CCFB News» June 2021

NURSING AND FARMING SHAPE ILLINOIS WOMAN’S LIFE (The Pantagraph) – For Cook County Farm Bureau President Janet McCabe, nursing and farming connect more often than one might think. See the May 8, 2021 article.

DIET COMPANIES SEE GAINS AS AMERICANS TRY TO DROP PANDEMIC POUNDS (New York Times) – Now, as the weather warms up across the country and people venture out of their homes and back into public or return to offices, many are looking to lose their pandemic pounds.

ILLINOIS #4 ON FOOD & WINE’S 10 BEST ‘PIZZA STATES’ IN AMERICA (NEXSTAR) – The editors at Food & Wine recently published their own list of the best “pizza states” in America. Illinois ranked fourth, thanks to its deep-dish pizza and thin-crust varieties.

MANY CONSUMERS MISINTERPRET FOOD EXPIRATION DATE LABELS (Sci Tech Daily) – Consumer education is needed to increase understanding of food date labels according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

NO LONGER “ACTING” DIRECTOR (FarmWeekNow) - The Illinois Senate Tuesday unanimously approved Jerry Costello II’s appointment as state agriculture director. Gov. J.B. Pritzker appointed Costello to lead the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) on Feb. 28, 2020. The appointment required Senate approval. As acting director, Costello oversaw several IDOA in-person training and programs go virtual, while some events were postponed and others were cancelled. The Smithton native served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 and chaired the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

AT-HOME COFFEE BOOM DURING PANDEMIC POWERS SALES AT NESTLE (New York Times) – Consumers stuck at home drinking coffee powered Nestle to its best quarterly sales growth in almost a decade. Nestle’s challenge now, some analysts said, is seeing whether it can keep its pandemic momentum going as some major markets, like the U.S. and U.K., begin to emerge from the crisis.

JOE BIDEN ISN’T COMING FOR YOUR STEAK TO MEET CLIMATE TARGETS (Bloomberg) – President Joe Biden isn’t taking hamburgers away from Americans as part of his efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions. That’s according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who told journalists that a spate of reports in the media linking Biden’s new climate goals to eating less meat simply aren’t true.

FIRST CAME TOILET PAPER SHORTAGES. NOW CHICKEN WINGS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY, FORCING SOME RESTAURANTS TO CALL OFF WING NIGHT SPECIALS (Chicago Tribune) – Wing prices typically increase in the run-up to the Super Bowl before returning to more normal levels, Chicago-area restaurant owners said. But this year, prices kept on rising thanks to growing demand and supply that’s been slightly below 2019 levels.

MCDONALD'S CHICKEN SANDWICH SALES ARE EXPLODING AS THE FAST-FOOD GIANT FINALLY LAUNCHES A WORTHY CHICK-FIL-A RIVAL (Business Insider) – Executives said Thursday that the three new crispy sandwiches released in February are selling "substantially more" than previous versions, confirming a trend the chain's franchisees first reported earlier this month and solidifying the Golden Arches' place in a highly competitive field.

AMERICA’S BIGGEST MEAT COMPANY GIVES FAUX BURGERS ANOTHER SHOT (Bloomberg) – On Monday, Tyson unveiled a lineup of 100% vegan meat products including fresh patties, ground “beef,” fake bratwurst and Italian sausage. It’s the company’s most ambitious bet on alternative proteins, and builds on recent moves by other meat giants, including JBS SA and Marfrig, to cash in on the rapidly growing market.

HYPOXIA TASK FORCE LOOKS FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION (FarmWeekNow) - The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force, which includes Kristi Jones, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, is a partnership of 12 states and five federal agencies. “We respectfully request that the (Biden) administration continue the collaborative efforts and partnership of the Hypoxia Task Force and increase federal support for the action plan and ongoing implementation of the states’ nutrient reduction strategies," the Task Force said in a letter sent to the USDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

CORN RALLY GETS LIFT WITH U.S. ROAD TRIPS STOKING BIOFUEL DEMAND (Bloomberg) – Gasoline demand is on the rise, which means corn-based ethanol consumption is up too after a tough year in which the beleaguered industry was forced to shut down plants as pandemic restrictions slashed automobile travel.

PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS FASTER ACT INTO LAW MAKING SESAME THE NINTH MAJOR FOOD ALLERGEN (FoodNavigator) – President Biden has signed into a law a food allergy labeling bill – The FASTER Act – requiring that sesame be labeled on all packaged foods beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

About Family Farm and Food Bytes: This is a collection of articles gathered from both mainstream and agriculture media and is designed to keep you informed as a member and leader within the Cook County Farm Bureau® organization. The articles summarized above are not intended to represent Cook County Farm Bureau policy or positions, but rather to provide members an idea of what is being reported regionally, nationally, and globally.