California Ag Network

Category: Consumer Health

  • National Cancer Institute Endorses Dairy Council of CA’s Nutrition Education

    Dairy Council of California, a quasi-state government nutrition education organization committed to elevating the health and wellness of children and families, announced its fourth grade Nutrition Pathfinders program was accepted as a Research-Tested Intervention Program (RTIP) by the National Cancer Institute.

    NCI’s RTIPs is a searchable database that provides public health practitioners with easy access to evidence-based cancer control interventions and program materials. To qualify, listings must demonstrate measurable impact as research-tested intervention programs.

    Dairy Council of California’s Nutrition Pathfinders for fourth grade is part of a K-12 nutrition education curriculum designed to teach students healthy eating habits and encourage physical activity. Evaluated by an independent research group tracking the program’s effectiveness of improving knowledge, attitudes and nutrition choices, Nutrition Pathfinders demonstrated effectiveness in teaching healthy eating and exercise patterns to children and their families.

    The study showed:

    • Improved student knowledge of the food groups, key nutrients in foods and how to make nutritious food choices.
    • Improved nutrition behaviors in students and families, including decreased consumption of highly processed foods and sugary drinks.

    “Dairy Council of California’s free nutrition education curriculum is an effective classroom resource teachers can use to educate and empower their students to eat healthfully,” said Dr. Megan Greene, a fourth-grade teacher at Cesar Chavez Elementary. “It’s easy to teach, aligns with Common Core Standards and truly does empower students to make healthier choices in the cafeteria.”

    “Educators are influential gatekeepers of children, teaching lifelong skills every day in the classroom,” said Tracy Mendez, R.D.N. and director of nutrition education at Dairy Council of California. “Integrating nutrition education lessons in the classroom equips students with the right tools to make healthy eating decisions that will last them a lifetime.”

    Dairy Council of California’s nutrition education resources are developed using the latest nutrition research. They align with Common Core State Standards and include teacher-friendly, plug-and-play lessons that use proven behavior-change models. Available to educators teaching K-12, the nutrition lessons cover relevant food topics like identifying nutritious foods, food label evaluation, appropriate serving sizes, how to create nutritionally balanced meals and snacks, and the importance of physical activity.

    Free to California schools, Dairy Council of California’s nutrition education curriculum can be ordered at HealthyEating.com/Order. For a small fee, out-of-state schools can also order classroom lessons by calling 1.866.572.1359.

    About Dairy Council of California
    For a century, Dairy Council of California has empowered stakeholders, including educators, health professionals and community leaders, to elevate the health of children and families through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits. Funded by California’s dairy farm families and local milk processors and under the guidance of California Department of Food and Agriculture, Dairy Council of California’s free science-based nutrition education resources, Mobile Dairy Classroom assemblies, training programs and online resources educate millions of students and families in California and throughout the United States. Learn more at HealthyEating.org.

  • EPA Takes Action to Stop False Labeling on Products

    EPA is issuing guidance to registrants of glyphosate to ensure clarity on labeling of the chemical on their products. EPA will no longer approve product labels claiming glyphosate is known to cause cancer – a false claim that does not meet the labeling requirements of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The State of California’s much criticized Proposition 65 has led to misleading labeling requirements for products, like glyphosate, because it misinforms the public about the risks they are facing. This action will ensure consumers have correct information, and is based on EPA’s comprehensive evaluation of glyphosate.

    “It is irresponsible to require labels on products that are inaccurate when EPA knows the product does not pose a cancer risk. We will not allow California’s flawed program to dictate federal policy,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “It is critical that federal regulatory agencies like EPA relay to consumers accurate, scientific based information about risks that pesticides may pose to them. EPA’s notification to glyphosate registrants is an important step to ensuring the information shared with the public on a federal pesticide label is correct and not misleading.”

    In April, EPA took the next step in the review process for glyphosate. EPA found – as it has before – that glyphosate is not a carcinogen, and there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label. These scientific findings are consistent with the conclusions of science reviews by many other countries and other federal agencies.

