Lia Spaniolo, a graduate student at Michigan State University, has recently put together a brochure, “Eco-Label Programs for Michigan Farmers,” to assist farmers in determining which, if any, are appropriate and beneficial for their operations. It describes some more established labels, as well as some that are in development. It also has a checklist that…
Eat Local for Thanksgiving is a campaign led by the Cascade Harvest Coalition to drive local purchases and eating in Washington this Thanksgiving. Currently Eat Local for Thanksgiving is in the running for support from the Brighter Planet Project Fund with the potential of winning up to $2500. What is the project fund? Over the…
A new study by the Crossroads Resource Center analyzes the importance of food relationships to Minnesota’s economy. Here are some highlights from the press release: Emergent Food Businesses Build Trust A new study, “Mapping the Minnesota Food Industry,” concludes that an emerging cluster of food businesses drives economic change by building trust with their commercial…
The Food and Drug Administration is making efforts to remove leading labels from the front of food boxes in stores. More notably, the label “Smart Choice”, used by big name companies like Kellogg’s on cereal boxes like Froot Loops.
What’s more, according to an FDA announcement Americans could expect to see dramatically clarified front-box labeling in the form of a traffic light system. This system is currently used in Britain to show different content levels of salts, sugars and fats.
November 5,2009 Sheraton Hotel Portland Oregon To register online please click on register or visit our website: http://foodsafety.wsu.edu/ag/index.html Agenda 7:45 Registration 8:15 Welcome 8:30 Produce Food Safety Update Dr. David Gombas, Senior Vice-President, Food Safety and Technology, United Fresh Legal Perspectives on Food Safety Drew Falkenstein, Attorney, Marler Clark, LLP PS 9:45 Break 10:00 Produce…
(Mount Vernon, WA) The Northwest Agriculture Business Center in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will host a half-day grant writing workshop to assist producers in applying for a USDA Value-Added Producer Grant. The class will be taught by Sharon Exley, USDA Business Programs Specialist, and will be held on October 20th from 8:30 am -12:00 pm at the Burlington Public Library located at 820 East Washington Avenue, Burlington.
A recent CDC report highlights the lack of fruits and vegetables in American diets. The report offers brand new data with State by State breakdown of fruit and vegetable consumption. Using a standard of 2+ fruits and 3+ vegetables daily, Washington State’s consumption for adults is at 15.1% meeting that requirement, compared to a national average of 14%. Washington State does not have data on adolescent fruit and vegetable consumption but national trends suggest that it is significantly lower in adolescent populations.
With our system on its way to full functionality, the Puget Sound Food Network is already making connections within the Puget Sound region. Our first official transaction took place yesterday when Growing Washington delivered products including cukes and a braising mix to Western Washington University in Bellingham. This well received transaction will be the first…
Today, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the 2008 figures for Washington State’s agricultural value and the top forty commodities. What’s changed since 2007? Overall, Washington State’s agricultural production value has decreased from $8.32 billion in 2007 to $7.88 billion in 2008. While this is a significant drop, compared to other states, Washington has…
