All the News That’s Fit to Eat: ‘Ag-Gag’ Law Struck Down, Kellogg’s Big Changes, and Trans Fat Holds On

August 7, 2015

Busy week? We’ve rounded up the food news you might have missed:

Judge Strikes Down Idaho ‘Ag-Gag’ Law, Raising Questions For Other States (NPR’s The Salt)

On Monday, a judge in the federal District Court for Idaho decided that the state’s “ag-gag” law, which outlawed undercover investigations of farming operations, was unconstitutional. This means ag-gag laws all over the country could soon be overturned.

Kellogg to Stop Using Artificial Products in Cereals and Snacks (Reuters)

The world’s biggest breakfast cereal maker is joining a long list of other food companies who have set goals to remove artificial ingredients from most of their products (90 percent by 2016).

Food Industry Asks for Exemptions to Trans Fat Phase Out (Associated Press)

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a food industry association, which represents PepsiCo, Cola-Cola, Hershey, Nestle, and Unilever, among many others, is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue the use of artificial trans fats in hundreds of foods, from tiny amounts in breakfast cereals to larger amounts in shortening and pie crusts. (For more information, see our article on the recent trans fat ban.)

Majority of Americans Say They Try to Avoid Drinking Soda (Gallup)

This year’s Consumption Habits Gallup poll found that Americans are more likely to say they actively try to avoid including soda or pop in their diet than 14 other foods, including sugar and fat.

French Farmers in Distress (The New York Times)

Even though French citizens support farmers’ protests and say they are willing to pay higher prices for milk and meat, French farmers are struggling to compete against the large-scale, lower-wage farms of their European competitors.

ConAgra Bows to Calls for Stripping Feared Chemical from Food Cans (Omaha World-Herald)

Due to customer concerns, ConAgra is nixing BPA. Instead, the company’s cans will now be lined with cans will be lined with “polyester or acrylic materials.”

‘Good Food’ vs. ‘Big Food’ (Politico)

While traditional food and beverage powerhouses spent more than $36 million last year on lobbying, leaders of the “good food” sector—Chipotle, Whole Foods, and Applegate—didn’t spend any at all.

Perdue Sharply Cuts Antibiotic Use in Chickens and Jabs at Its Rivals (The New York Times)

Chicken giant Perdue says it is raising the bar for the poultry industry. More than half of the chicken it sells can be labeled “no antibiotics ever,” which is a first for a major poultry company.

Asking Stores to Remove Junk Food from Checkout (Radio Canada International)

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is calling on stores to stop placing sugary snacks and drinks beside their check-out counters, where they are more likely to be consumed.

How New Jersey Tamed The Wild Blueberry For Global Production (NPR’s The Salt)

A group of scientists in New Jersey turned this fruit it into a global phenomenon.

Krista Holobar is the former social media editor at Civil Eats. She has been interested in sustainable food since becoming a vegetarian in 2010. In her spare time, she is most often found at the farmers' market or in the kitchen. Read more >

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Deborah Walton
August 8, 2015
Had a very interesting conversation with Kellogg managers from all across the country several weeks ago. They were here for a team building retreat. They were fascinated with farming, everything from how we could grow without pesticides to the types of grains we were introducing.. Now we know why. Good on you, Kellogg!