The House took a new approach to passing the long-stalled farm bill on Thursday: it passed a version that included farm programs, but left off the nutrition section, which represents 80 percent of the bill’s
Continue Reading House Clears Portion of Farm Bill with Provision Aimed at Delaying FSMA
Helena Bottemiller
Helena Bottemiller is a Washington, DC-based reporter covering food policy and politics for Food Safety News. She has covered Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court, and several high-profile food safety stories, including the half-billion Salmonella egg recall and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Helena’s work has appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review, NBC News, and elsewhere. She has appeared on BBC, CNBC, and is widely cited by mainstream and niche media. She tweets about food and agriculture policy at @hbottemiller.
Smithfield CEO Tells Lawmakers Shuanghui Deal Won't Impact Food Safety
American consumers will not be impacted and the safety of pork products will not diminish if Smithfield Foods is acquired by Shuanghui International, Smithfield’s CEO Larry Pope told the Senate Agriculture Committee at a hearing…
Continue Reading Smithfield CEO Tells Lawmakers Shuanghui Deal Won't Impact Food Safety
Fast Response May Limit Scope of Listeria Outbreak Linked to Cheese Sold Nationwide
The rapid detective work that linked a four-state Listeria outbreak — which has killed one person, caused a miscarriage, and hospitalized four others –- to cheese sold nationwide could prevent many illnesses, according to health…
Continue Reading Fast Response May Limit Scope of Listeria Outbreak Linked to Cheese Sold Nationwide
HACCP Validation: A Long Road to Clarification
While the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has been requiring meat and poultry plants use Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, or HACCP, systems since the late 1990s, the details of…
Continue Reading HACCP Validation: A Long Road to Clarification
Investigation into Hepatitis A Outbreak Is ‘Very Complicated,’ Says FDA
Figuring out that pomegranate seeds from Turkey are likely what is responsible for infecting at least 132 people with Hepatitis A was unusually difficult, according to investigators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The…
Continue Reading Investigation into Hepatitis A Outbreak Is ‘Very Complicated,’ Says FDA
FDA to Block Pomegranate Seeds from Turkey; Townsend Recall Expands
Updated July 30 with expanded recall information: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Saturday it will detain shipments of pomegranate seeds from Turkey as health officials have narrowed the likely cause of a…
Continue Reading FDA to Block Pomegranate Seeds from Turkey; Townsend Recall Expands
Hepatitis A Cases Rise to 127; FDA Identifies Pomegranate Shipment from Turkey
The Hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen mixed berries continues to grow. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said five more illnesses have been confirmed as part of the outbreak, bringing the…
Continue Reading Hepatitis A Cases Rise to 127; FDA Identifies Pomegranate Shipment from Turkey
With Recent Victories, Movement to Label GMOs Gains Steam
More than six months after a big defeat in California, the movement to label foods containing genetically modified organisms appears to be picking up steam across the country. In the past three weeks, Connecticut…
Continue Reading With Recent Victories, Movement to Label GMOs Gains Steam
Senators Ask Government to Consider Food Safety When Reviewing Smithfield Deal
Fifteen U.S. senators from both sides of the aisle are urging the government to consider food safety as they review the proposed sale of Smithfield Foods, America’s largest pork company, to Shuanghui International, China’s largest…
Continue Reading Senators Ask Government to Consider Food Safety When Reviewing Smithfield Deal
House Sinks Farm Bill That Could Have Further Delayed FSMA
Surprising many, the House on Thursday failed to pass its version of the farm bill taking down with it a $20 billion food stamp cuts and a provision that could have further delayed the implementation…
Continue Reading House Sinks Farm Bill That Could Have Further Delayed FSMA