Obama wants more money for pandemic flu preparations, food safety inspectors

October 8th, 2009 Senate sends agriculture spending bill to ObamaWASHINGTON — Dairy farmers suffering from low milk prices would benefit from $350 million in emergency funding approved by the Senate on Thursday as it cleared a $121 billion agriculture spending bill for President Barack Obama's signature. The bill also delivers a record $58.2 billion for the food stamp program, which when combined with benefit increases passed under Obama's stimulus bill earlier in the year would mean a 19 percent increase in food stamp spending above current levels.

September 8th, 2009 FDA requires faster food safety reportingWASHINGTON — Food makers must alert government officials of potentially contaminated products within 24 hours under a new rule designed to help federal regulators spot food safety issues sooner. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday unveiled a new electronic database where manufacturers must notify the government if they believe one of their products is likely to cause sickness or death in people or animals.

September 6th, 2009 With more labor inspectors, enforcement expectedSEATTLE — Bob Blank's frustration is evident when he talks about an inspection of his Okanogan County farm by U.S. Department of Labor wage inspectors.

August 28th, 2009 NYC to track its building inspectors with GPSNEW YORK — New York City will track its hundreds of building inspectors with GPS technology to make sure they are actually doing the inspections they report, the Department of Buildings said Friday. The new scrutiny comes after an inspector was charged last year with faking a report that he had inspected a crane days before it collapsed and killed seven people.

July 31st, 2009 House passes far-reaching food safety billWASHINGTON — The House has passed a far-reaching food safety bill requiring more government inspections and imposing new penalties on those who violate the law, reacting strongly to an outbreak of salmonella in peanuts that killed at least nine people. The legislation would require greater oversight of food manufacturers and give the Food and Drug Administration new authority to order recalls.

July 29th, 2009 Food safety bill denied quick passage in HouseWASHINGTON — A sweeping food safety bill has failed to pass in the House after criticism that it was being pushed through too quickly. The legislation would require more government inspections and oversight of food manufacturers in the wake of a massive salmonella outbreak in peanuts.

July 24th, 2009 WHO flu chief: No compromise on vaccine safetyGENEVA — The World Health Organization's flu chief says there must be no doubt over the safety of swine flu vaccines before they are given to the public. Keiji Fukuda says health officials and drug makers are looking into ways of speeding up the production of the vaccine before the northern hemisphere enters its flu season in the fall.

July 7th, 2009 Government tightening food safety standardsWASHINGTON — The White House is trying to make Americans' food safer after recent recalls of popular products like peanut butter and cookie dough. A food safety working group established by President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the government will try and boost the safety of some of the nation's most popular foods, announcing stricter rules for the production of eggs, poultry, beef, leafy greens, melons and tomatoes.

June 18th, 2009 Congress sends Obama $106B war spending billWASHINGTON — Congress is sending President Barack Obama a $106 billion bill ensuring that the military will have the money to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the final months of this year. The emergency spending bill contains $80 billion to fund ongoing operations in the two countries.

June 11th, 2009 CDC: Swine flu pandemic level won't change effortsATLANTA — U.S. health officials say they won't need to change their response now that swine flu has been declared a pandemic.

May 13th, 2009 IOC hails Sochi preparations, warns against delaysSOCHI, Russia — A top International Olympic Committee official has praised Russian organizers of the 2014 Winter Games but warned against any delays in preparations. Jean-Claude Killy and the IOC's coordination commission are spending two days examining Olympic venues at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

May 9th, 2009 FDA nominee pledges to improve food safetyWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's pick to oversee food and drug safety says she will revamp the FDA to better protect the nation's food supply and help prevent outbreaks of illness. Dr. Margaret Hamburg, a bioterrorism expert who once served as New York City health commissioner, also says she wants to restore public confidence in the Food and Drug Administration.

April 30th, 2009 What pandemic alert phase 6 meansUnder the World Health Organization's alert system on a developing flu pandemic, phase 6 is the highest level. At the moment, the world has risen to phase 5 from phase 3 since the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico last week.

April 30th, 2009 Some steps in US pandemic planWASHINGTON — The U.S. is following a playbook in battling the new swine flu, a federal pandemic preparedness plan prepared in 2005.

April 27th, 2009 Homeland chief says US preparing for full pandemicWASHINGTON — The head of the Homeland Security Department says the United States is preparing as if the swine flu outbreak is a full pandemic. Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters Monday that the World Health Organization is operating at level three, with level six a full pandemic.