February 2010
Feds move against farmer – for having cows! "U.S. Food and Drug Administration agents have demanded to inspect a Pennsylvania farm described by its owner as private, arguing, 'You have cows. You produce food for human consumption.' The confrontation developed just days ago at a farm near Kinzers, Pa., belonging to Amish farmer Dan Allgyer.... The agents 'drove past Allgyer's 'No Trespassing' signs and up his driveway almost to his barn, where Allgyer happened to be outside.'....After Allgyer said, 'This is a private farm, I do not sell anything to the public,' the agents accused him of refusing an inspection....
"...in a previous U.S. case, Mennonite farmer Mark Nolt of Maryland had his farm raided by SWAT-type agents. He was fined more than $4,000 and had his equipment confiscated for providing raw – or unpasteurized – milk to participants in his program. ....a participant concluded, 'The food produced on that farm is probably far safer than anything you get at the grocery store.'
"As someone that lives in Pennsylvania in the Amish farmland, I find this story to be horrifying. Our state legislator is working very hard to protect and encourage organic farming in Pennsylvania and then this … happens which totally undermines all his hard work." See The UN Plan for Food and Land
November 2009
Summit disappoints UN food chief: "The head of the UN food agency, Jacques Diouf, says he is not satisfied with the final declaration of the UN world food summit in Rome.... Mr Diouf, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said he ....regretted the absence of a deadline for the total eradication of world hunger - referring to the UN Millennium Development Goal deadline of 2025. ... 'I am not satisfied that some of the concrete proposals I made were not accepted. There was no consensus on this and I regret it." See The UN Plan for Food and Land
How can a firm deadline be set when the outcome depends on numerous uncertain factors: African politics, corruption, the global economy, weather, China's African ventures, etc.?
October 2009
Food production 'must rise 70%': "Food production will have to increase by 70% over the next 40 years to feed the world's growing population, the United Nations food agency predicts. The Food and Agricultural Organisation says if more land is not used for food production now, 370 million people could be facing famine by 2050.... Climate change, involving floods and droughts, will affect food production.....
"Food production would also have to deal with 'the effects of climate change, notably higher temperatures [now proven to be crisis propaganda].... Climate change would reduce water availability and lead to an increase in plant and animal pests and diseases."
[Actually "global warming" would cause more ocean water to evaporate, which would produce clouds and rain -- which in turn would hide the sun and cool the earth. That's the normal cycle -- which is separate from the 11-year cycle of sun spots and other natural cycles. Humans have nothing to do with it -- except to use deception to create a useful crisis.] See Food Tactics
Media Bias. Time's lack of objectivity glaringly apparent in food article: "...Walsh’s story, 'Getting Real about the High Price of Cheap Food' is a classic case of stretching and bending the truth to prove a point. Walsh’s article purports to show that America’s abundant supply of cheap food comes at a high price to the environment, animals and humans. What it shows is how little Walsh and others who share his views know about farming and the economics of feeding a growing world population. ... The article concedes that Americans spend less than 10 percent of their incomes on food, but Walsh gives little credit to innovations by farmers. He claims a transition to more sustainable, smaller-scale production methods could be possible without a loss in overall yield....
"...Walsh said Time is going away from objective reporting and moving toward becoming part of the conversation. He said he had heard opposing views to the opinions expressed in the article, but chose not to include them. See
The UN Plan for Food and LandSWAT raid on food storehouse heading to trial: "A lawsuit brought by an Ohio family whose children were held at SWAT-team gunpoint while their food supplies were confiscated is scheduled to go to trial this week....The Stowers and their 10 children and grandchildren were detained in one room of their home for six hours while sheriff's officers confiscated 60 boxes of fresh farm food, computers, phones and records, including USDA-certified meat from the children's mini-farm, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs." See Swat Team conducts food raid
September 2009
This month's set of links deal with regional food planning and control -- a local/national/international project justified as needed because of potential famine, social injustice, health safety, environmental threats, and need for more solidarity.
Mayor Newsom Announces Regional Food Policy for San Francisco and Several New Food Initiatives: "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today issued the first ever comprehensive food policy for San Francisco, and a sweeping action plan to make improvements to food that is available in the region. The plan, which Mayor Newsom issued through Executive Directive, aims to ensure that all regional residents have access to healthy food, and will have far reaching impact throughout Northern California..."
