What People Are Talking About: Pork, Beets and Antibiotics

Food's confusing these days. Every Friday, I'll recap the biggest news of the week.
Here goes May 21-27.

Pink Pork is Safe
Tuesday, the USDA dropped the recommended "done" temperature for pork from 160ºF to 145ºF, the read for all safe-to-serve cuts of meat, except poultry, which remains at 165ºF. To this chefs say, yeah we know. We're also reminded to let meat stand for three minutes to kill pathogens. Or as we more often hear, prevent juices from bleeding out onto the board.

No GMO Sugar Beets, yet.
Not so easy, says the courts to Monsanto. Organic supporters got a glimmer of that "friendly co-existence" we'd been hearing about from Sec. of Ag Tom Vilsack when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that genetically modified sugar beets would not be approved without a final Environmental Impact Statement, something the USDA has often overlooked or ignored when approving GMO product in the past.

Quit With The Antibiotics, Okay?
"Approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States today are used in livestock." That's the battle call for groups suing the FDA over antibiotic overuse, particularly penicillin and tetracyclines in animal feed. Overuse (how's 29 million pounds?) only allows for drug resistance and a need for ever-stronger doses—something the FDA concluded years ago.

Also: The new food pyramid icon comes out June 2; lackey regulations on food marketing to kids continue; the "ag-gag" bill dies in Florida and Minnesota but remains in Iowa and reaches New York; major mislabeling in seafood; and Mark Zuckerberg will only eat what he kills.

(cartoon via Nerdy Science Blog)