Press Release

U.S. groups call for Obama leadership at world food summit

U.S. Groups Call for Leadership from the Obama Administration at the World Summit on Food Security

At the World Summit on Food Security in Rome, U.S. civil society organizations expressed concern with the Obama administration's support for increasing intensive, large-scale agriculture production and trade expansion as a solution to rising global hunger - failed approaches that have actually contributed to the global food crisis.

Minnesota farm to school efforts catch eye of USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan

Minnesota farm to school efforts that provide students with healthy, locally grown food are attracting national attention.

Letter on Carbon Derivatives Trading

The letter to Senators Boxer and Kerry does not take a position on the overall content of the draft Senate bill on energy and climate change. It advises the Senators that trading carbon emissions derivatives under pending commodity futures legislation could create extreme price volatility that could delay and inhibit investments in Green House Gas reduction technology

New report: Grain reserves hold promise in stabilizing global agriculture

Grain reserves could be an effective tool to address global hunger and stabilize agriculture markets.

Questionable start for new biomass program

The way the U.S. Department of Agriculture has rolled out the first part of BCAP is raising eyebrows, as initial funding seems to be going to pay for already-existing biomass supplies used for renewable energy, instead of focusing on helping to jump-start the new cellulosic energy future.

Bridging the GAPs: Strategies to Improve Produce Safety, Preserve Farm Diversity and Strengthen Local Food Systems

In the absence of federal regulations governing food safety at the farm level, a growing number of wholesale and institutional produce buyers are requiring farmers to comply with a food safety protocol and pass a third party audit in order to sell their product.

Family farm/sustainable agriculture groups urge passage of animal antibiotics bill

Family farm and sustainable agriculture organizations sent a letter to President Barack Obama and Senate leaders today urging them to support a bill that would restrict the non-therapeutic use of medically important antibiotics in food animals. The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) S.

Smart Guide Hormones in the Food System

Hormones are routinely used in meat and dairy production as growth promoters, given to dairy cows to increase milk production, hormone -active pesticides are sprayed on crops, are used in plastic food packaging and can be found in the industrial chemicals and byproducts, used in industrial processes, which also make their way into the food chain.

How to Bring Healthier Food to Corner Stores

Corner stores around the country have used a number of innovative strategies to bring healthier food to their shelves, finds a new paper by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.