What's 'MOO' At The Clearinghouse — November 1999
 

FDA Announces Public Meetings on Bioengineered Foods
HHS Community Food and Nutrition Program Grants
Mid-Atlantic Summit on Agriculture

FDA Announces Public Meetings on Bioengineered Foods

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be holding three public meetings on issues related to foods derived from plants developed using bioengineering techniques. Currently, biotechnology companies have consulted with FDA on more than 40 food products, and a substantial portion of American cropland is already planted with bioengineered seeds, despite the fact that scientific investigations on the ecological impact of these seeds are still in the process of being conducted. The meetings will provide an opportunity for consumers, academics, and corporations to comment on whether FDA's policies regarding bioengineering should be modified and also on issues of labeling for bioengineered foods. There is also a period for written comments to the FDA on these topics for members of the public who cannot attend the meetings, which are scheduled for November 18 in Chicago, IL, November 30 in Washington, DC, and December 13 in Oakland, CA.

To register for the Chicago meeting, contact Darlene Bailey, Chicago District, Food and Drug Administration, 300 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 550-South, Chicago, IL 60606, tel: 312-353-7126, fax: 312-886-3280, Email: dbailey@ora.fda.gov To register for the Washington meeting, contact Patricia Alexander, Office of Consumer Affairs, Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD 20857, tel: 301-827-5006, fax: 301-827-3052, Email: palexand@oc.fda.gov To register for the Oakland meeting, contact Janet McDonald, San Francisco District, Food and Drug Administration, 1431 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, CA 94502, tel: 510-337-6845, fax: 510-337-6708, Email: jmcdonal@ora.fda.gov Written comments on bioengineered foods can be sent to Docket Management Branch, HFA-305, Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Comments are due by January 13, 2000. For more information on organizing efforts around biotechnology issues, contact the Campaign for Food Safety at 6114 Highway 61, Little Marais, MN 55614, tel: 218-226-4164 or online at www.purefood.org

HHS Community Food and Nutrition Program Grants

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families is currently offering $2 million in grants to community-based, local, and statewide public agencies and nonprofit organizations that are developing innovative ways to meet low-income families' nutritional needs. Applicants for funding should incorporate elements of nutrition education, outreach and public education on available Federal nutrition assistance programs such as food stamps, and collaboration with local offices that administer other food programs to enhance effectiveness in their proposals. Up to $50,000 will be awarded for each individual grant, and Historically Black colleges and universities as well as organizations that work with Native Americans and migrant farmworkers are especially encouraged to apply for funding. Applications for the FY 2000 grants are due by December 6, 1999.

For more information or a request for proposal, contact the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Division of Community Discretionary Programs, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW, Washington, DC 20447, tel: 202-401-5252 or 202-401-9363, fax: 202-401-4687, World Wide Web: www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs/cfn00.htm

Mid-Atlantic Summit on Agriculture

Anyone involved in farming, food distribution, or hunger prevention work in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania is encouraged to attend a gathering entitled "The Future of Our Food and Farms: A Regional Summit to Promote Agriculture and Find Ways to Reduce Hunger." The conference, which will be held December 2-3, 1999 at the Radisson Hotel in Philadelphia, will address issues such as farming trends, food distribution, promoting local agriculture, and food access in the inner city. It will also feature a keynote presentation by Greg Watson, former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, as well as a special dinner of locally grown foods prepared by celebrity chef Jack McDavid, who is currently featured on the TV Food Network's show, Grillin' and Chillin'. Registration for the summit is $95 per participant and discounted accommodations at the Radisson are available until November 10.

For more information, or to register for the conference, contact Farmer's Market Trust, 1201 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, tel: 215-568-0830 ext. 13, email: foodfarm@libertynet.org

Happy Thanksgiving from the USDA National Hunger Clearinghouse!