Food Safety

Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced that President Bush has proposed the allocation of $45.2 million to USDA as part of a $20 billion submission to Congress for emergency funding to strengthen essential programs and services related to biosecurity issues.

SureBeam Corporation, leading provider of electron beam food safety systems and services for the food industry, is debuting the nation's first SureBeam facility capable of processing food simultaneously with SureBeam electron beam and x-ray technology.

An anthrax scare forced a Meijer store in Clermont County's Union Township, Ohio, to close Sunday after powder was found on items in a poultry case, according to Cincinnati's WLWT Eyewitness News 5.

A group of House Democrats has introduced legislation granting federal officials broad new authority to inspect food and close American ports in an attempt to reduce the likelihood that intentionally contaminated food will enter the US.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, C. Manly Molpus, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, outlined a four-point plan to strengthen the current food safety regulatory structure rather than embarking upon a "radical restructuring" of the agencies charged with overseeing the U.S. food supply.

The United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association announced it is forming a new Food Security Task Force to coordinate the industry's overall support for anti-terrorist actions and to ensure the security of an abundant and affordable fresh produce supply.

PCRM, a national health organization dedicated to promoting preventive medicine and higher standards in medical research, education, and practice, on Wednesday filed a petition calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect consumers against feces-contaminated poultry and meat. The petition coincides with PCRM's release of a survey that shows that 84 percent of adults have no idea that the primary source of foodborne pathogens on poultry and meat is animal feces.

The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR - news) today said it is cooperating with a ground beef recallannounced by American Foods Group, Inc., a wholesale meat supplier based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.American Foods announced the recall as a precautionary measure after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) detected thepresence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli) bacteria in a sample of beef processed by American Foods.