Talking about. . .Corn, COOL, SRM's

"They have high meat prices due to disease issues in their swine and poultry sectors. They want to keep corn prices moderate and supplies available for the livestock industry
(Source: Biofuels Journal, July 9, 2007)
Rick Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association, talking about a possible link between the rising price of corn and higher prices for food…in China, at least.
>PS: Way back in January, Tolman told me “The farm level price of corn has very little impact on food prices. There has been virtually no correlation between price changes in corn and changes in the price of food at the retail level. The current value of corn in a $2.79 box of corn flakes is less than 7 cents. The cost of packaging, marketing, wages, energy, etc. have a much bigger impact on the price of food than do changes in the price of corn.”

"We do still have the best food inspections on those foods that are produced here. Imports have two problems. First is we don't know and can't verify the food safety inspections at foreign facilities, and second is that the inspections here on imported products are very limited."

(Source: USA TODAY, July 10, 2007)
Phil Lempert, Supermarket Industry observer, talking with a reporter during a store tour designed to find out how easy (or difficult) it is to determine country of origin on our food supply.
>PS: Want to know what the public thinks? Click on Lempert’s name to go to the full article and check the reader comments at the bottom or read Dr. Rangan’s comment below.

“I was definitely shocked at how high these numbers were (92% wanted country of origin labeling). It’s much like a nutrition label or an ingredient label in that it needs to be part of the general information coming in about imported foods.”
(Source: MSNBC/Reuters, July 11, 2007)
Dr. Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist and policy analyst at Consumers Union, the nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, expressing amazement at the overwhelming results of their survey.
>PS: Reader comments on MSNBC about the story were even more overwhelming. 98% insisted on a ‘COOL’ like program.
>PPS: Can I say it? The party’s over. The fat lady has sung. It’s a walk off home run for the visiting team. Even the most assiduously bought-and-paid-for politico has to see the handwriting on the wall. Vote this one in or get voted out.

“If they take it down there and have it slaughtered and want to bring it back cut and wrapped (as meat), no problem, just as long as it comes back without the SRM."
(Source: Canada.com, July 11, 2007)
Freeman Libby, national director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's feed ban task force, giving the OK for Canadian cattlemen to dodge stricter Canadian rules to control Mad Cow Disease by shipping cattle to the U.S.
>PS: Something about SRM’s can still be used in feed south of the border? See quote below.

"There is no estimated time frame on when a final rule (on banning SRM’s from feed) will be published. The agency is working to develop and issue a final rule as expeditiously as possible."
(Source: CIDRAP- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, July 13, 2007)
Michael Herndon, FDA spokesman, talking with CIDRAP News about the timing for an SRM ruling from the feds.
>PS: Expeditious? The FDA proposal dates back to October, 2005 and the comment period has been open for a year.
>PPS: He said he couldn't give any explanation for the delay. I can: politics, as usual.

People talk...

"Neither the Chinese or American government is doing their job."
(Source: Washington Post, July 2, 2007)
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) calling for a federal import czar, blaming safety and quality problems with Chinese imports on lax inspection and a “bureaucratic morass” perpetrated by both governments.
>PS: Both governments have taken pot shots at each other lately in a pot vs kettle argument.

“Realistically, it’s possible that we will need to extend the current farm bill a year or two. There are a lot of pieces to this thing that we are trying to put together. It’s already $8 billion over budget, and they haven’t done conservation or commodities yet. There’s some really weird stuff going on.”
(Source: The Rapid City Journal, July 2, 2007)
Senator John Thune (R-SD) calling the Senate version of the farm bill a budget buster and likely to grow larger when key provisions are added.
>PS: Do we really expect a congress overdosed on Lunesta to actually wake up and do something BEFORE the next presidential election? Oh, puh-leeze! as my eye-ball rolling daughter used to say in her teen years.
>PPS: And let’s not forget the usual last minute pork barrel polka…always a source of financial amusement for our elected officials.

“This right here is going to be a zero. This is what we call a weed.”
(Source: New York Times, July 4, 2007)
Dennis Bragg, the biggest farmer in Madison County, Alabama, center point of the Southeast’s drought of the century, holding up a stunted corn stalk and talking about his lost crop.
>PS: Alabama is ground ‘zero’ for proof of global warming. At least 75% of that state’s 2007 farm crops are already lost.


“With imports of agricultural products rising sharply and sporadic scares about their safety, Americans surely have a right to know what country their food has come from. Unfortunately, they have little chance of finding out, due to the intransigence of meat importers and grocery retailers.”
(Source: New York Times, July 4, 2007)
Unsigned editorial urging immediate implementation of country of origin labeling (COOL).
>PS: Is this just more foolish ramblings by a naïve “Eastern” press or are they really on to something? See Tim Hammonds’ comment below.

"You don't see drops in confidence that large that quickly that often. It got our attention."

(Source: Washington Times, July 5, 2007)
Tim Hammonds, chief executive officer of Food Marketing Institute, an association of supermarket chains, worrying about the public’s rapidly diminishing confidence in the safety of our food supply.
>PS: A study by his group found consumer confidence dropped from 82% last year at this time to just 66% today.
>PPS: Peanut butter, spinach, pet food, ground beef. Melamine, salmonella. E.coli, listeria! It’s nervous times for carnivores, omnivores and vegetarians.