The US Department of Agriculture promises to shoulder more of the cost for farmers and ranchers transitioning to organic and develop additional processing and aggregation facilities to ease supply chain bottenecks holding the organic industry back from...
Day one of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Sugar Reduction Summit centered around the organization’s sugar reduction initiatives for all food and beverage categories, aligning with USDA and the New York Department of Hygiene and Mental...
Discussions between FMI – The Food Industry Association’s Government Relations Committee and lawmakers will surround Farm Bill reauthorization, food safety regulations and credit card competition, among others on April 19, 2023.
A new initiative led by the IDFA suggests that leading milk processors including Danone North America and Dairy Farmers of America are prepared to adhere to a lower added-sugars limit for flavored milk in order to continue to offer their products in US...
A new partnership between a small business funding and research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Springtide Seaweed will help to address the challenges of broadening seaweed cultivation “beyond kelp” and into other seaweed varieties.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will step up oversight and enforcement of the production, handling and sale of organic products at the behest of industry and legislators who worry increasingly complex supply chains paired with the high price premiums...
The US Department of Agriculture’s decision this summer to increase the benefits allotted under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program well beyond inflation is under fire after a government watchdog found the agency did not follow best-practices...
A new multi-million initiative by the US Department of Agriculture aims to reverse a downward trend in the number of farms transitioning to organic – a process that can put producers on their back foot financially as yields often drop during the three-year...
Farmers markets are more than a popular summer destination for Americans who want to learn where their food comes from – they also play a key role in Federal nutrition programs and the government’s plan to transform the food system to better support small...
In the battle against food waste, most industry players are only addressing part of the problem, claims Aidan Mouat, CEO and co-founder of Chicago-based Hazel Technologies, who says through the company's proprietary shelf-life extension technology,...
Announcing the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars across the supply chain, the US Department of Agriculture says it hopes to rebalance the food system’s historic focus on efficiency with much-needed resiliency so that the country is better...
This fall, the White House will host a highly-anticipated and hard fought for second Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger and Health at the behest of a bipartisan nationwide grassroots movement led by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) as part of an ambitious...
In unveiling stricter ‘transitional’ school nutrition standards for the upcoming academic year, the Department of Agriculture appears to have drawn a line in the sand for what could become a contentious debate between schools, industry and other stakeholders...
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $1bn in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.
As a climate-smart food and beverage market emerges and consumers show a willingness to pay a premium for products touted as climate-friendly, the US Department of Agriculture is taking steps to standardize marketing claims and ensure an even playing...
Peanut consumption in the US has hit record levels for the second year in a row – rising to an all-time high of 7.9 pounds (3.5kg) per American in 2021. However, the National Peanut Board (NPB) said the consistent rise of the nut’s popularity is not surprising,...
US Senators from Maine Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden have sent a letter to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the department to provide federal support to the 14 Maine organic...
New research revealing that nearly nine out of ten participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, struggle to maintain healthy diets suggests the method for how aid is determined is outdated and reveals...
Industry-supported efforts to update organic food standards could finally move forward after being held at a standstill for years by the US Department of Agriculture if bipartisan legislation introduced in the House late last week becomes law.
Provisions of the recently signed American Rescue Plan that acknowledge and seek to right systemic racism perpetuated by the US Department of Agriculture and others against generations of Black US farmers will benefit the entire agriculture sector, USDA...
With the pandemic’s impact on the economy and food insecurity in America expected to outlast the threat of the current coronavirus, stakeholders are calling on legislators to rethink how food and funds through nutrition programs are disbursed – changes...
USDA’s announcement this week to extend free school meals through the summer – and possibly the end of the next school year – ensures students are fed even if pandemic-related safety measures keep them at home, but it doesn’t alleviate increased financial...
New US Department of Agriculture leadership optimistically is committed to launching a “a new era of climate smart practices” and “equity and fairness” in food and ag that will remove barriers, rebuild rural America, tackle climate change and control...
