U.S. Government Sued By Activists Seeking Endangered Status of Bees Vital To Pollinating Staple Crops

Rusty patch bumble bee. Photo by Headline & Global News.

While most people don’t give much thought, if any, to how important bees are to our lives by pollinating some of our most basic fruits, vegetables, and grains. Activists are taking notice and making efforts to stop their declining numbers in the wild from threats including habitat destruction, pesticides, and pathogens.

To really understand the important role of bees, Achim Steiner, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, says of “the crop species that provide 90 percent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees.”

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California Towns With Highest Job Losses From Drought To Receive Food, Water & Other Aid

With California experiencing its driest year ever on record, so far, the state is now in emergency mode, and trying to get out as many relief services as possible to the public as quickly as it can.

Among these services will be food assistance for families that have been directly affected by the drought through unemployment from agriculturally-related jobs; temporary drinking water replacement for economically disadvantaged communities; statewide water conservation measures; new irrigation measured for famers; and water diversion projects for habitat preservation for wildlife.

The California Department of Social Services announced that food banks in 24 drought-affected counties will begin receiving the first in $5.1 million in food assistance, with food hitting the food bank shelves soon this month.

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FDA Working With Veterinary Industry To Curb Use Of Antimicrobial Drugs In Livestock Feed

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now in the early stages of implementing a plan to curb, or phase out, if possible, the use of over-the-counter antimicrobial drugs used in livestock feed or water. These are used for the purposes of improving animals’ speed of growth and weight gain with less food.

Image courtesy of blog.friendseat.com.

While faster growth and weight gain are side benefits of antimicrobial drugs, these are not their main functions. As the FDA explains, “Antimicrobial drugs include all drugs that work against a variety of microorganism, such as bacteria, virus, fungi, and parasites.” All antibiotics are antimicrobials that fight against bacteria.

According to the agency, the issue of concern is antimicrobial resistance. This occurs when bacteria or other microbes become resistant to the effects of a drug after being exposed to it. 

Several antimicrobial drugs used in the animal industry are also used to treat human infections. This has also prompted concerns that overuse in the animal industry can contribute to drug resistance in people.

The FDA also explained that governments around the world consider antimicrobial resistant bacteria a major public health threat because “illnesses caused by drug-resistant strains of bacteria are more likely to be potentially fatal when the medicines used to treat them are rendered less effective.”

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Center for Food Safety Pressuring FDA to Create New Regs to Limit Cumulative Arsenic Exposure

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) has been pressuring the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for years on various fronts to create more concrete regulations to protect Americans from exposure to arsenic found in common grains like rice, produce such as apples and grapes, and drinks including water and fruit juices.

In its most recent action, the CFS has filed a lawsuit against the FDA calling for the withdrawal of arsenic containing feed additives for chickens, turkeys, and hogs.

The CFS has given one of the best explanations of what arsenic is. It’s an odorless and tasteless semi-metal element that occurs in the environment as part of the earth’s crust.

Arsenic can be found in rocks, soil, water, air, plants, and animals, and can be released into the environment through natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, rocks eroding, forest fires, and human activities. Arsenic can appear in inorganic and organic forms.

The CFS says that at one time, organic arsenic was considered less toxic than inorganic arsenic and safe at low levels, which has now been proven wrong.

The non-profit adds that, “Recent studies show that organic arsenic can easily convert to inorganic arsenic in the environment and in the body when ingested by humans and animals.”

Inorganic arsenic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is formed when elemental arsenic in the environment is combined with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur. Inorganic arsenic is a known carcinogen, but can cause a host of other health problems as well.

The FDA says that, “Long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic is associated with higher rates of skin, bladder, and lung cancers, as well as heart disease.” The CDC adds that arsenic can also affect the digestive system, liver, nervous system, and respiratory system from the nose to the lungs.

Research at the CFS has found that “children, infants, and fetuses are among the most vulnerable to arsenic’s toxic effects” due to the differences in their metabolism from adults early in life.

The non-profit added that, “Carcinogens like arsenic are generally more potent in early life exposures” and that, “Children ages two to five are three times more vulnerable to carcinogens than adults.”

The CFS went on to say that evidence shows that arsenic is a hormone disruptor at very low levels, which can alter the way that hormones transmit information between cells.

Consumer Reports, through its own research also explained how arsenic exposure can affect a child saying that, “when arsenic exposure occurs in the womb or in early childhood, it not only increases cancer risks later in life, but also can cause lasting harm to children’s developing brains and endocrine and immune system, leading to other diseases, too.”

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Food Deserts Shrinking in Chicago As Mayor Expands Community Gardens & Other Initiatives

Food deserts have become a major concern in the United States, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reporting to Congress that, “Limited access to nutritious food and relatively easier access to less nutritious foods may be linked to poor diets and ultimately to obesity and diet-related diseases.”

Food desert. Image created by Leigh Burmesch.

Generally speaking, a food desert is an area where residents live at least a mile from a large supermarket or grocery store, where they can buy quality meats, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

The USDA found in 2009 that about “23.5 million people live in low-income areas that are more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store.

“A key concern for people who live in areas with limited access is that they rely on small grocery or convenience stores that may not carry all of the foods needed for a healthy diet, and that may offer these foods and other foods at higher prices.”

While it’s a growing concern at the national level, the problem of food deserts and healthy eating is proving to be an issue primary being acted on at the local city level.

Over the past several years, Chicago has taken on the task of becoming a leader in making progress in combating food deserts and health-related issues, primarily obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Chicago’s A Recipe for Healthy Places initiative reported that, “Rates of obesity in Chicago have doubled among adults and tripled among children since 1980, which mirrors trends in other urban areas in the U.S. and the country as a whole.”

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