The American Planning Association [APA]: Our Mission. The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in community planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to meet the challenges of growth and change. ....
"Our vision is of a nation of vital communities, fully accessible to all people, with: comprehensive plans implemented to create healthy, safe places to live and work; social, economic, and racial equity and integration; good public services are provided; decisions based on sustainability at all levels; good jobs available close to home; a quality education available to all students; quality, affordable housing available to all people."
APA Green Team: "...the American Planning Association has the opportunity to be a leader in promoting the sustainable use of Earth's resources. Practicing and demonstrating environmentally sound business practices can and should become an intrinsic part of APA's organizational culture that is apparent to our employees, members, and surrounding communities. The Green Team — an APA staff committee — wants to reduce APA's consumption of energy, natural resources, and manufactured materials, as well as its contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, other air and water pollution, and landfills."
Policy Guide on Community and Regional Food Planning: "Food is a sustaining and enduring necessity. Yet among the basic essentials for life — air, water, shelter, and food — only food has been absent over the years as a focus of serious professional planning interest....The following are a few converging factors that explain the heightened awareness among planners that the food system is indeed significant:
~ Recognition that food system activities take up a significant amount of urban and regional land
~ Awareness that planners can play a role to help reduce the rising incidence of hunger on the one hand, and obesity on the other
~ Understanding that the food system represents an important part of community and regional economies
~ Awareness that the food Americans eat takes a considerable amount of fossil fuel energy to produce, process, transport, and dispose of
~ Understanding that farmland in metropolitan areas, and therefore the capacity to produce food for local and regional markets, is being lost at a strong pace
~ Understanding that pollution of ground and surface water, caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture adversely affects drinking water supplies
~ Awareness that access to healthy foods in low-income areas is an increasing problem for which urban agriculture can offer an important solution
~ Recognition that many benefits emerge from stronger community and regional food systems.
Teaching Food: Agriculture, Food and Society Syllabi and Course Materials Collection: "A Publication of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society....WEEK 13 A. 18 April, Preserving the Four F’s: Farmland, Farming, Farmers, Farms Guest: Adesoji Adelaja, Dean for Research, Cook College, Rutgers and Director, Regional Food Policy Research and Outreach Institute See ARTICLE
Cities Farming for the Future Urban Agriculture for Green and Productive Cities: "The livelihood of a large number of people in cities in developing countries, especially the poor and women, depends completely or partly on urban agriculture. These agricultural activities take place in various parts of cities, both in the built-up area (in back yards, along streams and railway reservations, on vacant public or private land) as well as in the rapidly changing sub- and peri-urban areas.... Research undertaken in the last two decades indicates that urban agriculture has multiple roles and functions and plays an important role in:
• enhancing urban food security, nutrition and health;
• creating urban job opportunities and generation of income especially for urban poverty groups and provision of a social safety net for these groups;
• contributing to increased recycling of nutrients (turning urban organic wastes into a resource);
• facilitating social inclusion of disadvantaged groups and community development; and,
• urban greening and maintenance of green open spaces.....
"
For United Nation agencies and other international donor organisations, this publication provides some important directions to consider regarding the role of urban agriculture in the context of achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015. Experiences documented in this publication provide evidence of how local authorities deal with urban agriculture in the context of food security for the urban poor."
Food Systems Planning (scroll half way down the page): Food Systems Planning - Burnham Conference Center at APA • 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600, Sponsor: American Planning Association Free event CM 1.0 For planners there is no better time than now to start thinking about where our food comes from, beginning with the farm and ending on our plates. With a global food crisis gaining momentum what role can planners play in both preservation and improvement of the food system? Lynn Peemoeller, co-chair of the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council, will discuss the environmental, health, social justice, and policy implications of food, and she will share her perspective on how APA's Community and Regional Food Policy Guide informs the planner's role in the complex food system."
July 2009
Food Cops: Coming Soon to a Restaurant Near You? "Jacobson doesn't suggest you will die from drinking soda, but he does say you could get fat, and fat costs money: 'Americans spend about $90 billion a year in direct medical costs related to obesity, of which half is paid with Medicare and Medicaid taxpayer dollars.'... Soda also is bad... because 'we all need food, but no one needs soda' -- a product he calls 'liquid candy' and therefore 'uniquely worthless.'...
