Support
for Proposition 37 is slipping, poll finds [Los Angeles Times]
An
advertising blitz against Proposition 37 has slashed support for the
genetically engineered food labeling initiative on next month's ballot and may
endanger its prospects for voter approval, a new poll shows. Proposition 37,
which once was ahead statewide by more than a 2-1 margin, still leads 48.3% to
40.2% in the poll released Thursday by the Pepperdine University School of
Public Policy and the California Business Roundtable. Undecided voters
accounted for 11.5%. But with 3 1/2 weeks left to go before the Nov. 6
election, pollsters now foresee a tightening race, as opponents continued a
media blitz financed by $35 million in campaign contributions.
Analysis:
GM crop debate heats up as California labeling vote nears [Reuters]
With
California set to vote in November on labeling of food made from genetically
modified crops, pressure is mounting on the federal government to tighten
regulation of these crops and the foods they become….While other studies show
GM crops are safe, pressure is building on U.S. regulators, who have repeatedly
deemed any labeling or regulatory safety testing unnecessary….On Thursday, the
Organic Consumers Association said it was delivering a petition backed by
200,000 consumers calling on President Barack Obama to require labeling. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received more than 1.2 million comments
supporting the Center for Food Safety's legal petition, filed last year,
seeking mandatory labeling for GMO foods. The consumer advocacy organization
said that was the most comments ever filed on an FDA proposal. Fourteen states
last year considered new bills on labeling or banning GMO foods.
WCAB
working out the details for water-conservation programs [Imperial Valley Press]
Imperial
Valley farmers are preparing to move forward with water conservation programs,
but details still need to be ironed out. The Water Conservation Advisory Board,
a committee of 15 irrigators appointed to provide feedback and input related to
water use to the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors, met Thursday
to discuss issues related to on-farm water conservation methods and the IID’s
fallowing program. On-farm water conservation, a voluntary initiative to meet
water transfer requirements mandated by the Quantification Settlement
Agreement, has been an issue of concern for some time. These measures require
the installation of devices — typically water pumps or drip irrigation systems
— that require a substantial amount of electricity to run. The IID is working
with the WCAB to streamline the process by which a farmer gets power to his
land.
Food
sickens millions as company-paid checks find it safe [Bloomberg]
…During
the past two decades, the food industry has taken over much of the FDA’s role
in ensuring that what Americans eat is safe. The agency can’t come close to
vetting its jurisdiction of $1.2 trillion in annual food sales….The food
industry hires for-profit inspection companies -- known as third-party auditors
-- who aren’t required by law to meet any federal standards and have no
government supervision.…The private inspectors that companies select often
check only those areas their clients ask them to review. That means they can
miss deadly pathogens lurking in places they never examined. What for-hire
auditors do is cloaked in secrecy; they don’t have to make their findings
public.
Petaluma
Farms owner responds to lawsuit [Petaluma Argus-Courier]
A
class action lawsuit accusing local egg farmer Steve Mahrt of marketing
“designed to dupe consumers” seems a little like “bullying,” according to
Mahrt, the owner of Petaluma Farms. The lawsuit, filed last week by a student
animal activist, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and Camilla Glover, a
member of the Golden Gate University Law School Student Animal Legal Defense
Fund (GGUSALDF), claims that Glover is representative of a class of consumers
who bought eggs sold by Mahrt of “Petaluma Egg Farm” based on the belief that
the hens that produced them were “raised free of cages...” and able to “run,
scratch and play in the fresh air of Sonoma Valley.”…Mahrt said he considers
sheltering his uncaged hens and their eggs from the weather, from disease and
from predators necessary to take care of them. He added that doing so allows
him to produce high-quality eggs at affordable prices. He has never represented
his operation as free range, he said.
They
say tomato. We say tasteless. [Wall Street Journal]
Tomato
breeders have mastered the art of making produce that's durable, attractive and
available year-round. Making it tasty is another matter. As American palates
get more sensitive, seed companies and growers have heard a lot of complaints
about grocery-store tomatoes—they look great but taste bland. So,
agribusinesses are pouring millions into efforts to jazz up the staple fruit.
They're holding focus groups to zero in on the traits that give a good tomato
its zest and using new technology to speed up breeding. But there are numerous
obstacles—from balancing different concepts of what tastes good to identifying
just what genes control flavor.
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