U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policies make it difficult for the food and beverage industry to advise consumers of important health information, says Lisa Katic, director of scientific and nutrition policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to improve nutrition labeling compliance for meat and poultry products and is seeking additional comments to ensure the final rule provides consumers with accurate information.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is distributing an informational document on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) -- also known as Mad Cow Disease -- to give producers a better understanding of these foreign animal diseases.

An imaging technology under development as part of a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and eMerge Interactive, Inc. of Sebastion, Fla., has shown in recent trials that it can detect trace levels of fecal contamination on beef carcasses.

What's in a word?

The FDA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA have announced the availability of two documents: a draft risk assessment on the relationship between foodborne Listeria and human health that considers 20 ready-to-eat food categories, and a risk management action plan based on the Listeria risk assessment.

Rolling blackouts and escalating energy costs already are impacting food processors throughout California, but the worst may be yet to come.

Former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, before his departure from office, announced a new USDA requirement intended to improve the safety of raw meat and poultry products.

The Stellar Group has finished construction on a 50,000-sq.-ft. renovation and expansion for Smithfield Packing Co.

This hasn't been a particularly good year for many web-based business-to-business ventures, but at least one company is having a relatively easy - make that ec - time of it.