CFS Action Alert – Tell FDA to Ban Arsenic in Animal Feed
Last December, the Center for Food Safety and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for the immediate withdrawal of approvals for arsenic-containing compounds used in animal feed. The petition was supported by a coalition of food and farm groups around the country. (Arsenic-containing compounds are most widely used in chicken production, and most chickens receive arsenic-laced feed.) A petition and background info can be found on the Center for Food Safety’s website, The True Food Network. Public comment period is open through June 15^th

STUDY SHOWS FOOD SAFETY BILL UNHEALTHY FOR CAROLINA SMALL FARMS
Congressional efforts to increase federal control over food and agriculture could have dramatic and dangerous consequences for the region’s local food systems and small farmers, according to a report issued today by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

Based on data from small farms across the state, “Hurting NC’s Local Food Harvest” shows that the requirements imposed by Senate Bill 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, would drive up costs for farms and small food businesses, force farms out of profitably markets, and result in business closures and lost jobs.  For example, the bill would force farms that create processed foods like maple syrup, cheese and spring salad mixes to comply with rigorous testing and management procedures that could typically cost a farmer 150 hours and $9,500 per year.
Although the proposed federal legislation would indeed crack down on abuses at large-scale food processing companies, “the bills apply the same standards to corporate soft drink manufacturers and community-based farm food entrepreneurs alike, imposing costs that the small business cannot survive,” notes Roland McReynolds, executive director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.  Small farms and the many jobs they create could easily find themselves in jeopardy as a result of this legislation. The job loses would be significant: The report estimates that the 1,429 North Carolina farms that perform food-processing activities employ a total of 8,500 full time and seasonal workers.
North Carolina consumers and government have made a commitment to growing the state’s local, small farm food system, the report notes.  North Carolina has invested more than $40 million in small-scale food business development and alternative farming, encouraging experimentation and practices that S.510 fails to take into consideration.  Those investments are at risk under S.510.
Rather than treating all food producers the same, “Hurting NC’s Local Food Harvest” recommends that Congress ?1. write new, more flexible rules for small farms and businesses, and?2. fund educational programs and outreach to improve those small producers’ safety practices.
“The federal government has an obligation to better understand the processes involved in local, healthy food systems before attempting to regulate them,” said McReynolds.
S.510, which may come up for a vote next week, grew out of concerns that erupted from a massive spinach contamination issue in California in 2006.  Co-sponsored by North Carolina senator Richard Burr, the bill is supported by a coalition of large food-business concerns and consumer groups, such as General Mills, Kraft Foods, and the National Restaurant Association.  Groups dedicated to organic and small farming and local food production, including CFSA, Farm Aid, the Organic Trade Association, and the National Farmers Union, are fighting for changes in the bill.

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, CFSA,  is a non-profit association of over 1,200 farmers, businesses and consumers working to create a just and healthy food supply.  CFSA maintains a large and up-to-date online food guide, holds the largest sustainable farming conference in the Southeast, provides other training, does farm policy advocacy and leads special projects on organic grains and seeds.

There is a recall on a flavoring called Hydrolyzed vegetable protein.  At this point the recall does not affect anything carried in our store.  We do carry a brand, Follow Your Heart that is part of the recall but we do not carry their ranch dressing that is being recalled. See the full article below.

An unfolding recall of products containing a commonly used food-flavoring ingredient because of potential contamination with salmonella could ripple through the entire food industry, experts said.

The risk to consumers probably is low, but the recall could encompass a large number of products, Jeffrey Farrar, Food and Drug Administration associate commissioner for food protection, said in a briefing Thursday. “We do suspect the amount of products is going to increase over the next several days or weeks.”

An FDA statement says the affected products include soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings. The FDA has posted a list of recalled foods at foodsafety.gov.

The flavoring is hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP, made by a small number of companies. The HVP involved in the recall was made by Basic Food Flavors of North Las Vegas, Nev.

“It’s widely used. It’s a fairly inexpensive flavor enhancer,” said Don Schaffner, a professor of microbiology and food safety expert at Rutgers University. He has been consulting with companies all week about how to deal with the recall.

The recall would be much wider were it not for the fact that many products containing HVP are cooked before being sold. Under FDA’s safety guidelines, companies that used the product but can document a valid “kill step” won’t need to recall their foods. Though Basic Food’s HVP was probably used in 10,000 products, many will be covered by the kill step, so “we don’t know what percentage … will be involved in the recall,” Farrar said.

Tests show that the HVP was contaminated with the salmonella tennessee bacteria, which can cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. It can cause sometimes-deadly infections, especially in children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems.

The recall covers foods manufactured since Sept. 17, 2009; no illnesses have been linked to the strain found in the products, Farrar said.

HVP, made from proteins in grains or soybeans, adds a meaty, savory taste to foods. It’s chemically similar to monosodium glutamate.

Earth Island, a Chatsworth, Calif., company that is recalling ranch dressing and vegetarian entrees, required letters of guarantee verifying that the HVP it was buying was safe as well as certificates of analysis showing that periodic biological testing of the product had been done, quality assurance manager Sheena Bliss said.

The recall is a huge expense for her company. “Even though we did everything that we could to make our products as safe as possible, obviously the supplier wasn’t,” she said.

Calls to Basic Food for comment were not immediately returned

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will rebrand the sweetener as “AminoSweet”.

Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.

Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:

• Headache
• Change in vision
• Convulsions and seizures
• Hallucination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Joint pain

It can cause many, many other problems as well.

For full article click HERE.