The Aquatic Blue Food Coalition formally launches at the UN Ocean Conference - Environmental Defense Fund

(LISBON — Jun. 30, 2022) A multi-sectoral Aquatic Blue Food Coalition formally launched at the United Nations Ocean Conference this week, a key milestone towards realizing the full potential of blue foods to help end malnutrition and build nature-positive, equitable and resilient food systems.

This launch comes after months of discussion catalyzed by the 2021 U.N. Food Systems Summit, which identified blue foods as a game-changing solution to transform food systems and meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. More than halfway through the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, the U.N. Ocean Conference served as a critical opportunity to combine food system and ocean goals.

The Coalition includes the European Union, Fiji, Germany, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Palau, Indonesia, Portugal and the United States of America, in addition to representatives from intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, aquatic food producers and those along the value chain, consumer groups, financial institutions and philanthropies. Together, these members recognize that blue foods—fish, shellfish, aquatic plants and algae captured or cultivated in freshwater and marine ecosystems—play a central role in food and nutrition security for billions of people. It is estimated that 800 million people also depend on blue food systems for their livelihoods. 

Instead of focusing narrowly on blue foods only as a natural resource, the Coalition agrees to bring a holistic approach to food systems decision-making. For example, these foods have a vital role to play in achieving several SDGs—in addressing hunger and malnutrition, reducing poverty and providing livelihoods, and reducing the impacts of the food system on climate change and biodiversity loss.

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland celebrated the launch of the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition at a “Future of Food is Blue” side event at the U.N. Ocean Conference on Monday: “The ocean is not only crucial to addressing the climate crisis; it is also an enormous source of resources and food. It needs to be managed in a sustainable and responsible manner and, most importantly, to the benefits of the many and not only the few. Iceland remains a proud supporter of the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition.”

The side event united 16 speakers and shared the Coalition’s vision to promote understanding, acceptance and integration of sustainable blue foods in food systems and food value chain thinking and decision-making. In addition, according to its declaration, the Coalition committed to 1) “raise the profile of aquatic foods in discussions of the future of food systems, including future international forums… and in national policy making;” and 2) “mobilize support—including investment, technical capacity and partnerships—for countries, or groups of countries, that are setting out to integrate these foods into their food systems and to implement core aquatic/blue food priorities.” 

“Small islands of the Pacific look eagerly to working with science, technology, industry and other partners to develop highly sustainable models of blue food across the Pacific,” said Dr. Satyendra Prasad, Fiji ambassador to the United Nations. At the opening plenary of the conference, Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, announced a commitment that, “by 2030, [Fiji] will produce more than 160,000 metric tonnes of sustainably farmed and harvested ocean product, supporting over 53,000 new jobs on [its] way to supply half of all blue foods from sustainable fisheries by 2035.”

"This isn't just about one particular part of the world—it's about food security for all of the world. The United States is very determined to be a part of the solution, which is why I'm pleased to announce that we endorse this [Aquatic] Blue Foods Coalition,” said Monica Medina, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs of the United States. 

Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, shared how the Coalition will build on the momentum of the 2021 U.N. Food Systems Summit and 2022 U.N. Ocean Conference to mobilize change: “Last year, the United Nations Food Systems Summit stressed the importance of looking at land-based and aquatic food production together in a coherent manner. I'm glad to inform you that Germany has decided to join and support the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition. We see this Coalition as a unique opportunity to advocate for blue and aquatic foods, which can play an important role in healthy diets and food security.”

The current members of the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition are: European Union; Fiji; Germany; Iceland; Japan; New Zealand; Palau; United States of America; Canada; Portugal; Indonesia ; The Pacific Community; WorldFish One CGIAR; Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future; Environmental Defense Fund; WWF; Friends of Ocean Action; Rare; Oceana; Monterey Bay Aquarium; Regional Cluster “North-East” – Bulgaria; Conservation International, RiseUp; Lloyd's Register Foundation; Care International, Wildlife Conservation Society; Safe Seaweed Coalition; Global Salmon Initiative; Blue Food Partnership, UN Global Compact

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Your Top 10 Food Safety Tips for Summer Grilling - USDA.gov

Posted by Jesus Garcia, Public Affairs Specialist, Food Safety Education Staff in Health and Safety

As you plan your Fourth of July celebration, remember these 10 food safety tips to keep your barbecue free from foodborne illness:

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Food banks evolve to better meet community needs - The Seattle Times

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FDA doesn't name food behind outbreak, but Daily Harvest company president does - Food Safety News

The FDA is investigating an outbreak of “adverse events” related to a frozen food that has been recalled, but the investigation notice does not identify a specific product.

As of June 29 there have been107 people who reported what the Food and Drug Administration is referring to as adverse events. Traceback, testing and on-site inspections are ongoing in addition to the recall of the product.

All facts — including a statement from the company’s CEO — point to the product being Daily Harvest brand frozen French Lentil + Leek Crumbles.

“We have spent the past ten days working with the FDA, state agencies and multiple independent labs, as well as experts in microbiology, food safety and toxicology to conduct testing. These tests cover common foodborne pathogens, toxins, and allergens,” Daily Harvest founder and CEO Rachel Drori said in a written statement released June 27.

She said the company has used an ISO 17025 certified third-party laboratory to test for various bacteria and other pathogens in the product.  

“At this point, despite consulting with numerous experts, cooperating with FDA’s investigation, working with our supply chain, and conducting extensive testing, we have not yet identified a cause,” she said.

More than 470 people have reported through various channels that they have become ill after eating the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. They have similar symptoms including high liver values and quick-onset pain consistent with gall bladder problems.

One attorney who is representing 125 of the sick people says there is “no question that the product is the cause of the illnesses.” That attorney, Bill Marler of Seattle-based Marler Clark LLP, says it is just not yet known what ingredient or chemical is the culprit.

