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Consumers Demand Conagra Eliminate Dangerous Pesticides From Popcorn Supply Chain
Last week nearly 30,000 U.S. customers demanded top popcorn producer Conagra Brands, Inc. ensure there is no use of bee-killing neonicotinoid-coated seeds in its supply with a petition delivered in person to the company’s downtown Chicago headquarters.
The petition, organized by environmental and consumer health organizations including Friends of the Earth, Center for Food Safety, Green America, Re:wild Your Campus, and Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network, emphasizes Conagra’s ability to impact the entire U.S. market as the owner of popular brands Orville Redenbacher’s, Act II and Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP.
Activists went to Conagra in person to emphasize the urgency with which the company must act. U.S. agriculture has become nearly 48 times more toxic to insects, including essential pollinators like bees, since the introduction of neonicotinoids, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asserts that their continued use could push more than 200 threatened and endangered species toward extinction.
But it’s not just wildlife: Neonicotinoids also threaten human health, and are linked to birth defects of the heart and brain, damage to the nervous system, and endocrine disruption.
Meat Companies Have Been Misleading Health-Conscious Consumers
Companies are mislabeling meat as antibiotic-free, deceiving their customers and contributing to an escalating public health crisis. In 2024, testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that about one in five samples of beef labeled as “Raised Without Antibiotics” (RWA) tested positive for antibiotic presence, including meat sold by 3 of the 4 largest meatpacking firms in the country.
These findings come as demand for antibiotic-free meat is growing among Americans. One survey found that buying antibiotic-free meat was “slightly to very important” to 87% of surveyed consumers. And they have good reasons to choose RWA meat.
Antibiotics are one of modern medicine’s greatest breakthroughs, treating what would otherwise be severe infections and making common surgical procedures far less risky, helping save countless lives.
Yet these near-miracle drugs come with a catch: The more antibiotics are used, the less effective they become, as bacteria rapidly adapt, quickly developing resistance to the drugs once designed to kill them.
Traveler Says US Food Is Making Them ‘Sick,’ Internet Has Strong Opinions
An American traveler’s viral Reddit post about the stark contrast between food in the U.S. and Italy has ignited widespread discussion about diet, health and food quality in the U.S. The post, titled “Travel made me realize US food is making me sick,” was shared by u/Temporary-Night-275 in the r/Vent subreddit.
The post, which details the traveler’s experience after returning from a trip to Italy, has amassed 30,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments since it was posted on June 4.
The poster, who is in their 20s but did not share their name, told Newsweek that they live in the Midwest and work in health care.
“I’m just so mad at the food in the US,” the poster wrote. “I left for two weeks to Italy. My mood was better, my awareness was better. I could eat wheat (I’m extremely gluten intolerant and it messes with my autoimmune disease if I eat it among a multitude of other symptoms) with gluten pills with minor bloating.
“I had some of the best food, best health feelings — other than muscle soreness from walking so much — I’ve ever had in my life. It’s made me have so much resentment for U.S. food. I mean even my skin cleared up quite a bit overseas.”
Candy Makers Worry Timeline to Remove Artificial Dyes Too ‘Aggressive’
Some of the largest candy and snacking firms are concerned a Trump administration push to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the U.S. food supply by the end of 2026 is too aggressive, especially as companies struggle to receive regulatory guidance on the proposal.
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not yet banning most artificial dyes, the federal agency has put pressure on manufacturers to reformulate products or to begin outlining ways to replace the colorings in thousands of products where they have been a staple for decades.
The agency in April said removing artificial colors, which are found in everything from hard candies and cereal to cakes and sports drinks, would be a key step toward improving the health of the food supply. Last month, the agency approved three new color additives made from flowers, algae and other natural sources, expanding options for the food industry to move away from artificial dyes.
Norway’s Parliament Revises GMO Law, Retains Precautionary Stance
On May 26, the Parliament in Norway adopted some changes in the GMO regulation — and the result, according to Aina Bartmann, CEO of the GMO Network Norway, is largely positive for those concerned about the effects of GMOs on public health and the environment.
In a statement, GMO Network Norway said it was convinced that a “modernisation” of the Gene Technology act was necessary. It added that the agreed changes “stimulate research and innovation, while at the same time taking into account health and the environment. Requirements on sustainability, ethics and benefit for the society are also retained.”
GMO Network Norway continued, “It is also of fundamental importance that consumers and producers retain the right and opportunity to choose GMO-free alternatives. The decision in the Parliament is in line with the GMO Network’s most important input to new GMO regulation. The main principle in the law is that all GMOs, including gene-edited organisms, must be processed on a case-by-case basis. This means independent risk assessment, traceability and labelling for all GMOs.”
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs Sickens Dozens
Dozens of people across seven states, most of them in the West, have become ill in a salmonella outbreak linked to a recall of 1.7 million eggs, federal safety regulators said.
The August Egg Company, of Hilmar, Calif., issued the recall of brown organic and brown cage-free eggs tied to multiple brands that were distributed to grocery stores from Feb. 3 to May 15 this year because of their potential to be contaminated with salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday.
At least 79 people have gotten ill from the outbreak linked to the eggs, with 21 people hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a separate statement on Friday. Most of the those sickened (63) live in California, which is followed by Nevada and Washington State, with four illnesses each. Illnesses have also been reported in Arizona, Kentucky, Nebraska and New Jersey. No deaths have been reported.
The eggs, with sell-by dates between March 4 and June 4, 2025, were distributed at retail locations, including Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Raley’s, Ralphs and Safeway.
The eggs were also distributed from Feb. 3 to May 6, 2025, with sell-by dates from March 4 to June 19, 2025, to Walmart stores in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming, the FDA said.