    On Feb. 26, 2018, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California issued a preliminary injunction stopping California from enforcing the state warning requirements involving glyphosate’s carcinogenicity, in part on the basis that the required warning statement is false or misleading. The preliminary injunction has not been appealed and remains in place.

    California’s listing of glyphosate as a substance under Proposition 65 is based on the International Agency on the Research for Cancer (IARC) classifying it as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” EPA’s independent evaluation of available scientific data included a more extensive and relevant dataset than IARC considered during its evaluation of glyphosate, from which the agency concluded that glyphosate is “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” EPA’s cancer classification is consistent with many other international expert panels and regulatory authorities.

    Registrants with glyphosate products currently bearing Proposition 65 warning language should submit draft amended labeling that removes this language within 90 days of the date of the letter.

  • Global E. coli Outbreaks

    The impact of an E. coli outbreak is far-reaching. It spreads through the entire supply chain, leaving consumers, farmers, and retailers in a bind. Losing 45% of your sales overnight is a massive loss to any industry. This is what happened in 2018 regarding the E. coli outbreaks in romaine. Struggling to boost consumer confidence to have another outbreak and lose another 20% of the market is just one example of how much an E. coli outbreak can cost an industry.

    These outbreaks don’t just happen in the United States. As food scientists are more critical of the food consumers eat, outbreaks have gained attention around the globe. Learning to prevent E. coli is the foundation food producers must now think about to avoid costly repercussions.

    It’s all history!

    Escherichia coli (E. coli) was first discovered in 1885 by German pediatrician Theodor Echerich. Since then, E.coli has become the most understood bacteria to the scientific community, because of its role in disease, and its ability to double its population every 20 minutes.

    What you should know about E.coli

    • E. coli is a facultative anaerobe (it can survive with or without oxygen).
    • E. coli survives best in temperatures of 98.6F to 120F (body temperatures), and some
      strains can move.
    • Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live inside the large intestines.
    • E. coli helps protect from harmful organisms, provides essential vitamins, and helps
      break down food.
    • One estimation is that 0.1% of your body microbiota are E. coli (~7,000,000 cells).

    E.coli 2                                          E.coli

     

    Why is E. coli Important?

    E. Coli is classified into six major groups based on virulence properties (aka how likely it is to harm humans). These groups may produce toxins. There are two methods to become ill with the toxins; ingesting the toxin itself (intoxication) or ingesting the bacteria which then produces the toxin. The most common E.coli pathogen is E. coli O:157 H:7, a strain of the group EHEC often connected to food or water contamination. E.coli 0157 is a Shiga toxin or STEC; this pathotype is the one most commonly heard about in the news in association with foodborne outbreaks. It is important to note that there are other strains such as E. coli O145 and E. coli O121:H19 which produce a Shiga toxin as well.

    Seafood Safety
    http://www.tamug.edu/seafoodsafetylab/Research/Non-potable%20Water%20Studies.html

    Major Global Outbreaks by the Numbers

    USA: From 1998 to 2007, 69% of all E. coli outbreaks traced back to food contamination, 18% from water, and 14% from animals or person to person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate about 265,000 E. coli infections happen a year, O157:H7 causing 95,400 of them.

    -2018: Romaine Lettuce and other Leafy Greens

    • 0157:H7: 235 cases; 130 Hospitalizations; 6 Deaths

    – 2018: Ground Beef

    • O26: 18 cases; 6 hospitalizations; 1 death

    – Other outbreaks: Soy Nut Butter (2017); Flour (2016); Sprouts (2016, 2014, 2012); Cookie Dough (2009); Hazelnuts (2011); Spinach (2012, 2006)

    European Union Outbreaks:

    – 2014: 5900 cases (1663 Germany, 1324 UK, 919 Netherlands)
    – 2015: 5929 cases (1616 Germany, 1328 UK, 858 Netherlands)
    – 2016: 6389 cases (1843 Germany, 1367 UK, 665 Netherlands)

    2010 Global Outbreaks

    SafeFoodAllianceMap

    Prevention!
    The easiest way to prevent E. coli in products is by having good manufacturing practices, heating, washing hands, and testing.

