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Category Archives: Food Safety

Robust testing for BSE (Mad Cow Disease) in California and U.S.

February 10, 2012   Dr. Annette Jones, California State Veterinarian

There was some confusion this week about bovine spongeform encephalopathy (BSE), or, as it’s commonly known, mad cow disease. Humans who are exposed to it by eating infected animal tissues–the only way it can be contracted–develop a disease called Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (VCJD), which is frequently confused with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a neurological illness that is not associated with VCJD. California …

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Posted in Food Access, Food Safety, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ag Alert – Agriculture must engage in conversations about change

January 26, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=3761 By Tom Nassif and Paul Wenger Increasingly, people want a say in how we produce and distribute food in the United States. We’ve long heard from environmental and animal rights groups. Now, the voices of celebrity chefs, authors and filmmakers are becoming much more prominent. Even hospitals, public health and medical groups are weighing in to encourage changes in the …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Farmers' Markets, Food Access, Food Safety, Trade, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Veterans Wanted Down on the Farm

November 10, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Tom Vilsack, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, said recently our country will need 100,000 new farmers over the next several years to maintain agriculture at its current level. Factor in the average age of existing farmers–they’re pushing 60–and a rapidly growing world population that must be fed, and it’s clear there will be many, many opportunities for young and new farmers in the years ahead. …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Food Access, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Succession Planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Farm Bill Framing Document for California Ready for Review

September 23, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Here in California and across the nation, discussion is well underway about development of the 2012 Farm Bill.  The legislation is renewed every five years and is the essential component in our country’s farm and food policy.  The Farm Bill is much more than just farm policy – 67 percent funds nutrition programs to improve the health of our citizens; approximately …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Animal Welfare, Environment, Farm Bill, Food Access, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Trade | Leave a comment

TV Report: Pesticide Residue Testing at Farmers’ Markets

September 16, 2011   CDFA Staff

Bay Area NBC station KNTV aired a report this week that followed several fruit and vegetable samples from a local farmers’ market to CDFA’s lab, where analysts check for pesticide residues.  See the report online at http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/business/Farmers_Market_Inspections_Bay_Area-129888613.html

Posted in Environment, Farmers' Markets, Food Safety | Tagged , | Leave a comment

National Ag Association Surveys States’ Raw Milk Regs

July 19, 2011   CDFA Staff

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has released its latest iteration of a recurring survey of state laws governing raw milk. Five states have strengthened standards for how much bacteria is permitted in government sampling of raw milk, including New Hampshire, Pennsulvania, Idaho, Vermont and South Dakota. No states have relaxed their standards since 2008. The survey …

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Posted in Food Safety | Tagged , , | 1 Comment