Ag News, Thursday July 21, 2016

Republicans Want SNAP Separate from Farm Bill

The 2016 Republican Platform is calling on Congress to separate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from the Farm Bill. The Hagstrom Report says that’s a popular position with House conservatives, but groups like the American Farm Bureau say that would make it impossible for Congress to pass a Farm Bill. The Farm Program and SNAP, which used to be known as food stamps, were joined together in the Farm Bill years ago, because some lawmakers thought urban legislators would not have any reason to vote for a Farm Bill that didn’t impact their constituents directly. The Republican platform said the delay in passing the 2014 Farm Bill was about Democratic efforts to “expand welfare through the SNAP program, which now comprises 70 percent of all Farm Bill spending.” The platform says the party aims to correct what it calls the mistake of putting SNAP administration under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Americans Support GMO Labeling, But Lack Food Safety Knowledge

A new survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of Pennsylvania shows Americans widely support the labeling of genetically modified foods. However, they don’t appear to have a lot of actual knowledge about scientific evidence that supports the safety of those foods. 58 percent of the adults in the survey admit to having a fair or poor understanding of what genetically modified foods are. 88 percent of those surveyed support the mandatory labeling of GMO foods, and 91 percent say that people have a right to know what they’re eating. Only 18 percent of those surveyed knew about a May 17 report on GMO’s from the National Academies of Sciences, Medicines, and Engineering that says there is no more risk evident in consuming GMO foods instead of non-GMO products. Only 39 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement that GMO foods are safe to eat, while 27 percent disagreed.

Source;  NAFB News