USDA To Host Rural Pride

The US Department Of Agriculture and the National Center for Lesbian Rights will hold a Rural Pride event in Jackson, Mississippi on August 14th. 

 #RuralPride is a series of summits across the country to elevate the voices of LGBT people and families in rural communities, explore how these communities are particularly vulnerable, and discuss proposed and enacted federal policy changes that can increase equality and access for rural LGBT people and their families. The #RuralPride summits center on LGBT experiences in rural America, including increased rates of economic insecurity, lack of family and nondiscrimination protections, the relationship between LGBT and faith communities, and the heightened challenges facing rural LGBT youth and rural LGBT people of color. The #RuralPride summit series is a partnership between NCLR and USDA that challenges the stereotype that LGBT people only live in metropolitan areas by raising awareness of the particular issues faced by LGBT rural communities.

The event will be co-hosted by Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund. More details.

Hot Pockets Recall: Diseased Meat

Nestle USA has issued a recall for its Hot Pockets Philly Steak & Cheese product because the USDA says almost nine million pounds of meat might have come from diseased animals.

Rancho Feeding Corporation, a Petaluma, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 8,742,700 pounds, because it processed diseased and unsound animals and carried out these activities without the benefit or full benefit of federal inspection. Thus, the products are adulterated, because they are unsound, unwholesome or otherwise are unfit for human food and must be removed from commerce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Nestle says that they didn't buy any meat directly from Rancho, but their other suppliers may have. Four different versions of that Hot Pockets item are recalled.

Mad Cow Case Found In California

The nation's fourth-ever case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been found in California.

The carcass was at a Baker Commodities Inc. rendering facility in Hanford, California, according to Executive Vice President Dennis Luckey. The company renders animal byproducts and had randomly selected the animal for testing last Wednesday, he said. "We are in the business of removing dead animals from dairies in the Central Valley," he told CNN in a telephone interview. "As part of that program, we participate in the BSE surveillance program." Public health officials said the risk to public was extremely low. Last year, 29 cases of BSE were reported worldwide, down 99% since the peak of 37,311 cases in 1992.

Andrew Breitbart Sued By Shirley Sherrod

Conservative website mogul and GOProud backer Andrew Breitbart is being sued by former USDA official Shirley Sherrod for his campaign to falsely discredit her. Via Salon:

The suit stems from the notorious video Breitbart posted online last year, showing an out-of-context excerpt from a speech Sherrod gave to the NAACP Freedom Fund in March 2010. The clip suggested she had used her position at the Department of Agriculture to discriminate against white farmers. The media devoured the Breitbart's version of story so voraciously that the NAACP denounced Sherrod and the Obama administration fired her. The charge was, in fact, entirely untrue. Sherrod argues in the lawsuit that the clip "damaged her reputation and prevented her from continuing her work." Breitbart, meanwhile, denounced the suit, saying he "categorically rejects the transparent effort to chill his constitutionally protected free speech."

Breitbart has issued a press release declaring that he is "absolutely confident of being fully vindicated."

Taco Bell Fires Back At Ingredients Lawsuit With Superhero Cartoon Series

In response to the lawsuit contending that they don't use what the USDA defines as "beef" in their products, Taco Bell has taken the unusual step of mocking the suit with a series of retro superhero cartoons, a move NPR finds surprisingly amusing.

(Tipped by JMG reader David)

Taco Bell Lawsuit: That's Not Beef

Taco Bell has been hit with a lawsuit which claims that what the company describes as "ground beef" does not meet the USDA's definition.

The suit claims that Taco Bell's meat-like offering is filled with extenders and other non-meat substances listed in the lawsuit like water, "Isolated Oat Product," wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate as well as beef and seasonings. Yum! As the USDA definition in the lawsuit says, to be called "ground beef," the product must "consist of chopped fresh and/or frozen beef with or without seasoning and without the addition of beef fat as such, shall not contain more than 30 percent fat, and shall not contain added water, phosphates, binders, or extenders."

The company has responded to the suit with a carefully-worded non-denial: "Taco Bell prides itself on serving high quality Mexican inspired food with great value." Some commenters on the above-linked Consumerist article note that taco filling is traditionally full of "extenders" and that what Taco Bell serves is not unusual.

Meat Beat Manifesto

Via the USDA's Food Environment Atlas. Lots more maps at the link.