Marler said if it weren’t for the gall bladder patients the symptoms would be consistent with hepatitis infection. Virtually all of his clients have had yellowing of the skin and eyes and dark urine in addition to bad numbers from their liver blood work. Some patients have been hospitalized. He said 20 of them have had their gall bladders removed.

“We are testing more than 40 samples of the crumbles from opened and unopened packages,” Marler said.

He said it is unusual for the FDA to receive more than 100 complaints in such short order related to an individual product. The fact that the company has issued a recall is also an important factor.

Of the patients who have retained Marler the vast majority are 25 to 45 years old and most are women. All of them ate the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, which just became available to the public in May.

In its outbreak announcement the FDA did not report where the sick people live or provide their age range. The agency did not report what it is testing for or when testing began.

The CEO of Daily Harvest said the FDA and the state Department of Agriculture have each inspected the facility where the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles were manufactured.

“We are confident this issue is limited to our French Lentil + Leek Crumbles and does not impact any of our other 100+ menu items. We are still eating and feeding our families all of our other products,” according to the CEO’s statement.

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In Athens Creativity in Art, Food and More Rises - The New York Times

The Greek capital has added impressive arts venues, daring restaurants and a blossoming hotel scene to its well-known Classical draws.

Here’s a surprise: While Athenians were locked down because of the pandemic, a flurry of creative and entrepreneurial activity was underway. The outcome? A total of 272 new restaurants, according to the local industry association, as well as hundreds more cafes and bars. The city also acquired 34 new hotels, offering 1,982 rooms over the last two years. And its cultural landscape blossomed, with major national projects coming to fruition.

“We’ve witnessed a cultural revival and a growing gastronomical scene that showcases the new dynamism of the city,” said Vassilis Kikilias, Greece’s tourism minister. Adding in the construction of new hotels and the upgrading of older ones, Mr. Kikilias said made him “optimistic for the season.”

As of May, the number of foreign visitors to the city was still below 2019 levels, but only by about 12 percent, and since then crowds have returned to the central squares and landmarks in numbers reminiscent of prepandemic days.

Syntagma Square, in the center of Athens, is once again filled with strollers. Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

Covid vaccination certificates are no longer required to enter the country or to visit shops, restaurants and museums, and since June 1, face masks are no longer required in closed public spaces with the exception of hospitals, pharmacies, public transport and ferries.

Cultural gems shine again

The Greek capital’s newest cultural gem (or rather an impressively burnished old one), the National Gallery reopened last year after an eight-year, 60-million-euro overhaul. Twice the size of the original, the sleek new building has a glass facade that allows natural light to illuminate exhibits and offers visitors a glimpse of the city at every corner. You could spend hours exploring the three floors charting the evolution of Greek art over nearly seven centuries. But even a brief visit should not skip the arresting works of the Greek modernist painters Konstantinos Parthenis and Yannis Tsarouchis with their dreamlike symbolism, and the luminous paintings of the Orientalist Theodoros Rallis and the postimpressionist Iakovos Rizos.

A fourth floor dedicated to Western European art is to open in the coming weeks and will include paintings by Picasso and Mondrian stolen in a daring one-man heist in 2012 and recovered last year.

Another treasure trove for art lovers is the Νational Museum of Contemporary Art, a former brewery which opened in late February 2020 after an extended renovation, but closed almost immediately with the country’s first lockdown. Five floors of thought-provoking sculptures, videos and installations by Greek and foreign artists — new exhibitions grapple with the themes of nation-building, mass protests and the environment — are topped by a roof terrace with a view sweeping from the Acropolis to the southern coastline.

A former tobacco factory in the gritty Athens neighborhood of Kolonos has reopened as an art space, with an exhibit featuring 18 large-scale installations from the collection of Dimitris Daskalopoulos, the founder of Neon, the cultural organization that overhauled the factory.Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

The capital’s independent art scene, invigorated by a flurry of creativity stoked by the social unrest that came with the decade-long financial crisis, bloomed again during the pandemic, with the opening of exciting new spaces to see art. One of the edgiest is a former tobacco factory in the gritty Athens neighborhood of Kolonos whose pink and yellow facade has drawn comparisons to a giant Battenberg cake. Following a debut exhibition last summer, the space reopened in June with a show featuring 18 large-scale installations from the collection of the entrepreneur Dimitris Daskalopoulos, the founder of Neon, the cultural organization that overhauled the factory, who recently donated hundreds of works to museums including the Guggenheim.

Eating and drinking

There has been buzz around Linou Soumpasis & Co. since it opened in December in the vibrant central district of Psyrri. Dismissing the neo-taverna and bistronomy labels, the self-professed “simple restaurant” serves high quality fare with a contemporary twist from a bustling open kitchen. The emphasis is on fresh food, particularly fish, with the menu updated daily according to the day’s haul. Recent dishes include a feather-light John Dory tartare with seaweed in cucumber juice and a tender chargrilled piper fish in zucchini purée. The veal cheeks stew in chick pea soup is also popular as are the selection of homemade breads and organic wines from small Greek producers. Expect to pay about 110 euros (about $116) for a three-course dinner with wine for two. Wines range from €22 to €150 a bottle and are all available by the glass.

A few blocks away, Gastone, the latest venture by the people behind Cookoovaya (recommended by the Michelin Guide) serves up Mediterranean flavors and street food in a lively retro setting that is part classic Greek taverna, part American diner. Dinner for two is about €30 and highlights include the crispy pork sandwich and a twist on tzatziki made with Gorgonzola cheese.

Linou Soumpasis & Co. opened in December in the vibrant central district of Psyrri. The self-professed “simple restaurant” serves high quality fare with a contemporary twist from a bustling open kitchen.Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

Two new arrivals in gentrified industrial districts of Athens are also drawing crowds. Tzoutzouka in Rouf, offers adventurous takes on traditional Greek dishes, like a rich ewe casserole in red sauce with homemade pasta and spicy hard cheese for about €30 per person with wine. Proveleggios in nearby Kerameikos is the latest endeavor from the brains behind the super-popular Nolan restaurant, serving innovative cuisine like hand-pulled noodles with sweet wild greens in tare dipping sauce and cocktails on a tree-lined terrace against an indie rock soundtrack. Dinner is about €35 per person without drinks.

