Latest news with #CommitteeonAgriculture
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India urges WTO to act on past ministerial mandates as delay may worsen hunger crisis
India on Wednesday said that the WTO members should not delay in resolving past ministerial mandates, including issues related to public stockholding of food grains, as it would worsen the global hunger crisis and violate human rights, an official said. During an informal meeting of the WTO's Committee on Agriculture in Geneva, India indicated that ahead of MC14 the primary concern should be ensuring food security and protecting livelihoods. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack A Chinese shadow falls on Pahalgam terror attack case probe How India can use water to pressure Pakistan Buzzkill: How India can dissolve the Pakistan problem, not just swat it India called for realistic solutions to these issues, emphasising the need for flexibility in agricultural support . WTO (World Trade Organisation) members have agreed that the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) will take place from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Cameroon. MC is the highest decision making body of the multi-lateral organisation. It meets once every two years. The last one was held in Abu Dhabi in 2024. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Iraq: Jewelry On Sale For Half Price! (See Price List) Luxury Jewelry | search ads Undo "Delaying decisions on past ministerial mandates, such as PSH (public stockholding) and SSM (special safeguard mechanism), exacerbates the hunger crisis and violates human rights," a Geneva-based trade official said. He added that the current agreement's rules, favouring developed nations with outdated subsidy systems, are flawed and do not account for inflation. Live Events "Developed countries can provide substantial support without limits, while developing countries, including LDCs, struggle to offer even minimal support due to restrictive policies," the official added.
CNN
03-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
Whole milk: Why lawmakers want it back in schools
Summary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing to return whole milk to schools. Current guidelines restrict schools to serving low-fat or fat-free milk, with few exceptions. The bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act would allow higher-fat milks in school meal programs. Some experts argue dairy fat may have metabolic benefits and doesn't increase cardiovascular disease risk. Critics worry this focus diverts attention from ultraprocessed foods and cuts to school food programs. More than a decade after the Obama-era move to generally prohibit whole and 2% milk in schools as part of an effort to lower rates of obesity among children, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and some lawmakers are arguing for the beverage's return. Kennedy, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, recently called the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans 'antiquated' and said he's pushing Head Start programs to switch from low-fat dairy to full-fat dairy, including whole milk. The US Senate has also taken up the cause, with the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry holding a hearing Tuesday on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. The measure would allow higher-fat milks in school meal programs, in addition to fat-free (skim) and low-fat milk already required to be available for children over age 2. There's a corresponding bill in the US House of Representatives. Both bills were introduced by Republican lawmakers in January but have bipartisan support. 'I think about whole milk growing up, where my grandparents delivered milk to us two or three times a week, and it was just part of our diet … and how important whole milk is,' Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who introduced the Senate bill, said in the hearing. 'The Make America Healthy Again movement, it's about whole foods. And I think we could characterize whole milk as part of that MAHA movement, as well.' The National Milk Producers Federation said it looks forward to working with lawmakers to get the legislation passed, saying it could increase student milk consumption, according to a news release. Here's what experts say about higher-fat milks and children's health. The federal government plays a key role in what kids across the country are served for breakfast and lunch at school, and it can change based on shifts in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Every five years, HHS and the US Department of Agriculture update the guidelines, which have recommended low- or fat-free dairy for those older than 2 for more than 40 years. The National School Lunch Program, which provides low-cost or free meals for students, is required to meet those guidelines in its regulations. In an effort to reduce obesity and other health conditions among children, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010. It required schools to serve meals with less fat, sugar and sodium, and more protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. As a result, the National School Lunch Program restricted milk options to flavored and unflavored skim and low-fat milk, effectively banning whole milk, with exceptions for children with proper documentation of certain medical situations, said Amy Reed, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 'If the child was underweight, the school would have to provide the higher-calorie milk,' Reed said. Similarly, for children with milk allergies, schools must provide an alternative milk. These federal policies are centered around concerns about saturated fat, the consumption of which has been linked with cardiovascular disease and obesity. Regardless of the differences in calories and fat, higher- and lower-fat milks have similar nutrient profiles, Reed said. Whole milk has 3.25% to 3.5% milk fat, compared with 1% or 2% in low-fat milk and 0.5% in fat-free milk, according to the American Heart Association. 