Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces New Report on Scientific Breakthroughs from USDA in 2013



New USDA Discoveries Led to 180 New Inventions, Include Flour that Prevents Weight Gain, Protections from Disease for U.S. Troops, Turning Grass Clippings to Energy

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a new report on scientific breakthroughs discovered by USDA researchers that led to new patents and inventions with the potential for commercial application and potential economic growth. Innovations included in the report range from flour made out of chardonnay grape seeds that prevents weight gain to antimicrobial packets that keep food from spoiling, efforts to protect U.S. troops in Iraq from diseases carried by sand flies, new processes for turning grass clippings and raked leaves into bioenergy, and many more.

"Studies have shown that every dollar invested in agricultural research returns $20 to the economy. We have accelerated commercialization of federal research and government researchers are working closely with the private sector to develop new technology and transfer it to the marketplace," said Secretary Vilsack. "USDA has a proven track record of performing research that benefits the public."

USDA reports receiving 51 patents, filing 147 patent applications, and disclosing 180 new inventions in the last fiscal year, which are detailed in the Department's 2013 Annual Report on Technology Transfer released today. Helping drive these innovations, USDA has 259 active Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with outside investigators, which includes Universities and other organizations, including 117 with small businesses. The USDA's technology transfer program is administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

Discoveries from USDA's 2013 Technology Transfer Report include:
A new kind of flour made from chardonnay grape seeds that can prevent increases in cholesterol and weight-gain (the Mayo Clinic is currently conducting human clinical trials on the product);
New ways to turn lawn clippings and tree leaves from cities into bioenergy;
An enzyme compound that can be used to develop insecticides to combat sand flies, a disease spreading insect that poses a major problem for U.S. military in Iraq and is responsible for hundreds of thousands of childhood deaths in Africa;
A computer-based model of the fluid milk process to lower greenhouse gas emissions (the model has been distributed to more than 100 processors in the United States and should help the dairy industry realize its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent per gallon of milk by 2020);
Oat concentrates, a digestible, functional food from oats licensed for the production of Calorie-Trim and Nutrim;
A new process for turning old tires into zinc fertilizer;
A handheld device that uses gold nanoparticles to detect West Nile virus (and potentially other diseases) in blood samples;
Window cleaners that use a biodegradable solution of nanoparticles that prevent water-beading that are superior to current cleaners;
A small packet that when inserted in small fruit containers releases an antimicrobial vapor that helps keep fresh fruit from rotting on the shelf.
Over the years, USDA innovations have created all sorts of products Americans use every days, from cosmetics, to insect controls, leathers, shampoos, and of course food products. Here are just a few examples of things USDA research is responsible for:
Frozen orange juice concentrate;
"Permanent press" cotton clothing;
Mass production of penicillin in World War II;
Almost all breeds of blueberries and cranberries currently in production, and 80% of all varieties of citrus fruits grown in the U.S.;
"Tifsport", a turf used on NFL, collegiate, and other sports fields across the country, specifically designed to withstand the stress and demands of major team sports. Tifsport is also used on PGA and other golf course fairways, while its sister turf, "Tifeagle", specially designed to be mowed to one-tenth of an inch daily, is used on PGA putting greens.
The 2014 Farm Bill will help to build on these accomplishments by establishing a new Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research that leverages $200 million in public funding and another $200 million from the private sector to support groundbreaking agricultural research.

More information about the USDA innovations contained in this year's report, as well as a look at previous USDA research discoveries is available here: https://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/01090000/FY13_TT Ann Rpt .pdf.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Monday, April 14, 2014

Salt Reduction in U.K. Drives Down Heart Disease & Stroke Deaths





Statement of CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson

The British government has successfully educated individuals about reducing their sodium consumption and has aggressively encouraged companies to market less-salty foods.  And according to the findings published today in BMJ Open, those efforts are likely partly responsible for plummeting rates of heart attack and stroke deaths in the United Kingdom.

It’s a shame that while the British government has actively prompted progress on the part of industry and consumers, our Food and Drug Administration dithers, waiting in vain for more than 40 years for companies to voluntarily cut salt.  It’s a strategy that has plainly failed, as Americans are still getting more than twice as much sodium as they should, mostly from processed and restaurant foods.

Almost four years ago the Institute of Medicine called on the FDA to set mandatory limits on the levels of sodium allowed in various categories of food.  Doing that would have been the single most effective (and inexpensive) thing the FDA could have done to save hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of health care dollars.  Halving Americans’ sodium intake could save 100,000 lives annually.  Because the Obama Administration hasn’t done anything, America is unnecessarily digging about 100,000 early graves every year, each to be filled with a heart attack or stroke victim.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Food, Beverage and Consumer Products Industries and Michigan State University Establish Center for Research on Ingredient Safety


Independent Academic Institution to Focus on Consumer Product and Food Safety


(Washington, D.C.) The food, beverage and consumer products industries, in association with the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Michigan State University (MSU), today announced the establishment of the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS).

An independent, academic, science-based center, CRIS will serve as a reliable and unbiased source for information, research, training and analysis on the safe use of chemical ingredients in consumer packaged goods including foods, beverages, cosmetics and household consumer products.

 “Ensuring the safety of our products - and maintaining the confidence of consumers - is the single most important goal of our industry,” said GMA’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Leon Bruner. “We are very pleased to be part of the founding of the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety. The center will be an independent resource for a broad range of stakeholders that provides unbiased analysis and information on the safety of ingredients used in foods and consumers products.”

