Food stamp rolls surge by 6 million people during pandemic
Some 43 million people — or more than one in eight Americans — received food stamps in May, an increase of 6.2 million in three months since the coronavirus pandemic swept the country and economic recession threw millions of people out of work. SNAP enrollment is the highest since October 2017.
Hog backlog forecast to rise to 2.5 million head by year’s end
Coronavirus safeguards are constraining slaughter capacity at U.S. pork plants, causing the hog backlog to more than double to 2.5 million head by the end of this year, said a pork industry analyst on Monday.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Court upholds Roundup verdict, reduces damages: The California state Court of Appeal upheld a verdict that Bayer’s Roundup herbicide caused cancer in a school groundskeeper but reduced the jury award to Dewayne Johnson to $20.5 million. (Reuters)
Covid-19 has claimed 168 meat workers: At least 168 meatpacking workers have died of Covid-19 and at least 36,896 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data compiled by FERN as of July 20. There have been outbreaks at 370 meatpacking plants. (Food and Environment Reporting Network)
Coronavirus cash to ag tops $6 billion: Some $6.2 billion in coronavirus relief has been disbursed to nearly 443,000 agricultural producers since payments began in early June, amounting to 40 percent of the $16 billion available. (USDA)
Boston Market alleges price fixing: Restaurant chain Boston Market Corp. filed a federal lawsuit that accuses an array of poultry companies of conspiracy to manipulate the prices of broiler chickens from 2008-17. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Trimming tumors from edible poultry: The USDA food safety agency agreed that poultry plants can trim suspected avian leukosis lesions from birds rather than having to discard the entire bird; a “‘cancer chicken’ gift” to the industry, said consumer group Food and Water Watch. (Food Safety and Inspection Service)
