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DeSantis Says ‘Take Your Fake Meat Elsewhere’ and Signs Bill Banning Lab-Grown Meat
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to “save our beef.” At a press conference in Wauchula, Florida, DeSantis signed a bill that would outlaw the manufacture and distribution of lab-grown meat in the state, a “threat” to Florida’s agriculture, he said.
“Take your fake lab-grown meat elsewhere. We’re not doing that in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said before he signed SB 1084, which he touts as the first-in-the-nation law to protect farmers and the “integrity of American agriculture.”
He also poked fun at The World Economic Forum, an international non-governmental organization in Switzerland, that has advocated for insects as an alternative edible protein source instead of animal protein.
Lab-grown meat is meat developed from animal stem cells. The first cultivated beef patty was created in 2013, and as of 2023, there were about 60 startups around the world working to produce lab-grown meat.
USDA Says Ground Beef Tests Negative for H5N1 Bird Flu Virus
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday that all the ground beef samples sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) for PCR testing were negative for the H5N1 bird flu virus.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) collected 30 samples of ground beef from retail outlets in the states with dairy cattle herds that had tested positive for H5N1 at the time of sample collection.
Federal authorities have been working to confirm the safety of milk and meat products after the detection of H5N1 in 34 dairy cattle herds across nine states since the end of March. Additionally, one case has been confirmed in a person in Texas.
Scientists remain vigilant for any alterations in the H5N1 virus that could adapt it to spread easily among humans. The virus has been responsible for severe infections in people who have been in close proximity to wild birds or poultry.
FDA Finds No Live H5N1 Avian Flu Virus in Sour Cream or Cottage Cheese, Will Assess Raw Milk
In updates today from federal agencies involved in the response to H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said egg inoculation tests on cottage cheese and sour cream that tested positive for traces of the virus traces showed no live virus.
At a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) briefing, Don Prater, DVM, acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, revealed preliminary data on a second set of retail dairy samples, a group of 201 that had tested positive on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which can only identify virus fragments.
Today the agency announced egg inoculation results for 201 more PCR-positive dairy product samples, which also included cottage cheese and sour cream. None showed any evidence of live virus, which Prater said reaffirms the FDA’s assessment that the nation’s retail milk supply is safe. So far, the FDA has tested 297 total retail dairy samples.
Earlier this week, the FDA said PCR tests were negative on samples of powdered infant formula and powdered formula marketed for toddlers. Prater said the FDA will continue to analyze and share its data, but when asked if the agency has seen a regional pattern in the PCR positives, he said milk bought in a state doesn’t mean it was processed and pasteurized there.
Prater said the FDA has plans for more testing, including raw milk, which he said will give the agency a better picture of the viral load before pasteurization. In a statement, the FDA said it will test pooled raw milk that has been routed to pasteurization and processing for commercial use.
‘Unethical’ Junk Food Packaging Manipulates Children Into Craving Sweets, Report Claims
Food companies are using bright colours and cartoon characters in an “unethical” effort to manipulate children into wanting the sweets and crisps they make, a report has claimed.
Bite Back, a campaign group that is part of the chef Jamie Oliver’s empire asked nutrition experts to analyze 262 sweet food products sold in the U.K. with packaging likely to appeal to children made by the 10 biggest food companies.
Oliver has accused food manufacturers of deliberately using packaging that is designed to “capture young minds” in order to sell more junk food. “This trick … is yet another way companies are bombarding kids with unhealthy junk food.”
Bite Back is presenting its evidence on Thursday to a House of Lords inquiry into ultra-processed food, diet and obesity.
The survey found that all 58 child-appealing products made by Mondelēz International — which owns the Cadbury, Oreo, Milka and Dairylea brands — were unhealthy. All 22 made by Ferrero contained large amounts of fat, salt or sugar too, Bite Back found. Mars, PepsiCo and Kellogg’s sell dozens of products with child-appealing products that are unhealthy, the report found. However, none of Danone’s products that appeal to children were.
EPA Proposes Ban on Pesticide Widely Used on Fruits and Vegetables
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a proposal this week to ban a controversial pesticide that is widely used on celery, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.
The EPA released its plan on Tuesday, nearly a week after a ProPublica investigation revealed the agency had laid out a justification for increasing the amount of acephate allowed on food by removing limits meant to protect children’s developing brains.
In calling for an end to all uses of the pesticide on food, the agency cited evidence that acephate harms workers who apply the chemical as well as the general public and young children, who may be exposed to the pesticide through contaminated drinking water.
Acephate, which was banned by the European Union more than 20 years ago, belongs to a class of chemicals called organophosphates. U.S. farmers have used these pesticides for decades because they efficiently kill aphids, fire ants and other pests. But what makes organophosphate pesticides good bug killers — their ability to interfere with signals sent between nerve cells — also makes them dangerous to people. Studies have linked acephate to reductions in IQ and verbal comprehension and autism with intellectual disability.
