Also, the USDA reinstates a farm-to-school program; Pennsylvania farmers struggle to find workers to harvest crops; cancer research is in peril from government funding cuts; and more.
Bloomberg: Tyson Foods To Eliminate Corn Syrup From Products By Year-End
Tyson Foods Inc. said it plans to eliminate corn syrup and other ingredients from its products by the end of the year, echoing calls by the Trump administration for changes in the US food supply. The meat producer’s goal is to stop using high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, BHA/BHT and titanium dioxide in the production of products sold under brands including Tyson, Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm, the Springdale-Arkansas company said in Monday a statement. (Freitas Jr, 9/15)
On the nation’s food supply —
Iowa Public Radio: After Terminating Several Farm-To-School Programs, The USDA Resurrects One
The USDA will award up to $18 million through a program that connects schools with local farmers. Projects approved under the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program could include purchases of local food, school gardens, agricultural education and food safety training for producers. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made the announcement alongside the release of the Make America Healthy Again report. (Cramer, 9/15)
Politico: ‘The Whole Thing Is Screwed Up’: Farmers In Deep-Red Pennsylvania Struggle To Find Workers
The U.S. agricultural workforce fell by 155,000 — about 7 percent — between March and July, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That tracks with Pew Research Center data that shows total immigrant labor fell by 750,000 from January through July. The labor shortage piles onto an ongoing economic crisis for farmers exacerbated by dwindling export markets that could leave them with crop surpluses. “People don’t understand that if we don’t get more labor, our cows don’t get milked and our crops don’t get picked,” said Tim Wood, a dairy farmer and a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau board of directors. … “The whole thing is screwed up,” said John Painter, a three-time Trump voter who runs an organic dairy farm in Westfield. “We need people to do the jobs Americans are too spoiled to do.” (Benson, 9/15)
On climate, pesticides, and the war on cancer —
AP: Young Climate Activists Who Won Landmark Trial Are Challenging Trump’s Energy Orders
Young climate activists and their attorneys who won a landmark global warming trial against the state of Montana are trying to convince a federal judge to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels. During a two-day hearing starting Tuesday in Missoula, Montana, the activists and their experts plan to describe Trump’s actions to boost drilling and mining and discourage renewable energy as a growing danger to children and the planet. They say the Republican’s stoking of global warming violates their constitutional rights. (Brown, 9/15)
The New York Times: G.O.P. Plan On Pesticides Faces Revolt From MAHA Moms
For years, the pesticide manufacturer Bayer has battled thousands of lawsuits claiming that its weed killer Roundup causes cancer in people who use it frequently. Now, the Republican-controlled Congress could deliver the company a crucial victory. A provision tucked into a government spending bill could shield Bayer and other pesticides makers from billions of dollars in payouts to plaintiffs. (Joselow and Tabuchi, 9/15)
The New York Times: Trump Is Shutting Down The War On Cancer
Rachael Sirianni first learned her lab might be in trouble just a few weeks into the new year. A professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, in Worcester, Sirianni focuses primarily on an aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer known as medulloblastoma. Researchers have made great strides in treating these tumors, but they are still often fatal, and even successful treatments can come with devastating side effects. Sirianni had spent the last several years working on a potentially transformative approach to treating the most malignant type of medulloblastoma and was making real progress. (Mahler, 9/14)
On research cuts and DEI —
Los Angeles Times: It’s Not Just UCLA. UC President Warns Of Trump Push Into All Campuses And Hospitals
The University of California’s top leader warned Monday that the federal government’s $1.2-billion fine and sweeping proposals to remake UCLA are “minor in comparison” to what could hit the entirety of the nation’s premier university system of campuses, hospitals and clinics. “As we consider the unprecedented action against UCLA, it is important to keep in mind that the federal government is also pursuing investigations and actions in various stages against all 10 UC campuses,” UC President James B. Milliken said in a Monday letter. (Kaleem, 9/15)
NBC News: Trump’s Harvard Cuts Threaten A Giant In The Biomedical Research Community: A Database About The Tiny Fruit Fly
For more than a century, the humble fruit fly has paved the way for many critical scientific breakthroughs. This tiny insect helped researchers figure out that X-rays can cause genetic mutations. That genes are passed on from parent to child through chromosomes. That a gene called period helps our bodies keep time — and that disruptions to that internal clock can lead to jet lag and increased risk for neurological and metabolic diseases. (Bush, 9/15)
More on the Trump administration —
Bloomberg: Trump’s Surgeon General Nominee To Divest Family Tobacco, Tech Holdings
President Donald Trump nominated Casey Means four months ago for US surgeon general, a post that still remains open. Now Means, a Stanford University-trained physician and wellness influencer who focuses on functional medicine, is disclosing “steps that I will take to avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest.” (Cohrs Zhang, 9/16)
KFF Health News: An HIV Outbreak In Maine Shows The Risk Of Trump’s Crackdown On Homelessness And Drug Use
Penobscot County, Maine, is grappling with the largest HIV outbreak in the state’s history. Home to Bangor, a city of roughly 32,000, the county has identified 28 new cases over nearly two years. That’s seven times the typical number for that length of time. Nearly all cases are among people who use drugs and are homeless. (Pattani, 9/16)
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.