Tag: usda

How Sustainability Should Shape the American Diet

MSNBC 10/27/15 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Matt Cartwright The World Health Organization’s somewhat startling finding this week, that processed meats can be carcinogenic, has suddenly brought national dietary policy into sharp focus.  Although the headline is an unsettling one, it is nonetheless altogether timely because of what is […]

Meat Alert

THE HILL 08/31/15 By Michael Shank Announced in the quiet of Congressional recess, new data published this week by Consumer Reports indicates that ground beef often contains bacteria that causes sickness in humans and resists drug treatment. Congress should take note. Fortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture already rolled […]

USDA Does Diets Differently, Moves Off Meat

HUFFINGTON POST 07/07/15 By Michael Shank With the United States Department of Agriculture announcing meat substitutes in school lunches nationwide, replacing meat with equally protein-rich alternatives, we’re starting to witness a sea change in national dietary guidelines. And it’s about time. Our current approach to diets is unsustainable. Federally appointed […]

Why Congress Should Care About the Beepocalypse

ROLL CALL 04/08/14 By Michael Shank and U.S. Congressman John Conyers This year, food security is set to suffer another big setback, and the culprit could not be cuter: honeybees. Last winter, America’s beekeeping industry lost nearly half of all its bee colonies. And the numbers keep falling. Last summer, […]