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Updated as of May 12, 2008
Farm Bill Conferees Reach Agreement; Congress to Vote on Final Bill This Week
U.S. House and Senate conferees announced last Friday that they had reached final agreement on a nearly $300 million five-year Farm Bill. The conferees expect to present their report to Congress this week, perhaps as early as today, for a vote. If approved, the bill then would be sent to President George Bush for signature, but it's widely expected that he will veto it. IDFA will provide a members-only summary of dairy and sugar provisions once the conferees' report has been released.
USDA's Milk Pricing Decision Hurts Consumers, Tipton Says
In the May 2 issue of Cheese Market News, IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton explains how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) neglected to consider the impact that its recent decision to raise milk prices in the Southeast region will have on consumers and the rising cost of food. "These increases seem to disregard the fact that consumers in those markets already face the highest milk prices in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics," Tipton says. She urges USDA and other policy makers to heed the needs of consumers before making any future milk-pricing decisions. To read the column, click here.
Martha Stewart Unveils New Milk Mustache Ad
The Martha Stewart Show last Wednesday featured a powerful on-air milk message and unveiled Stewart's new milk mustache ad, developed by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP). During the show, Stewart drove viewers to www.whymilk.com to submit their favorite smoothie recipes for a chance to win the "got milk? Ultimate Smoothie Search." Stewart is a part of Milk's Advocates Program that reinforces the importance of milk's role in maintaining healthy weight. To view a video clip of the show and see the new ad, click here.
Special Events Headline This Year's Washington Conference, June 18-19
IDFA's Washington Conference, June 18-19 in Washington, D.C., will feature new special events to provide more opportunities for attendees to meet with key legislative and policy leaders. All attendees are invited to meet with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer and other high-ranking government officials during a special luncheon in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's executive dining room on Wednesday, June 18. In addition, two attendees will be selected by lottery to go to the 2008 President's Dinner with President George Bush, also on June 18. For more information, click here.
2007 Dairy Facts Available in Electronic or Print Version
The 2007 edition of Dairy Facts, published by IDFA and Dairy Foods magazine, is available for purchase in either electronic or print version. The 127-page booklet provides a comprehensive overview of 2006 sales, consumption and production data for the dairy foods industry, as well as some 2007 figures, and offers an excellent summary of the overall health of the U.S. dairy industry and dairy trends. Dairy Facts provides information from government and private market research sources on the fluid milk, cultured dairy, cheese, and ice cream and frozen desserts markets. To order, click here.
IDFA Urges FDA to Proceed with Caution on Potential Daily Values Updates
In comments filed last week with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), IDFA opposed making changes, at least for now, to the reference values that the agency uses to calculate the percent Daily Values listed on the Nutrition Facts Panels on all food and beverages. Instead, IDFA urged FDA to approach label changes with caution to ensure that they are based on strong science, understood by consumers, promote positive dietary changes and have no unintended consequences. "Any final rule defining Daily Values for use on food labels should be postponed until nutrition, labeling and consumer behavior experts come to significant agreement about how the Daily Values should be determined," the comments state. For more information, click here.
State News Tracks Legislation on Product Labels, Hauling Charges and More
The State News column tracks legislative efforts at the state level that are related to dairy. This edition tracks efforts in New Hampshire and Vermont that establish "fresh milk" labels, require processors to pay hauling charges and expand state pricing control.For more information and to view a complete matrix of pending state legislation, members can click here.
For more news on regulatory, legislative, international and marketing issues or on membership and educational opportunities, visit IDFA's News Center.
