CBO Estimate Shows House Ag Committee's Farm Bill Would Increase Federal Budget Deficit by $33B Over 10 Years

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as expected late Friday, Aug. 2, released an official House farm bill cost estimate indicating that the House Agriculture Committee's farm bill would increase the federal budget deficit by $33 billion over the next decade. The CBO's report estimates that the farm bill will cost $1.25 trillion over the 2025-2033 period, with a net increase in the federal budget deficit by $33 billion. The primary driver of this increase is the cost of several commodity program provisions, which are expected to rise significantly due to higher reference prices in the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program and other enhancements. MORE

Source: Constitution Partners

US Added Just 114,000 Jobs in July, Unemployment Rate Hits 4.3% as Interest Rates Take Toll

Friday’s Labor Department report showed a drop from the 179,000 jobs created in June. Forecasters had expected to see 175,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, highest since October 2021, as the number of jobless Americans rose by 352,000. MORE

Source: MN Chamber

Nutrition, the New FDA Agenda and the Food Industry

A reorganized U.S. Food and Drug Administration has prioritized nutrition and has a broad and aggressive nutrition-focused agenda planned for the last half of this year, which will impact consumer packaged food companies of all sizes, as well as the food industry. MORE

Source: CLFP

Harder, Van Orden Introduce Bill to Help Consumers Know When They’re Buying Foreign Foods

Many families have no idea they’re buying imported foods over USA-grown produce; ⅓ of peaches consumed in America come from China. Central Valley farmers must unfairly compete with cheap, imported food from countries like China; The American CANS Act would require canned goods to be clearly labeled with the country of origin. MORE

FDA Plans Sept. 25 Public Meeting on its Post-Market Assessment of Food Chemicals

As promised, the FDA will hold a public meeting on Sept. 25 to discuss proposed improvements in the agency’s post-market assessment of chemicals in food – including the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) process, food additives, color additives, food contact substances and contaminants. The agency’s handling of all those topics has been under heavy criticism in recent years. In addition to explaining its plans for an “enhanced systematic process for post-market assessment of chemicals in food,” the agency wants to hear stakeholder perspectives on the proposal. MORE

Source: FoodProcessing.com

Harris Decides on Tim Walz as Running Mate

Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate, elevating the former teacher and Army National Guard veteran to join the Democratic ticket and help lead the party’s fight to defeat Donald Trump. The selection – which Harris personally delivered to Walz via a video call, according to a source familiar with the matter – caps the Midwestern Democrat’s short but swift ascent from a relative unknown to a leading driver of the party’s attacks against the former president and the MAGA agenda. MORE

Source: IMA

Vice Presidential Campaign Pulls Gov. Tim Walz Away from Minnesota

For the foreseeable future, Minnesota might be more of a layover than a home base for Gov. Tim Walz as he racks up the miles as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. And that’s put some of his normal duties in the hands of others or required remote attention as he crisscrosses the country campaigning for and with Vice President Kamala Harris. The official schedule put out by his office has become repetitive of late: “Governor Tim Walz has no public events scheduled.” MORE

Source: MN Chamber

Pritzker Signs Measures Reining in Biometric Data Privacy Law, Eliminating Grocery Tax

Illinois’ first-in-the-nation law that allows residents to sue companies over the improper collection of their biometric information will be slightly less punitive after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law late last week. Lawmakers this spring amended the Biometric Information Privacy Act in response to an Illinois Supreme Court ruling last year that suggested lawmakers clarify the law. That ruling found fast food chain White Castle violated BIPA each time employees scanned their fingerprints in the course of performing their jobs, as the company never obtained employees’ permission to collect their fingerprints. MORE

Source: IMA

Wisconsin’s Plan for $1.1B in Federal Broadband Funding Approved 

Wisconsin’s plan for spending $1.1 billion to expand broadband access has been approved by the federal government, officials announced Tuesday. The approval allows the state to access those funds to implement a program to help meet Wisconsin’s goal of bringing high-speed internet to nearly all underserved and unserved areas by the end of the decade. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson said on a call with reporters the funding allows the state to move “from planning to action.” MORE

