Sound Bites

Headlines in Food & Farming from around The World

Sound Bites: Aug 2nd 2010

WORLD

The World Food Programmes Executive Director Josette Sheeran recently finished a four-nation tour in Africa, expressing enthusiasm for a new level of commitment stemming from a summit of African Union leaders. Speaking from Niger, where the nation is facing the worst food crisis in history, Sheeran reinforced the organization’s efforts in the coming years.

Sound Bites: Josset Sheeran (WFP Executive Director)

FARMING

U.S. trade officials are hoping to boost sales of U.S. agricultural products to Iraq by helping connect Iraqi buyers with U.S. sellers. June marked the 1st agricultural trade mission to Iraq in decades. Though trade between the countries has grown in the past few years, the costs for most iraqis are still too much. The United States government will continue to investing in the program, covering expenses for Iraqis traveling to the U.S. in the interest of Agricultural trade.

Sound Bites: Paul Spencer (Senior U.S. Agricultural Attache in Bagdad)

CULTURE

Food media icon, Michael Batterberry passed away passed away on July 28th at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York after a lengthy illness. Batterberry created two national food magazines. Food Arts in 1988, recognized as the influential and award-winning publication for the restaurant and hotel trade. And and Food & Wine, founded in 1978, which has come to be one of the  leading consumer publication on food culture. Just over two months ago, both Michael Batterberry and his wife Ariane, received the 2010 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award. Michael Batterberry was 78.

Sound Bites: Meryle Evans (Food journalist, culinary historian, Food Arts contributing editor, and long time friend of the Batterberrys)

POLICY

A report by The International Herald Tribune found that milk from cloned cows is illegally making its’ way into British grocery stores. Under European law, food produced from cloned animals must pass a safety evaluation and get approval before they are marketed. The cows involved are believed to be raised from embryos originating in the U.S. expected to produce massive quantities of milk. The United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency stated that it will investigate the validity of these claims and take the proper course of action.

FOOD SAFETY

Just over the pond, milk is making headlines in the U.S. Investigators entered an organic grocery with a search warrant for raw milk products on June 30th in Venice, California. The raid was part of an ongoing investigation into Rawesome Foods, a private food club where, for a $25 annual fee, members “lease” the land and livestock directly from a farmer. Members pay additional service fees attached to each grocery item, which they say covers the cost of transporting each food item from the farm to Rawesome. It is legal for licensed dairies to sell raw milk at retail outlets in California and 10 other states, according to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures. And Twenty states allow people to buy unpasteurized milk directly from farms, or take part in a “cow sharing” program (in which a person buys part ownership of an animal and gets some of its milk). The incident has received a great deal of attention from the media, highlighting the issue of the freedom to eat what one wants.

Interview: Bill Marler (Food Born Illness Litigation Attorney)

Headlines in Food & Farming from around The World

Sound Bites July 5th, 2010

HEALTH

Despite education campaigns and government programs, a new study finds obesity rates increased in 28 states last year. The report entitled “F as in Fat” is published every year by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

WORLD

The nation of Kygyzstan is beginning to show signs of normalcy. This according to staff members of The World Food Programme distributing rations last week to more than 6,000 people in the central market area of Osh. The market was described as open and crowded, with signs that life is beginning to return to normal.

However, AID operations are remaining cautious, expecting a true recovery to require far more financial support and longterm resources.

Sound Bites: Jonathan Veitch (UNICEF’s representative in Kyrgyzstan)

FOOD SAFETY

New York Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to adopt stricter enforcement policies against airline caterers.

In the past six months, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors have cited numerous catering facilities that prepare airline food for suspected health and sanitation violations. Among those in violation are the world’s biggest airline caterers, LSG Sky Chefs, Gate Gourmet, and another large caterer, Flying Food Group.

FARMING

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack continues pushing for the Eight billion dollars needed to provide schools with healthy and nutritious meals.

Last week, the Secretary testified before the House Education and Labor Committee  in the spirit of proposing budgetary solutions, and conveying the sense of urgency and necessity behind the program.

Sound Bites: Tom Vilsack (US Sec. of Agriculture)

POLICY / NATION

The National Research Council recently published a new report on the status of farming in the U.S. Entitled, Toward Sustainable Agriculture Systems in the 21st Century, the report concluded that policies and programs should enable are more “holistic perspective to farming”.

