Press Releases
Below are Food & Water Watch Press releases:
Ohio ACT Coalition Launched to Fight Agribusiness Initiative
2009-09-30
Press release: Ohio Against Constitutional Takeover (Ohio ACT), a new coalition representing Ohio farmers and consumers, has emerged to prevent corporate agribusiness from cementing its influence into the Ohio state constitution through the November 3rd ballot initiative known as Issue 2. The coalition was created to oppose Issue 2, which would amend the Ohio Constitution to create an appointed Board with unchecked power over livestock regulation.
Conditions Met, Congress Approves Chinese Chicken Imports
2009-09-30
Statement: “Today, the House-Senate Conference Committee on the FY 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Appropriations reached an agreement on the importation of processed poultry and processed poultry products from the People’s Republic of China, provided that several conditions were met. The U.S. Congress enacted bans on the importation of such products for FY 2008 and FY 2009 because the Bush Administration rushed the approval process through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) even though its own inspectors found serious food safety problems in Chinese poultry processing and slaughter facilities when audits were conducted of those facilities in 2004 and 2005.
EU Member States fail to protect Atlantic Bluefin tuna
2009-09-24
Statement of Food & Water Europe Executive Director Wenonah Hauter – (Brussels, Belgium) The failure of EU Member State representatives on Monday (21 September) to reach an agreement on how to handle the proposal to temporarily ban the international trade of Atlantic Bluefin tuna is disappointing.
Food & Water Watch Launches Affordable, Sustainable Seafood Recipe Contest
2009-09-21
Press Release: Today, Food & Water Watch launched the “Frugal Fish” recipe contest, a challenge to savvy cooks to create a seafood dinner for four people that costs $25 or less, using fish recommended in Food & Water Watch’s Smart Seafood Guide. Contest entries will be judged by Chef Rocky Barnette and Food & Water Watch staff, and one grand-prize winner will receive $250. Food & Water Watch’s Fish Program promotes safer and more sustainable seafood that is healthier for consumers and our environment; the “Frugal Fish” contest adds some friendly competition in cooking up fish creatively.
Safety Claims Regarding Off-Shore Oil Drilling Greatly Exaggerated
2009-09-17
Press Statement: Earlier this month, British Petroleum (BP) announced the discovery of a ‘giant’ oil field 250 miles southeast of Houston. This may come as good news to BP, but it’s a nightmare to conservationists and fishermen given BP’s performance and recent history in the Gulf of Mexico. During Hurricane Dennis, BP’s Thunder Horse oil platform nearly capsized there due to an incorrectly installed valve. Further investigation revealed that several of the welds had failed on several critical components. This kind of oversight is especially troubling owing to recent allegations from a whistleblower that BP violated federal laws by failing to submit the proper final drawings and designs for the world’s largest floating offshore platform, BP Atlantis, in the Gulf of Mexico. The Minerals Management Service (MMS), the federal agency that oversees offshore energy production, which should have caught BP’s failure to submit proper documents, also acknowledges reports of oil leaking from undersea manifolds and the needed replacement of flow lines. BP Atlantis has only been operating since October 2007.
Cargill Poses Threat to Consumer Health, the Environment and Human Rights, New Research Finds
2009-09-16
A new fact sheet issued today by consumer group Food & Water Europe examines how Cargill, the agribusiness giant and one of the key players in the global food market, is posing harm to consumer health, workers and the environment and causing food instability around the world. Cargill, a leading oilseed and grain processor and top U.S. meat packer, is the largest private company in the U.S., with 160,000 employees in 67 countries and operations in 21 European countries. Cargill seemingly escaped the economic downturn in 2008 by reporting sales of over 83 billion Euros and record profits of over 2.5 billion Euros, its sixth straight year of record-breaking earnings. However, recently, its net profit for the fourth fiscal quarter was down by 69 percent from the same period last year. Maybe it is time for Cargill to rethink its operations, since it benefited from the race in commodities prices which started in 2002, particularly in the last two years when food prices swelled.
Bill to Establish Human Right to Water in California Passes State Assembly
2009-09-16
Press Release: “Last week, a bill that would declare the human right to water as a policy of the state of California passed out of the state legislature. Authored by Assembly Member Ira Ruskin (D- Redwood City) and co-sponsored by the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch, Assembly Bill 1242 would add language to the California Water Code guaranteeing all people in the state the right to clean, safe, affordable water. It will also allow the State to coordinate the activities of all the agencies involved in water policy, including the departments of Public Health and Water Resources, in order to make water supply and delivery decisions with this need in mind.
Food & Water Watch Hands Petition to Members of Congress Calling for Continued Ban on Chinese Chicken
2009-09-15
Press Release: Food & Water Watch today handed a petition containing over 17,000 signatures from all 50 states to members of Congress and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), calling for the continued ban on processed poultry imports from China. The petition was delivered to Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Mark L. Pryor (D-AR), and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Kohl and DeLauro are co-chairs of the joint House-Senate conference committee that is considering the ban.
Food & Water Watch Hands Petition to Members of Congress Calling for Continued Ban on Chinese Chicken
2009-09-15
Press Release: Food & Water Watch today handed a petition containing over 17,000 signatures from all 50 states to members of Congress and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), calling for the continued ban on processed poultry imports from China. The petition was delivered to Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Mark L. Pryor (D-AR), and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Kohl and DeLauro are co-chairs of the joint House-Senate conference committee that is considering the ban.
Public Backlash Against Triclosan Builds Momentum as Many Participate in Food & Water Watch’s Wash Your Hands of Triclosan Drop-Off
2009-09-12
Press Release: Consumers in Washington, D.C. today took steps to rid their homes of a dangerous chemical when they participated in Food & Water Watch’s Wash Your Hands of Triclosan Drop-Off. The national consumer advocacy group collected personal care products containing the pesticide triclosan at the Whole Foods in Logan Circle, and later brought them to the Fort Totten Trash Transfer Station, the local Department of Public Works-approved hazardous waste collection facility for proper disposal.