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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2004)
ATION ' HE BATTALION 9A Tuesday, January 20, 2004 Marketing claims for beef confusing to consumers By Jon Sarche THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER —Organic. Natural, o added hormones. No antibi- itics. Grass-fed. Free-range. t An often-confusing array at a ligher cost awaits consumers interested in alternatives to mass- Iroduced beef after mad cow dis- lase was found last month in a Washington dairy cow. I This spring, the government i expected to approve new rules tiiat should clear up some of the ionfusion. I Of all the current labels, the »iost stringently regulated is Hrganic. Only organic beef ■icets strict standards verified fly independent inspectors. To be certified organic, beef fluist come from cattle fed grass or Hrain grown without pesticides. Hhc meat must be traceable from Hie ranch to the dinner table. H Organic beef can be roughly Houble the price of ordinary ^mass-produced beef. H Other labels may boost the Host by 50 percent. And what Hoes that label mean? For con sumers, confusion reigns. “The only way to know is to IHtll the producer and ask what tl c label means,” said Ruth Iflava, nutrition director of the gflmerican Council on Science |Hid Health. Products labeled “natural” simply have to be minimally processed with no artificial ingredients. Virtually any fresh-meat product can be labeled natural, said Roy Moore, one of those selling “natural” beef. Founder of Denver-based Maverick Ranch, he says his meat is also free of antibiotics and additional hormones. Food labels making such claims must be approved by the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which works with the Agriculture Marketing Service to develop standards. The goal is consistency among labels, so that one farmer’s claim of natural, hor mone-free beef, for example, means the same thing as that of another farmer, said Robert Post, director of the service’s labeling and consumer protec tion staff. Under current labeling rules, “natural” means no artificial ingredients or added color, and minimal processing like grind ing, smoking or freezing. Claims such as no hormones, no antibiotics, free-range or pas ture-raised, or grass-fed or grain-fed may be approved if producers supply sufficient doc umentation to satisfy the FS1S. Inspections to verify claims can NEWS IN BRIEF be conducted if the agency believes something is wrong with a claim. Post said. Proposed rules expected to be made final this spring are designed to set consistent defini tions for claims including: — No hormones: Animals never received supplemental hormones. A related claim of no hormones used during finishing would mean the animals did not receive supplemental hormones during the time before slaughter. — No antibiotics: Animals never received antibiotics. A relat ed claim of no subtherapeutic antibiotics means no feed laced with antibiotics; and no detectable antibiotic residue would mean any antibiotic treatment was ended long enough before slaughter to ensure the meat was free of traces of antibiotics. — Free-range or pasture- raised: Animals that have had continuous and unconfined access to pasture throughout their lives and have never been confined to a feedlot, where movement is limited. — Grass-fed: Cattle that throughout their lives received 80 percent or more of their pri mary energy source from grass, green or range pasture or forage. Grain-fed would mean average grain consumption must equal at least half of the feed for 30 days for cows and 1 (X) days for steers and heifers. ■mall farmer's fight against llonsanto becomes