FEED - July 2007
Contents
- Tyson goes antibiotic free for fresh grocery chicken
- The future of your food choices is being debated in Congress now!
- Global warming threatens wild relatives of food crops
- Ireland's government pledges to go GE-free
- Summer Reading: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
1. Tyson goes antibiotic free for fresh grocery chicken
Tyson Foods, the nation's largest producer of chicken, announced last month that it has begun to produce all of its fresh chicken free of antibiotics and is selling the chicken in grocery stores under a "Raised Without Antibiotics" label. An estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are regularly added to the feed of livestock and poultry that are not sick—a practice with serious consequences for our health. Bacteria that are constantly exposed to antibiotics develop antibiotic resistance. This means that when humans get sick from resistant bacteria, the antibiotics prescribed by doctors don't work.
The Union of Concerned Scientists applauds Tyson's decision as a step in the right direction for public health. This announcement also presents a great opportunity for fast-food companies like Burger King to adopt strict antibiotic use policies for their meat suppliers. Take action now by signing our petition to fast-food companies!
2. The future of your food choices is being debated in Congress now!
Negotiations are underway in the House and Senate on the 2007 food and farm bill, the major agricultural and food policy legislation in the United States. The food and farm bill outlines provisions on agricultural subsidies, trade, conservation, research, marketing, food stamps, and much more. The bill also proposes many innovative programs that would promote conservation practices on agricultural land, increase research in sustainable agriculture, and provide stronger support for organic farmers. Yet in a difficult budget year, it is unclear whether many of these proposals will be adequately funded. New programs or increased funding for existing programs must be paid for by making cuts elsewhere. The House has already begun debate on these measures and the Senate will begin debate soon. UCS is working with congressional allies to promote food and farm bill programs that work for America's farmers, the environment, and human health. But we need your help! Look for action alerts from UCS in coming months to tell your members of Congress to support conservation programs and research in the food and farm bill. Read more about the food and farm bill.
3. Global warming threatens wild relatives of food crops
Global warming is likely to endanger the wild relatives of some of the world's most important food crops, according to a recent study. Using a simulation model, researchers at the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research studied the effect of global warming on wild varieties of several crops, including peanuts and potatoes. They determined that 61 percent of wild peanut species analyzed and 12 percent of wild potato species analyzed could become extinct in the next 50 years. Plant breeders often tap into the rich genetic diversity of wild species for traits allowing crops to adapt to harsh conditions. Wild relatives can contain genes for valuable traits such as drought resistance or insect tolerance. If changes in climate drive wild relatives to extinction, farmers may lose the very genetic resources needed to help our food crops adapt to the same changes. For more information on this topic, visit Biodiversity International's web site.
4. Ireland's government pledges to go GE-free
Ireland's new coalition government recently revealed plans to make the island free of genetically engineered (GE) plants and animals. The announcement delighted many Irish farmers and food producers who have been campaigning for years to reach this goal. As a geographically isolated island with very low levels of existing GE contamination, Ireland has the best chance among European Union (EU) member states of maintaining a credible GE-free status. The government hopes to make Ireland off-limits to GE seeds, crops, insects, and animals, and to phase out the use of GE ingredients in animal feed. The association of organizations and citizens behind this initiative would like to see Ireland become a GE-free biosafety reserve to protect the food security of all EU countries. Click here for more information on the campaign to keep Ireland GE-free.
5. Summer Reading: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
On your way to the beach or other vacation destinations this summer, be sure to get your hands on Barbara Kingsolver's latest page-turner, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Kingsolver, perhaps best known for her novels set in the desert southwest, takes a different turn with this memoir recounting her family's move to rural Virginia, where they endeavor to eat nothing but the food they or their neighbors can produce. Kingsolver writes eloquently of her love for food, the land, and the natural environment of her Appalachian home, and starkly contrasts her family's choice to eat local foods and become more self sufficient with the industrialized agriculture, processed-food model that makes up most Americans' diets. Part cookbook and instruction manual (learn to make your own cheese and then whip up a delicious pizza with it!), part autobiography, part ode to simple pleasures like family, neighbors, and making do with what you have, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is certain to lure you away from the drive-thru line and into the kitchen.
