Understanding The New Food Nutrition Labels

Previously published by Ohio Farmer online

One of the biggest changes in the new food nutrition label is a larger, bolder typeface for both calories and serving sizes. The typeface will be easier for people to see and read.

In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the updated food nutrition label design. According to the FDA, the new design was part of an effort to reflect updated scientific findings to help consumers make more informed decisions about food choices and maintaining healthy diets.

NEW LOOK: Here’s a comparison of the old and new food nutrition labels. (Courtesy of U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

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Only 1-In-5 Consumers Think Plant-Based Products Should Be Called Milk

Previously published by Ohio Ag Net

With only days to go before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comment period on fake milks ends, new consumer research shows Americans widely disapprove of dairy terms being appropriated by fake-milk producers, as well as confusion on the nutritional content of milk versus plant-based imitators, offering further evidence that FDA must enforce long-existing standards of identity on dairy imposters. Continue reading

Select Beef Will Be Phased Out

By: Greg Henderson, for Drovers online

Select grade beef will soon become a small niche product. That’s the conclusion of a new White Paper “Phasing Out Select Grade Beef,” published by the Red Angus Association of America with sponsorship from Anipro/Xtraformance Feeds.

The authors noted that as recently as 2006-2007, Select grade beef accounted for 40% of carcasses, but was reduced to 17% to 18% by 2018. Extending the current downward trend into the future, the authors suggest Select beef tonnage would be reduced to 10% by 2022, and to 5% by 2025. Continue reading

Use Caution When Canning this Fall

Previously Published in Ohio’s Country Journal

While it’s a wonderful, cherished tradition in many families to preserve food based on recipes that were developed and honed over the years in grandma’s, great-grandma’s and great-great-grandma’s kitchens, recipes should be reviewed, and if they don’t match recipes that have been tested and researched by food safety experts, they shouldn’t be used. Continue reading

Omnibus Bill Addressed Milk Labeling Concerns

From Ohio Ag Net

The massive congressional spending bill signed into law last week  expresses Congress’ concern that many plant-based foods and beverages are not properly labeled. It builds on language from the DAIRY PRIDE Act (DPA), a bipartisan bill introduced last year in both chambers of Congress, to compel the Food and Drug Administration to act against misbranded imitations. Continue reading

From Across the Field – Tough Times in Dairy

Last week I wrote about March Madness and if you have been following the NCAA tournament you know that madness is certainly what has happened in college basketball over the last week. Needless to say but my bracket is busted just like everyone else’s at this point.

When thinking about what to write about this week I thought about a variety of topics from garden planting to bull selection and buying. However, one topic has had the attention of agriculture here as of late, in that of the dairy crisis. Continue reading

Milk Date Labels Contribute To Food Waste

(Previously featured on Ohio Ag Net)

Scientists in the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) say that arbitrary date labels on food contribute to significant food waste because the date labels serve only as an indicator of shelf life, which relates more to food quality than safety.

Brian Roe, a CFAES professor of agricultural economics, co-authored a new study examining consumer behavior regarding date labeling on milk containers. The goal of the research is to help consumers reduce food waste through improved food labeling systems and consumer education. Continue reading