Source: WPR

Wisconsin Growers Expected to Harvest 4.9 Million Barrels of Cranberries This Year

Wisconsin cranberry growers are expecting to harvest 4.9 million barrels of cranberries this year, based on a recent USDA National Agriculture Statistic Services crop production report. That would be down 10.4% from last year’s state harvest of 5.47 million barrels of cranberries. Even so, Wisconsin will remain the largest cranberry producer in the world, growing and harvesting about 61% of the nation’s cranberry supply, expected to be 8.24 million barrels this year. MORE

Source: WMC

New Site from Consumer Brands Offers Info, Resources on Benefits of Food Processing

The Consumer Brands Association has unveiled the Food Processing Facts website, which presents "a comprehensive collection of fact-based articles, research papers and expert opinions that help separate fact from fiction regarding the conversation about 'ultra-processed' foods and their impact on our health," according to a Consumer Brands statement. The goal of the site "is to shift the conversation past the click-bait headlines and create a trusted hub for information rooted in science, which paves the way toward a more constructive dialogue about food and nutrition," shared Sarah Gallo, Consumer Brands' senior vice president of product policy and federal affairs. MORE

Source: CBA

Conagra Brands Acquires Parent of Fatty Smoked Meat Sticks

Conagra Brands acquired Sweetwood Smoke & Co., maker of Fatty Smoked Meat Sticks, presumably to fit in with Conagra’s Slim Jim and Duke’s meat snacks. Financial terms were not disclosed. Conagra described Fatty meat sticks as made with pork and beef smoked with real hickory wood. Ryan Wood, founder and CEO of Sweetwood Smoke & Co., said he’s looking forward to working with Conagra. MORE

Source: FoodProcessing.com

Lakeside Foods Supports Food Pantries, Feeding Programs

Over the past year, Lakeside Foods, headquartered at 2400 S. 44th St. in Manitowoc, has supported community food pantries and regional feeding programs with more than 300,000 pounds of in-kind food donations. In volume, that equates to more than seven semi-truck loads of canned and frozen vegetables and meats. “We are committed to supporting our community through philanthropy and employee volunteerism, and we’re particularly focused on doing our part to address food insecurity faced by families in our area,” Lakeside President/CEO Joe Yanda said. MORE

Source: WMC

What the Legacy of Nutrition Facts Labels Tells Us About the Food We Eat

The Nutrition Facts label, that black and white information box found on nearly every packaged food product in the U.S. since 1994, has recently become an icon for consumer transparency. From Apple’s “Privacy Nutrition Labels” that disclose how smartphone apps handle user data to a “Garment Facts” label that standardizes ethical disclosures on clothing, policy advocates across industries invoke “Nutrition Facts” as a model for empowering consumers and enabling socially responsible markets. They argue that intuitive information fixes could solve a wide range of market-driven social ills. MORE

Source: CLFP

Five Questions to Ask to Analyze Health Studies

Consumers deserve facts based on sound science, rigorous scientific studies undertaken by serious professionals, to make the best choices for their and their families' health and wellness goals. So how do we discern what to purchase when there are so many opinion pieces flooding the information zone with views -- often disguised as news stories -- on what should be considered "good" and "bad" to eat and drink. It's important to be mindful of what we're reading, but how can we discern fact from ideology? Mara Burr, Consumer Brands' vice president of regulatory and technical affairs, shares what five questions to ask when analyzing health studies. Read her blog HERE.

Source: CBA

How FDA, Industry Can Improve Food Recall System

Improving the nation's food recall process requires the FDA to adopt the USDA's food recall practices, modernize its IT infrastructure and issue more concise recall notices to avoid confusing consumers, according to industry consultants. Producers should also adopt uniform guidelines regarding the dissemination of recall information and take a more visible role in getting this information to consumers, they added. MORE

Source: CBA

Front-of-Pack Labeling for Added Sugars Coming Soon

Mandatory front-of-pack labeling rules for added sugars, expected from the Food and Drug Administration in October, are just the beginning of government efforts to reduce sugar consumption and prompt product reformulation away from sugar. MORE

Source: CLFP

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