'All milk is fortified with vitamin D, and the vitamin D and the calcium work together to help with bone strength and help increase the absorption of both,' Reed added. 'There's also some presence of potassium and magnesium phosphorus, which are all other minerals known for bone health. The potassium and sodium can be thought to be working together to help with blood pressure when you're talking about adults.' As the dietary guidelines are being revised this year for the 2025-30 edition, the advisory committee has reviewed research on milk and human health and recommended sticking with the current guidance. 'There's evidence to show that the (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act) really did improve the quality of food that was provided to kids,' Reed said. The dietary guidelines committee found limited evidence that higher-fat milk may be associated with health benefits for growth, body composition and obesity risk among children ages 2 through 5. However, even though the committee said it didn't find benefit or harm for older people, it also said it couldn't draw conclusions due to 'substantial concerns' about existing research — and that the evidence wasn't sufficient to advise changing the current guidelines. The continuing recommendation from the federal government that full-fat dairy be avoided is a 'very strange conclusion to me,' said cardiologist Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston. 'Expecting to prove a negative is a strange precedent.' 'We regulate saturated fat as a monolith, as though it's all the same, but it's not,' he added. 'Different types of saturated fats have different molecular structures.' Some studies have found that dairy fat is rich in medium-chain triglycerides, which may have metabolic benefits in terms of improvement of type 2 diabetes, Mozaffarian said. There have also been studies linking consumption of dairy fat to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. But that doesn't mean all full-fat dairy products will reduce risk; some, such as milk and yogurt, have a neutral relationship to the disease. 'I think it's actually strongly evidence-based to let whole milk not only get back to schools but get back on the tables and in glasses of Americans — not just whole milk but [also] whole-fat yogurt and whole-fat cheese,' Mozaffarian said. 'Not only is dairy fat not linked to any negative outcomes; dairy fat [is] also actually observationally linked to low risk of diabetes.' Related video Eggs will be expensive for a long time. Here's the substitute you never thought of Additionally, in the absence of whole milk, some children dislike the flavor of plain lower-fat milks and opt for chocolate- or strawberry-flavored lower-fat milks, which have more sugar, experts said. Regardless of the type of fat children consume, Mozaffarian and Reed urged the importance of considering the overall diet, rather than individual ingredients. Like adults, children should have a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and healthy fats. That's why Mozaffarian's concerned about the lack of attention to ultraprocessed foods in schools and the federal government's significant cuts to programs supplying fresh food to schools and food banks across the nation — while lawmakers consider legislation that would require higher-fat milks in schools for what they say are health reasons. 'We need more dollars to pay for healthy food for kids,' Mozaffarian said. 'We're giving kids the cheapest possible food in school and then paying for it 10 times over in health care spending. That's just shortsighted. 'We should be doubling, tripling our investments in healthy food across the country, including schools.'
CNN
03-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
Whole milk: Why lawmakers want it back in schools
Summary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing to return whole milk to schools. Current guidelines restrict schools to serving low-fat or fat-free milk, with few exceptions. The bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act would allow higher-fat milks in school meal programs. Some experts argue dairy fat may have metabolic benefits and doesn't increase cardiovascular disease risk. Critics worry this focus diverts attention from ultraprocessed foods and cuts to school food programs. More than a decade after the Obama-era move to generally prohibit whole and 2% milk in schools as part of an effort to lower rates of obesity among children, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and some lawmakers are arguing for the beverage's return. Kennedy, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, recently called the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans 'antiquated' and said he's pushing Head Start programs to switch from low-fat dairy to full-fat dairy, including whole milk. The US Senate has also taken up the cause, with the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry holding a hearing Tuesday on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. The measure would allow higher-fat milks in school meal programs, in addition to fat-free (skim) and low-fat milk already required to be available for children over age 2. There's a corresponding bill in the US House of Representatives. Both bills were introduced by Republican lawmakers in January but have bipartisan support. 'I think about whole milk growing up, where my grandparents delivered milk to us two or three times a week, and it was just part of our diet … and how important whole milk is,' Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who introduced the Senate bill, said in the hearing. 