Ethanol Mandate May Boost Fuel Prices for Summer
The U.S. ethanol mandate could force gasoline prices to rise this summer, two U.S. Republican senators warned yesterday in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ethanol mandate,…
Two-Step Action Plan to Protect SNAP
Congress is home for a two-week Passover/Easter recess. Before members left, the House sent a stopgap spending bill (H.R. 90) for the remainder of FY2013 to the President for signature,…
FSMA Proposed Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food
FDA has released proposed rules on preventive controls for human food. The rule requires firms that manufacture, process, pack, or hold human food to have written plans to identify hazards,…
Action Notice: MasterCard/VISA Settlement
Many MIRA members received a Settlement Notice regarding the MasterCard/VISA lawsuit settlement. In fact, all retailers who accepted VISA and/or MasterCard at any time between January 1, 2004, and November…
SNAP Bits from FRAC
SNAP Participation Takes Small Drop in January 2013. SNAP national participation in January 2013 decreased by 19,948 people over the month to 47,772,108 people—1.3 million persons higher than in January…
Industry Objects to Budget’s Tobacco Tax
President Obama’s budget plan would increase taxes by $1 trillion over the next decade, reported the Associated Press, including a new tax on cigarettes and familiar proposals to increases taxes…
President Obama’s FY2014 Budget Supports Nutrition Programs
With nearly one in five Americans saying they struggle to afford enough food for their households, President Barack Obama’s FY2014 budget, released last week, protects and proposes to further strengthen…
Senators Question FDA Commissioner on Menu Labeling
At a U.S. Senate Appropriations hearing on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed FY2014 budget last week, Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) asked Commissioner Margaret Hamburg…
Senators Urge FDA to Restrict Electronic Cigarettes
Calling electronic cigarettes a possible pathway to traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products, five U.S. senators are calling on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to issue “deeming regulations”…
News Bulletins from FRAC
Rep. DeLauro Speaks Out for Strong Safety Net in Farm BillU.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has urged her colleagues working on the Farm Bill to stop looking to the SNAP/Food…