The poultry industry must have its head stuck in the chicken coop. With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, the industry is trying to convince the public that poultry-processing plants are great places to earn a living. The facts tell us something different.
Links to recent pieces on child agriculture workers killed on the job, imagining a future in which antibiotics no longer work, and various aspects of the inadequate US safety net.
Congress has allowed the larger food-stamp allotments contained in the 2009 economic stimulus package to expire, which means poor households across the US will struggle even more than usual to keep themselves fed. The cuts will not only harm poor families, but affect economic growth now and in the future.
How much more evidence does Secretary Vilsack need before he scraps the USDA’s ill-conceived proposal to “modernize” the poultry slaughter inspection process?
USDA continues to insist that worker safety concerns are OSHA’s responsibility, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that its proposed rule to “modernize” poultry slaughter inspection with dizzying line speeds will injure workers.
A former State health commissioner explains his tactic for averting cuts in public health funding.
The government shutdown is affecting another vital public health program. It’s cut off the flow of funds from USDA to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Senator Gillibrand’s “Safe Meat & Poultry Act” includes one short provision that really caught my eye. USDA would need to rely on OSHA’s determination on what is an appropriate line speed to ensure the health of plant workers is protected.
The second annual report on US worker health and safety offers a review of activities and new policies at the federal scene, and a recap on the best reporting about it by the nation’s journalists.
Some USDA meat and poultry inspectors work many hours of overtime. USDA insists it doesn’t affect their critical food safety responsibilities.