Posts Tagged ‘USDA’
Court rules in favor of S.D. paper, allows access to food stamp data
A federal appeals court has ruled that Argus Leader Media can seek government data on how much businesses take in from the food stamp program, the Sioux Falls, S.D. paper reported. On Tuesday, the U.S. Court Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed a district court ruling and determined that a federal statute that created the food stamp program does not…
Read MoreChild deaths in India push global issues of pesticides, food safety into news
Food safety is a global issue. I was reminded of that with the news that more than 20 children in India died after consuming school lunches provided by a government-run program. Some children remain ill and authorities are trying to pinpoint the source – possibly a chemical found in pesticides that somehow made it into the…
Read MoreTransparency Watch: The Argus Leader’s legal battle with USDA over food stamp data
By Jonathan Ellis, Argus Leader Here’s a novel idea: If you take money from the federal government, the public should know how much you’re taking and for what. That basic premise is at the heart of the Argus Leader’s lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture. The paper filed suit in 2011 seeking to force…
Read MoreJournalism organizations call for greater transparency
Last week, The Association of Health Care Journalists, along with IRE and five other journalism and open-government groups, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for the release of public information about the country’s food stamp program. From the AHCJ blog: Currently, the USDA refuses to reveal how much money individual retailers…
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