YONKERS, N.Y. - September 18 - Consumers Union today announced its opposition to a meat industry proposal to omit the labeling of early-processed irradiated meat for American consumers. Today, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will review a petition from the American Meat Institute (AMI) calling for the use of low penetration and low dose electron beam irradiation to reduce levels of bacteria such as E.

INTERNATIONAL - September 18 - Large-scale monoculture tree plantations cause serious environmental, social and economic impacts on local communities.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - September 18 - Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, today released a statement in support of the newly released PETA video exposing animal cruelty at an Iowa pig farm. In June 2008, Farm Sanctuary and a coalition of animal protection groups rescued 68 pigs off a levee in southeastern Iowa who were abandoned after floodwaters ripped through factory farms in the region, drowning thousands of pigs. Today, those rescued pigs are under the care of Farm Sanctuary at the organization's Watkins Glen, N.Y. shelter.

WASHINGTON - September 17 - "Even though Monsanto has left the rBGH business, its state-by-state labeling battles are still going strong, threatening consumers' right to know whether artificial hormones were used to produce milk. Most recently, the Kansas Department of Agriculture announced it will be moving forward with a milk-labeling rule similar to the one adopted by Ohio earlier this year - a rule that goes far beyond the Food and Drug Administration's guidance by requiring the use of a misleading disclaimer and banning accurate claims such as ‘rBGH-free' and ‘artificial growth hormone-free.'

ROCKVILLE, Md. - September 16 - At an open meeting today, officials from the Food and Drug administration (FDA) came under increased fire for the agency's position that Bisphenol A (BPA) - the artificial sex hormone and plastics chemical that has produced irreversible damage in test animals - should remain in food packaging, including infant formula containers and baby bottles.