President-elect Trump names more Cabinet nominees

On November 22, 2024, in Confirmations, by David Elrod

This week, President-elect Trump has continued announcing his nominations for senior government positions, including those at the Departments of Commerce (DOC), Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Attorney General (DOJ), Interior (DOI), Energy (DOE), Veterans Affairs (VA), Transportation (DOT), Education (DOE), as well as various other senior White House roles. President-elect Trump has not yet named a nominee for Secretary of Agriculture (USDA).

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FSIS announced in last week’s Constituent Update that the agency is extending the modified poultry line speed waivers through January 15, 2025, so the study measuring the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety can be completed.

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FSIS announces leadership changes

On November 22, 2024, in Food Safety, Regulatory, by Tom

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) yesterday announced changes to the agency’s leadership team.

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Meat department sales were on a roll in October, with fresh meat sales driving eight percent gains to lead the department to an overall 5.4 percent increase over October 2023, according to the latest Performance Report from Circana, 210 Analytics, and Hillphoenix. The five October weeks generated $10 billion, with $7.1 billion for fresh meat. While inflation played a role, pound sales increased by 3.4 percent, also driven by strong gains in fresh meat.

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According to FMI: The Food Industry Association, shoppers are more concerned about the cost of gas, housing, groceries, and holiday gifts than a year ago despite the lower inflation rate. Nearly 1,600 shoppers surveyed for the 2024 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends Holiday Season Report showed that they are concerned about food prices but still feel in control of grocery budgets.

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Americans stocking up for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner will see a dip in their grocery bills for the second year in a row, according to the 39th annual American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Thanksgiving dinner survey, which found that the classic feast for 10 will run you $58.08, down five percent from last year. However, this is still 19 percent higher than five years ago.

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USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchased chicken products for its child nutrition and other related domestic food distribution programs.

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U.S. total broiler slaughter data for the week ending November 23, 2024, is estimated by USDA’s Poultry Market News Service to be 171,196,000 broilers, a 30-percent increase from the same week a year earlier.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

On November 22, 2024, in Holidays, by Tom

The NCC staff wishes you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving next week. The Washington Report will return on Friday, December 6.