11/20/08 Dinner Recall & U.S. Debt

Dinner Recall & U.S. Debt plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. It is not a part of the China melamine recalls but Lean Cuisine a Nestle company is recalling 3 of their frozen dinners after plastic was found in the meals. Nestle identified the objects as small pieces of hard plastic. Subject to recall are: Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean & Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan. You can return the products to the store for a full refund. So far the origin of the plastic is a mystery. China now tops Japan as the largest holder of U.S. public debt and according to the American Farm Bureau Federation - that's not good for U.S. exports. American Farm Bureau Senior Economist Bob Young agrees with other analysts that by buying U.S. treasury bonds - China is able to keep U.S. exports more expensive than those of China. YOUNG: The moves that they do make to make the dollar strong relative to both the Yuan as well as other currencies does make it that much tougher for us to continue to export to other places around the world. China now owns nearly one-dollar out of every 10 in U.S. public debt - forcing Washington to increasingly rely on Beijing to cover the cost of a budget deficit rapidly approaching a trillion dollars this year. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. With the melamine contamination of milk in China being in the forefront of the news lately a lot of people have asked the question here at home as to whether this could possibly have happened here in the United States. The answer is no. The line of security from farm to plant to market to table is one that ensures the safety and security of our nation's milk supply. As the Dairy Farmers of America state, "It's all about having a plan and practicing that plan." Since 2001 and before, dairy industry members adopted and implemented proactive and protective security measures that are designed around each individual operation. Dairy farmers here in America are also known to take security one step further by implementing additional protection tailored for their operations specific needs. And while America is not impervious to all possible food contamination's, the likelihood for such instances is very slim indeed. American consumers should consider themselves to be among the most fortunate of consumers in the world. Thanks Lacy. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Nestle Consumer Services Center toll-free at 1-800-227-6188. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.