For cocktail aficionados, Athens offers a dizzying selection of new drinking spots. At the Bar in Front of the Bar, on a buzzing pedestrians-only alley near central Syntagma Square, energetic young staff prepare twists on classic cocktails using ingredients produced on site, with prices starting at €7. Those who want their drink with a view of the city can join a bohemian crowd at Attic Urban Rooftop in the bustling Monastiraki district, one of several new roof terraces, where cocktails are priced from €11 to €13.

At the Bar in Front of the Bar, on a buzzing pedestrians-only alley near central Syntagma Square, energetic young staff prepare twists on classic cocktails using ingredients produced on site. Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

In the up-and-coming Petralona neighborhood is Line Athens (the sister bar of world-ranking the Clumsies) where staff shake up cocktails with homemade vermouth, most priced at €10.

The same area is home to Hervé, the discreet new restaurant of Paris-born Hervé Pronzato whose experience as a chef in Athens includes stints at the Michelin-starred Spondi and Hytra. Hervé has a 17-item tasting menu offering a mix of dishes reflecting Mr. Pronzato’s take on international cuisine for €95 a head. There is no sign — to enter, you punch in a code acquired with your reservation.

At Soil, in the Pangrati neighborhood, Tasos Mantis, also formerly a chef at Hytra, serves “earthy gastronomy” using vegetables and herbs grown on his own farm in a renovated neoclassical building with a serene garden. A tasting menu, at €86, includes shrimp in an orange, pecan and fennel sauce and scallops with yuzo kosho, grapefruit and lemon confit.

The understatedly opulent Xenodocheio Milos, which touts itself as the capital’s first “gastronomy 5 star hotel.” Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

Options at the high end for both food and lodgings include the understatedly opulent Xenodocheio Milos, which touts itself as the capital’s first “gastronomy 5 star hotel” — the latest enterprise of the celebrated chef Costas Spiliadis, who has established his Milos restaurant brand in locations including New York, Montreal and London. Rooms start at about €230 per night, while dining starts at about €60 per person, with specials that include sea bass baked in sea salt and wafer-thin fried zucchini and eggplant.

New lodging, along the coast and in the city

One of the newest spots for hotels is the so-called Athens Riviera, a 60-kilometer stretch of coastline dotted with marinas, beaches and secluded coves that is about a 30-minute taxi ride from the city center. The Four Seasons Astir Palace opened on a pine-clad peninsula there in 2019, offering 303 rooms (starting at €1,700 in July and €1,100 in August) and fine dining with a sea view at its Michelin-starred Pelagos restaurant. A nine-course tasting menu including Kristal caviar, red prawns and octopus-ink risotto for €160 per person.

The Four Seasons Astir Palace opened in 2019, offering fine dining with a sea view at its Michelin-starred Pelagos restaurant. Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

Wyndham’s Ramada Attica Riviera recently opened its doors at a quiet spot on the Riviera, offering spacious rooms with sea views from €120 a night and more hotels are due to open in the coming months.

In Athens proper, there is no shortage of choice for accommodation. Of the 34 hotels that opened in greater Athens during the pandemic, 26 of them are in the city center. New arrivals at the revamped central Omonia Square include the Brown Acropol with its modern take on ’60s Athens aesthetics (it has 165 rooms starting at €130 per night). It is one of four hotels opened in the capital by the rapidly expanding Israeli Brown chain. In the same square, in the heart of the capital’s historic and commercial district, is Marriott’s ultra-trendy Moxy Athens City, with its bright interiors, cheerful staff and comfortable rooms starting at €170 a night.

The rooftop pool at the Athens Capital offers a view of the Acropolis. Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

A few blocks away, close to the nightlife of Psyrri, the quirky Selina Athens Theatrou, part of the global hospitality brand, has bright, mural-adorned rooms and airy co-working spaces from €90 to €120 a night.

And in the heart of the city near Greece’s Parliament, Athens Capital — MGallery features a rooftop infinity pool with a view of the Acropolis and prices starting at around €300 a night.

The pandemic brought some closures too, notably the capital’s iconic Hilton which shut its doors earlier this year after nearly six decades, though it is expected to reopen in 2024 as part of the chain’s luxury Conrad line.

52 Places for a Changed World

The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.

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Pine Ridge Food Sovereignty Efforts Expand Tribal Nutrition Security - USDA.gov

Posted by Cindy Long, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service in Food and Nutrition Nutrition Security

Jun 29, 2022

(left to right) Thunder Valley Executive Director Tatewin Means, FNS Mountain Plains Regional Administrator Cheryl Kennedy, FNS Administrator Cindy Long and Thunder Valley Deputy Director Lynn Cuny display fresh eggs from the Thunder Valley chicken coop.

When applying an equity lens to nutrition programs, it is essential for policymakers to orient themselves toward the perspective of all communities they serve. We must actively take the time to see and listen to truly understand historical inequities that exist, so that we may be better positioned to address them.

I am grateful to the Oglala Sioux Tribe for recently welcoming me to visit their land to learn from their tribal members. This spring, I traveled to Pine Ridge Reservation to gain a hands-on understanding of tribal food sovereignty efforts and how USDA programs play a supporting role.

The Pine Ridge food system consists of a network of tremendous assets, from grassroots movements to revive traditional foods such as bison and wild timpsila (prairie turnips), to more modern crops and season-extending agriculture techniques.

These two approaches combine in harmony through the work of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, where wild chokecherry trees are being cultivated adjacent to a chicken coop and a geothermal greenhouse, providing eggs and produce to the community.

The Red Cloud Indian School is making similar strides, building youth capacity through USDA’s Farm to School Grant Program. Student interns maintain cropland and a greenhouse operation to produce food and their teach peers about food sovereignty.

