Big Food
Posted on Monday, August 20th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Rarely does the mainstream media bother to connect the dots when it comes to our broken food safety system. Consider these two recent headlines:
• Foodborne Outbreaks Falling Short of U.S. Reduction Goals
• USDA to purchase $170 million worth of meat to help farmers struggling with drought
The latter story celebrating government action to “help farmers” — prompted by this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press release — was trumpeted by major media outlets across the nation without any questions raised. Of course American farmers need help during times of drought and that effort is well worth supporting, but is the indiscriminate buying up of meat really the best and only idea the feds can come up with? Read rest at Center for Food Safety…
Postscript: Since writing this article, the federal government reported that two people have died and 141 were made sick by salmonella in yet another cantaloupe outbreak, this one in 20 states.
Posted in Big Food, Food Safety, Public Health | Tagged: E.coli, food safety, Food Safety Modernization Act, listeria, Microbiological Data Program, USDA | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Monday, August 13th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Last week I wrote about why PepsiCo was the largest food maker to donate money to the “No on 37” campaign, to oppose a California initiative that would require foods containing GMOs to be labeled. New campaign finance reports show just how much hiding the truth is worth. The largest contributions are from biotech giants Dupont Pioneer ($2M) and Bayer Cropscience ($1M). Other contributions include $500K each from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, General Mills, and ConAgra. Read this press release from the Yes on 37 campaign for the complete run-down on this latest investment in secrecy from Big Food.
Posted in Big Food | Tagged: Big Food, California Prop 37, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, General Mills, GMO labeling, lobbying, Nestle, PepsiCo | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (1) |
Posted on Monday, August 13th, 2012 by Michele Simon
The food industry really hates it when you compare them to Big Tobacco. They try to deny the negative association by claiming that food is different than tobacco. Of course that’s true, but why are the same consultants that have worked for the tobacco industry now shilling for Big Food, opposing the ballot initiative that would require labeling of all foods containing GMO ingredients?
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Posted in Big Food | Tagged: Big Tobacco, California Prop 37, GMO labeling, Kraft, PepsiCo, Phillip Morris | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (25) |
Posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Nation’s largest peddler of soda and junk food has the most at stake in ballot measure
Most people just think of soda when they hear the name “Pepsi.” But in fact, PepsiCo is the nation’s largest food company and second largest in the world. Its annual earnings top $60 billion, from a dizzying array of brands. Walk down almost any supermarket aisle (soda, snacks, cereal, juice) and you’re likely to bump into a PepsiCo-owned product.
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy | Tagged: California Prop 37, Frito-Lay, GMO labeling, Grocery Manufacturers Association, high fructose corn syrup, PepsiCo | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (21) |
Posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 by Michele Simon
Last week I had the pleasure of lending my support, on behalf of the Center for Food Safety, to New York City’s proposal to limit the size of sugary beverages sold at food service outlets. (I wrote previously about why this policy makes sense.) The hearing room at New York’s health department was packed with media outlets and hundreds of folks eager to witness the showdown with Big Soda.
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Public Health | Tagged: Big Soda, Center for Food Safety, Grocery Manufacturers Association, New York City, New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, sugary beverages | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (1) |
Posted on Tuesday, July 31st, 2012 by Michele Simon
You probably heard by now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture got firmly put in its place last week by the National Cattleman’s Beef Association when a poor employee had the gall to suggest in an internal employee newsletter that coworkers consider taking up Meatless Mondays. Big Beef screamed and the feds jumped. (I was told it took less than 30 minutes for USDA to capitulate.) If you missed the coverage, check out Mark Bittman’s take, along with his attempt to ask a few questions of USDA. I tried myself and have yet to receive even the courtesy of a reply. Here is the message I sent Press Secretary Courtney Rowe in USDA’s Office of Communications last Thursday:
Hi Courtney,
I am writing about this matter for my blog. Can you please clarify the extent of USDA’s retraction?
Some are saying USDA’s action does not go far enough. See:
http://agwired.com/2012/07/25/usda-meatless-mondays-uproar/
My questions:
1) I understand the newsletter is no longer available online, but how was it distributed to employees in the first place?
2) Does USDA also retract the message contained within the newsletter regarding adopting Meatless Mondays?
3) Does USDA plan a more formal retraction in another issue of the newsletter, as AgWired suggests?
4) Has any action been taken with the employee who put it in the newsletter, also as AgWired suggests?
Many thanks for your help,
Michele
I guess I flummoxed them. Unlike the beef industry, whose message was received loud and clear.
Posted in Big Food | Tagged: National Cattleman's Beef Association, USDA | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Friday, July 13th, 2012 by Michele Simon
The United Fresh Produce Association Foundation says it’s “proud to be a Founding Partner of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools Initiative.” I thought the First Lady should know this trade group is responsible for killing a vital produce testing program that helps keep kids safe from infection.
Dear Mrs. Obama,
I am writing out of deep concern over Let’s Move’s partnerships with the United Fresh Produce Association and the Produce Marketing Association. These two groups have lobbied to kill a vital pathogen testing program. While the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools program is to be applauded, its association with these trade groups is not.
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Food Safety | Tagged: E.coli, FDA, food safety, Let's Move, listeria, Microbiological Data Program, Obama, school food policy, United Fresh Produce Association | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (3) |
Posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Last week McDonald’s Canada posted a video on YouTube entitled, “Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot,” which purports to answer a question from a customer on why McDonald’s food looks different in ads than it does in reality. So to answer this question, Hope Bagazzi, director of marketing for McDonald’s Canada takes us on a tour of how the food stylists with the company’s advertising firm prepare a cheeseburger and how that differs from what it really looks like. The idea, so it appears, is to be transparent and honest about how McDonald’s portrays its food in advertisements.
The video has gone viral, inching toward six million views. I even tweeted it myself. But one of my followers who lives in Vancouver, Anne Rosenberg was not fooled. She sent me the following email:
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Posted in Big Food | Tagged: advertising regulation, marketing practices, McDonald's, public relations | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (5) |
Posted on Wednesday, June 20th, 2012 by Michele Simon
Last Tuesday, I released a report, Food Stamps, Follow the Money: Are Corporations Profiting From Hungry Americans? I am grateful to each of these media outlets for their coverage.
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Posted in Big Food | Tagged: Big Food, Eat Drink Politics, farm bill, food stamps, SNAP, USDA, Walmart | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (1) |
