Policy: Page 21


  • Custom header image for Food Dive story on the egg market during the coronavirus pandemic by Adeline Kon.
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    Adeline Kon/Food Dive
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    Deep Dive

    How coronavirus scrambled eggs

    Prices have swung dramatically as the markets and demand have changed and consumers clamor for the protein staple.

    By June 15, 2020
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    Wegmans
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    Coronavirus spreading among fruit and vegetable packers

    The produce industry is hoping to avoid the same challenges facing meatpackers where thousands of workers have gotten sick, shuttering facilities and leading to product shortages.

    By Jessi Devenyns • June 15, 2020
  • A person in a grocery store putting items in a smart cart. Explore the Trendline
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    Courtesy of Instacart
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Food Dive

    The food and beverage industry is changing rapidly and the actions companies take this year are likely to play a major role in defining their future. 

    By Food Dive staff
  • Tyson Foods exchanges cooperation for leniency in price-fixing probe

    Under the Justice Department's agreement, the company can avoid criminal fines, prosecution and prison time while helping investigate other poultry producers.

    By Lillianna Byington • June 11, 2020
  • Coronavirus changed 85% of consumers' food habits

    The International Food Information Council's annual Food & Health Survey found people still trust the safety of the food system, are turning more to plant protein for health and are influenced by "natural" label claims. 

    By June 10, 2020
  • Report: 4 major meatpackers subpoenaed in DOJ antitrust investigation

    After attorneys general and cattle associations call for a probe, Bloomberg said the federal government is demanding more information from Tyson Foods, JBS SA, Cargill and National Beef.

    By Lillianna Byington • June 5, 2020
  • The Sugar Association presented this example of deceptive labeling of alternative sweeteners on children's products with its petition to the FDA to change sweetener labeling in June 2020.
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    Permission granted by Sugar Association
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    Sugar Association asks FDA to overhaul sweetener labeling rules

    Consumers want to know when alternative sweeteners are in food and drinks, and the current labeling is deceptive, the industry group said.

    By June 4, 2020
  • Opinion

    Working together to protect the food allergy community

    FDA guidance on May 22 relaxing labeling standards caused shock and fear among consumers. FARE CEO Lisa Gable discusses what manufacturers should do to promote transparency and maintain trust.

    By Lisa Gable • June 3, 2020
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    Emma Cosgrove
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    Employee fear of coronavirus tops food industry leaders' challenges, survey says

    The Food Industry Executive found more than 40% of processors and one in five suppliers said workers have been afraid to come to their jobs during the pandemic.

    By June 3, 2020
  • Food and beverage is the only sector projected to grow this year, report says

    Euromonitor analysts say stay-at-home orders drove consumers to stock their pantries, but a likely global recession could prompt shoppers to become more thrifty in their purchases. ​

    By June 1, 2020
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    Retrieved from Pixabay.
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    Dole enters partnership to protect bananas from black Sigatoka disease

    The fruit company and boron discovery platform Boragen are developing a treatment against the fungal pathogen. 

    By Lillianna Byington • May 26, 2020
  • FDA allows ingredient swaps without label changes

    The guidance, published Friday, is meant to give manufacturers flexibility, but may have the unintended consequence of eroding consumer trust.

    By May 26, 2020
  • DOJ clears pork industry's plan to collaborate on euthanizing hogs

    As processing plants have shuttered and reduced production during the pandemic, farmers have nowhere to send their market-weight animals.

    By Lillianna Byington • May 19, 2020
  • A farmer plants soybeans in Montgomery County, Md., May 12, 2020
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    USDA/FPAC photo by Preston Keres. (2020). "20200512-FPAC-PLANTING-014.JPG" [photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Will a new USDA rule on GMO plants affect consumer sentiment?

    Less oversight will be required for genetic modifications that can also be attained by breeding. The government says this will not impact food safety.

    By May 18, 2020
  • Impossible Burgers and fries
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    Courtesy of Impossible Foods
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    $930M invested in alternative proteins in Q1 2020 tops record-setting 2019 totals

    According to figures from the Good Food Institute, products that replace traditional meat, dairy and eggs are increasingly being embraced by financers, Big Food and consumers.

    By May 14, 2020
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    Stephenson, Ben. (2006). Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Will Trump's executive order expanding fishing help the industry catch needed profits?

    The move, which also provides $300 million in aid, is an effort to help seafood suppliers and has drawn support from fisheries, but environmental groups are criticizing it.

    By Jessi Devenyns • May 12, 2020
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    Permission granted by Tim Fields
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    US meat exports to China rise as supply falls, analysis shows

    Companies have warned of potential shortages as coronavirus infects workers, but shipments overseas have surged, according to a Reuters analysis.

    By Lillianna Byington • May 12, 2020
  • Cows on a farm
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    "RUDERSBERG" by DORIS META F is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Opinion

    Pandemic on our plates: The high health risks of industrial animal agriculture

    The way animals are raised for meat, physician Shivam Joshi and Josh Balk of the Humane Society write, the U.S. is engaging in a practice that’s a tinderbox for the next outbreak.

    By Shivam Joshi and Josh Balk • May 11, 2020
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    U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    As coronavirus spreads in meat plants, nearly 200 USDA inspectors test positive

    Three Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors have died from the virus. The agency said it has enough face masks to keep personnel supplied for the next few months​.

    By Lillianna Byington • May 11, 2020
  • Agriculture SecretarySonny Perdue visits Triumph Foods pork processing facility April 28, 2017. The facility houses 2,800 employees in St. Joseph, Mo.
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    USDA photo by Preston Keres. (2017). "20170428-OSEC-PJK-1465" [photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Lawsuit about worker conditions at Smithfield plant dismissed

    Since the case was filed, the meat processor has made several changes to its Milan, Missouri location and OSHA has put in place new regulations on how manufacturing facilities should be run.

    By May 6, 2020
  • Spread of foodborne pathogens continues to climb, CDC says

    The 2019 data was collected by a collaboration of government agencies and state health departments from 10 sites covering approximately 15% of the U.S. population.

    By Jessi Devenyns • May 5, 2020
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    The image by BASFPlantScience is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    USDA to purchase $470M in surplus meat, dairy and produce

    After facing criticism that the government's efforts have been slow to help producers during the pandemic, the department said this will allow food to be distributed to communities nationwide.

    By Lillianna Byington • May 5, 2020
  • Several workers in protective gear work on a meat production line with plastic dividers between them.
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    Permission granted by Tyson Foods
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    Tyson CEO says meat supply will increase in back half of year

    When asked if its plants could build back up to pre-coronavirus capacity given operational changes, such as social distancing, that need to be implemented, Noel White said, "The answer would be yes."

    By Emma Cosgrove • May 5, 2020
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    USDA. (2017). Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Why Trump's executive order to keep meat plants open is seen as 'risky'

    The president invoked the Defense Production Act to ease concerns about supply and liability among companies, but the move has drawn mixed reactions and raised questions about worker safety. 

    By Lillianna Byington • May 4, 2020
  • Justice Department approves DFA purchase of Dean Foods' assets

    As a condition of the deal, antitrust officials said the dairy co-op must divest three processing plants to alleviate potential competitive harm.

    By Lillianna Byington • May 4, 2020
  • Blue Bell Creameries ice cream
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    Permission granted by Blue Bell Creameries
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    Blue Bell fined $17.25M for 2015 listeria outbreak

    The ice cream company was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in May to distributing adulterated food products.

    By Updated Sept. 18, 2020