"Solution? Tax them. A soda tax 'would promote health and reduce health care costs.'... The health-care angle rescues the soda tax from what otherwise might seem remarkable arrogance; without the cost argument, food cops like Jacobson sound as though they are setting themselves up in judgment over other people's personal choices. The cost argument transforms those personal decisions into public-policy questions: If you make poor dietary choices, then you are effectively raising taxes on other citizens by raising medical costs through Medicare, Medicaid.... Therefore, you should not be entirely free to make your own dietary choices. ...
'"Hyper-palatable food,' as Kessler calls it, is carefully engineered toward the 'bliss point,' the point at which we get the greatest pleasure.... The food industry is 'design[ing] food for irresistability,' Kessler says. 'It's been part of their business plans.' In short: Food companies and restaurant chains work hard to make sure their offerings taste as good as possible. Shocking, isn't it?... Big Government stepping in to protect the little guy from an evil industry that takes advantage of his ignorance and weakness.
"The difference, of course, is that while Big Food can lure, entice, cajole, and seduce, it cannot coerce as government can.... Because government is taking care of your health, it has the right (they will say) to tell you how to eat. And you have a duty to obey." See
The Pizza Choice Game
June 2009
Urgent Action Alert!! New Food Safety Bill HR2749: "A new food safety bill is on the fast track in Congress-HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill needs to be stopped.... HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any 'facility' that holds, processes, or manufactures food. ... And people making foods such as lacto-fermented vegetables, cheeses, or breads would be required to register and pay the fee, which could drive beginning and small producers out of business during difficult economic times....
"
HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating to our farmers. ... The agency can halt all movement of all food in a geographic area.... HR 2749 creates severe criminal and civil penalties, including prison terms of up to 10 years and/or fines of up to $100,000 for each violation for individuals." See Food Tactics
May 2009
The rising cost of health care explained: "I am a just retired Prof of Medicine from UCLA. .... When I started in Medicine there were few meds for high blood pressure and cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes was called 'maturity onset diabetes' because we only saw it in patients 50 years old. The American diet and Big Pharma have changed all that....
"What’s to be done? ... For starters, every place that sells prepared food (both restaurants and deli’s) must have Heart Healthy® items identified. Let’s eliminate all trans-fats in the food supply.... Put a weight limit on people who can be admitted to restaurants and grocery stores. (imbed scales in the floor at all entrances) No ordering fast food by phone unless you have been certified by your doctor. Charge care-givers who continue to feed people who are too obese to get out of bed with felonious life endangerment.... You all will wear GPS bracelets to monitor compliance." See The Pizza Choice Game
A charity can't sell a pie? "Lawmakers introduced bills in the House and Senate recently that would prevent Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspectors from citing churches and other community groups for serving food that was prepared in home kitchens, a practice against the law in Pennsylvania. 'If church members can't prepare a home-cooked meal or dessert and take it to the church for fellow members or the local community to enjoy, what's next?" Remember: SWAT Team conducts food raid
April 2009
Coming government takeover of food: "There's always been a home gardening passion among many Americans, and farmer's markets are a familiar part of American life. However, this is something new.... Both big government and big business are alarmed – and both are working to control this phenomenon. What's in the works threatens a government definition of what is 'food' and proposes regulations amounting to a government takeover of the production, transportation and sale of food in this country for the benefit of Big Ag." See The UN Plan for Food and Land and Swat Team conducts food raid
California water crisis: “'If things do not get better, the state’s multi-billion dollar economy will be in jeopardy,' says Hoppin. Already, estimated losses tied to a lack of water range from $3 billion to $5 billion.... However, he must compete for water with critters protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 'ESA takes 30 percent to 40 percent of my farm’s water right off the top,' Hoppin points out. Most farmers want the ESA basically tossed out, but the political reality is that that is not likely to happen. Hoppin says amending ESA to provide 'a little latitude' in its enforcement to allow regulators to use 'common sense' in dealing with individual ESA species would alleviate some of the water issues tied to the federal law.... California’s current water capture, conveyance and storage network was built to supply water to 20 million people. California’s current population is 37 million. ... 9 million more people have moved into the state since ... [1991] and there are 400,000 acres more to irrigate."
March 2009
U.S. farm group backs world grain reserve proposal: "The proposal to create global cereal stocks topped the agenda of a meeting of farmers' unions from the Group of Eight industrialised countries in Rome..." See The UN Plan for Food and Land
Lose your property for growing food? "Big Brother legislation could mean prosecution, fines up to $1 million.... Some small farms and organic food growers could be placed under direct supervision of the federal government under new legislation making its way through Congress.
