Bush Administration Fights Mad Cow Testing

Can you believe it? Last week, the Bush administration urged a federal appeals court to stop Creekstone Farms, a Kansas meatpacker, and other companies from testing all of their animals for BSE. You probably are asking yourself, why the federal government continues to fight attempts by independent meatpackers to test their products for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), better known as Mad Cow Disease. Certainly I do.

My obsession with Mad Cow began that day when I was one of the guests on Oprah, when Howard Lyman (the cattle rancher turned vegan) exposed the practices that could lead to a Mad Cow outbreak and shocked Oprah into saying she would never eat another cheeseburger again). Today, more than ten year later, less than one percent of all slaughtered cows are testing for BSE under current US guidelines.

The White House opposition to the Creekstone plan is based on the administration's belief that such independent tests not performed by federal agencies could result in "false positives" that could needlessly alarm consumers. Larger meatpackers also have objected to Creekstone's plans, saying that it could create unfair pressure on them to test all their animals for BSE, which could result in higher costs and, ultimately, higher consumer prices.

But what goes unsaid in these back and forth discussions is what we as the consumer want: a 100% safe food supply. No one wants to take a chance of biting into a burger and winding up in the hospital with BSE – or even E.Coli or any other harmful bacteria. Late yesterday yet another ground beef recall was announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service; this time it is 22,481 pounds of ground beef because the product might contain pieces of plastic. (For more information on this recall visit the USDA Recall Site).

Increased testing for BSE is a good thing, it gives both the industry and consumers more information – and will increase the amount of trust we have in our food supply. In the most recent SupermarketGuru.com Consumer Panel Survey, twenty-seven percent of our panel said that our "food supply is not safe".

The good news for consumers is that so far, at least, the courts seem to be siding with Creekstone; the company already has won this case in the lower courts, and, not a surprise, the Bush administration to trying to get that ruling reversed.

What do you think?

Grocery Giggles!

by Jerry King

Up, Up and Away!

I am positive that you are well aware that the cost of food is rising, and quickly! According to recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show that during the 2007 calendar year, U.S. food prices increased by a whopping 4.9% – .8% higher than 2007 inflation rates and 2.8% higher than food prices increased in 2006. And most food folks would agree that we ain't seen nothing yet!

In the past, agricultural commodity prices tended to be volatile, with an overall decline trend, because they were supply-driven. Technology and productivity improvements in farming increased agricultural yields to meet supply, keeping prices down. Today, higher fuel prices are increasing the cost of transporting commodities, while various weather conditions and trade issues are currently contributing to lower supply. The result is higher prices across the board.

In the U.S., staples like milk, cheese and bread experienced especially marked hikes, with poultry, fruits and vegetables, cereal and meats following close behind. Internationally, increases in the prices of dairy and grains pushed the food price index used by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations up by almost 40% over the last year. By comparison, in the previous year period, the food price index was up only nine percent.

With global commodity stocks at historic lows, a growing demand for food, feed and fuel, tight supply, and no plan for increased agricultural productivity, this higher price phenomenon is likely to continue. The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that global cereal prices will rise 10 to 20% by the year 2015.

So what can you do?

Here are my 5 basic tips to keep on budget:

1. Make a shopping list and stick to it.
Create the ultimate shopping list by taking receipts from the past month, list all the groceries you regularly buy by name on a spreadsheet. Then go thru the fridge, freezer and cupboards and look at what you have, then cross off the week's list what you don't need. You'll cut your spending by 15 to 25 percent by not buying more of the same.
2. Use coupons.
Don't think you're above clipping coupons from the newspaper, magazines or even online. The average coupon value is almost one dollar! Also, put your kids in charge of coupon cutting and gathering, since it teaches valuable lessons about money, and be sure to give them a percentage of what you save as their allowance.
3. Sign up for frequent-shopper cards.
You will end up giving up brand loyalty because you'll be going for whatever is on sale. But there is no doubt you'll save money.
4. Buy the store's own brand.
Most stores offer a 100-percent, money-back guarantee on their products and most of today's store brands are of the same quality or exceed the quality of name brands – this alone can save you 15% or more.
5. Buy produce in season or from local growers.
It's tastier, more nutritious (as it had a longer growth cycle and was picked when ripe) and less expensive. For those fruits or veggies that are not in season, head to the frozen food case. Frozen and canned fruits and veggies are picked and processed at the height of flavor and can be up to 50% less than their out of season imported counterparts.

Share your tips on how you can save $$ on your grocery bill and we will select 5 people at random and send them a SupermarketGuru canvas tote bag as a thank you!