    How to Prevent E. coli

    1. Heat– At the manufacturing level, consumer level products must reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit to eliminate E. coli.This method is an effective form of prevention because E. coli can’t survive at high temperatures. Many companies use pasteurization which reduces bacterial loads if done correctly. It is essential to have validated and verified pasteurization procedures for each commodity.
    2. Testing– Testing to ensure the final product is free of E. coli is another way to gain confidence.
    3. Swabbing– Using swabs at the facility ensures proper sanitation processes and reduces cross contamination. Swabbing should be done on your equipment including your employees. Swabbing is a primary line of defense ensuring your zoning is functioning correctly, and the final product has less of a risk of contamination.
    4. Water Testing– Sampling for water is easily done and may be a requirement for your facility under the new FSMA regulations. Water testing is reported in Most Probable Number (MPN) to help you quantify your level of contamination
      if present. If you need water sample bottles, Safe Food Alliance can provide you with the sterile bottles to sample and will have results for you in 24 to 36 hours.

    Sending samples of your final product for testing-Safe Food Alliance utilizes industry-accepted methods for testing E. coli. Sending samples to one of labs gives you increased confidence that your final product may be free of E. coli. Testing is completed with fast turnaround times so you can make accurate, science-based decisions. Samples sent for testing should be well homogenized and a good representative of the lot being tested. Sample sizes vary on crop so please make sure to contact us for recommendations.

    By:  Joseph Nicholl, Safe Food Alliance

  • How to Manage Growers: FSMA Produce Safety Rule for Processors

    Let’s face it, all of our food comes from farms. When it comes to plant-based food there’s always a grower (or many growers!) involved.

    Here at Safe Food Alliance, we work to, help growers implement processes to ensure compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety rule (FSMA is the FDA’s “Food Safety Modernization Act”). Many of our customers are also processors who buy a raw agricultural commodity (‘RAC’) from growers, and are reevaluating how they “manage” these growers as part of their supplier approval/ supplier management program.

    As it stands, if you are a processor that purchases directly from growers you should be considering a review of your company’s grower management programs, with the following objectives in mind:

    1. Meeting FSMA regulatory requirements
    2. Meeting your customer requirements and food safety audit requirements
    3. Protecting your operation by reducing risk

    Assessing Risk & Defining Controls

    At the most basic level, any food processor should be making sure that their suppliers and the products purchased comply with current regulations and are safe. This includes packaging suppliers, ingredient suppliers, and raw materials like agricultural commodities. This doesn’t mean that you have to physically audit all of your suppliers; it doesn’t even mean that you have to get a copy of a third-party audit from all of them. Food safety is always based on risk, so as a processor, you need to determine the level of risk posed by the raw material, then based on that assessment determine what controls are needed.

    If this sounds a lot like HACCP or Preventive Controls, that’s because it is. Based on your hazard analysis you determine what needs to be done to reduce risk and help ensure the safety of your products, and to ultimately protect the future of your company.

    With produce, processors should always identify the risk of pathogens in their hazard analysis. Remember that any produce may bear this risk, since it’s grown outside. Additionally, there may be physical hazards that a company will have to contend with in its internal operations. Lastly, an assessment of likely chemical risks, such as pesticides, has to be done.

    Evaluating Each Type of Risk

    HIGHER RISK

    Products that are higher risk will require the highest level of verification to help minimize any risk. High-risk products might include anything such as  an annual crop grown directly on the ground, or anything eaten fresh without a processing step that would significantly reduce pathogens. Imported items may also bear a higher risk, depending on the country of origin and their local practices and regulations, and may need extra verification activities.

    Examples: Leafy greens, fresh fruit, some imported items

    Potential Controls: Third-party GAP audit, or full on-site review of programs conducted by your company. Confirm compliance with FSMA Produce Safety rule, as well as industry best practices, potentially to include review of growers’ records. Sampling and testing of product on a defined schedule will generally need to be conducted as well.

    LOWER RISK:

    Tree crops or other items grown off the ground, and items with no history of past recalls.  Other factors to consider: local or domestically grown items, or crops over which the processor has direct oversight (vertically integrated companies) may have lower risk.