'The Make America Healthy Again movement, it's about whole foods. And I think we could characterize whole milk as part of that MAHA movement, as well.' The National Milk Producers Federation said it looks forward to working with lawmakers to get the legislation passed, saying it could increase student milk consumption, according to a news release. Here's what experts say about higher-fat milks and children's health. The federal government plays a key role in what kids across the country are served for breakfast and lunch at school, and it can change based on shifts in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Every five years, HHS and the US Department of Agriculture update the guidelines, which have recommended low- or fat-free dairy for those older than 2 for more than 40 years. The National School Lunch Program, which provides low-cost or free meals for students, is required to meet those guidelines in its regulations. In an effort to reduce obesity and other health conditions among children, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010. It required schools to serve meals with less fat, sugar and sodium, and more protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. As a result, the National School Lunch Program restricted milk options to flavored and unflavored skim and low-fat milk, effectively banning whole milk, with exceptions for children with proper documentation of certain medical situations, said Amy Reed, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 'If the child was underweight, the school would have to provide the higher-calorie milk,' Reed said. Similarly, for children with milk allergies, schools must provide an alternative milk. These federal policies are centered around concerns about saturated fat, the consumption of which has been linked with cardiovascular disease and obesity. Regardless of the differences in calories and fat, higher- and lower-fat milks have similar nutrient profiles, Reed said. Whole milk has 3.25% to 3.5% milk fat, compared with 1% or 2% in low-fat milk and 0.5% in fat-free milk, according to the American Heart Association. 'All milk is fortified with vitamin D, and the vitamin D and the calcium work together to help with bone strength and help increase the absorption of both,' Reed added. 'There's also some presence of potassium and magnesium phosphorus, which are all other minerals known for bone health. The potassium and sodium can be thought to be working together to help with blood pressure when you're talking about adults.' As the dietary guidelines are being revised this year for the 2025-30 edition, the advisory committee has reviewed research on milk and human health and recommended sticking with the current guidance. 'There's evidence to show that the (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act) really did improve the quality of food that was provided to kids,' Reed said. The dietary guidelines committee found limited evidence that higher-fat milk may be associated with health benefits for growth, body composition and obesity risk among children ages 2 through 5. However, even though the committee said it didn't find benefit or harm for older people, it also said it couldn't draw conclusions due to 'substantial concerns' about existing research — and that the evidence wasn't sufficient to advise changing the current guidelines. The continuing recommendation from the federal government that full-fat dairy be avoided is a 'very strange conclusion to me,' said cardiologist Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston. 'Expecting to prove a negative is a strange precedent.' 'We regulate saturated fat as a monolith, as though it's all the same, but it's not,' he added. 'Different types of saturated fats have different molecular structures.' Some studies have found that dairy fat is rich in medium-chain triglycerides, which may have metabolic benefits in terms of improvement of type 2 diabetes, Mozaffarian said. There have also been studies linking consumption of dairy fat to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. But that doesn't mean all full-fat dairy products will reduce risk; some, such as milk and yogurt, have a neutral relationship to the disease. 'I think it's actually strongly evidence-based to let whole milk not only get back to schools but get back on the tables and in glasses of Americans — not just whole milk but [also] whole-fat yogurt and whole-fat cheese,' Mozaffarian said. 'Not only is dairy fat not linked to any negative outcomes; dairy fat [is] also actually observationally linked to low risk of diabetes.' Related video Eggs will be expensive for a long time. Here's the substitute you never thought of Additionally, in the absence of whole milk, some children dislike the flavor of plain lower-fat milks and opt for chocolate- or strawberry-flavored lower-fat milks, which have more sugar, experts said. Regardless of the type of fat children consume, Mozaffarian and Reed urged the importance of considering the overall diet, rather than individual ingredients. Like adults, children should have a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and healthy fats. That's why Mozaffarian's concerned about the lack of attention to ultraprocessed foods in schools and the federal government's significant cuts to programs supplying fresh food to schools and food banks across the nation — while lawmakers consider legislation that would require higher-fat milks in schools for what they say are health reasons. 'We need more dollars to pay for healthy food for kids,' Mozaffarian said. 'We're giving kids the cheapest possible food in school and then paying for it 10 times over in health care spending. That's just shortsighted. 'We should be doubling, tripling our investments in healthy food across the country, including schools.'
