While there's some good news when it comes to fruit and vegetables, the new guidelines seem tailored to encourage maximum dairy industry profitability.
He brought 20 years of experience in organic farming to his government service and he had played a key role in the development of the USDA's organic standards.
In her new role, Catherine Woteki will direct the U.S. government's entire agricultural research budget. Somewhere in the East Wing, Michelle Obama must be fuming.
The USDA's own Office of the Inspector General came out with a formal report on its monitoring of its organic program during the Clinton and Bush years and it's scathing.
Thousands are dying every year from food-borne illness and we have a confusing morass of regulations and agencies charged with enforcing them. How to sort out the mess?
The USDA grossly underfunds the healthiest foods while pouring billions into a farm bill that supports many of the foods its dietary recommendations warn against.