    Examples: Dried fruit or other items with minimal past food safety issues, some tree nuts, items that are always heat treated or processed in some way prior to consumption. In some cases, these items may qualify for an exemption from FSMA (see below).

    Potential Controls: Grower completes a questionnaire or your employee works with them to complete one; review of the grower’s food safety plan; short on-site visit to review practices / observe.

    Exempt: There are a few exemptions built into the FSMA Produce Safety rule. For these items, an exemption may be taken per the regulation, or they can be treated as low risk as outlined above.  These include:
    1. Produce on the “rarely consumed raw” list
    2. Produce on individual consumption or on-farm consumption (not for sale)
    3. Produce the receives a commercial processing step which would significantly reduce pathogens

    Examples: Tomatoes for paste or canning, peaches or olives for canning, California-grown almonds treated per the marketing order, wine grapes used for wine (not eaten).

    Potential Controls: Documentation to demonstrate qualification for exemption.  This implicitly requires that the processing step be validated as a “kill step”, it can’t just be assumed that it is effective.

    FDA’s Focus Areas for Risk Management in Produce

    There are a few specific focus areas built into the rule, where the FDA and industry working groups have identified potential risks related to agricultural products. These are the focus areas of the Produce Safety rule that can be reviewed with growers you purchase from:

    1. Personnel training and qualification: This section is mainly focused on personal hygiene, harvesting activities, handling product, and relevant employee training.
    2. Agricultural water quality: The most controversial section, this one is still under review by FDA for discussion with the industry as they consider potential changes. Requires growers to establish and maintain a “microbial water quality profile”, utilizing specific test methods for generic E. coli.  Compliance dates for these requirements are delayed for a few more years.
    3. Soil amendments: Focuses mainly on soil amendments of animal origin, and controlling associated risks. This control can be achieved through treatment of those amendments, or timing of application of raw amendments well in advance of harvest.  No soil amendments should ever come into contact with the harvestable portion of the crop.
    4. Domesticated and wild animals: Requires monitoring for animal activity which may put product at risk, and taking appropriate actions if observed.
    5. Growing, harvesting, packing and holding activities: Focused on how activities are carried out related to product risk, such as handling practices.
    6. Equipment, tools, buildings, and sanitation for processing operations: Design and maintenance of equipment, tools and facilities; cleaning and sanitation; pest control; etc.

    Low-Cost Training Available

    If you are responsible for purchasing raw agricultural commodities, or handle the “grower relations” function, consider attending the official one-day produce safety course and become familiar with the requirements of the rule. After attending the course you’ll receive an official certificate from AFDO.  Safe Food Alliance currently offers this course in various locations at low cost this spring.

  • Nutritional Benefits of Dairy & Factual Resources Consumers Should Know About

    At several recent California dairy conferences, dairy producers have been urged to share their stories with the consumer public, rather than have their stories told incorrectly by those that know nothing about dairy.  One great aspect to share with the public is the great health benefits associated with consuming dairy products.  The Dairy Council of California is a great resource for sharing dairy nutritional facts.  Watch this brief interview with James Winstead from the Dairy Council as he shares a few simple points consumers should know, and read more about it in California Dairy Magazine.

  • American Farmland Trust Partners with Seal the Seasons to Raise Consumer Awareness

    Today, American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®, announces its partnership with Seal the Seasons, maker of frozen produce sourced from local farms, to share the story of American Farmland Trust’s work in the regions where they source their products.

    The loss of America’s farmland, an aging farmer population and climate change are just a few of the issues facing farming and farmland. AFT works to support farmers by providing research and programs focused on these challenges.

    “Our future depends on having enough farmland and farmers to both feed us and restore our planet. And this requires a community of advocates that embrace the holistic vision of the future: one that acknowledges farmland as irreplaceable infrastructure we cannot afford to lose; that sees farming practices that improve soil health as necessary for that land to serve us in perpetuity; and that views farmers as the stewards of that land, worthy of our fervent support –because at heart, what these farmers do is for all of us,” says John Piotti, president and CEO, AFT.

