Food

"Last Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on China to shut down wet markets where illegal wildlife are sold. Pompeo’s call was echoed by the Australian government, which on the same day urged G20 countries to take action on wildlife markets in order to reduce the risk of new diseases like COVID-19 spilling over into humans in the future. Lost in both statements was a recognition of the complexity of China’s wildlife trade or the scale of the challenge it now faces."

"The coronavirus pandemic is forcing livestock farms and grocery stores to consider whether the meat industry is primed for a new way of doing business."

"Many are criticizing the industry’s response for waiting too long to implement safety precautions and close processing plants as thousands have tested positive for coronavirus."

"The U.S. is edging closer to possible meat shortages with another major plant taken off line. About a quarter of American pork production and 10% of beef output has now been shuttered, according to the United Food & Commercial Workers, which estimates that 13 U.S. plants have seen closures."

"As a veteran urban farmer, I often get questions from friends and family about backyard gardening. So it wasn’t a surprise when my buddy Martin texted me with some questions for how to get a vegetable scene started."

"The COVID-19 pandemic is keeping more pigs and cattle on farms as meatpacking plants go idle, stretching farmers and raising questions about how to handle an unexpected spike in animals."

"Covid-19 and climate change are testing a food system that critics say has lost its resilience."

"The Trump administration on Thursday  weakened regulations on the release of mercury and other toxic metals from oil and coal-fired power plants, another step toward rolling back health protections in the middle of a pandemic."

"The nation’s food supply chain is showing signs of strain, as increasing numbers of workers are falling ill with the coronavirus in meat processing plants, warehouses and grocery stores."

"Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, said on Sunday it will shut a U.S. plant indefinitely due to a rash of coronavirus cases among employees and warned the country was moving “perilously close to the edge” in supplies for grocers."