First Fall Food News
Happy Autumn!
This season, I’ve decided to start worshiping Pomona, the Roman goddess of abundance and apples and other orchard fruits. I intend to continue eating lots of apples for the rest of the season and make some great food with them. I will also celebrate by eating pears, figs, and other fall harvested fruit.
How will you celebrate the harvest season?
Onwards to the first food news of the season.
White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition & Health
There has been great excitement around this conference as it is the first food conference organized by the Whitehouse since 1969 and we are definitely in a different place now than we were then.
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition & Health is on Sept 28 2022 (which is today, if you are reading this the day this Food Crumbs article was published).
The goal of this conference is to develop a national strategy to:
“End hunger and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030, so that fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.”
This is inline with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Target 2.
The White House will hold the conference in person for invited guests and live streamed for anyone else who wants to watch. The organizers encourage us to host watch parties and satellite events.
The conference has five pillars:
Improve food access and affordability
Integrate nutrition and health
Empower all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices
Support physical activity for all
Enhance nutrition and food security research
The White House Conference calls on us all, whatever our role in the food system, to take bold actions to address hunger and improve nutrition and diet-related health.
The hope is that this conference on food, nutrition and health shall be as pivotal as the last one, which led to:
A significant expansion of the National School Lunch Program and the Food Stamp Program (known today as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP)
Permanent authorization of the School Breakfast Program
Launch of a pilot program that become the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
The first ever Dietary Guidelines for Americans
What will come out of this year’s conference? I am hopeful to see the current American food system become more equitable and healthy.
More details about the conference and how to attend the livestream are here. I hope you were able to join the livestream even for a moment or too.
Are You Ready for the Big 9? Here comes sesame…
We now have nine major food allergens instead of eight. Sesame joined the big 8 food allergens in 2021 because nearly 1.6 million Americans are allergic to sesame. This labeling change means they are less risk from accidental ingestion of food with sesame that was not listed on the food label.
In January 2023, food packages must list sesame as an allergen. This will no longer be a voluntary declaration and food containing sesame without an allergen declaration will be considered the food misbranded, and may lead to a recall.
Not only does this require a labeling change, but if you work in a facility with sesame, you will need to have standard operating procedures in place to control for sesame, just like you might have for wheat or peanuts.
Have you considered how to add sesame to your allergen control program? Please book a free consultation with Food Safety Mid Atlantic if you want to talk through your options.
World Food Day
October 16 is World Food Day. The theme this year is Leave No One Behind. Next week’s Food Crumb newsletter will have ideas on how to celebrate.
Food Safety Mid Atlantic News
The Blog is Back
The Food Safety Mid Atlantic blog is back.
For September, we discussed the What Ifs of scaling your food production to go wholesale.
And check out August’s post in which we explain which food safety plan you need.
While you visiting my website, have a look around and enjoy to new design and upgrade.
The Food News Monthly Newsletter Returns
Read August’s edition for information about Food Safety Mid Atlantic with some food safety tips explaining some of those acronyms like HACCP and GMP.
The aim of the newsletter is to support small and medium-sized food businesses to stay on track with their food safety. Please subscribe to the newsletter.
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If there are any topics you would like to see addressed, either here in Food Crumbs or on the blog, please let me know in the comments.
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Who is Cathy Davies?
I write about the intersection of food science and food systems with an emphasis on food safety, food justice and resilience. I am concerned that climate disasters and changing weather patterns are affecting our ability to eat healthy, nutritious food.
I run a food safety consultancy, Food Safety Mid Atlantic, supporting specialty food businesses with their food safety plans and programs. If you are interested in learning more about my consulting services, please schedule a free call.
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