Each week, Food Tank is rounding a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.
The Impact of Tariffs on Farmers
President Donald Trump recently imposed 10 percent baseline tariffs on imports into the U.S. And while most additional country-specific tariffs are on hold, the 145 percent total tariff on Chinese imports currently remains in effect. In response, China imposed retaliatory tariffs on all U.S. products, in addition to those announced earlier this year.
Politico reports that groups representing American farmers have been unable to determine if the tariffs are final and permanent or are being used as a negotiating tactic. Retired farmer Tim Dufault, who owns a farm in northwest Minnesota that he rents to young producers, says he “hopes to God” farmers can stay in business.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China imports over half of U.S. soybean crops. And the country recently suspended imports of chicken products and sorghum from specific American producers.
New and potential tariffs also threaten the livelihood of growers abroad. Reuters reports that new tariffs could hurt South African citrus farms, potentially affecting as many as 35,000 jobs.
A Nutritionist’s Thoughts on Make America Healthy Again
Author, nutritionist and Professor Emerita at NYU Steinhardt Marion Nestle shares her thoughts on the Make America Healthy Again movement in a recent New York Times profile.
Described as “one of the most influential framers of the modern food movement” Nestle weighs in on some of the topics that Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has put front and center in conversations around the food system and public health.
Seed oils, she believes, aren’t a big deal despite Kennedy’s claims that Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by them. And while Nestle doesn’t think that food dyes are the most important issue, she says that she would “just as soon have them out” of the food supply.
Nestle also agrees with Kennedy that an overhaul is needed, stating “We need a complete change in our food system.” But whether Kennedy is the right person to bring about the right kind of food systems transformation “remains to be seen.”
Chef Sean Sherman Expands
The Sahan Journal reports that Chef Sean Sherman, behind the award-winning restaurant Owamni and the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), recently purchased a building in South Minneapolis to expand his work in support Indigenous food systems.
The building, named Wóyute Thipi, will serve as headquarters for his nonprofit NATIFS as well as a commissary kitchen that will supply Indigenous meals to hospitals, schools, large corporations, or penitentiaries. In support of this vision, Sherman has started building partnerships with Minneapolis Public Schools and Augsburg College.
“I see this amazing opportunity to make some really impactful changes on the food systems,” Sherman says.
USDA Cuts Jobs, Moves Operations out of D.C.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently announced that in the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be “optimizing and reducing the size of the workforce to become more efficient.”
Government Executive reports that some agency employees have been told that the department may be cut back to staffing levels of fiscal year 2019, which would result in the elimination of around 9,000 jobs. The agency also told employees that the changes will lead to the closing of department facilities in D.C. and other parts of the country. Rollins has been unable to provide clarity on which positions will remain intact and where employees will be located.
An Agricultural Research Service Employee says, “I don’t know what to do. As a manager, [I] want to be there for my staff, but [I am] watching management getting axed first in other agencies. Not sure I can help anybody. I am committed to my work but starting to feel hopeless.”
FDA Cuts Affect Efforts to Monitor Avian Flu
The Department of Health and Human Services announced it will slash about 10,000 full-time employees to comply with President Trump’s push to reduce the federal workforce.
With layoffs underway, top veterinarians at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) overseeing the bird flu response recently lost their jobs. Agency officials say that the cuts have forced the suspension of a program designed to monitor the outbreak.
The program would have leveraged a network of veterinary testing labs to ensure they can detect the virus in milk. It “would have been critical to ensure confidence in the laboratory methods for food safety and animal health,” said an email obtained by Reuters.
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Photo courtesy of Heather Gill, Unsplash
