IATP’s new series on the 2012 Farm Bill looks at the serious economic and political challenges that set the stage for the ongoing public debate over the Farm Bill. Whats at Stake in the 2012 Farm Bill is an ongoing series of papers on crop insurance, local foods, rural development, international food aid, food assistance, food justice and more. Continue reading.

Rural Communities

Bugs in the system?

A new report by IATP released the results of an investigation into the FDA’s failure to regulate antibiotic sales to the ethanol industry. For at least the last five years, drug companies have been marketing unapproved antibiotics to ethanol producers, a practice, according to the FDA, that is prohibited by federal code. The FDA knows about it, but has done nothing. Drug companies know too, but continue to market these antibiotics. Read more.

Food and Health

Autism linked to food

The epidemic of autism in children in the United States may be linked to the typical American diet according to a new study published online in Clinical Epigenetics. The study explores how mineral deficiencies—affected by dietary factors like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—could impact how the human body rids itself of common toxic chemicals like mercury and pesticides. Read more.

Trade, Food and Health

Exporting obesity

In a new article in the latest issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, IATP takes a hard look at how the deregulation of trade and investment undermines human health. The article looks at how NAFTA contributed to what nutrional experts call an "obesogenic environment" in Mexico. Read more.

IATP in the News

Nanotechnology safety can't be assumed, FDA says
Capital Press, 4/25

What are your tax dollars funding?
The Inforum, 4/21

Study Links Autism With Industrial Food, Environment
The Cornucopia Institute, 4/17

Farm subsidies to be hot topic in debate for 2012 farm bill
The Northwestern, 4/16

Sweet sodas and heart disease: Is there any connection?
The Times of India, 4/10

Pfizer's Fight to Keep Arsenic in Chicken Feed
Washington Spectator, 4/4

Reflections on the Right to Water as We Move Towards Rio+20
Common Dreams, 3/23

More MN Schools Serving Locally-Grown Foods
Public News Service, March 21

Climate insurance, not just crop insurance
The Hill, 3/16

Governments Agree on Voluntary Rules to Control Land Grabs
Triple Crisis, 3/16

Advocacy group finds lead in kids' jewelry sold in MN ...
StarTribune, 3/14

Sneaky: Coca-Cola Removes Known Carcinogen to Avoid Cancer Warning Label
Natural Society, 3/9

Election year complicates Farm Bill's fate
The Philadephia Inquirer, 3/7

Farm Bill 2012 Eyed As Chance To Boost Conservation Of Soil, Bolster Crops
The Huffington Post Green Blog, 2/27

Synthetic Food Dyes Raising Health Concerns Among Doctors, Parents
CBS Los Angles, 2/23

Turning off the tap on water as a human right
The Hindu, 2/16

IATP Events
May 15, Fargo
Renewable Materials Summit: Markets for Building the Biorefinery
IATP is cosponsoring this gathering to take a look at exciting opportunities for businesses to grow across the Upper Midwest and Canada, from agriculture and forest products through manufacturing and retail. Read more.

May 16, Webinar
Chemical Policy Reform Webinar
Why did an entrepreneur have to start his own toxic-free mattress company? Why does a health care company care about how chemicals are regulated? Join us for a free webinar and hear from two companies that support better chemicals regulation to meet their business needs. Read more.

May 22, Minneapolis
Percolate: Challenging Corporate Power in the Food System
Today, fewer companies control more of our food system than ever before. What can we do to take it back? Read more.

March 20, Minneapolis
The MN Green Chemistry Forum Happy Hour and Seminar
Exciting new bio-based, petroleum-free ingredients give today’s leading manufacturers the ability to replace petroleum-derived materials with high-performance, biodegradable solutions that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of their products. Read more.

August 18, Minneapolis
Bike and Bite
Bike between food-centered stops in Minneapolis, tasting delicious, local, sustainable products while learning more about the businesses and organizations that make it possible. Read more.

September 24-26, Minneapolis
Food + Justice = Democracy Conference
Food + Justice = Democracy will help shift the historical narrative by telling the story through the voices of tribal nations and communities of color and envision the food system we want to build. Read more.

More IATP News

IATP’s Sophia Murphy attended UNCTAD’s 13th quadrennial conference, held April 12–26. In her latest blog, she discusses why UNCTAD is crucial in supporting food security worldwide, and why it’s currently under threat. Read more.

In a new IATP blog, Julia Olmstead takes a look at alarming research coming out of the University of Minnesota, raising concerns about the public health impacts of antibiotic use in ethanol production. Read more.

Taking a hard look at the Farm Bill’s research title, IATP’s Mark Muller highlights its role as a crucial driver in the long-term direction of U.S. agriculture with many opportunities for improvement. Read more.

On April 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that it will not limit the use of the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging. Their decision affects everyone’s health and our right to be protected from exposure to harmful chemicals in our food, our homes and our environment. Read more.

In March, IATP submitted three short papers in response to requests for comment from the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (LCA) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concerning three issues. Read more.

A new report by IATP’s Shiney Varghese analyzes India’s draft national water policy and why, even though at first glance “it appears […] a holistic approach,” it comes up short. Read more.

A new peer-reviewed study released in February found arsenic in infant formula and cereal bars. Perhaps more surprising to many consumers is that the two brands of organic formula that were tested contained levels of arsenic 20 times higher than the non-organic varieties. Read more.

Peace Coffee

Roaster's Corner
by Peace Coffee

April kicked off our summer events season with a bang. Earth Day is always a busy one for us as we brew up lots of our tasty, organic coffee for scores of people turning out to do a little good for a planet (thanks to all of you who did a little something this year!). This year was no exception as we passed out coffee to the St. Paul Spring Parks Cleanup, Minneapolis Earth Day Cleanup, Get in Gear Race and lots more non-profit fundraisers. Read more.