008, 4.3 percent were without jobs. In 2009, 7.9 percent in the state were unemployed. USDA figures show that SNAP/Food Stamps helped nearly one in five West Virginians in August 2010. “Food Hardship in West Virginia is higher than the national average,” said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center at a recent meeting in Charleston among state leaders, AARP, social workers, charities and food banks. “People here are facing even starker struggles than they do elsewhere in America. It’s choices between food and medicine, food and utilities, choices people should not be forced to make.” Hard hit are senior citizens, a little-known fact, noted Vollinger. AARP, charities and the state can get information to seniors and other low-income people about the program. “More and more people qualify for [SNAP] and ought to get the benefits,” said Vollinger. The state ranks seventh in SNAP/Food Stamp per capita enrollment. Washington, D.C. leads the nation, with about 21.1 percent of its population enrolled, followed by Mississippi, Tennessee, New Mexico, Oregon and Louisiana.


8. Michigan to Start Disseminating SNAP/Food Stamps Throughout the Month
(ABC News, November 4, 2010)

Some of Michigan’s 1.9 million SNAP/Food Stamp recipients won’t receive their benefit early in the month starting in January, but will begin seeing their assistance on their EBT cards later in the month. “The gradual change will improve access to fresh foods,” said Barbara Anders, deputy director of financial and quality services for the state Department of Human Services. Most SNAP/Food Stamp recipients in the state have been spending their benefits immediately, putting a strain on grocery stores, especially those in the inner cities. Merchants say the staggered dissemination will help them keep the stores better staffed and stocked and allow them to provide a better selection of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the month. However, some recipients will be forced to spread their assistance out an extra day each month to December 2011 as the change takes effect. Instead of getting their benefits on a day between the 3rd and the 10th, people will be getting their benefits on a day between the 3rd and the 21st of each month. Michigan is not allowed to give these recipients more money on their EBT cards while the change in benefit dispersal is taking place.


9. WIC EBT Cards Come to Chickasaw Nation
(GTR News, November 1, 2010)

A cooperative effort between the Chickasaw National Women Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) and J.P. Morgan has made EBT cards available to Chickasaw Nation WIC participants. The WIC agency serving the Nation is the first in Oklahoma to use the plastic cards with a magnetic strip. At checkout, WIC participants receive a receipt showing the amount remaining on the card.


10. World Food Prize Winner Supports Strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Without SNAP Cuts
(Huffington Post, November 2, 2010)

2010 World Food Prize winner David Beckmann, an anti-hunger activist, Lutheran minister and economist formerly with the World Bank, is deeply concerned with the high rates of hunger in the U.S., particularly the fact that one-quarter of African Americans in the country live in poverty. He notes that Brazil and Bangladesh have reduced poverty, and the U.S. has done so in the past and can in the future. “In the ‘60s and early ‘70s, we had economic growth and we had a concerted effort under both Johnson and Nixon to reduce hunger and poverty, and we cut poverty in half.” That’s why the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization is so important, said Beckmann. “[W]e should pass a strong [Child Nutrition Act]. It would improve school lunches and strengthen the programs that reach low income kids with food…Seventy percent of the households that get Food Stamps have kids. So we ought to have a strong Child Nutrition Act that does not cut Food Stamps. It’s the right thing; it’s the economic thing.” One in three African American children lives in a household without sufficient food, as do one in four American children. “If we’re trying to manage this economic crisis, we want to manage it in a way that doesn’t allow two year olds to go without adequate nutrition because if [they] don’t eat properly, that does permanent damage to those kids,” said Beckmann. Giving handouts of food won’t solve the poverty program, he notes. “All of the food that we provide through food charities amounts to about 6 percent of the food that poor people get from the federal food programs: food stamps and school lunches and so forth. What we do through charity is really important, but the churches and charities cannot fix this problem. We’ve got to get the government to provide leadership and we have clear opportunities right now.”


About Us: The Food Research and Action Center (www.frac.org) is the leading national organization working for more effective public and private policies to eradicate domestic hunger and undernutrition. Visit our Web site (www.frac.org) to learn more. Click here to unsubscribe from this e-mail.

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Fw: PRESS RELEASE: FRESHCONEX 2011: Unique fresh convenience concept

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From: "Schwetasch, Corinna" <Schwetasch@messe-berlin.de>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:43:37 -0600
To: Tom Karst<TKarst@vancepublishing.com>
Subject: PRESS RELEASE: FRESHCONEX 2011: Unique fresh convenience concept

FRESHCONEX 2011, 9-11 February

International Trade Fair for Fresh Produce Convenience, Berlin Exhibition Grounds

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

Unique fresh convenience concept

 

Berlin, 16 November 2010 – Fresh produce convenience products have never been so comprehensively presented at a trade fair. A new marketing tool has been offered to FRUIT LOGISTICA 2011 exhibitors who also present products for the fresh convenience sector. It highlights fresh convenience products on display at the stands of participating exhibitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA for the first time. The resulting FRESHCONEX Route integrates the respective FRUIT LOGISTICA exhibitors plus all FRESHCONEX exhibitors, offering a clearly marked fresh convenience route.

 

A unique approach to presenting the wide range of convenience products, the FRESHCONEX Route highlights the importance of FRESHCONEX as Europe's leading trade fair for fresh produce convenience. FRUIT LOGISTICA exhibitors such as UNIVEG (Belgium), Sealpac International B.V. and Sormac B.V. (Netherlands) as well as Corapack Srl (Italy) are already participants of the FRESHCONEX Route. FRUIT LOGISTICA and FRESHCONEX take place from 9-11 February 2011 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

 

The FRESHCONEX Route offers trade visitors a unique, widely diversified market overview of fresh convenience products as well as related packaging and technology. Available in the Virtual Market Place on the Internet as well as in the trade fair catalogue, the FRESHCONEX Route enables visitors to pinpoint fresh convenience product suppliers at the exhibition site. Exhibitors listed on the FRESHCONEX Route benefit from direct contacts to a wider target audience along with exclusive product presentation opportunities.

 

 

For further details on the FRESHCONEX Route, contact:

 

Messe Berlin GmbH, Stefanie Ehrentraut, Tel.: +49 (30) 3038 2318,

e-mail: ehrentraut@messe-berlin.de

 

This press release and the FRESHCONEX Route logo are available on the Internet: www.freshconex.com / Press Service / Press Releases or Download Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press contact:

Messe Berlin GmbH

Michael T. Hofer

Director, Corporate Press and Public Relations

Wolfgang Rogall

Press Officer

Messedamm 22

14055 Berlin

Tel.: +49 30 3038-2218

Fax: +49 30 3038-2287

rogall@messe-berlin.de

Executive Board:
Raimund Hosch (CEO),
Dr. Christian Göke

Supervisory Board Chairman:
Hans-Joachim Kamp

Commercial Registry:

Charlottenburg Admin. Court, entry no. HRB 5484 B B

Additional information:

www.freshconex.com

www.messe-berlin.com