Julia Kornegay served as chair of the committee, and speaks with Dov Hirsch to explain what a holistic approach to farming might look like.

Interview: Julia Kornegay (Professor and Head of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at North Carolina State University / Chair of the Committee on 21^st Century Systems Agriculture for the National Research Council)

While addressing the worst food crisis in Niger, Africa, the United Nations World Food Programme must now turn additional attention towards Somalia.

The World Food Program in Somalia is addressing flaws in its distribution system exposed earlier this year by a United Nations Security Council report, which concluded that half the $485 million in food aid in 2009 was diverted by corrupt contractors, Islamic militants or United Nations staff members.

Bite: Somalia’s Special Representative to the UN

POLICY

USDA Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced a new agency incentive program designed to encourage retired or retiring farmers to transition their land to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers. How they define what constitutes socially disadvantaged was not clarified.

Bite: USDA Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan

ECONOMY

Volatility in the food economy is getting the attention of the U.S. House of Representatives. Dramatic swings in the market are having huge consequences on all areas of farming. Dr. Scott Brown of The University of Missouri testified to the situation specifically facing the livestock sector, stating that producers need more government help coping with the dramatic highs and lows of a rollercoaster market.

Bite: Dr. Scott Brown of The University of Missouri

HEALTH

A new report commissioned by the federal government, finds that many of the studies done on food allergies are riddled with misdiagnoses.

After reviewing over 12,000 articles, the paper concluded that while about 30% of the nation’s population believes they suffer from food allergies, the true numbers are closer to 8 percent for children and less than 5 percent for adults.

An expert panel is being formed with the task of defining food allergies and provide criteria to diagnose and manage patients. They hope to have a final draft by the end of June.

NATION

The Gulf of Mexico continues to see more and more oil emerging from a BP drill site that exploded 50 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20th. An estimated 200,000 gallons of oil each day continue to fill the waters in the coastal region, with many unsure of what the ecological impacts will be.

A Mouth Full: Ed Cassano is the senior director of The Seafood Watch program at the Monterey Bay aquarium in Monterey, CA.

Listen to this week’s Sound Bites

ECONOMY

More evidence that the economy is beginning to turn around. President Obama recently announced that the economy grew by 3.2 % during the first quarter.

According to USDA Outlook Board Chairman Gerry Bange, recession cutbacks in farm income were a direct result of diminished demand. Bange welcomed the news with optimism

Gerry Bange (Listen)

The food industry appears to be sharing in the positive news. Food service company Sysco Corp showed signs of bouncing back with third-quarter profits up ten percent, roughly 42 cents per share.That compares with 38 cents per share, a year earlier. This was the first quarter since September 2008 of year-over-year sales growth for the nations largest food distributor.

CULTURE

The Oscar’s of the food world were held in NY City on Sunday, also known as the James Beard Awards. While the who’s who in the food world could be seen at the events surrounding the awards, much of the attention was captured by award nominees and winners. Among those honored were California based chef Thomas Keller, Chow.com as the best food focused website, and Colman Andrews who took home Cookbook of the Year for his book, The Country Cooking of Ireland. Andrews spoke to Crop To Cuisine about the book in January of this year.

Colman Andrews (Listen)

HEALTH

A new report says the national epidemic of obesity is becoming a threat to national security. Retired air force General Norman Seip announced the report, aptly titled, Too Fat To Fight.

Norman Seip (Listen)

Since 1995 the percentage of military recruits rejected for service because of being overweight has jumped by 70%. Agriculture Vilsack stated the report was QUOTE “ a wakeup call”, and asked for one billion dollars a year to address obesity and health problems associated among children and youth today.

WORLD

Nearly 8 million people, or about half the population of Niger is facing a serious food crisis, as a result of poor rains, crop failure and communal violence. Over the next eight months, the International Committee of the Red Cross in conjunction with other aid efforts will be working to distribute food, seeds and tools, as well as provide training for around 40,000 farmers and 45,000 herders in relief efforts.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it is more than doubling the number of hungry people it is feeding in Niger. Emilia Casella is the chief spokesperson for the organization.

Emilia Casella (Listen)