The Agriculture Department on Thursday proposed stricter animal welfare standards for organic chicken and meat in a multibillion-dollar market that is rapidly expanding each year.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- It's been five months since the H5N2 bird flu virus was discovered in the United States, and producers have lost 21 million birds in the Midwest alone. Yet, researchers acknowledge they still know little about a bird flu virus that's endangered turkey and egg-laying chicken populations that supply much of the nation.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is revising the grading standards for maple syrup to match international standards so that consumers have a better understanding of what they are buying.
The Agriculture Department will allow some schools to delay adding more whole-grain foods to meals this year, responding to criticism from school nutrition officials and Congress that the standards were too difficult to put in place.
A Northern California company is recalling more than 8.7 million pounds of beef products because it processed diseased and unhealthy animals without a full federal inspection, federal officials said Saturday.