USDA officials tour the greenhouse at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge. The school operates the greenhouse as part of the USDA Farm to School Program.

In a remote area like Pine Ridge, access to healthy foods can be a barrier to nutrition security, but USDA programs support tribal efforts to reach all members. The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides commodity foods for participants at the warehouse in Pine Ridge and offers tailgate deliveries to communities on the reservation.

And through a cooperative agreement, USDA is funding a pilot project to test online ordering for WIC participants from the Buche Foods grocery store in Pine Ridge.

My visit to the Pine Ridge Reservation concluded with dinner and storytelling with leaders from the Wakpamni Lake Community, whose geothermal greenhouse produces nutrient-rich micro-greens.

When we take time to listen and learn from each other, we can effectively partner to put nutrition security within reach for all and move us ever closer to more equitable food systems.

Category/Topic: Food and Nutrition Nutrition Security

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Personal, planetary health drive appetite for plant-based foods - Smartbrief

(Image credit: Shashi Chaturvedula/Unsplash)

Concerns about personal health and climate change are key drivers for consumers to choose plant-based foods and beverages, according to the “2022 Plant-Forward Opportunity” report. Datassential, which created the report in collaboration with The Culinary Institute of America, Food for Climate League and the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, unveiled the third iteration of the yearly consumer survey at the 10th annual Menus of Change conference at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., earlier this month.

More than 1 in 5 (21%) of the 1,500 US consumers surveyed said they are looking to reduce their meat consumption – up from 15% who said the same last year, according to the report. Fifty-seven percent of consumers want to increase their fruit and vegetable intake, and about a third of those surveyed want to increase their consumption of meat or egg substitutes or other plant-based proteins.

Choosing plant-based foods is a long term health strategy 

One of the key drivers of the plant-based movement is health and nutrition, and Datassential polled consumers on what health benefits they hope to get by eating a more plant-based diet.

The main health benefit consumers seek from plant-based foods and beverages is digestive health, with 39% of respondents saying they seek out plant-based options for this reason. Protection from long term disease is a key value for 32% of consumers, while 29% look to plant-based foods for weight loss. 

“I think that suggests that consumers are looking to plant-based foods with a longer runway in mind,” Datassential researcher Marie Molde said while addressing the audience at Menus of Change on June 14. 

“So it’s not that ‘I’m choosing a plant-based or plant-forward choice to avoid getting a cold tomorrow’ – there is some of that – but more so it’s this notion of ‘I want to choose plant-based because I want this longterm runway of health in my life,” Molde said.

Consumers connect food choices to climate concerns

Another factor driving consumers to limit meat intake and eat more plant-based foods is the effect food production has on the environment. More than half (55%) of consumers overall view the issue of climate change as extremely or very important, while those who limit their meat consumption were more likely to list climate change as a major concern. Seventy-one percent of  vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian and flexitarian consumers said climate change is an important issue to them. 

Unsurprisingly, consumers who are concerned about climate change are more likely to believe that the food choices they make have an impact on the environment. Three-quarters of respondents who are concerned about climate change said they think the choices they make about what to eat have an impact on the environment, while only 57% of total respondents said the same. Furthermore, two-thirds of climate-concerned respondents said plant-based foods are generally better for the environment than animal-based foods, compared to half of overall respondents who said the same.

Flavor, format are key to appeal of plant-forward options

While consumers express a growing interest in plant-based eating for health and environmental reasons, there are still several factors that can keep them from choosing plant-based options on the menu or the store shelf.

The factor that most often keeps consumers from choosing plant-based foods is taste. More than half of those surveyed (53%) said taste concerns hold them back from eating plant-based foods at all or more often, while 39% said the same about affordability concerns. Rounding out the top five reasons were texture concerns (32%), uncertainty about nutritional value (21%) and uncertainty about how to cook or prepare plant-based foods (19%).

The survey also delved into how consumers view traditional plant-based foods – such as beans, lentils and tofu – compared to the wave of new plant-based protein products that are meant to emulate meat – such as the burgers and chicken nuggets from brands like Impossible Foods. 

With so many headlines and menu items dedicated to this new breed of plant-based foods, it may come as a surprise that plant-based whole foods edged out plant-based protein products that are meant to be meat analogues.  Twenty-three percent of consumers said they are more interested in plant-based or plant-forward choices that emphasize whole, less processed foods, compared to 18% who said they would prefer to be able to order plant-based substitutes that taste just like their favorite burgers and sausages. 

Plant-based whole foods also came out slightly ahead when it came to consumer perceptions of their health and environmental benefits. Among consumers who said they are concerned about the environment, slightly less than two-thirds (64%) said we would have less of a negative impact on the environment by reducing our consumption of meat and eating more plant-based foods that are meant to replicate meat, while 69% said the same about eating more whole food plant-based foods that are not meant to replicate meat. Only 33% of  consumers think new meat analogues are healthier than traditional plant-based options like beans and soy products such as tofu, and just 21% believe these newer meat analogues are actually a better substitute for animal proteins.

Key takeaways for restaurants and food brands

To ensure that consumers continue to make choices that benefit personal and environmental health, it is essential that restaurants, retailers and food and beverage manufacturers offer options that appeal to consumers’ values and taste buds. 

The survey suggests that consumers are already looking to brands and restaurants to lead the way. Nearly 6 in 10 consumers (58%)  are already choosing environmentally-conscious brands at least occasionally when shopping retail, and 33% said they are open to doing so in the future. Forty-six percent said they often or occasionally choose to visit restaurants that care about the environment, and almost as many (44%) said they would be open to dining at climate-conscious restaurants in the future.

In addition to the food they offer, Molde said restaurants and manufacturers should also consider how they deliver it to consumers.

“Something that really continued to pop was packaging…and how that is coming into the consideration set of consumers when they’re making sustainable food choices,” she said, noting that 77% of those surveyed said they believe the type of material used to package food has an impact on the environment.