"House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in February. DeLauro's husband, Stanley Greenburg, works for Monsanto – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed.... It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations....
"'We need somebody to watch over us when we're eating food that comes from thousands and thousands of miles away [like China].... But when food comes from our neighbors or from farmers who we know, we don't need all of those rules." See The UN Plan for Food and Land
HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment: "This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property seized. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a variety of harassment... That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course." See SWAT Team conducts food raid in rural Ohio
February 2009
The Hidden Link Between Factory Farms and Human Illness: "Factory farms are breeding grounds for virulent disease, which can then spread to the wider community via many routes — not just in food, but also in water, the air, and the bodies of farmers, farm workers and their families. Once those microbes become widespread in the environment, it’s very difficult to get rid of them. A 2008 report from the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. ...underscores those risks. The 111-page report, two years in the making, outlines the public health, environmental, animal welfare and rural livelihood consequences of what they call 'industrial farm animal production.' ... Factory farm production is intensifying worldwide, and rates of new infectious diseases are rising. Of particular concern is the rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant microbes, an inevitable consequence of the widespread use of antibiotics as feed additives in industrial livestock operations." See Swat Team
January 2009
Mercury Found in High Fructose Corn Syrup: "Quantities of mercury have been found in high fructose corn syrup, the ingredient that has replaced sugar in many of our processed foods. Reports have also come out that the FDA knew about traces of the toxic substance in food, and sat on the information. This news comes out just as we've learned that the peanut butter factory responsible for the salmonella outbreak....
"'Mercury in high fructose corn syrup affects many of the most popular foods in America, including yogurt, soda, candy, juice and jelly. Even a small amount of it can be seriously unhealthy....'Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury...."'
These five links provide information about "Fusion Centers" that may be relevant to the Ohio Swat Team' food raid:
Fusion Centers and Intelligence Sharing
Agriculture and Food Sector: Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources
National Infrastructure Protection Plan
FDA Employees Say Agency Isn’t Working Properly: "A slew of problems at the Food and Drug Administration are 'placing the American people at risk,' the FDA scientists explained to President-elect Obama. ...the Agriculture Department is responsible for inspecting meat and poultry... while the FDA takes charge of nearly everything else.... Meanwhile, a fair portion of the money the FDA does receive is directed toward drug safety. 'With a limited budget and a huge workload, the food side of the agency has lurched from one crisis to the next.'"
Food Tactics: "...a new way to address the problem of world hunger was proposed. Rather than simply handing out food to the poor and needy, from now on the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) will be databanking and monitoring food distribution.... As part of this identification process, the WFP will be conducting an 'experiment with cash and voucher systems'...
"
In a perfect world this idealistic plan might work to help local microeconomies. But that isn't what this plan is all about. It isn't about simple food distribution to the poor, starving and needy in Africa. Rather, this plan represents a fundamental shift in how aid will be given to people. ... From the point that someone registers for and/or receives the voucher they will enter the 'system.' Everything they do from that point on will be monitored, databanked and assessed...."What role will Rick Warren and his church-based health clinics play in all of this? ...his church-based clinics in Africa are health-care data-driven centers, cooperating with a multitude of partners across the full spectrum of a global 3-legged stool, it raises many uncomfortable questions about their ultimate 'purpose.' ... What happens to the survey information once it is databanked?" See The Pizza Choice Game
December 2008
November 2008Raid on family's home and organic food co-op challenged: "The Buckeye Institute's 1851 Center for Constitutional Law today took legal action against the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department for violating the constitutional rights of John and Jacqueline Stowers of LaGrange, Ohio.... ODA and Lorain County Health Department agents forcefully raided their home and unlawfully seized the family's personal food supply, cell phones and personal computers. ... The Buckeye Institute argues the right to buy food directly from local farmers; distribute locally-grown food to neighbors; and pool resources to purchase food in bulk are rights that do not require a license. In addition, the right of peaceful citizens to be free from paramilitary police raids, searches and seizures is guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 14, Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution.
'"The Stowers' constitutional rights were violated over grass-fed cattle, pastured chickens and pesticide-free produce.... Ohioans do not need a government permission slip to run a family farm and co-op, and should not be subjected to raids when they do not have one. This legal action will ensure the ODA understands and respects Ohioans' rights.'...
