China Looks to USDA for Food Safety Help and Ag Donates to GOP

China Looks to USDA for Food Safety Help and Ag Donates to GOP

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
**China, the world's largest meat-producing and consuming country, is overhauling its food safety system to assure 1.3 billion people they won't be harmed by the chicken, beef and pork they eat.

Proving to be a bigger undertaking than expected, China is now turning to the agency held up as the gold standard for food safety: USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Asked why USDA agreed to mentor CFDA, one official said it's a show of goodwill to a country that buys billions of dollars of U.S. Ag commodities.

**In a case with implications for every FDA regulated facility, a father-and-son team whose salmonella-tainted eggs sickened nearly 2,000 people in 2010 are hoping the Supreme Court will decide their company crimes don't warrant prison time.

In January, they filed a petition with the Supreme Court, arguing they don't deserve time behind bars because they didn't know about food safety violations at their facilities.

Prosecutors argue the two agreed to be sentenced based on the facts before the judge.

The high court has yet to decide if it will accept the case.

**It may come as no surprise, but an Agri-Pulse analysis of Political Action Committee activity in the last election cycle shows agricultural companies and organizations spent almost three-fourths of their campaign contributions on Republican candidates.

The analysis is based on examination of 9,811 contributions to 652 House, Senate, and presidential candidates from 287 PACs throughout the course of the 2016 election cycle.

Previous ReportTrump Calls Out Canadian Dairy and Japan to try TPP without U.S.
Next ReportAg Job Outlook Up and Technology to Prevent Bird Flu