President says current food safety system is a 'hazard to public health'
The Obama administration permanently banned the slaughter of cows too sick or weak to stand on their own, seeking to further minimize the chance that mad cow disease could enter the food supply.
"As part of our commitment to public health, our Agriculture Department is closing a loophole in the system to ensure that diseased cows don't find their way into the food supply," President Obama said in his weekly address.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the ban was "a step forward for both food safety and the standards for humane treatment of animals."
The president said he was creating a Food Safety Working Group to coordinate food safety laws throughout government and advise him on how to update them. Many of these laws, essential to safeguarding the public from disease, haven't been touched since they were written in the time of President Theodore Roosevelt, he said.
'Downer' cow slaughter is banned
14 March 2009
06 March 2009
The Healthiest Food is the Greenest
As documented in National Geographic a few months ago, many U.S. stores will soon begin using an Overall Nutritional Quality Index developed by Yale University to score foods from 1 to 100 based on nutrients, vitamins, sugar, salt, as well as impact on blood pressure and other health concerns.
Check out some of the top foods:
Broccoli, blueberries, orange, green beans, mustard greens, strawberries, and spinach all have a score of 100!
Pineapple and radish have a 99. Summer squash has a 98.
Apple, green cabbage, and tomato have a score of 96.
The top twenty on the list is almost entirely made up of vegetables and fruits.
Only salmon, snapper, and Tilapia crack the bottom of the top twenty rankings of 80-100. All other meats fall between the 20-40 score ranking-- quite poor. This shows that not only are the most nutritious foods the greenest, but they're also the most humane.
The production of meat produces more pollution than any other cause contributing to global warming via methane emissions from waste and CO2 from transport, contributing to water pollution via run off of waste and hormones, among other forms of environmental destruction.
Go for the greenest. It's better for you, better for the Earth, and better for the animals we share the planet with.
To see more rankings: http://www.griffinhealth.org/Research/ONQIpages/Rankings.aspx
To see National Geographic's Green Guide: http://www.thegreenguide.com/
Related News: UN Says Eat Less Meat to Curb Global Warming
Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said that people should reduce their meat consumption. His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warming. Pachauri said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. The UN has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Check out some of the top foods:
Broccoli, blueberries, orange, green beans, mustard greens, strawberries, and spinach all have a score of 100!
Pineapple and radish have a 99. Summer squash has a 98.
Apple, green cabbage, and tomato have a score of 96.
The top twenty on the list is almost entirely made up of vegetables and fruits.
Only salmon, snapper, and Tilapia crack the bottom of the top twenty rankings of 80-100. All other meats fall between the 20-40 score ranking-- quite poor. This shows that not only are the most nutritious foods the greenest, but they're also the most humane.
The production of meat produces more pollution than any other cause contributing to global warming via methane emissions from waste and CO2 from transport, contributing to water pollution via run off of waste and hormones, among other forms of environmental destruction.
Go for the greenest. It's better for you, better for the Earth, and better for the animals we share the planet with.
To see more rankings: http://www.griffinhealth.org/Research/ONQIpages/Rankings.aspx
To see National Geographic's Green Guide: http://www.thegreenguide.com/
Related News: UN Says Eat Less Meat to Curb Global Warming
Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said that people should reduce their meat consumption. His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warming. Pachauri said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. The UN has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
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