"On the morning of December 1, 2008, law enforcement officers forcefully entered the Stowers' residence, without first announcing they were police or stating the purpose of the visit. With guns drawn, officers swiftly and immediately moved to the upstairs of the home, finding ten children in the middle of a home-schooling lesson. Officers then moved Jacqueline Stowers and her children to their living room where they were held for more than six hours."
Manna Storehouse Raid: It’s about Control: "The civil suit was filed in response to a raid of the Stower's residence... Law enforcement officials seized thousands of dollars in business and personal property, including over $8000 worth of the Stowers' personal food supply. In the complaint the Stowers and Manna Storehouse ask for the return of all property seized and for an injunction against any further unconstitutional searches and seizures as well as an injunction prohibiting enforcement of the licensing requirements of the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code upon the cooperative....
"The deputy from the Lorrain County Sheriff's Department who served the warrant to the Stowers' daughter-in-law Katie is a member of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF). According to information posted on a federal government website, NOVFTF is a 'collaborative, four-county law enforcement effort spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals Service that is dedicated to the pursuit, apprehension, and successful prosecution of violent adult fugitives across the Northern District of Ohio with outstanding state and federal felony warrants for gun crimes.'....
"The Stowers' contention is that since Manna Storehouse is a private cooperative they do not need a permit. A review of the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code indicates that the Stowers have an arguable claim that Manna Storehouse is not required to obtain a permit -- a claim that should have been given consideration by ODA and LCGHD before resorting to a search warrant. ...
"...the agency resorted to a tactic it had used in the past -- sending an undercover agent to the co-op to 'make a buy'. Agent Lesho showed up unannounced at Manna Storehouse on September 30, 2008 trying to purchase food. The Stowers rejected him, saying all the food the co-op had in stock was to be divided up among the members.... On October 7, Lesho returned in another attempt to purchase food from Manna Storehouse. According to the Stowers, this time Lesho told them that he had a sick mother whose health he believed could benefit from eating the eggs the co-op distributed. The Stowers tried to get Lesho to leave the premises but he would not go. Eventually, the Stowers told him he could have a dozen eggs for free. Lesho took the eggs and departed leaving an unsolicited $3.25 for the eggs and $5.00 for a membership in the co-op.... This incident is the strongest 'evidence' ODA had that Manna Storehouse was 'selling' food to members of the public. Lesho's statement in the affidavit that he purchased eggs from the co-op is arguably false. The Stowers did not want to sell him eggs nor accept a donation for giving him eggs. They simply gave him the eggs to get rid of him. There was no agreement between the two parties that would constitute a sale under Ohio law."
FTCLDF [Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund] Joins Buckeye Institute as Co-Counsel in Civil Suit over Manna Storehouse Raid: "The complaint claims that the Stowers’ due process, equal protection and other constitutional rights were violated when their house was raided by representatives from various state and local governmental agencies, including the Ohio Department of Agriculture. ...several of whom had guns drawn and who treated the Stowers family like drug dealers. ...one of the deputies even snatched a cell phone out of the hand of a teenage son who was attempting to call Mr. Stowers....
"FTCLDF General Counsel Gary Cox said 'this is an example where, once again, the government is trying to deny people their inalienable, fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice. The purpose of our complaint is to correct that wrong.' The complaint also seeks a preliminary injunction against the Department of Agriculture and declarations stipulating that Manna Storehouse and the Stowers are not a 'retail food establishment' under Ohio’s Food Safety Code. As a private cooperative, Manna Storehouse is exempted from the Food Safety Code."
Declaration of Intent, Notice & Demand: [See the last document in this pdf file -- a letter from Mrs. Stowers (dated December 10)
Manna Storehouse wants county to return $10,000 in seized food: "The Manna Storehouse and owners John and Jacqueline Stowers asked the court to declare the entire Dec. 1 search unconstitutional and to order the county to return more than $10,000 in seized food. They also asked the court to rule that the law the county cited for the search — one requiring retail food businesses to be licensed and inspected — does not apply to Manna." See Swat Team conducts food raid in rural Ohio
Food Safety Rules for Ohio: "In 2007, food safety regulators in Ohio have come out more than once saying they are seeing more small-time food stands, Amish community members and tiny farms selling homemade goods to the public. The positives are that it is one way to make money for a family and people really seems to appreciate the foods such as pies, cakes, cheeses and canned organic veggies. The negative are that these are unlicensed and unregulated food businesses. Since the beginning of 2007, there’s been an immense wave of food recalls, food poisoning outbreaks and food-bourn illnesses across the United States. People are nervous about the safety of food products, and government entities are rushing in to clear up the issues."
