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Mar 15, 2011

Grants Available to Build Healthier Communities Through Informed Decision Making

Today, the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood  Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, announced a call for proposals for grants to conduct health impact assessments (HIA).

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Health Impact Assessment
Oct 20, 2010

Landmark Studies on Transit, Energy and Nutrition Policies are Focus of New Grants

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, today announced nearly $400,000 in grants to four organizations to conduct health impact assessments (HIAs). The assessments will identify and address potential and often overlooked health implications of policy proposals including farm-to-school food legislation, energy development, smart-metering technology for electric utilities and urban transportation plans.

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Health Impact Assessment
Jun 8, 2010

RWJF and Pew Award Six Grants to Examine the Impact of Policy on People’s Health

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, today announced more than $1 million in grants to six projects that will conduct health impact assessments at the state and local levels.

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Health Impact Assessment
Oct 20, 2009

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts Launch National Initiative to Advance Policies that Promote Health

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) today announced the launch of the Health Impact Project, a national initiative designed to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decision-making tool for policy makers. 

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Health Impact Assessment
Apr 2, 2013

Slow Government Response Likely Contributed to More Illnesses in 2011 Salmonella Outbreak in Ground Turkey, Pew Report Finds

An examination of a Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to ground turkey illustrates that health authorities must be more aggressive in their efforts to detect and respond to foodborne illnesses, according to a new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, titled “Too Slow: An Analysis of the 2011 Salmonella Ground Turkey Outbreak and Recommendations for Improving Detection and Response.” In all, the contaminated food sickened a reported 136 people in the United States, hospitalized 37 and killed one, according to government data.

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Food Safety
Jan 4, 2013

Pew Thanks President Obama for Fulfilling Promise to Make Our Food Safe

Erik Olson, director of food programs at The Pew Charitable Trusts, issues the following statement on Jan. 4, 2013 release of major draft regulations to implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which President Barack Obama signed two years prior on Jan. 4, 2011.

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Food Safety
Sep 29, 2010

New Analysis of Major U.S. Trade Partners Shows Produce-Safety Regulatory Progress

A number of major countries exporting fresh vegetables and fruit into the United States have modernized food-safety laws and regulations over the past two decades to emphasize preventive measures, according to new report released today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP) at Georgetown University. The report, “Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Governing the Growing, Packing and Handling of Fresh Produce in Countries Exporting to the U.S.,” presents a series of case studies examining five of the top 10 U.S. produce trade partners – Canada, Chile, China, Mexico and Peru. The report was written by Monachus Consulting, an international agricultural industry consulting firm based in Canada.

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Food Safety
May 10, 2010

U.S. Food Safety System Needs To Integrate Human Health, Animal, and Plant Pathogen Data - Lessons to Be Learned from European Reforms

The Produce Safety Project today issued a report that examines the steps taken by select European Union (EU) countries to reform their food safety data collection and analysis systems since the 1990s. Authored by Michael Batz, head of Food Safety Programs, Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, and J. Glenn Morris, Jr., director at the Institute, the report, "Building the Science Foundation of a Modern Food Safety System," looks at European countries with strong food safety systems and makes a number of recommendations on how to improve those in the United States.

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Food Safety
Mar 2, 2010

Foodborne Illness Costs Nation $152 Billion Annually - Nearly $39 Billion Loss Attributed to Produce

Acute foodborne illnesses cost the United States an estimated $152 billion per year in healthcare, workplace and other economic losses, according to a report published today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP).

The study, Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States, was written by Dr. Robert L. Scharff, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist and current Ohio State University assistant professor in the department of consumer sciences. The study estimates that more than a quarter of these costs, an estimated $39 billion, are attributable to foodborne illnesses associated with fresh, canned and processed produce.

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Food Safety
Oct 29, 2009

Survey of State Health Departments Underscores Gaps in Foodborne Illness Response

A survey of state health departments regarding their capacity to track produce-related foodborne illnesses found that the response and investigation of outbreaks varies greatly and can lead to delays in public-health response.

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Food Safety
Jul 31, 2009

Statement by Jim O'Hara, Director, Produce Safety Project, in response to the FDA's Announcement Regarding Guidance on Produce Safety

We commend the FDA for moving forward on initiatives to improve the safety of fresh produce. The proposed guidance documents put out for comment today address three of the highest-risk commodities, and we hope that the agency will finalize these documents quickly. We also look forward to the agency's next steps regarding produce safety: issuance of proposed regulations. Science-based, risk-based, enforceable safety standards will restore consumer confidence in foods that are key components of a healthy diet.

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Food Safety
May 7, 2009

Dueling Produce Safety Standards Highlight Void Left by Lack of FDA Regulation

A side-by-side analysis of a variety of produce safety standards shows significant variations in guidance given fruit and vegetable growers in what steps they need to take to minimize microbial contamination in light of the lack of federal rules.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its voluntary produce safety guidance 11 years ago, a number of organizations and one state have stepped into the regulatory void and adopted their own standards for the growing and harvesting of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables intended to be consumed raw). Some standards are general in nature, and others are commodity specific.

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Food Safety
Nov 17, 2008

Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak Exposes Food Safety Issues

Weaknesses in food safety policy, organization and communications were all displayed during this summer's outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul, according to a report released today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University. The report, Breakdown: Lessons to Be Learned from the 2008 Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak, represents an in-depth review of the public record of last summer's Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that caused illnesses in more than 1,400 people across the country.

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Food Safety
Sep 26, 2008

Statement of Jim O’Hara, PSP Director, in response to GAO report highlighting the need for improved FDA oversight of fresh produce

A GAO report found that the FDA lacks the critical resources necessary for protecting Americans’ health when it comes to food safety. The lack of resources, resulting in too few inspections, too little enforcement and too many gaps in scientific research, is not new and clearly needs to be addressed.

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Food Safety
Sep 17, 2008

Likely Voters Want Federal Produce Safety Standards, Deeply Concerned About Broken System

Likely voters, by a 3-to-1 margin, want the federal government to establish new safety standards for the growing, harvesting, processing and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables even if they increase costs, according to a national survey commissioned by the Produce Safety Project (PSP), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University. Conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, the survey found deep discontent - 75% of likely voters -- with the current voluntary system: 36% favor "complete overhaul" and 39% want "significant changes."

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Food Safety