“Although, of course, most of us in the room are focused on food and beverage and flavor and things like that, we have to think about packaging too because our consumers are thinking about that.”

Paying attention to the full package – from the food to the packaging that contains it – will help brands and restaurants move the needle toward a more sustainable future by making it easier for consumers to make virtuous choices.

As Datassential writes in the report, “[c]hefs and restaurant industry leaders who care about planetary health have an enormous opportunity to raise the visibility of their efforts and better engage an increasingly sustainability-minded dining public.”

_____________________________________

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Fisher-Price Plastic Food Giving Kids Unrealistic Expectation That There Will Be Enough Food - The Onion

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Restructuring the Food Program at FDA - Food Safety News

Editor’s Note: FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf delivered remarks in June to the FDLI Annual Conference. Here are excerpts from his prepared remarks that addressed food safety.

“One issue that’s been front and center, highlighted by the recent challenges related to the supply of infant formula, is the need to adequately fund, revamp and restructure our food program. 

“I want to be clear: the infant formula shortage on our shelves was multifactorial, including loss of focus on quality by a major company, market concentration, supply chain resilience issues, and inadequate federal authorities to assure vital supply chains.  However, the crisis also reveals shortcomings at the FDA, including structural and organizational deficiencies, process insufficiencies, communication barriers, technological inadequacies, chronic underfunding, and in some cases a lack of congressional authority to allow us to do what is needed to assure an adequate supply of safe and nutritious infant formula.   

“We are currently conducting both a focused after-action review on infant formula and a comprehensive review of the entire food program to determine the best course of action. And when these reviews are completed, we will make whatever changes are necessary and that we have the ability to do.  

“But other changes will require congressional action.  A good model is the 21st Century Cures legislation, passed by Congress a few years ago.  That law made a dramatic difference on the medical product side, providing FDA with important resources and changes in regulatory authority that strengthened our ability to support innovation without sacrificing our standards of safety and efficacy. 

“It’s time that the food side got a similar shot in the arm. The needs are clear, significant, and run the expanse of our food safety work, from more inspectors to more funding to better data and technology. “

FDLI is the Food and Drug Law Institute, founded in 1949. It is a nonprofit membership organization that offers education, training, publications, and professional engagement opportunities in the field of food and drug law.

As a neutral convener, FDLI provides a venue for stakeholders to inform innovative public policy, law, and regulation.

FDLI’s scope covers all industries regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and related agencies and authorities in the U.S. and globally, including drugs, medical devices, biologics, food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, veterinary, tobacco, and cannabis-derived products.

The FDLI community includes manufacturers, distributors, law firms, consultants, academics, government employees, non-profits, and students. Collectively, the stakeholder group engaged with FDLI is 30,000+ individuals.

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Food Court: Jan-Lennard Struff's Healthy Habits & Soft Spot For Pepperoni Pizza - ATP Tour

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Analysis: Food export bans, from India to Argentina, risk fueling inflation - Reuters.com

MUMBAI/BUENOS AIRES/LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - It only took 24 hours last month for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in India - the world's second-largest producer of wheat - to shelve its plans to "feed the world".

In April, Modi had said publicly that the world's most populous democracy was ready to fill part of the gap left by Ukraine in global grains markets by increasing its wheat exports, following five consecutive record harvests. India traditionally exports only a modest amount of wheat, retaining most of its crop for domestic consumption.

On May 12, India's Ministry of Commerce & Industry said it was preparing to send delegations to nine countries to export a record 10 million tonnes of wheat this fiscal year - sharply up the previous season.

But a barrage of alarming data changed all that.

First came a downward revision to India's wheat crop in early May as a sudden heatwave hammered yields. Then data on May 12 showed inflation in the nation of 1.4 billion had jumped to a near eight-year high due to higher food and fuel prices, driven by the Ukraine war. read more

Alarmed by rising inflation, which had contributed to toppling the previous Congress party government in 2014, Modi's office told the Ministry of Commerce on May 13 to put the "brakes on" wheat exports immediately, according to one government official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue. read more

"This (inflation data) prompted the government to issue an order at midnight" imposing a ban on wheat exports, said a second source.

News of the ban by India, which is the only major wheat exporter at that time of year, drove Chicago wheat futures 6% higher after markets reopened on Monday.

Neither Modi's office nor the Ministry of Commerce responded to a request for comment.

India is one of at least 19 countries that have introduced food export restrictions since the war in Ukraine sent prices soaring, hampering international trade flows for several agricultural products and sparking violent protests in some developing nations. read more

(For an interactive graphic, click here: https://tmsnrt.rs/3wZqRBV)

From Delhi to Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires to Belgrade, governments imposed restrictions, at a time when the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with factors such as extreme weather and supply chain bottlenecks, had already driven hunger across the globe to unprecedented levels.

The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said in April the number of people facing acute food insecurity - when their inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in danger - had already more than doubled since 2019 to 276 million in the 81 countries in which it operates, before the Ukraine conflict began.

The war - which disrupted exports from Russia and Ukraine, two agricultural powerhouses - was forecast to increase that number by at least 33 million, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, it forecast.

Under World Trade Organization rules, members can impose export prohibitions or restrictions of foodstuffs or other products if they are temporary and required to relieve "critical shortages".

India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told Reuters last month he had been in contact with the WTO and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to explain that India needed to prioritise its own food security, stabilize domestic prices and protect against hoarding. read more

But export restrictions risk worsening the rise in global food prices: producing a domino effect as a deepening crisis prompts other countries to take similar steps, said Michele Ruta, the lead economist in the Macroeconomics, Trade & Investment Global Practice of the World Bank Group.

Many economists say the global food crisis is already more severe than the last one that peaked in 2008, which was driven by factors including droughts, global population growth, higher consumption of meat in major developing economies, and the increased use of crops to produce biofuels.

Shortages at that time triggered protests across the globe, particularly in Africa where food represents a comparatively high proportion of household budgets.

