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Category Archives: Food Safety

Public comments flood in as FDA considers what foods are ‘natural’ – from the Sacramento Bee

December 14, 2015   Office of Public Affairs

By Michael Doyle, Sacramento Bee/McClatchy DC WASHINGTON – San Francisco resident Elizabeth Cox bought a bag of All-Natural Mission Tortilla Triangles in August 2012. That simple purchase helped fire up a high-stakes labeling dispute that’s subsequently engaged federal judges, regulators and lawmakers alike. Now, one month after asking members of the public what they think, the Food and Drug Administration …

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Posted in Food Safety, Nutrition | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Food Safe Families with Oakland school children, the USDA and a ‘Big League Foodie’

September 23, 2015   Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture

I spent an energizing afternoon at Parker Elementary School in Oakland this week, where students took full advantage of a presentation about how to handle, prepare and store food safely and help protect their families from food poisoning. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator Al Almanza and I shared the stage with Oakland Athletics rookie Mark Canha, a self-described foodie who …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Safety | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grill like a pro! Food safety tips from the USDA

July 1, 2015   Office of Public Affairs

July 4 is right around the corner and for the estimated 80% of households that own grills or smokers, that means one thing – barbeques.  Grill masters can make sure they don’t leave their diners with a nasty case of food poisoning by following USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service food safety tips. Annually the CDC estimates that 48 million …

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Posted in Food Safety | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Video: Why does half of America’s food go to waste? from NPR and PBS

June 30, 2015   Office of Public Affairs
Posted in Food Access, Food Safety, Nutrition | Leave a comment

Avian Influenza Update for Backyard Bird Owners, Commercial Poultry Farmers

June 23, 2015   Office of Public Affairs

New Requirements for Bringing Poultry, Eggs, and Related Products into California Parts of the Midwest are dealing with a serious and ongoing outbreak of avian influenza, so California is taking extra steps to protect birds here. Poultry farmers, veterinarians and the larger commercial community in general are aware of the additional requirements, which focus on inspecting and testing farms and …

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Posted in Animal Welfare, Food Safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

CDFA Press Release – Leading the Way on Specialty Crops: California Garners More Than $19 Million from Federal Block Grant Program

April 17, 2014   Office of Public Affairs

SACRAMENTO, April 17, 2014 – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that California has been allocated $19.76 million in funding for the 2014 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). The agency awarded approximately $66 million nationwide for projects that help support growers of specialty crops through research, market development, environmental stewardship and more.  The Specialty Crop Block …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Marketing, Environment, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Trade | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Aligning With New Proposed Federal Produce Safety Rules

January 9, 2013   Scott Horsfall, CEO, Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement

Last Friday, January 4th, two years to the day after the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law by President Obama, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new proposed produce rules. The produce rules will go a long way toward establishing a common set of food safety practices in the production, harvesting and marketing of fresh produce. …

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Posted in Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

CDFA’s Bureau of Livestock ID Works to Prevent Cattle Rustling

December 13, 2012   CDFA Staff

Cattle rustling may seem like a crime of yesteryear, but it is still a part of the agricultural landscape today. That’s why the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Bureau of Livestock Identification keeps careful track of the sale, transport and slaughter of cattle. The bureau’s inspectors protect livestock and help ensure the safety of California’s food supply by verifing the legal use of …

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Posted in Animal health, Animal Welfare, Food Safety, Livestock ID | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Farm to Food Bank Program featured in San Diego TV report

December 6, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

On December 5, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross appeared with food bank officials in San Diego to emphasize a greater need for food assistance during the holidays, and to discuss the Farm-to-Food Bank Program, a joint effort with the California State Board of Food and Agriculture to double farm contributions to food banks – to 200 million pounds by 2015.   (External video – link no longer …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Safety, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

CDFA Lab Supports State Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program

November 27, 2012   CDFA Staff

Among the many partnerships CDFA maintains is a long-standing relationship with a sister agency, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). The two agencies cross paths in a number of ways, including a system to test for pesticide residue on produce. DPR’s Residue Monitoring Program is the most extensive of its kind in the nation, ensuring that the fresh produce sold in …

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Posted in Environment, Food Safety | Tagged , , | Leave a comment