As much as 12 million pounds of acephate were used on soybeans, Brussels sprouts and other crops in 2019, according to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey. The federal agency estimates that up to 30% of celery, 35% of lettuce and 20% of cauliflower and peppers were grown with acephate.
The U.S. Needs a Reliable Supply of Baby Formula. A New Bill in Congress Can Help
Families in America should never have to scrounge for baby formula. The United States needs a diverse and resilient supply of infant formula. Boosting the ability of smaller companies to compete in this market against the three large formula makers — Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Nestlé Gerber — could help make shortages a thing of the past.
Here’s the background: In February 2022, Abbott recalled three brands of its baby formula after four babies became sick with bacterial infections after consuming the company’s formula. When a Food and Drug Administration inspection uncovered traces of a potentially deadly bacteria in Abbott’s main production plant in Sturgis, Mich., the company shut down the plant, which at the time produced more than 40% of U.S. formula. The shutdown caused cascading supply chain problems, creating a severe shortage of baby formula that lasted more than a year.
To ensure that families will have the formula they need to feed their babies, I introduced a number of infant formula bills to improve food safety and avoid another shortage, including the Keep Infant Formula Safe and on the Shelves Act which made infection with Cronobacter — the bacteria that contaminated Abbott’s Similac product — a reportable disease nationwide.
But there were two issues at the heart of the 2022 crisis: food safety and supply. For far too long, only a few giants have dominated the infant formula market, with three companies controlling nearly 97% of the market. That’s why in March 2004 I introduced the Infant Formula Made in America Act with my colleague, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). This bill is intended to create a more resilient domestic market for infant formula so Americans never again face the dire shortages that sent frantic parents scrambling to feed their babies just two years ago.
How Rioting Farmers Unraveled Europe’s Ambitious Climate Plan
In February 2021, in the midst of the deadly second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grégory Doucet, mayor of Lyon, France, temporarily took red meat off the menus of the city’s school cafeterias. While the change was environmentally friendly, the decision was driven by social distancing protocols: Preparing one hot meal that could be served to meat-eaters, vegetarians, and those with religious restrictions rather than serving multiple options was safer and more efficient.
The response from the French agricultural establishment was hysterical. “We need to stop putting ideology on our children’s plates!,” then-Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie tweeted.
Livestock farmers clogged Lyon’s downtown with tractors and paraded cows in front of city hall, brandishing banners declaring, “Stopping meat is a guarantee of weakness against future viruses.” An impromptu coalition of livestock producers, politicians, and parents unsuccessfully petitioned the city’s court to overturn the change.
It may have seemed a tempest in a teacup — a quintessentially French squabble. But it was a microcosm of European agricultural politics, reflecting the great paradox of European Union (EU) farmers’ relationship to the state.
This year, it has become clear these protests have the power to transform Europe’s future.
Call for EU to Ban Sale of Pesticides Already Outlawed in the Bloc
The EU should ban the production and export of pesticides that it has prohibited in the bloc, a coalition of citizen groups has urged. Contrary to what the agrochemical sector argues, they say that an export ban would not endanger employment or have significant economic effects.
The EU has not acted on its 2020 commitment to ban the export of such pesticides, which include Syngenta’s paraquat, Bayer’s acetochlor and various neonicotinoids. However, some member states have acted independently.
A Belgian law will come into force in 2025 but it covers a limited number of substances. France has banned the export of products, rather than active substances, meaning that some banned substances may still be exported. German discussions on an export ban have stalled.
‘The double standard on hazardous pesticides must come to an end,’ says Rina Guadagnini, policy officer at Pesticides Action Network, Europe, which commissioned the report. ‘If they are too toxic here, they are toxic everywhere. There are no obstacles preventing the EU from adopting strict measures. An export ban will hardly affect the EU economy but will send a powerful message against the spread of toxic chemicals in third countries, where pesticide companies are exploiting lax legislation. The EU must act now.’
Kraft Heinz Misses Sales Estimates as Higher Prices Deter Customers
Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) missed Wall Street estimates for first-quarter sales on Wednesday, signaling inflation-weary consumers were pushing back against its higher-priced branded lunch combos, mac and cheese, and meat cold cuts.
Shares fell 6% in early trading as the packaged food maker also signaled second-quarter organic sales to be similar to the first due to unplanned maintenance.
The Jell-O maker said on Wednesday that price increases would be targeted to products witnessing higher raw material costs such as dairy, sweeteners and coffee.
The Heinz ketchup maker’s net sales came in at $6.41 billion, slightly below analysts’ average estimate of $6.43 billion, according to LSEG data. It was the company’s fourth straight quarterly sales miss.
