EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
"Food Companies Petitioned To Ban New Monsanto GMO Corn"
Reuters, 10/28/2011"Opponents of Monsanto's new genetically modified sweet corn are petitioning national food retailers and processors to ban the biotech corn, which is not labeled as being genetically altered from conventional corn. A coalition of health, food safety and environmental organizations said they have collected more than 264,000 petition signatures from consumers who do not want to buy the corn."
Japanese Plate Tells You If Your Sushi Is Radioactive
London Daily Mail, 10/26/2011"The Fukushima Plate is tableware with its own built-in safety mechanism. Underneath the plate is a radiation meter that logs whether your sushi has absorbed too much seaborne radiation from the Fukushima disaster earlier this year."
"Study: FDA Seafood Standards Flawed"
USA TODAY, 10/14/2011"In wake of last year's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a new study from an environmental watchdog group contends that current federal standards underestimate the risk to pregnant women and children of cancer-causing contaminants that can accumulate in seafood from such spills."
"US Must Stop Promoting Biofuels To Tackle World Hunger, Says Thinktank"
Guardian, 10/13/2011"America must stop promoting the production of biofuels if there is to be any real progress in addressing spiking global food prices and famine, such as seen in the Horn of Africa, an authoritative thinktank has warned."
"In Peru, A Hunt For Chocolate Like You've Never Tasted It"
NPR, 10/11/2011Researchers are discovering previously unknown species of the cacao bean in the rainforests of Peru.
Food Safety: "Flawed State Reporting Leaves Consumers Vulnerable"
News 21, 10/10/2011"Inconsistent reporting of foodborne illnesses among states leaves large portions of the country vulnerable to the spread of potentially deadly outbreaks before health officials can identify their causes and recall contaminated foods."
"New Sleuths for Food Safety"
Wall St. Journal, 10/07/2011"Inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration are searching fields in Colorado's Rocky Ford region for clues as to how cantaloupes grown there this summer caused at least 100 illnesses and 18 deaths. But if a new law had been in place, they might have been there before the outbreak."
"Floods Drown Asia's Rice Bowl"
AFP, 10/06/2011"Massive floods have ravaged vast swathes of Asia's rice bowl, threatening to further drive up food prices and adding to the burden of farmers who are among the region's poorest, experts say."
"Salmonella Stays With Chickens, From Birth To Kitchen"
Wash Post, 10/03/2011Salmonella bacteria are pervasive in much U.S. chicken, and sicken an estimated 1 million people a year.
"The Pawpaw: Foraging For America's Forgotten Fruit"
NPR, 09/29/2011"So what the heck is a pawpaw?"
"Deaths From Cantaloupe Listeria Rise"
NY Times, 09/28/2011"At least 13 people in eight states have died after eating cantaloupe contaminated with listeria, in the deadliest outbreak of food-borne illness in the United States in more than a decade, public health officials said on Tuesday."
Report Spotlights Billions in U.S. Subsidies for Junk Food Ingredients
FairWarning, 09/26/2011"The federal government has spent $16.9 billion over the past 15 years to subsidize key ingredients in junk foods that bloat Americans’ midsections and contribute to obesity-related medical conditions that cost billions more to treat."
"PROMISES, PROMISES: Food Anti-Terror Plans Costly"
AP, 09/14/2011"SAN FRANCISCO — One of the deepest fears sweeping a shattered nation following the Sept. 11 attacks was that terrorists might poison the country's food."
"Antibiotics in Pork Draw More Scrutiny By Inspectors"
Wall St. Journal, 09/13/2011"U.S. inspectors on Monday started using more sensitive tests to detect antibiotics in pork, part of a stepped-up effort to ensure meat safety after a government report last year suggested consumers might be at risk from harmful drug residues."
"Suit Could Chill Government Efforts To Keep Food Safe"
AP, 09/01/2011"A major fruit company's lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration could have a chilling effect on regulators' efforts to get tainted food off the market. Florida-based Del Monte Fresh Produce is striking back at the FDA with a lawsuit after the agency halted imports of its Guatemalan cantaloupes, saying they may be contaminated with salmonella. Such a lawsuit is extremely rare, and the threat of litigation could make officials more reluctant to tell the public about the possibility of contamination in food."

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