Food News
Farm near Fukushima nuke plant ships milk again for public sale
South China Morning Post | Posted on January 26, 2017A dairy farm near the disaster-struck Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan began shipping raw milk again. It was the first milk shipped for processing and public sale from an area previously designated for evacuation following the March 2011 nuclear disaster at the seaside plant in Fukushima Prefecture, according to the prefectural government. Milk produced at the farm in the Naraha district had been checked for radioactive cesium every week from last May to December, with no reading ever surpassing the government-set limit of 50 becquerels per kilogram. In fact, the readings were below the testing equipment detection limit. Around 400 kg of raw milk from 18 cows was shipped
More meat price declines forecast, but chicken looking up
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on January 26, 2017Ample supplies of beef and an expected rise in pork production will keep retail prices for both proteins on a downward path in the coming year, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) predicted in its 2017 Food Price Outlook. Beef and veal prices paid by consumers declined 6.3 percent in 2016 as the increased pace of cattle slaughter, especially during the second half of the year, and higher carcass weights resulted in higher year-over-year beef production. ERS predicts beef and veal prices will decrease an additional 2.5 to 1.5 percent in 2017. Retail pork prices fell 4.1 percent in 2016, largely due to ample supplies of other animal proteins, particularly beef, available for domestic consumption. With USDA forecasting a 5.1 percent increase in pork production in 2017, large pork supplies are expected to drive retail prices 1 to 2 percent lower this year, ERS said. Retail chicken price inflation remained relatively low into 2016 partly due to an increase in broiler production. The strong U.S. dollar also kept more broilers on the U.S. market, weighing on retail chicken prices.Poultry prices declined 2.7 percent in 2016. However, as the industry recovers from lower 2016 retail prices, ERS predicts poultry prices will rise between 2 and 3 percent in 2017.
Farm Direct Marketing Revenue Topped $8 Billion in 2015
Growing Produce | Posted on January 26, 2017USDA has released its first-ever survey on direct marketing, and it shows that the local food industry is huge. More than 167,000 U.S. farms sold food through direct marketing, earning $8.7 billion in 2015, the survey shows. The report includes not only fresh produce, but also “value-added foods,” defined as foods like meat and cheese. The report, titled “Local Food Marketing Practices Survey,” is the first survey USDA has conducted focusing on the economic impact of farm marketing in the U.S. It will be repeated following the 2017 Census of Agriculture, pending approval from the Office of Management and Budget.
A2 milk will be expanding nationwide
Yahoo.com | Posted on January 25, 2017Leading Australian dairy brand, a2 Milk®, today announced the beginning of the national launch of its full line of 100 percent pure, natural cows' milk that is easy to digest. A natural alternative for people with sensitivities to conventional dairy milk - which typically contains the A1 beta-casein, a protein often associated with indigestion and discomfort - a2 Milk® offers consumers with perceived lactose sensitivities the opportunity to enjoy the taste and nutritional benefits of real and natural dairy milk.
Vegetarian diet increases risk of preterm births
UPI | Posted on January 25, 2017Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found women who lacked vitamin B12 in their diets were more likely to have a preterm birth. The study of 11,216 pregnancies in 11 countries showed that low levels of vitamin B12, commonly found in animal products, were linked to increased risks of having preterm births. Vitamin B12 is vital for the production of red blood cells and cellular metabolic energy. Vitamin B12 deficiencies can lead to anemia and damage to the nervous system. "Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient found only in products of animal origin such as meat, milk and eggs," Dr. Tormod Rogne, of Akershus University Hospital and lead author of the study, said in a press release. "Pregnant women who consume too few animal-derived foods increase their risk of developing a vitamin B12 deficiency."
At eye of GMO storm, a non-browning apple
The Washington Post | Posted on January 25, 2017Fruit, which industry hopes is a breakthrough, may hit some stores soon. After years of development, protest and regulatory red tape, the first genetically modified, non-browning apples will soon go on sale in the United States. The fruit, sold sliced and marketed under the brand Arctic Apple, could hit a cluster of Midwestern grocery stores as early as Feb. 1. The limited release is an early test run for the controversial apple, which has been genetically modified to eliminate the browning that occurs when an apple is left out in the open air. Critics and advocates of genetic engineering say the apple could be a turning point in the nation's highly polarizing debate over genetically modified organisms (GMOs). While genetic modifications have in the past been mainly defended as a way to protect crops, the Artic Apple would be one of the first GMOs marketed directly to consumers as more convenient. "What companies are desperate for is some really popular GMO product to hit the market," said McKay Jenkins, the author of a forthcoming history of the debate. "Any successful product could lift the cloud over GMOs." Industry executives predict the apple could open a whole new trade in genetically engineered produce, potentially opening the market to pink pineapples, antioxidant-enriched tomatoes and other food in development. "We see this as less about genetic modification and more about convenience," said Neal Carter, founder of the company that makes the Arctic Apple. "I think consumers are very ready for apples that don't go brown. Everyone can identify with that 'yuck' factor."
Bob Evans Farms to sell restaurant business unit
Meat + Poultry | Posted on January 25, 2017Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is now a pure play food company. On Jan. 24, the company announced the sale of its Bob Evans Restaurants business unit to the private equity company Golden Gate Capital for $565 million plus the assumption of certain liabilities. Net proceeds from the sale to Bob Evans Farms are expected to be between $475 million to $485 million. On the same day, Bob Evans Farms entered into an agreement to acquire the Pineland Farms Potato Co. (PFPC), Mars Hill, Maine, for $115 million. Pineland Farms is a value-added potato processor serving the retail and food service markets. The company also operates a cheese processing business.
States See Value in Backing ‘Food Hubs’ for Farmers, Consumers
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted on January 22, 2017The state of New York has taken notice of its role in the regional food supply chain and in August allocated $15 million of the $20 million needed to build Greenmarket’s new 20,000-square-foot distribution center, commonly known as a food hub. The hub’s staff, which is raising the remaining money from other public and private funders, expects to move in by 2019 and eventually sell $18 million worth of produce, grains, eggs, maple syrup and honey a year. Like New York, other states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Vermont, and the federal government are investing in food hubs as a way to connect small and midsize farmers, who may not have the volume or do not have the capacity to work with large food wholesalers, with businesses and consumers to increase sales.
Milk is from mammals, say lawmakers
La Crosse Tribune | Posted on January 22, 2017Got “lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows”?Doesn’t quite have the same marketing zing as the traditional four-letter word for moo juice, but according to the Food and Drug Administration rule 21 CFR 131.110, that is the legal definition of milk.But the definition should be upheld, according to 32 members of Congress — including six from Wisconsin — who recently sent a letter to U.S. Food and Drugs Administration Commissioner Robert Califf to crack down on almond-, coconut- and other plant-based fluids.
Consumer demand is best illustrated by providing choices
Watt Ag Net | Posted on January 22, 2017Activists groups are pushing slower-growing broilers as a higher welfare alternative to modern breeds, but they don't seem to be willing to let consumers demonstrate that they want them at the cash register. When questioned about what consumers want, Super said, “What the majority of consumers actually want is choice. Slow-grow, conventional, raised without antibiotics – each of these production practices dictate choices about how chickens’ living conditions are managed. And while consumer purchase patterns are based on a variety of factors, it’s clear that single trait genetic ‘solutions’ cannot support or create sustainable food production.”