CRIS will be modeled after already existing centers of expertise at other academic institutions which focus on allergen and microbiological safety.  It will be located at MSU and will governed by an advisory board composed of multiple stakeholders, including academic, industry, NGO and regulatory representatives.

Also partnering on the endeavor is the University of Michigan Risk Science Center. The RSC will lead the communications component by developing innovative approaches to connecting the CRIS research with stakeholders. In addition, the Center will provide responsive and evidence-informed risk/benefit insights into topical issues on food ingredient safety.

“Michigan State University has what may be the largest and most diverse cohort of faculty in the nation working directly on food and consumer product safety issues, and the university has great strength in the discipline of toxicology,” said Fred Poston, dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “It is natural that a national center devoted to food and consumer product ingredient safety will be located at MSU.”

“Partnerships, like the one that establishes the Endowed Chair in Ingredient Safety with the Grocery Manufacturers Association and its members, show that safe and secure food and consumer products truly change the world,” said Fred Derksen chairperson of MSU’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. “In addition to the support of the endowed chair, MSU is committed to establishing this center whose core is research, educates the next generation of scientists, informs regulators and serves industry.”

The Michigan State University Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS) in connection with MSU and GMA will work to achieve the following goals:
 
Expand the opportunity to conduct basic and applied research on the safety and toxicology of ingredients in food, packaging, cosmetics and household care products

Develop and validate testing methods and strategies for evaluating the safety of ingredients in food, packaging, cosmetics and household care products.

Establish a graduate training program that prepares scientists for a career in assessing the safety and toxicology of ingredients in food, packaging, cosmetics and household care products that includes training in risk assessment and U.S. and international regulatory policies.

Inform the public, health professionals, regulators and the scientific community on research matters reflecting the state-of-the-science pertaining to the safety and toxicology of ingredients in food, packaging, cosmetics and household care products.

Also partnering in the endeavor is University of Michigan Risk Science Center (www.riskscience.umich.edu).

CRIS will be supported through the establishment of an endowed chair that will be funded with contributions provided by organizations and individual supporters.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

National Restaurant Association Issues Key Vote on Young Bill, Calls for Traditional Full-Time Work Definition



(Washington, D.C.) The National Restaurant Association today notified members of the U.S. House of Representatives that it is considering H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers Act, as a “key vote” and top priority for the restaurant industry. The legislation authored by Congressman Todd Young would reinstate the historic definition of full-time as working 40 hours per week under the Affordable Care Act.

In the NRA’s letter sent in support of the bill, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Scott DeFife writes, “Aligning the law’s definition of full-time employee status with current levels used by restaurant and foodservice operators would help avoid any unnecessary disruptions to employees’ wages and hours, and would provide significant relief to employers.”

The ACA’s full-time employee definition has been a critical issue for the restaurant industry. The association has worked with members of both chambers and political parties for years on a to address this challenging part of the law for restaurant operators’ compliance. The complete key vote letter is copied below:

On behalf of the National Restaurant Association, the leading trade association representing the restaurant and foodservice industry, I write to urge you to vote YES in favor of H.R. 2575, the “Save American Workers Act,” when it is considered on the House floor this week.  The National Restaurant Association may consider any votes on, or related to, such legislation in our annual “How They Voted” legislative scorecard.

H.R. 2575 would reinstate the historic definition of full-time as working 40 hours per week.  The law’s definition of full-time set at 30 hours could have lasting impacts on the labor market, far beyond the Affordable Care Act, with the unintended consequence of potentially limiting hours for workers who do not intend to rely on their employer for their insurance needs.

One reason so many Americans are drawn to restaurant and foodservice industry jobs is the flexibility to build a work schedule or change hours to suit their personal needs. Generally, most restaurant operators have classified positions as salaried and hourly, not full- or part-time.  Previously, hourly workers were able to take on extra shifts as available and as they chose to work.  However, under this law, there is now a bright line as to who is considered full-time and who is considered part-time.  As a result, the flexibility so many enjoy and seek out in working for the industry may become harder to find.

In its analysis of the legislation, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) acknowledged employers’ commitment to offering coverage to employees and projects that only a small percentage of employers would either reassign or reduce hours of employees who work more than 40 hours per week.  More than 156 million people would continue to be covered by employer-sponsored plans, underscoring the CBO’s conclusion that “most of the affected employers would continue to offer coverage because most employers construct compensation packages to attract the best available workers at the lowest possible cost.”

Aligning the law’s definition of full-time employee status with current levels used by restaurant and foodservice operators would help avoid any unnecessary disruptions to employees’ wages and hours, and would provide significant relief to employers.  The National Restaurant Association supports H.R. 2575 and encourages you to vote YES when it is considered on the House floor.



Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Soda Sales Slump for 9th Straight Year, Says Beverage Digest




Statement of CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson

If obesity rates in the United States have indeed plateaued or leveled off, the gradual decline in soda consumption deserves at least some of the credit. Americans are turning away from sugary drinks (and diet sodas) in ever increasing numbers, as Beverage Digest has documented. We're talking about nutritionally worthless products that provide nothing of value to the diet, but increase one's risk of weight gain, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems.
While progress has been made in schools, legislators and health officials should take additional steps to drive consumption even further downward, with more aggressive education campaigns, labels warning of obesity and diabetes, limiting sugar content, taxation, and other policies.