    He continues, “This partnership will help consumers understand the threats to American farmland and further AFT’s mission of saving the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land. We are grateful for Seal the Season’s support.”

    Seal the Seasons was started with a dedication to working with local farms, believing that locally-grown products are better for our planet, our economy and our taste buds. Its mission is to build local supply chains to change the food system. As part of its charitable partnership with AFT, Seal the Seasons will share stories of AFT’s impact in the regions where they source products to raise the profile of the “No Farms, No Food” movement.

    “We have to acknowledge our impact on the planet and build a food system that works for farmers and alongside nature at the same time. We see supply chains and their most important component, farmland, as the most vital part of the food system. Our goal at Seal the Seasons is to move the focus back towards local sourcing that aligns with our family farms, our economy and our planet,” said Patrick Mateer, founder of Seal the Seasons. “This partnership with the American Farmland Trust will be instrumental in bringing farmer stories to the forefront so we can protect farmland and improve farming practices from their perspective.”

    For more information on Seal the Seasons and how to give back to American Farmland Trust, visit https://www.farmland.org/blog/find-us-in-the-frozen-food-aisle

  • Major Programs Underway with GRO Organic

    Much can happen in a year, as a major collective effort underway by the organic community is proving. Scores of organic companies and stakeholders have enthusiastically stepped up to invest almost $1.5 million in programs to advance organic food and farming — initiatives to promote organic, educate consumers about organic’s benefits, assist organic farmers and foster critical organic research. And this is just the beginning.

    Less than a year ago, the Organic Trade Association made the pivotal decision to create an innovative check-off-like voluntary program to support the U.S. organic sector. The effort was aptly named GRO Organic (Generate Results and Opportunity for Organic) and since then specific action plans have been put in place to reduce the confusion about organic, to help farmers go organic and stay organic, and to spur research on ways that organic practices can fight climate change.

    “Organic has lots of challenges right now, and I am thrilled and heartened with how the sector has turned these challenges into new opportunities for strategic thinking and real action,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. “Organic innovators and industry leaders are investing into their future, and taking proactive steps to ensure that organic continues to flourish.”

    “When we reimagined GRO Organic last year, we got to work immediately to develop diverse and forward-looking programs to not only benefit organic farmers and organic businesses, but to help consumers make the best choices and to encourage more organic research,” said Batcha. “We set measurable and tangible goals for the first two years of GRO Organic, and we’re poised to surpass those goals in the first year.”

    The Organic Trade Association has partnered with Organic Voices, The Organic Center, and 69 (and counting) organic brands, businesses and leaders across the industry to implement programs as prototype working examples that can be expanded into even more ambitious future initiatives.

    The wide-ranging programs focus on four key action plans:

    • Launching a national campaign to reduce consumer confusion about organic
    • Learning what customers are hearing and how it affects their behavior
    • Connecting technical specialists with transitioning and existing organic farmers in every state
    • Researching how organic is part of the solution to soil health and climate change

    An engaging “fishbowl discussion” is being planned for organic stakeholders at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim on Friday, March 8, to provide an update on program specifics from GRO Organic Core Committee members, and to hear from stakeholders spanning the entire organic supply chain about the latest consumer insights, messaging plans and ideas, potential Governance structures and more.

    A national campaign to promote organic

    Organic Voices, led by Stonyfield Co-founder Gary Hirshberg, and the Organic Trade Association have collaborated to fund a two-year nationwide campaign to promote organic. To support the cutting-edge campaign, $1 million has already been raised in the first year (and another $1 million is on target for year two of the campaign with the goal to raise more).

    Organic Voices has been working for over a year to craft a new organic messaging and education campaign to eliminate consumer confusion about organic. Following a two-day retreat in which 20 leading organic firms compared and debated consumer insights, a core group of organic company chief marketing officers have led a rigorous 12-month effort to devise a campaign that hammers home the enormous numbers of chemicals used in conventional food, personal care and textile production, and the fact that all of these are prohibited under the USDA Organic seal. The key consumer message is: “Skip all the chemicals and just go with organic.”

