Campbell purchased noosa as part of the Sovos Brands, Inc. acquisition in March 2024.

The contamination of Foster Farms chickens has provided insight into food regulation.

Steve Julian: Business analyst Mark Lacter, had we been paying attention before this happened?

Mark Lacter: You know, Steve, we often have an out of sight, out of mind attitude when it comes to food safety, and - as we're seeing with this episode - the government has a way of enabling that attitude.  What stands out, first of all, is that people started getting sick from salmonella-contaminated chicken back in March, and yet, it wasn't until the past few weeks that news stories began appearing about the seriousness of the problems.

Julian: At last check, more than 400 people have been infected, with most of them in California...

Lacter: Right, and Foster Farms, which is based in Merced County, controls two-thirds of the poultry market along the West Coast.  No fatalities so far, but many of the people who became sick had to be hospitalized - and that leads to still more concerns that the salmonella strains were resistant to antibiotics.  Now, why it took this long for consumers to be made aware that there was a problem tells you something about the way the federal government regulates poultry plants.  It was only last Friday, after the company had seen a 25 percent drop in sales, when the president of Foster Farms decided to go public.  He said he was embarrassed by the outbreak, and promised to change the company's processing facilities so that salmonella can be better identified.

Julian: Where was the US government in this?

Lacter: Apparently, the Department of Agriculture only requires testing for levels of salmonella at the time of slaughter - not later on, after the poultry is cut into parts.  Foster Farms now says it will do retesting at that later stage.  What's also interesting is that Foster Farms was not asked to recall any of its products because the chicken is considered safe as long as it's handled properly and then cooked to the right temperature, which is at least 165 degrees.  That's why some supermarkets have kept carrying the brand.

Julian: Can the government even order a recall?

Lacter: Not in a case like this - and that's because of a court case in the 1990s involving a Texas meat producer that federal inspectors were ready to shut down due to a salmonella outbreak involving ground beef.  The company sued the government, arguing that salmonella is naturally occurring, and therefore, not an adulterant subject to government regulation.  And the courts agreed.  Foster Farms has been using much the same argument.

Julian: Why isn't there more public outrage over this?

Lacter: Well, again, we go back to out of sight, out of mind.  Slaughterhouses are not exactly fun places, and they're usually not well covered by the news media until something bad happens, like the Foster Farms situation.

Julian: Chino comes to mind - a story we covered.

Lacter: That's when an animal rights group used a hidden camera to record inhumane treatment of cattle at a meat processing plant.  That company was forced into bankruptcy.  Another reason coverage is spotty is because it's not always easy to trace someone's illness to a contaminated piece of meat or chicken.  And, that leads to lots of misinformation.  The broader issue is figuring out a way to monitor these facilities without the process becoming cost prohibitive.  The Agriculture Department has been pushing a pilot program that would allow plants to speed up processing lines, and replace government inspectors with employees from the poultry companies themselves.

Julian: The idea being?

Lacter: The idea being to establish safeguards that can prevent problems before they get out of hand.  But, this is pretty controversial stuff, and advocacy groups representing poultry workers say that processing lines need to be slowed down, not speeded up.  So, you have this ongoing back and forth involving industry, government, consumer groups, and labor organizations.  And unfortunately, most of us tend to move on after one of these outbreaks gets cleared up.

Mark Lacter writes for Los Angeles Magazine and pens the business blog at LA Observed.com.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Two Victorian wind farms have won 20-year deals with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), to supply a third of Canberra's electricity needs. In a deal worth A$68 million a year each, the alternative power venture is set to increase Canberra household power bills by A$93, however with 200 megawatts of capacity, the wind farms are expected to create a 580,000-tonne reduction to the city's yearly carbon emission each year (the equivalent of removing 157,000 cars).

Award-winning cannabis cultivator Aeriz has debuted a carefully crafted lineup of four new cannabis strains…

Andrew Muir says Labour's first budget in 14 years is "bad" for farmers.

Proposals for renewable energy schemes in Wales could be sped up under new plans.

Richmond, British Columbia – Agricultural employers can keep track of confined spaces on their properties with a new mobile application from WorkSafeBC.

Few flavors evoke a rich and savory flavor more than garlic herb butter. Consumers crave its extraordinary flavor and smooth, creamy texture from steakhouses and fine dining. 

With each “better for you” flavor containing just 50 calories or less per serving, these dressings empower consumers to explore their culinary creativity through the versatility of the line, “dressing up” their plates as the ultimate dips, spreads, salad toppings and more.

The Sauce Starters undergo a minimal cooking process that maintains the closest flavor to a fresh tomato. 

The Firmament Group, a provider of tailored debt and equity capital solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced an investment in Citrus Extracts, LLC.

Bascom Maple Farms, the trusted source and supplier of 100% pure and organic maple syrup and maple sugar, invites attendees to visit the Bascom booth #S2559 during the Institute of Food Technologists 2023 Annual Event and Expo (IFT FIRST), July 17-19, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Bolthouse Fresh Foods will carry on the century-old legacy of Bolthouse Farms as a leading supplier of fresh carrots to retailers across North America, with nearly 700 million pounds of carrots sold annually. 

Implementing this change across its entire beef hot dog portfolio is expected to contribute to the regeneration of six million acres of grasslands, which could increase the current regenerative acreage of Applegate suppliers by more than 2,200%.

Using the top 2023 trends as your innovation guide is a way to overcome the overwhelm. Plus, keeping current trends in the food and beverage industry top of mind can help you create products that satisfy shifting consumer wants and needs.

