The UC Food Observer chooses a handful of important stories for you to read each work day. Typically, we offer this on Fridays, but with so many important and wonderful stories out there, we’ll be providing a wrap several days a week.
Today the U.S. House of Representatives will be considering H.R. 1599, the GMO labeling legislation. Head to Twitter to follow the discussion and for breaking news.
On the menu, in no particular order:
1. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 2015 Kids Count Data Book. One finding? More U.S. children are living in poverty today than during the recession. The highest rates are in the South and Southwest. Hunger advocates hope to leverage this data to expand access to USDA summer food programs.
2. Avian influenza. Here’s an audio providing a status of the outbreak, via Agri-Pulse. And the USDA is bracing for another, larger influenza outbreak. Philip Brasher (@PhilipBrasher) reports.
3. Mmm, mmm good? Campbell Soup Company jumps on the bandwagon, will eliminate artificial flavors and colors by 2018. Laura Norhtrup (@lnorthrup) reports for Consumerist. (@consumerist is one of our favorites).
4. Food safety research you may have missed. Washington State University study: UV light can kill foodborne pathogens on certain foods. Reported by Lydia Zuraw (@lydiazuraw) for Food Safety News. Also appearing in Food Safety News: University of Arkansas researchers are conducting a flock study to better understand the transmission of Salmonella in chickens. The research is preliminary but the results thus far are interesting. James Andrews reports.
5. Fast food workers cheer as minimum wage advances in New York State. Hansi Lo Wang (@hansilowang) reports for NPR’s The Salt.
6. ICYMI…Is organic farming climate friendly? Mary Hoff (@mkhoff) is a science writer and editor in chief at Ensia.
Have a great day.