Food Labeling & Farm To School Program Webinars

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

During a recent media conference call Congressman Doc Hastings commented on the Food and Drug Administration's recent announcement that it proposes to require more in depth labeling on food products in the future.

HASTINGS: I think the administration is going too far, because it assumes the American people aren't smart enough to figure out what they're eating. And spending all this time and getting all this sort of publicity regarding labeling I think totally misses the point. Our food industry has been very, very productive over the years, and American people have always been smart enough to figure out what's best for them and for their families.

In regards to the impact it will have on the industry Hastings had this to say.

HASTINGS: There has to be a ripple effect through all this and the end result is going to be higher costs to the consumers.

The cost to industry of updating labels is estimated by the FDA at $2 billion, and would take another three years or more to put into effect. All packaged foods would be affected by the labeling changes. Processed egg products, poultry and certain meats would be unaffected due to strict regulation by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The USDA Farm to School Program is hosting webinars every month to showcase ways school districts can purchase local foods. On March 13 the webinar subject will be "Using Specifications to Target Local Products", and on March 27 the topic will be "Working With Distributors". The webinars will both be held at 2 p.m. Eastern time. For more information visit USDA's website.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.