FEED - May 2007
Contents
- Food supply no safer since the spinach scare
- USDA advisory board: Cloned food isn't organic
- Marker-assisted selection vs. genetic engineering
- Burger King moves toward more humane practices
- Adventures in eating: The 100-mile diet
1. Food supply no safer since the spinach scare
Most Americans have returned to buying spinach since last fall's outbreak of foodborne illness that killed three people and sickened hundreds. But according to the chief medical officer of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the underlying problems that allowed spinach to be contaminated with fecal matter carrying E. coli bacteria haven't been solved, and another outbreak involving leafy greens is likely. The agency's own documents show that it knew for years about the situation that led to the spinach outbreak, but lacked the resources to enforce food safety regulations, relying instead on producers to implement voluntary measures. The FDA's ineffectiveness is just another good reason to choose organic food and/or buy from local farmers you can trust. Read more from The Washington Post.2. USDA advisory board: Cloned food isn't organic
The organic label should exclude not just cloned animals and products like milk, but clones' offspring and all successive generations as well, according to a recent decision by the advisory board to the National Organic Program (NOP). After the FDA announced in December its intention to allow cloned products in the food supply, the NOP stated that cloned animals would not be considered organic, but until now it was unclear whether the offspring of clones would be excluded too. The board's recommendation has not yet been officially incorporated into the organic standards. Read more from the Cornucopia Institute.
3. Marker-assisted selection vs. genetic engineering
Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is an advanced form of conventional breeding that can be an alternative to genetic engineering. Instead of inserting a foreign gene into a plant, as in genetic engineering, marker-assisted selection screens for useful genes that are already present in the plant or a related wild plant. Genetic "markers" associated with these genes are identified and can be quickly tested for during the breeding process. After the individual plants that contain these genes have been identified, those plants can be used to breed the next generation. The technique can significantly reduce the time needed to develop a plant with the desired traits. Since the desired genes occur naturally in the plant and are simply selected for during the breeding process, it's possible to get the desired traits without the risk of introducing genes from different species into crops. MAS can also allow the breeding of complex traits that were not feasible by previous methods. Although not a panacea, MAS is a sophisticated and promising new approach to an age-old technology.
4. Burger King moves toward more humane practices
Responding to consumer concerns, the world's second-largest hamburger chain will begin purchasing cage-free eggs and crate-free pork. Burger King's initial goal is to purchase two percent of eggs from cage-free suppliers and 10 percent of pork from farms that keep sows in pens rather than crates, with plans to expand the program over time. The company also will favor poultry slaughterhouses that use controlled atmosphere killing, a slaughter method that is considered more humane than electrical stunning. Read more from The New York Times.
5. Adventures in eating: The 100-mile diet
A new book chronicles the adventures of a Vancouver couple who spent a year eating food produced within 100 miles of their home. Aware that in North America the average distance traveled by produce from farm to fork is 1500 miles or more, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon embarked on this experiment to reduce their environmental impact. The story of their year, Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and A Raucous Year of Eating Locally, bursts with lively descriptions of home-grown meals, clever substitutions (a turnip-bread sandwich?), connections with local farmers, and surprising discoveries about the food and environment of their region. Read more at http://www.100milediet.org/.