    The campaign will extend to multiple mediums but with a heavy emphasis on social media. Attendees of Expo West will be briefed on the Organic Voices 2019 campaign in partnership with GRO Organic on Thursday, March 7.

    “The Organic Voices messaging effort will help to erase consumer confusion and make clear exactly why organic is one of the very best and most practical steps one can take to promote preventive health,” said Hirshberg. “This campaign comes at a critical time for organic, and all of us in the organic community need to step up and pool our resources to promote organic.”

    Learning what motivates today’s organic customer

    The American organic sector is now a $50 billion industry, and its growth isn’t showing any signs of stopping. Consumers of all ages, all income levels, and of all demographics are buying organic. And they’re hearing and learning about organic from a wide variety of sources.

    The Organic Trade Association is collaborating in a six-phase research project to better understand what drives a consumer to choose organic, what messages penetrate deeper than others, and what attributes of organic are the most valued by today’s diverse organic customers.

    After interviewing dozens of consumers, industry professionals, and thought leaders, the research project is now entering phase three. Up next is a review and distillation of the information gleaned from the consumer and professional interviews, and the building and shaping of a communications “toolkit” for organic businesses (and available to all) based on findings from the research. Projected date for conclusion of the project: summer 2019.

    Helping farmers go organic and stay organic

    The hard reality for organic farmers – and farmers who want to go organic – is that the network of agronomists and technical service providers is often just not there to support growers through transition to organic and beyond. The ultimate goal of GRO Organic is to connect technical specialists with existing and transitioning organic farmers in every state, and year one of GRO has made an important first step towards that goal.

    With the support of GRO and the generosity of a cornerstone donation from Clif Bar, a “train the trainer” program will be launched this spring in the Midwest. The pilot initiative will train agricultural professionals working with organic or transitioning farmers. Called the Organic Agronomy Training Series (OATS), three OATS regions have been established in nine states: Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. During spring/summer 2019, each region will deliver a training suited to their growers, their environment, and their crop calendar. The pilot program was designed to be relatively narrow in focus the first year to successfully test a concept that can be expanded across a variety of organic crop systems throughout the country.

    “The goal of OATS is to create a knowledgeable support network for organic farmers and those transitioning to organic, lowering many of the barriers to organic transition and promoting organic as an opportunity worth exploring,” said Anders Gurda, Senior Manager-Agronomy Solutions for Pipeline Foods, which is spearheading a broad coalition to implement the pilot training sessions.

    Also getting underway through GRO is a special assessment of the organic technical assistance field. This will enable GRO to design an informed investment strategy for its technical assistance projects, and to identify programs that can be scaled up to include different regions and crops.

    Researching how organic can help fight climate change

    The food system is in a dangerous predicament – it’s a significant contributor to one of its own biggest threats – climate change. That’s where organic comes in. Organic farming can be part of the climate change solution because it does not rely on fossil-fuel intensive synthetic inputs, and it uses farming techniques that sequester carbon in the soil.

    Supported by GRO Organic, The Organic Center has put together a package of immediate-action research projects for 2019. A research project with the University of Maryland is already underway to review the science that evaluates organic methods for building soil health and to provide farmers with actionable recommendations for best management practices. Another project with the University of Maryland will investigate the impact of organic farming on carbon sequestration. A research study with the University of California, Berkeley, will quantify how environmentally friendly practices can impact a farmer’s economic bottom line.

    “Our package of projects combines soil and climate issues with farmer benefits to move the needle toward a more sustainable climate,” said Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center. “We need to act now to fight against climate change, and organic should have a major role in that battle.”

    GRO Organic expected to keep GROing

    In kicking off GRO Organic, the Organic Trade Association launched a companion effort to develop a voluntary governance approach for long-term sustainability of the GRO effort.

    Last November, the Organic Trade Association opened a six-month period for interested parties to weigh in and answer key questions on how GRO Organic should be shaped. The call for Big Ideas is open through April 30.