Axios
27-02-2025
- Axios
Dog abandoned in Tampa during Hurricane Milton evacuation prompts legislation
A state lawmaker is seeking tougher penalties for Floridians who abandon their pets during hurricanes. Why it matters: Senate Bill 150 aims to make it a third-degree felony to restrain an animal and leave it outside during a natural disaster. Catch up quick: Also called "Trooper's Law," the proposal was inspired by a bull terrier that was tied to a pole on the side of Interstate 75 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Tampa while Floridians evacuated ahead of Hurricane Milton last year. Florida Highway Patrol troopers spotted and rescued the dog, who was later named Trooper. A video of the rescue posted on X went viral. Authorities arrested and charged the dog's former owner, Giovanny Aldama Garcia of Ruskin, with aggravated cruelty to animals. He pleaded not guilty, and his case was pending as of Monday, court records show. State of play: The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, sailed through its first stop this month with bipartisan support among members of the Committee on Criminal Justice. It'll head next to the Committee on Agriculture, which is set to vote on the bill on Monday. A similar version of the legislation that was filed in the House hasn't been heard by lawmakers yet. The latest: After a few weeks of living with a foster family, Trooper was adopted by a Parkland couple late last year. The pooch has since undergone surgeries to remove cancerous tumors and trash found inside his body that he probably ate when he was living with his old owner, the couple said recently. He's since been doing well.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats needle GOP budget plan in hours-long hearing
House Democrats sought to dial up the heat on Republicans on Thursday, as lawmakers considered a budget blueprint that could be key to enacting President Trump's agenda, despite internal GOP rifts over spending and taxes that threaten to impede those efforts. Democrats raised the alarm throughout the hearing over potential cuts to programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) while criticizing Republicans on tax proposals they argued would disproportionately benefit wealthier Americans and needling the party on the estimated economic impact of the plan. While the 45-page resolution leaves out key specifics on Republicans' cost-cutting plans, it includes broad instructions that call on committees to find at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade. But Democrats used much of their time seizing on some Republican proposals that have been floated in recent weeks. Among the amendments sought by Democrats was one proposed by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) aiming to strike instructions to the Committee on Agriculture, which the resolution called to find upward of $200 billion in spending reductions. 'Let me be clear about what these cuts mean. We're talking about slashing food assistance for 40 million vulnerable Americans,' Omar argued, accusing Republicans of putting programs like SNAP and the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, commonly known as WIC, 'on the chopping block.' 'Will we take food from working families, from children, from seniors, to give more money to billionaires and millionaires who never worry about grocery prices at the bare minimum? We must not let vital food [assistance] be on the chopping block.' Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) pushed back on Omar's comments shortly after, pointing to increases in federal spending and high inflation in recent years. He also noted Biden-era changes to the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to determine benefit amounts for the SNAP program. 'We got here a unilateral action by the former president, which literally just dumped $250 billion into the SNAP program, just by executive action,' he said. 'Maybe we should take a look at SNAP.' 'Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't have a unilateral expansion by the president to expand a poor subsidy of our most vulnerable people,' he also said before adding that average families are spending 'close to an average of $25,000 annually on health insurance between their employers and themselves, all with this false promise of ObamaCare premiums magically giving them health care.' Other amendments offered by Democrats were measures aimed at protecting Medicare, raising the corporate tax rate and closing the carried interest tax break. Republicans pushed back on Democratic criticisms, making the case for curbing spending to tackle the nation's $36 trillion debt while defending tax cuts the party hopes to protect. At one point, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to affirm that Social Security is 'safeguarded' in the resolution, though she acknowledged the special process by which Republicans are trying to continue Trump's expiring tax cuts does not allow for changes to the entitlement program. 'Instead of a bill that entirely sells out the working-class families for the sake of making billionaires into trillionaires, we would have one [bright] spot, a commitment to ensuring that Social Security program is available for generations of Americans to come,' she said. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) said in response that he thinks the amendment 'should be nongermane' and that his 'Democrat colleagues are then going to use this as a way to write ads' to attack vulnerable GOP members. 'I hate to speak truth in Congress. I know it's not that common, but that's what's going on here, unfortunately,' Moore said. 'So, with all that said, I want to take an opportunity to invite my Democrat colleagues to dig in on the concept of a fiscal commission.' Republican leaders have also drawn red lines around Medicare cuts to help foot the bill for Trump's priorities and have downplayed the chances of cuts to Medicaid benefits. However, Republicans have discussed potential changes to the latter by way of proposals like work requirements. None of the Democratic-backed changes are expected to be adopted, but they provide a glimpse into the opposition campaign Democrats could be waging in the coming months as Republicans try to move forward. The hours-long hearing comes a day after the Senate Budget Committee, also led by Republicans, advanced a narrower budget resolution aimed at boosting funding for border and defense, with sights set on moving a separate, larger tax package later this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