Kate Farms,® a company that aims to bring plant-based nutrition into healthcare, launched newest shake, Glucose Support 1.2. The plant-based, organic nutrition shake is designed to help manage blood sugar as part of a balanced diet.

The company's latest formula innovations – Kate Farms Pediatric Peptide 1.0 Vanilla and Kate Farms Standard 1.4 Vanilla and Plain – are now listed in the approved Medi-Cal Rx List of Enteral Nutrition Products for children and adult recipients.

Featuring Little Leaf Farms' fan-favorite Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce, the new Sesame Ginger Salad Kit includes Thai seasoned wonton strips, sliced almonds, toasted quinoa and sesame ginger dressing, delivering a convenient, fresh, flavor-packed meal ready to be enjoyed anytime.

The new barista blends and creamer address the needs of consumers seeking plant-based, café-quality beverages at home for a fraction of the price.

Pepperoni fans can enjoy all the flavors of APPLEGATE NATURALS® pepperoni, now in new, organic options. 

Aleph Farms Ltd. and its research partner at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, cultivated a slaughter-free ribeye steak, using three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology and natural building blocks of meat – real cow cells, without genetic engineering and immortalization.

Kate Farms prioritizes high-quality ingredients to provide nutrition, and believes that a shake doesn't need to be pink to enjoy an organic natural strawberry flavor.

Founded by Kevin Eve and Jacob Conway who had a passion to provide consumers with healthy plant-based beverages, Uproot provides a convenient solution while increasing sustainability through packaging reduction. 

"I would like to thank the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association for hosting the World Dairy Expo competition platform. Winning 65 awards is a great honor, and not only did we top last year's number of WDE awards, but we also retained our place as the competition's most-awarded dairy," said Matt McClelland, Prairie Farms CEO/EVP. 

As the dust settles on this deal, the company is also ushering in the next generation of Trainas to the helm. This expansion and succession demonstrates Traina Foods' commitment to keeping the fires of traditional Italian sun-drying burning bright.

A biogas system has transformed Stahlbush Island farms into a carbon negative operation, removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it is responsible for creating.

Situated between Madison and Milwaukee, Wis., on Interstate 94 in a 7,000-resident town called Lake Mills lies Crystal Farms Dairy Co.’s plant. 

The company’s facility in Seymore, Ind. will build upon key learnings and successes from Vital Farms’ egg washing and packing facility in Springfield, Mo., which opened in 2017.

Shamrock Farms is investing $59 million into the project, which includes adding additional equipment, cold storage space and a new production filling line.

Known for its range of sun-dried fruits including tomatoes, apricots, cherries and berries, Traina Foods is poised to expand its sun-dried tomato offerings.

This time of year, you're likely to see cars and pickup trucks heading home on the highways with fresh-cut Christmas trees tied to roofs or in the truck beds. Fraser firs, Korean firs, Balsam firs, and Spruce (ouch!)... So today on Something Wild we take a look at Christmas tree farms, and the important habitats they provide for New Hampshire wildlife. You might be heartened to know that tree farms are a unique land use, and serve as early successional habitat, one that is neither residential neighborhood, cropland, nor deep forest. It's a landscape that was far more common a century ago, before small family farms began to vanish. Early successional habitats are an incubator: warm, sunny, scrubby zones with a variety of foods...like grasses, weeds and sometimes fruit-bearing shrubs or vines…raspberries, blackberries and grapes. Anything sun-loving, including fast-growing tree seedling and saplings. Tree farms provide ample food and shelter to a wide variety of disturbance-adapted

A new report says wind turbine generators used in offshore wind farms can interfere with navigational radar used by ships to avoid collisions, posing challenges for safe maritime navigation.

Cumberland Farms is rolling out this year’s holiday flavored products to celebrate the jolly season.

Baked Grain Bites is a light, airy, and great-tasting snack made from brown rice, sorghum and amaranth.

The snack featuring the Mexican seasoning now comes in bolder packaging and a new size.

Michael Freitas Finete has taken the helm as president and chief executive officer of SupHerb Farms, an agriculture-based business.

Producers can harness the supplier’s maple syrup and sugar for pastries and other items.

The mill and farmer collaboration aims at offering sustainable products to customers.

Califia Farms, Los Angeles, announced the acquisition of Uproot Inc., a plant milk dispenser system for foodservice. 

Califia Farms unveiled its Organic Almond Creamers, made with simple ingredients and no gums or oils. 

Following the launch of Complete, Califia Farms announced the launch of Complete Kids, a nutritious plant-based milk for kids.

Califia Farms, a leading, premium, plant-based beverage brand, announced its seasonal portfolio for fall and winter. 

Perricone Farms announced its acquisition of Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co. The merger unites two high-quality, trusted names in the juice industry, strengthens both brands, and enhances the ability to serve customers with excellence in quality and customer service coast-to-coast, it says.

Water Innovator and Agricultural Technology Leader Join Forces to Support Global Agricultural Communities

New offering allows small operators to produce their own high-quality feed

By Catherine V. Moore YES! Magazine In the post-coal economy, life-skills training helps employ people and restore the savaged land. On a surface-mine-turned-farm in Mingo County, West Virginia, former coal miner Wilburn Jude plunks down three objects on the bed … Continue reading →

Retailer is first nationwide to carry Bolthouse Farms' compostable bags for organic baby carrots.

The goal of the rebrand is to engage directly with health-conscious consumers as they increasingly seek high-quality and ethically sourced beef products.