Characteristics of cell-based meat matter for labeling, meat lobby says
The government should base its decision about how to label cell-based meats on their characteristics — their relative meatiness — rather than on their production method, said trade groups representing meatpackers and the startups growing meat in the lab.
Study: Participation in afterschool nutrition programs was rising before pandemic
Even before the pandemic, participation in afterschool nutrition programs was on the rise, according to a report released today from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). The findings highlight the need to ensure meal access when kids aren’t in school, particularly as the pandemic drags on.
Book: Climate change and the looming crisis in U.S. food production
In his new book Perilous Bounty, Tom Philpott takes a deep look at perhaps the two most important farming regions in the country, California and the Midwest, and finds that both face what might be called an under-appreciated existential crisis.
One in five children are obese, says report
Childhood obesity continues to rise in the United States, reaching 19.3 percent at latest measurement, up 5 percentage points for children ages 2-19 in two decades, according to the annual State of Childhood Obesity report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Derecho caused $7.5 billion in damage: The August derecho in the Midwest was the costliest thunderstorm complex to hit the United States in at least four decades, causing $7.5 billion in damage. (The Weather Channel)
CFAP2 zooms to $6.1 billion: Iowa accounts for nearly $1 of every $10 of the $6.1 billion in CFAP2 payments since sign-up began on Sept. 21; $1.6 billion was disbursed on 107,253 applications in the past week. (USDA)
Bigger estate tax exemption needed: The Farm Bureau said “serious consideration should be given to eliminating estate taxes or at the very least making permanent” the $11-million exemption which was created in the 2017 tax-cut law. (AFBF)
Inequitable distribution of food boxes: In the early months of the Trump administration’s food-box giveaway program, contractors sent more boxes to 21 counties than there were residents, while food aid groups in many areas struggled to get deliveries at all. (The Counter)
Lockdown on the tomato farm: To lessen the chance of a coronavirus outbreak, a Virginia tomato grower put his guestworkers on a lockdown with few opportunities to leave the farm, causing some workers to complain of a prison-like setting. (New York Times)
Smithfield chief to retire: Kenneth Sullivan will retire in early 2021, after five years as chief executive of Smithfield Foods, and will be succeeded by Dennis Organ, now chief operating officer. (Smithfield)
