agriculture department News

agriculture department News From AOL News

Gov't Seeks to Limit Junk Food Ads to Kids

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is planning to ask food companies and restaurants to cut back on advertising unhealthy foods to children. Under guidelines obtained by The Associated Press, companies would be urged only to market foods to children ages 2 through 17 if they are low in fats, sugars and sodium and...

US Expects Bigger Corn Crop to Ease Food Inflation

ST. LOUIS -- U.S. farmers are expected to boost the size of this year's corn crop, potentially easing global food inflation. The Agriculture Department reports that farmers intend to plant 92.2 million acres of corn this spring, a 5 percent increase over last year. That would make it the second-biggest corn crop since...

USDA Acknowledges Poisoning Birds in South Dakota

Authorities have solved the mystery of the death of thousands of birds in South Dakota and come up with a surprising killer: the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Inhabitants in Yankton were surprised when they found hundreds of starlings lying frozen on the streets and in the city's Riverside Park, MSNBC reported. Some...

House Sends Food Safety Bill to President Obama

WASHINGTON -- The House has passed a sweeping bill aimed at making food safer following recent contaminations in peanuts, eggs and produce, sending it to President Barack Obama for his signature. The legislation passed Tuesday would give the government broad new powers to inspect processing plants, order recalls and...

What Is Organic? USDA Trying to Define It

(Nov. 7) -- If you've ever wondered exactly what that "USDA organic" seal actually means, you're in good company. The U.S. Department of Agriculture itself has been asking the same question ever since it established the National Organic Program in 2002. "Organic" is intended to mean agricultural products produced without...