Spudman

PMA praises proposal for healthy student diets

Commending USDA steps to encourage students’ greater consumption of fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) submitted comments to the Child Nutrition Division of the agency’s Food and Nutrition Service in support of its proposed rule to strengthen nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. Citing recent Produce for Better Health Foundation research finding less than 15 percent of children eat the recommended number of fruit servings and less than 20…  » Read more

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Vilsack to stay as USDA secretary

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced he will remain in his post during the second term of Barack Obama’s presidency. “President Obama and I share a deep appreciation for rural America and its unlimited potential in the years ahead to feed a growing world population, revolutionize America’s energy, further protect our natural resources and create more jobs here at home,” said Vilsack in a statement released by USDA. “We will continue to urge Congress to…  » Read more

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Pathogen test program will cease operations

After months of uncertainty over the future of the program, the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Microbiological Data Program, which tests produce for disease-causing pathogens like E. coli O157:H7, salmonella, and listeria, has officially gone into shutdown mode, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official confirmed last week to Food Safety News. Department officials told states that participate in the $4.5 million program to stop pulling produce samples on Friday Nov. 9 to “ensure an orderly shutdown of…  » Read more

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