Simon Evenett, professor of international trade and economic development at the University of St. Gallen, said the assurances in 2008 from international organizations to national governments that there was enough food to go around globally took some of the wind out of the sails of those pushing for export curbs.

"This time around that is harder to do as we do have a supply hit here in both Ukraine and Russia," Evenett said, adding the size of summer harvests in major food producers would help determine how things develop in the second half of 2022.

Ukraine and Russia accounted for a combined 28% of global wheat exports, 15% of corn and 75% of sunflower oil in the 2020/21 season, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

World food prices have stabilized at high levels in the past two months as harvests approach. However, there are already some worrying signs with drought in the United States set to reduce the size of the winter wheat crop while in France wheat crops were battered by hail, strong winds and torrential rains this month. read more

Dry weather in Argentina - the world’s sixth largest wheat exporter - has stalled planting of the crop and weighed down production forecasts for the 2022/23 season.

Moreover, the mood in the international forum's such as G20 is now less collaborative after years of populism and heightened tension between major geopolitical players, Evenett said.

"This current situation in many ways is a lot more troubling than 2008 and look at what risks arose then to political stability," he said. "We will have a very tense six to nine months ahead of us."

FALLING DOMINOS

Some countries had already announced export curbs last year, given the tightness in global food supplies. But the dominos really started to fall following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, with global prices of both grains and vegetable oils soaring.

In March, Argentina increased taxes on its soybean oil and meal exports and has imposed a lower cap than last year for new wheat exports.

India's ban on wheat exports came after Indonesia, the world's top palm oil producer, had already restricted exports of palm oil – an essential ingredient in cooking and baking - from April 28 citing the need to ensure the country had “abundant and affordable supplies.”

India is the world’s biggest importer of palm oil and Indonesia is one of its most important suppliers. Indonesia lifted its ban on May 20.

Malaysia prohibited on May 23 the export of chickens from the beginning of this month after a global feed shortage exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine disrupted poultry production and led to a sharp rise in prices for one of the country’s cheapest sources of protein.

The wave of export restrictions already affect nearly one-fifth of calories traded globally – that's nearly double the impact of the last global food crisis of 2008, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a Washington-based think tank that aims to reduce poverty in developing countries.

"These types of measures tend to provoke some panicked behavior or hoarding from the buyers side...that accelerates the price spike," said IFPRI researcher David Laborde Debucquet.

The European Union - which includes several of the world’s biggest food importers by value - is urging its trade partners not to enact protectionist policies.

"The European Union keeps its food exports going, and so should everyone else," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech this month.

ENSURING DOMESTIC SUPPLIES

Even before the war in Ukraine, Argentina's government, battling domestic inflation now over 60%, took steps late last year to stem the rise in local food prices. It placed caps on exports of corn and wheat, adding to an earlier ban on shipments of beef.

After Russia’s invasion, it took additional steps, raising the taxes on shipments of processed soy oil and meal.

Argentina is the world’s biggest soybean oil and meal exporter, the second-largest global provider of corn and a key wheat exporter.

A source in Argentina's Agriculture Ministry, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the government's priority was to safeguard foodstuffs needed for domestic consumption.

The export limits established in late 2021 helped to shield domestic millers and consumers from the spike in international prices following the conflict in Ukraine, the source said.

But Gustavo Idigoras, head of Argentina's CIARA-CEC chamber of grains processors and exporters, said that despite the export caps and additional taxes, the government had struggled to stem entrenched food price inflation in Argentina, which was already high before the Ukraine conflict.

In the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, the cost of bread has risen 69% in a year, meat 64% and vegetables 66%, forcing people to change their diets and seek cheaper deals.

Edith Elizabeth Plou, 39, a shopkeeper in Buenos Aires, had traveled miles from her home to come to the Argentine capital's large Central Market to get cheaper prices for her groceries, which have spiked sharply over the last year.

"I work eight hours and the truth is that I often think about finding a second job to cover my expenses,” Plou said.

Additional reporting by Sarah McFarlane in London; Editing by Daniel Flynn

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Here's The Latest Data On Climate And Food And It's Not Good - Forbes

Challenges abound as industrial agriculture is threatened by access to key resources from water to healthy soils.

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As a devastating and historic drought from Illinois to Texas to California grinds on, sophisticated mapping and data projection bring more bad news: Agricultural areas are among the places in the U.S. experiencing the highest temperature increases.

“It’s happening already,” says R.V. Guha, a Google Fellow who created a public database which pulls information from the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA to map water withdrawal for irrigation against projected temperature rises across U.S. counties and discovered a correlation. A changing climate “affects everything from water to crops to insects,” he says.

Most affected are almonds, olive oil and other specialty produce from California’s Central Valley, as well as citrus, grape and salad farms elsewhere in the state. California is also home to some of the largest dairies and pork slaughterhouses in the country, and grass-fed cattle ranchers in the northern part of the state. Row crop farmers harvesting corn and soybeans in Arkansas and other midwestern states are also impacted. At least 2,000 cattle in Kansas died this month during a heatwave.

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WITHDRAWAL RATE OF WATER: IRRIGATION (2015) VS MAX TEMPERATURE (DIFFERENCE RELATIVE TO BASE DATE): RELATIVE TO 2006, BASED ON RCP 4.5 (2050-06)

The skyrocketing price of water in New Mexico and Arizona have ranchers and other meat-producing operations considering getting out of the business. In Texas, the state responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions where some western counties have been facing the least rainfall since the 19th century, beef and chicken will require millions of tons of water annually. Drought in Texas is currently responsible for the very poor condition of about 11% of the state's corn crop.

The regions America relies on most to feed its people are drying up. As populations have grown, more water has been pumped to residential areas as well as large-scale farms. Aquifers like Oglala in the Midwest and waterways like the Colorado River that flow to California and Arizona are struggling.

“This is the defining challenge for the next few decades,” Guha says.

