Whether your objective is to inspire the troops or just make them laugh ’til they hurt, Mack is a guaranteed hit, as hundreds of thrilled clients happily attest.  He’s been delighting audiences for years with his relaxed stage presence, hilarious yet inspiring material, and uniquely engaging delivery.  As a comedian he’s performed on dozens of TV shows, including several appearances on The Tonight Show. As an actor he’s appeared in several movies and on many other TV shows, including JAG and a recurring role as a judge on ABC’s The Guardian. Read more

Maurice Pitesky, University of California, Davis

(THE CONVERSATION) Editor’s note: Under a trade deal concluded in May, China has begun exporting chicken to the United States. Critics have pointed to China’s record of food safety issues and argued the deal prioritizes commerce over public health. Here Maurice Pitesky, a poultry extension specialist at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with a focus on poultry health and food safety epidemiology, answers five questions about importing Chinese chicken. Read more

‘What The Health’, a new documentary currently streaming on Netflix, has caused quite a stir lately among health professionals and viewers alike with its claims that eating one egg a day is as bad as smoking five cigarettes. For the record, it isn’t — but the claim isn’t necessarily a new one. In 2012 a study published in Atherosclerosis claimed to have found a relationship between egg yolk consumption and the development of atherosclerosis — a disease in which plaque accumulates along the walls of arteries, increasing heart attack and stroke risk.  Read more

President Trump’s first Unified Agenda lists the proposed revision of the nutrition label requirements for meat and poultry products as inactive, thus tabling the changes for at least six months if not longer.

The proposal was released Jan. 19 by the USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS), one day before the current administration took office.

Though specific for meat and poultry, the changes ran concurrent with the general new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods, which was announced in May of 2016.

Read more

The Agriculture Marketing Service of the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) released a final rule allowing USDA to levy civil penalties and take other actions against violators of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) and the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations. The final rule allows up to $10,000 in fines per violation of the LMR.  Read more

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program received a lot of support at a farm bill listening session held in Modesto, Calif., Saturday, as hunger advocates and academics from the state’s Central Valley urged House lawmakers to protect and even expand the program to benefit families, food banks, farmers markets and California fruit and vegetable growers.

Bettcher Industries Inc. and Gainco Inc. are processing solution-based companies that deal primarily in the poultry industry. They supply numerous products that enable the processor to maximize their yield potential at the lowest cost of ownership. For more information, contact Samuel Collup, Regional Sales Director, at (440) 935-9915 or samc@bettcher.com. 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today made two key appointments to help fulfill the vital mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply. Perdue announced that Carmen Rottenberg was selected as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and Paul Kiecker was named Acting Administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The two will serve in those capacities until presidential nominees are confirmed by the Senate for those roles. In making the announcements, Secretary Perdue issued this statement: “Ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply is our most important responsibility, and it’s one we undertake with great seriousness.  Both Carmen and Paul have dedicated their careers to the mission of food safety and I am pleased to have appointed them to these important roles within the USDA,” said Secretary Perdue. “I commend the work of the entire USDA’s food safety team for painstakingly safeguarding the food we serve our families every single day.”
Read more

The US broiler industry has been steadily reducing the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on chicken parts since the USDA’s new performance standards took effect last year. In fact, the industry is exceeding USDA expectations, said Ashley Peterson, PhD, vice president of science and technology, National Chicken Council, in the first of a three-part conversation about food safety with Poultry Health Today.  Read more