The White House Office of Management and Budget pulled six FDA guidances and rules from its review, including the proposal "Cannabidiol Enforcement Policy; Draft Guidance for Industry" — handing the CBD industry yet another setback.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the final rule regulating the production of hemp in the United States — well over a year after publishing draft regulations.
Innovation at the hands of forward-thinking entrepreneurs will be key to creating a more sustainable food system and healthier population, Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey told attendees of an online discussion about the new documentary, 'They...
Responding to increasing fraud threats to the organic industry, the US Department of Agriculture seeks to strengthen oversight and improve the transparency and traceability of organic food through a four-prong plan that praises and mirrors actions already...
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has intercepted 19,555 pounds of prohibited pork, chicken, beef and duck products arriving from China at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The FDA, USDA and EPA have launched ‘Feed Your Mind’, a new Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative that aims to increase consumer awareness and understanding of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).
The Organic Trade Association is calling on the US Department of Agriculture to help ease mounting pressure on the organic supply chain posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by increasing flexibility for inspections and the disbursement of funds related...
The US Department of Agriculture is making it easier for low-income participants in the Women, Infant and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program to fill their grocery carts despite lingering shortages of program-eligible food staples due to panicked...
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled a series of measures to “control and eradicate” African Swine Fever (ASF) if the virus is ever detected in the country.
Whole grain consumption among kids (aged 5-19 years) has been steadily increasing over the past 15 years, surpassing whole grain consumption at home, according to research from USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) and the University of Georgia.
Two proposals characterized by the US Department of Agriculture as giving schools “additional flexibilities” around the food they serve students and as a solution to food waste in cafeterias are, according to public health advocates, “a step in the wrong...
Sparked by proposed US Department of Agriculture regulations that would drastically alter the certification process for industrial hemp, two lawmakers from Oregon want the agency to make several changes before it finalizes rules for the US Domestic Hemp...
At a House Education and Labor subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, legislators will consider the extent to which the US Department of Agriculture’s proposed policy changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would unnecessarily jeopardize...
A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that free snacks at work make up a weighty amount of the – empty – calories daily consumed by approximately 140 million working Americans.
This morning more than 9,700 federal employees who work for the Farm Services Agency will return to work without pay at least part time for the duration of the partial government shutdown, which is now in its 33rd day and by far the longest in US history.
The amount of time Americans spend sitting down and eating a meal has shrunk over the past 10 years, while purchases of prepared food options from grocery stores and food service (carry-out, delivery, or fast food) have risen, according to the Economic...
As the White House pushes forward with its hardline approach to international trade deals, including a bilateral proposal announced yesterday with Mexico that could replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, it also is taking steps to provide financial...
Providing broadband Internet access to rural America is a top priority USDA and part of a larger effort to ensure future generations continue to farm, ranch and manufacturer the commodities and products that are backbone of the country’s food supply,...
To help ensure the 45 million turkeys consumed in the US this Thanksgiving don’t pose a health risk to consumers, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has offered up advice on preparation.
Against the vast majority of stakeholders’ wishes, the US Department of Agriculture once again is delaying the widely supported Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices because the department believes the final rule oversteps Congress’ mandate ‘for the...
USDA will publish a draft of its proposed federal GMO labeling rule in the fall of this year (which will be subject to public comment) and says it is “working hard to meet the schedule in order to issue a final rule on the law in July 2018.”
A significant portion of employees at the US Department of Agricultural fear that policy changes implemented during the Trump Administration’s first 100 days threaten their jobs and project funding, and could suppress data, according to a small study...
Under pressure from industry, consumers and legislators, the US Department of Agriculture is exploring how Americans can use food stamps to buy groceries online.
The US House of Representatives has voted to pass a federal GMO labeling bill (306:117 votes) that would pre-empt and nullify all state-led GMO labeling laws including the one that has just come into effect in Vermont.
The US Department of Agricultural (USDA) will make around $6m (£4.8m) available to fund research on combating the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.