These regions don’t just have water access and drought to worry about. Soil degradation is expected to be one of the central threats to human health in the coming decades. In America’s Midwest over the past 160 years, nearly 60 billion metric tons of topsoil have eroded. Too much is lost every year due to man-made influences like pollution from fertilizers, agricultural chemicals and antibiotics runoff. Some experts predict the earth will run out of topsoil within six decades.

The problem can’t be solved on a human timeline. Nature takes 500 years or more to create an inch of fresh topsoil. These conditions will make feeding populations a serious challenge.

Modern agriculture has been built on three key assumptions, says David Barber, a partner at agriculture and food investors Astanor Ventures: Cheap energy, free water and consistent weather. “The whole system does not function without that,” Barber says. “It reveals some of this for the house of cards that it is.”

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“The whole system does not function without that. It reveals some of this for the house of cards that it is.”

David Barber, partner at Astanor Ventures

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A hotter planet is expected to produce less nutritious food. The internal chemistry of some staple crops like wheat and rice are disrupted when air is polluted with carbon dioxide. The amount of proteins and vitamins produced tends to decrease, according to several studies.

“Our legacy food system is now a food system in transition,” Barber says. “Like clean energy, it is going from what it was to what it’s going to be. It’s going to be better for people and more respectful of soil and ocean and planet, and the consumer wants that. Ignoring it and saying it will never change is not correct.”

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DC seniors often struggle to find food - The Washington Post

After brief prayers, a dozen men lined up on a Wednesday afternoon to receive a dinner box outside of D.C.’s Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Columbia Heights. Fifth in line, Kenneth Bristow, 62, an Air Force veteran and former concrete abatement worker, waited for his turn.

Bristow grabbed a dinner that included a sandwich and potato chips. Then he hopped in his car and drove to a second food pantry three miles away, just in time to secure two more meals for the week.

“This is what you have to do to survive,” said Bristow. “I need more, but you can’t eat like you normally do, so you have to just do what you can.”

Bristow is among about 11,000 older adults who are food-insecure in D.C. — the city with the highest rate of senior food insecurity in the country, according to the nonprofit Feeding America. And while D.C. has launched several supporting programs to help them access healthy meals, some like Bristow have fallen through the cracks.

Defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, food insecurity is experienced by more than 7 million Americans 60 or older every year. A 2020 state-level analysis from Feeding America found that 13.1 percent of the senior population in the city is food-insecure.

More than two years into a pandemic that disproportionally affected seniors, D.C. advocates and officials said residents continue to use nutrition programs more than they than did before the virus arrived.

D.C.’s Department of Aging and Community Living — the agency in charge of monitoring seniors’ health, education and social services — says it delivered about 2 million meals last year, a 163 percent increase over 2019.

D.C.’s grocery gap reflects city’s income divide

Seniors experience food insecurity and hunger for a complex and intersecting range of reasons, including poverty, access to transportation, education, food choices and eligibility for federal programs, advocates and officials said. According to a 2022 D.C. Office of Planning Food Policy Division report about seniors’ food insecurity, the outreach to attract new enrollees to the programs is insufficient.

Isolation — which restricts access to food — is a big factor, and DACL officials said more than half of D.C. residents over 60 live alone, compared with just 27 percent nationally.

Poverty also exacerbates hunger in a city where 70 percent of seniors live on a fixed income, said D.C. Hunger Solutions policy analyst Melissa Jensen. “With a rising cost of living in the District, their incomes do not fluctuate with that, resulting in less money to spend on nutritious food,” she said.

Caroline Casey, program manager of senior nutrition at Mary’s Center, which serves 600 seniors in D.C., said the rising cost of food is what concerns her clients the most now. “I have heard that time and time and time again,” Casey said.

Disparities affect seniors differently depending on where they live.

While Ward 3, the highest-income region of D.C., has more than a dozen grocery stores, Ward 8, where Bristow lives, has only one, a 2021 D.C. Hunger Solutions grocery store report found.

Neighborhood Prosperity Fund grants through the mayor’s office has allowed D.C. entrepreneurs to start locally owned grocery and other foods businesses in Wards 7 and 8, Jensen said. But Bristow said he knew only about food pantries that require crossing the Anacostia River.

Services that traditionally address seniors and services that traditionally address hunger are not properly intersecting, said Alexander Moore, the chief development officer at DC Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization serving meals to food-insecure D.C. residents. Instead, those resources are spread across various city departments, programs and nonprofits.

“We have so much expertise and great nonprofits here, so this is a solvable problem,” Moore said. “But the issue has been getting solid data and knocking down the silos.”

He added: “I’m so tired of hearing about senior hunger being a hidden form of hunger. We’re not choosing to look at it. We have talked about violence interrupters. When it comes to seniors, we need hunger interrupters.”

There are more than 14 government-funded programs for people who need food, but many don’t know these services exist, advocates said. “The fact that we have this problem indicates that people are not accessing all those programs that they qualify for,” said Jensen.

The data the Department of Aging and Community Living, or DACL, collects is limited to those who are already in the system, city officials said. It’s hard to get comprehensive information about people who are most in need of services. Some food pantries that offer free food to the general public said they don’t identify whether those in need are from a specific group or not: They welcome everybody.

“We know that we need to take a deeper look at the data,” DACL interim director Jessica Smith said in an interview.

Smith said the agency is finalizing an agreement with a research organization to analyze the agency’s data about the demographics of the people it serves and where they live.

“There’s national data that we can look at, but we really want to ensure that we’re digging into the D.C. landscape,” said Smith.

Smith said the agency is partnering with nonprofits that are on the ground and is encouraging them to try innovative ways to reach people. In October, it will launch a grocery gift card pilot, and it will provide iPads to isolated seniors so they can become more connected.

It also urges its nonprofit partners to innovate. Mary’s Center, for instance, is already taking more assertive approaches as it tries to reach people, Casey said.

“We’ve gone directly to senior buildings, hang fliers, talk to people. We’ve outreached to libraries, bus stops, just kind of areas where if someone’s not plugged into another program, they still might see us or hear about us,” she said.