crusade lOTTAWA (AP) — The case of a small-time ■rmer from the remote Saskatchewan plains, flw before Canada’s highest court, may repre- flnt the best chance yet for foes of the global lb )tech revolution to get the law on their side. ■Agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. sued the ■rmer, Percy Schmeiser, after its agents found b >tech canola growing in his fields in 1997. It con- t4nds he replanted seeds from those plants with out paying a technology fee of about $12 an acre. But Schmeiser says the Monsanto canola, originating from neighbors’ fields, got onto his 1,400 acres without his involvement or knowl edge. The 73-year-old farmer says the contami nation of his crops destroyed a lifetime of work improving them, so it’s hardly right that he would have to pay for Monsanto’s seed. Monsanto, which has a lien on Schmeiser’s farm after two lower-court victories, says there was sim ply too much biotech canola in his fields for the accidental exposure explanation to be credible. o Experience Necessary |Wtend the orientation clinic: ■ January 26 ■ 7:00 pm a rm 281 aking money has never een more fun! it Prei 1 1 ’ecsports.tanw.edu A&M Mk SPORTS CALL FOR PAPERS Texas A&M University Undergraduate Journal of Science All undergrads doing research are eligible to submit their work for possible publication. DEADLINE: February 2, 2004 Rm. 230 Reed-McDonald or email to ujs@stuorg.tamu.edu NEW SHIPMENT OF LOOSE DIAMONDS! ROUND DIAMONDS 19500*’ 9900*° 3950" 4900" EGL Cert. 5570" EGL Cert. 2900" EGLOrt. 4575" 4350" EGL Cart. 4250" EGL Cart. 3300" EGL Cart. 3450" EGL Car,. 43 27" IDEAL CUT EGL Cart. 3875" EGL Cart. 2400" EGL Cart. 2575" EGL Cert. 2235" EGL Cart I 525" EGL Cart, i 575" EGL Cert 1175" 1685" 475" 575" MARQUISE DIAMONDS PRINCESS CUT DIAMONDS 6.76 1.37 1.21 1.14 .48 .31 1.98 1.98 1.93 1.88 1.81 1.72 1.71 1 1 S'3 S'3 VS 2 si | vs, 27500" 3150" 3450" 3675" EGL Cart. 875" 395" ANTIQUE CUT DIAMONDS S', S'3 s': SI- SI: 7500" Cushion Cut 5750" 3950" 4950" 5270" 3950" 4500" Cushion Cut 2.23 H vs, 1 4500" EGL Cart. 1.56 1 VS, 6900" 1.25 1 vvs-. 4650" 1.00 G VS| 5460" EGL Cart. .92 F VS| 3500" .90 G vs 2 3450" EGL Cart. .90 1 SI 2 2500" EGL Cart. .87 F SI, 3 1 00" EGL Cart. .82 F vs 2 3075" .73 E vs 2 2920" EGL Cart. .72 E vs 2 3100" EGL Cart. .71 H vs 2 2270" EGL Cart. .70 H vs 2 2100" EGL Cart. .66 E SI, 1625" EGL Cart. .616 G. vs, 1450" EGL Cart. .60 H vs. 1400" EGL Cart. .602 G vs. 1375" EGL Cart. .591 G vs, 1 500" EGL Cart. .572 E vs. 1545" EGL Cart. .56 E vvs. I600"GIA Cert. .56 H vs 2 1250" EGL Car,. .54 D Sl 2 1250" EGL Cart. .524 G VS| II 70" EGL Car, .51 D vs 2 1 3 50" GIA Cart. .51 D Sl| 1275" EGL Cert. .50 D vs. 1 400" GIA Cert. .50 E vvs 2 1 500" GIA Cart. PEAR CUT .92 H SI, 2945" .91 1 1, 1095" .64 1 SI, 1250" EGL Cert. .45 1 vs, 560" RADIANT CUT 1.06 D Sl| 4600" GiA EMERALD CUT DIAMONDS 1.63 G S! 2 6800" 1.12 1 Si] 2600" 1.52 1 VVS, 6490" EGL Cert. 1.03 1 si 2 2950" Cushion Cut 1.12 E S'3 2950" .98 1 S'3 1850" .58 1 S', 1 150" .93 K VS, 1950" .82 H SI 2 1900" ASHER DIAMONDS .76 .74 1 J S'2 si 2 1475" 950" (SQUARE EMERALD CUT) 1.07 H vs 2 4100" GIA Cert. OVAL DIAMONDS 1.02 l vvs. 4 1 00" GIA Cert. 1.01 F VS 2 4930" GIA Cert. .84 E vs 2 3 1 50" EGL Cert. .83 D vs, 3375" EGL Cert. OLD EUROPEAN CUT .81 E vs 2 3040" EGL Cert. .72 1 S'2 1 595" EGL Cert. 1.18 H Sh 3300" .54 H S'2 950" 1.07 K vs 2 2250" EGL Cert. .52 G Sl 2 750" 1.03 1 S'3 2400" .32 H SI, 550" .91 1 l. 1850" .46 H SI, 675" Tohn D. Huntley. Inc. J Class of 79 ^ "Very Personal Investments" Rare Coins, Loose Diamonds, Precious Metal, Fine Jewelry, Watches, Tennis Bracelets, Cocktail Rings & Colored Gemstones 313B South College Ave. (Next to Harry's) • 846-8916