    “We want everyone to know that GRO Organic is live, and it’s investing in programs,” said Organic Trade Association’s Batcha. “These aren’t pie-in-the-sky ideas. Thanks to the support of our organic innovators and leaders, these are now real on-the-ground projects that will make a difference for organic. Through GRO Organic, organic stakeholders can invest in their future and keep organic thriving and moving forward.”

    “We thank all of the GRO Organic investors for stepping up and making a real difference. We know the numbers will continue to GRO!” said Batcha.

    For more information on how to invest in GRO Organic, contact Cassandra Christine at the Organic Trade Association.

  • Animal Agriculture Alliance debuts Sustainability Impact Report

    Report Highlights Animal Agriculture’s Commitment to Continuous Improvement

    Yesterday, the Animal Agriculture Alliance released its “Sustainability Impact Report” focusing on animal agriculture in the United States. The report highlights how the animal agriculture industry shares the same values as today’s consumer with its never-ending commitment to animal care, environmental stewardship, responsible antibiotic use, food safety and nutrition. To access the report, go to https://www.animalagalliance.org/engage/#sustainability.

    The 33-page report covers nine industries: dairy, beef, veal, pork, chicken, turkey, egg, sheep and aquaculture. “Animal agriculture has made great strides in environmental stewardship, animal welfare and overall sustainability over the years,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “As new technology and research become available, the industry will continue to innovate and improve.”

    Environmental stewardship highlights:

    • According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture accounts for a total of 9 percent of U.S. GHG emissions while livestock production is only 3.9 percent.
    • Dairy farmers decreased their carbon footprint by 63 percent from 1944 to 2007.
    • Since 1977, cattle ranchers have reduced their carbon footprint by 16 percent.
    • Pig farmers decreased their carbon footprint by 7.7 percent and their water use by 25.1 percent from 1960 to 2015.
    • The egg industry reduced its carbon footprint by 71 percent and its water use by 32 percent since 1960.

    Animal welfare highlights:

    • Hens under the United Egg Producers Certified program account for 95 percent of all the nation’s laying hens.
    • The National Chicken Council (NCC) developed the NCC Animal Welfare Guidelines and Audit Checklist, which have been widely adopted within the chicken industry. These guidelines were updated in 2018.
    • As of January 2019, more than 72,000 pig farmers and farm employees were Pork Quality Assurance Plus certified.
    • By 2016, 98 percent of the U.S. milk supply came from dairy farms and cooperatives enrolled in the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management program.

    Nutrition highlights:

    • Milk provides nine essential nutrients and is also the number one food source of calcium, vitamin D and potassium for all Americans ages 2 years and older.
    • Today’s pork is 16 percent leaner and 27 percent lower in saturated fat compared to 20 years ago.
    • Lamb is an excellent source of vitamin B12, selenium, zinc and niacin.
    • One 3-ounce serving of lean beef provides about 50 percent of the recommended daily value of protein.
    • One large egg has varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals, six grams of protein and only 70 calories.

    About the Alliance:
    The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation. Find the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Getting the Facts Straight on Dairies

    The inaugural California Dairy Sustainability Summit in Sacramento last month was a big hit.  Conference presentations not only focused on what California dairy producers can do to increase their sustainability efforts, but also on how producers can better share their stories and correct some of the common misconceptions that have been circulating the public.  Check out this video with Frank Mitloehner, Air Quality Specialist from the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis, who shared the facts, and read more about it in California Dairy Magazine.  Don’t currently receive the magazine?  Subscribe FREE today at https://malcolmmedia.com/california-dairy-magazine-subscriptions/

  • Introducing Real American Pistachio Growers

    So why American Pistachio Growers? Growers have no shortage of issues to deal with: orchard pests/diseases, labor, water, and trade barriers, to name a few. But that doesn’t stop American Pistachio Growers from doing what they know best and getting out in the field everyday on behalf of consumers all over the world hungry for what quality American pistachios. Back at the Summer luncheon of American Pistachio Growers, several growers were put on the spot and asked why they do what they do. Watch this brief video to see their responses and read more about growers near you in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive the magazine? Subscribe for free at: https://malcolmmedia.com/pacific-nut-producer-magazine-subscriptions/.