Yes, people are concerned -- but not about food from trustworthy family co-ops in rural Ohio! Yet these health-conscious families have become targets of government assault, while U.S. officials barely inspects the massive amounts of potentially contaminated Chinese food products that cross our borders.
Video: The Stowers tell their story
The first link adds some background information to our report on the SWAT team and food raid in rural Ohio. Ohio Agricultural Department's latest battle against natural food providers is not the first one:
Ohio Department of Agriculture loses challenge over legal uses of raw milk: “Ohio Department of Agriculture [ODA] officials engaged in illegal rulemaking and violated the constitutional rights of two local farmers in order to stop them from legally using raw milk as an ingredient in their pet food products, a Washington County judge ruled last Wednesday in Marietta. Common Pleas Judge Ed Lane’s ruling, wholly against the ODA, ends at least for now a two-year struggle against the ODA....
"
There had been no complaints against the pet food products, and Fagan and Betts had both been licensed by the ODA to produce them using raw cow and goat milk, per ODA-approved labels, for nearly five years."The rising (& largely corrupt) UN food bureaucracy will affect everyone:
The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN): "(INFOSAN) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to promote the exchange of food safety information and to improve collaboration among food safety authorities at national and international levels....
"In July 2004, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission [food standards] adopted a text entitled Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of Information in Food Control Emergency Situations, which includes the designation of official contact points for information exchange in each country. ... To date, there are over 160 Member Countries in the INFOSAN Network...
"INFOSAN Focal Points are nominated by countries to facilate two-way sharing of information..... In this context, food safety authorities include national authorities involved in food legislation, risk assessment, food control and management, food inspection services, laboratory services for monitoring and surveillance... education and communication, across the farm-to-table continuum. Therefore, INFOSAN Focal Points may be located in several ministries, such as ministries of health, commerce, agriculture and trade." See SWAT Team conducts food raid and next 2 links:
Codex adopts more than 20 food standards: "Codex is an international food standards-setting body established by FAO and WHO. It has 170 member countries, all of which are members of FAO or WHO or both. In addition, the European Community is also a Codex member organization. The main work on standard setting is carried out in the more than 20 Codex Committees and Task Forces. The Codex Commission adopts the standards proposed by these Committees and Task Forces and sets the Commission's future work plan."
What about UN's notorious bent toward corruption? Whose standards, power and interests will rule?
The Pizza Choice Game [an allegory]: "...a tall man with a restaurant manager nameplate on his right pocket is approaching the table. He has a very severe expression on his face and holds yellow papers in his hand. He begins reading from them, 'There shall be no food left behind,' he states slowly in a commanding voice. 'Everyone shall eat their pizza. We expect full compliance.... I am not going to have a poor rating on my food! ... I surely am not going to put up with penalties that would shut my restaurant down!'"
Background information on melamine contamination [in America]: "Food ingredients that may have been contaminated with melamine have been exported from China to all over the world including at least 2 million pounds of it to the United States....The White Rabbit Candy in the story above did NOT have powdered milk listed as an ingredient, yet it still had melamine in it. The other product the FDA identified in this news item sounds like some kind of off-brand coffee/dairy creamer combination.... Until the FDA comes clean, I'd avoid ALL food products manufactured in China regardless of what's in the listed ingredients. I'd also avoid ALL manufactured food products that contain powdered milk sold by ANY company, US or otherwise, that won't clearly state that they do not buy powdered milk (and eggs and other bulk commodity ingredients) from China." See Moral & Cultural Corruption
September 2008
Chinese Melamine Contamination Triggers U.S. Recall of Instant Coffee and Tea Products: "The FDA said today that seven instant coffee and tea products sold in the United States are being recalled by King Car Food Industrial because of possible contamination with melamine.... Melamine contamination of milk products, especially infant formula, has resulted in a major public health problem in China..." See Depravity
July 2008
Britain declares war on food waste: "The Government is to launch a campaign to stamp out Britain's waste food mountains as part of a global effort to curb spiraling food prices." See Utilization of Dissatisfaction
Global Food Management (2005-2008)Return to Today's News
Previous links on this topic at