First new supermarket breaks ground east of Anacostia in more than a decade

In 2021, six D.C. Council members introduced legislation to address this issue in the No Senior Hungry Omnibus Amendment Act of 2021. The bill proposes creating an interagency task force on senior food insecurity made up of nongovernmental service providers and seniors to advise the mayor. It would also create a senior food security plan and push DACL to reach more seniors.

The bill’s reporting requirements would also give city leaders a better idea of the problem’s scope.

Kyle Swenson contributed to this report.

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6 Pizza Chains With the Most Food Quality Complaints — Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

When it comes to iconic American comfort foods, pizza is at the top. But just because pizza is universally adored doesn't mean discerning customers will settle for mediocrity.

If you're gonna treat yourself to a slice (or three), the pie should at least offer a bit of quality. After all, nothing squanders a cheat day quite like a lackluster frozen pie or disappointing—and artery-clogging—takeout. And don't even get us started on the woes of a terrible deep-dish.

Naturally, some pizza chains excel at quality—going the extra mile to source reputable ingredients, make dough from scratch, opt for healthier toppings, and cook pies to order.

Then there are those pizzerias that, shall we say, kind of phone it in. Whether by cutting corners, using meat with antibiotics, or overloading the crust with terrible-for-you ingredients, some pizza chains in the U.S. are clearly more about quantity than quality, churning it out on cruise control without as much concern for the integrity of the food.

So the next time your comfort food cravings hit, if food quality is a priority at all, you may want to steer clear of these six pizza chains with the most complaints in that department.

And don't miss 4 Burger Chains With the Most Food Quality Complaints.

Domino's Pizza / Facebook

Any pizza chain with a reputation for tasting like cardboard is bound to have some public relations struggles. Case in point: the one and only Domino's. Sure, the massive pizza company may not taste and chew like cardboard anymore (at least we don't think it doesn't . . . ), but it certainly isn't lacking in a whole new slate of customer gripes.

As the largest pizza chain on the planet, the priority for Domino's is turning out as many pizzas as possible, at the speediest rates imaginable. Naturally, that means some corners are being cut. Not only is it one of the unhealthiest pizza chains in the world, with certain slices that'll give nutritionists nightmares, but the company has been criticized as overpriced, as well as for lacking consistency and for long delivery delays.

Then there's everything from missing garlic bread, order mix-ups, and uneven toppings to contend with. Perhaps most unsettling of all, though, is that Domino's uses some of the lowest quality beef on the market. Between the long delays, inconsistent customer service, and bad meat, it's all too easy to have beef with Domino's these days.

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Pizza Hut/ Facebook

Childhood nostalgia can only get you so far. Pizza Hut, once the de facto pizzeria of Americana lore (remember Book It?!), has taken a plunge in public perception of late, becoming the number one pizza company falling out of favor with customers.

In fact, sales have been weakening in recent years, due largely to the brand's Blockbuster-like inability to adjust to modern times. Like Domino's, this is another chain rightfully criticized for its mediocre meat, which surely contributes to the fact that Pizza Hut serves some of the unhealthiest pizzas in the country.

But even when Pizza Hut awkwardly attempts to adjust to modern times, adding Detroit-style pizza to its menu, for instance, things don't go so well either. In summary, the mere fact that there's an online comment thread titled "Why does Pizza Hut pizza now taste bad?" speaks volumes about the less-than-stellar reputation this once-favorite staple has for its quality.

Papa Johns Pizza / Facebook

We're not saying that Papa Johns is a beacon of high-quality food, but this restaurant chain is one example of poor quality in other ways—namely, a lack of quality character from its disgraced ex-CEO.

"Papa" John Schnatter's public image has turned into a veritable dumpster fire in recent years. While he has resigned from his namesake company in 2017, a lot of that damage still lingers, especially because he continues to stir up controversy.

Additionally, Papa Johns sells some of the unhealthiest pizzas you can order—while extra-cheesy stuffed crust may sound dreamy, it's also one of the worst things you can put in your body. Sure, on paper, Papa Johns sounds like it's doing really well, but not every new menu addition has been well received.

Sbarro / Facebook

Considering its reputation as a food court mainstay, it's not really a surprise that Sbarro has fallen out of favor with customers in recent years.

Year over year, sales have continued to decline for the once-mighty chain. While other delivery-focused pizzerias thrived during the pandemic, this mall staple didn't fare nearly as well, with sales decreasing 18% in 2020.

But it isn't all the mall's fault—customers have complained about the lack of quality and the straight-up "bad" food, including pizzas that are pre-made and warmed via heat lamps. And if you're willingly going to indulge in some of the worst pizza around, it should at least come piping hot and not lukewarm from under a heat lamp.

Kaley Roberts/ Eat This, Not That!

Unlike Sbarro, Little Caesars has seen quite the success lately, with more customers flocking to the chain for its affordability, consistency, delivery, and generally good pizza. But with more customers—and more volume—comes more opportunity to make mistakes, cut corners, and amass complaints.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Indeed, the "two pizzas for the price of one" promo isn't all that great if said pizza is terrible for you. And Little Caesars reputation as an affordable option may be changing too, with menu prices increasing amid inflation.

Little Caesars low-quality reputation is so real it even prompted a Reddit thread titled "Is Little Caesars REALLY that bad?" from a U.K. resident concerned about America's low pizza standards, with most tepid responses praising the brand for being cheap and edible—not exactly singing its praises.

Michael C./Yelp

Speaking of deep-dish you should avoid, look no further than Uno Pizzeria & Grill, a chain whose reputation has aged like milk. Reflective of its declining sales in recent years, including a massive 28.5% nosedive in sales during the pandemic, the chain has dwindled to less than 100 restaurants, where customers commonly complain about long wait times for deep-dish pizza.

The chain is plotting a comeback to try and revive its brand, but it'll take a serious overhaul to change the perception of its mediocre food. Uno also serves food that's bad for your heart and equally unhealthy sides.

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