Damon Root: 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch In June

High Court to rule on Obamacare, gay marriage and more. The Supreme Court's 2014-2015 term will soon reach its finale. By the end of June, when the justices depart for their summer break, the Court is expected to issue a series of blockbuster decisions, including rulings on gay marriage, death penalty drugs, and Obamacare. Here are five   ... MORE

40 Percent Of Americans On Food Stamps Are Obese

by Chuck Ross.  A new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds that Americans receiving food stamps are more likely to be overweight and obese than those who do not receive assistance. The USDA analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years between 2007 and 2010 and found that   ... MORE

Damon Root: Property Rights Vs. USDA Crop Seizures

Gov't takes without paying just compensation. According to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the government must pay just compensation when it takes private property for a public use. Three years ago, in the case of Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed that command, declaring that    ... MORE

Taxes & Restrictions Posing As Federal Dietary Guidelines

by Baylen Linnekin.       Last week the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), which meets every five years to help set federal dietary policies, issued its final recommendations. The recommendations of the committee, first established in 1990, "provide the basis for federal food and nutrition policy and education initiatives." So just what  ... MORE

20 Dumb Ways Government Wasted Your Money In 2013

by John Giokaris.     "The cupboard is bare ...There’s no more cuts to make." That’s what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CNN’s State of the Union in September during an interview about spending reform. Really? She can’t find any spending to cut in the federal budget? Why can’t she start with the $30 billion in government   ...  MORE

The Problem With Federal Food-Labeling Laws

by Baylen Linnekin.       Since I wrote a column focusing on the increasing ubiquity and success of private food labeling in June, a series of important federal food labeling issues have made headlines. Not surprisingly, the government’s actions are mostly rife with drawbacks. Just this month, the FDA published a final rule on gluten-free   ... MORE

VIDEO: Farmers Fight to Keep Their Own Raisins

Caroline May: Food Stamp Use Hits Another Record High

Spending has doubled in last four years alone. Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, reached another high in September, according to new data released by the United Stated Department of Agriculture. The most recent data on SNAP participation were released Friday, and showed that    ... MORE

Baylen Linnekin: Is Organic Food A Waste Of Money?

New study challenges conventional wisdom.   Everyone knows by now that organic foods are aren’t objectively superior to their conventional counterparts. Right? Exactly. Many of us have been told for years that organic food was healthier (for people, streams, bees, cows, Gaia, etc.) than conventional alternatives. But others have disagreed.        ... MORE

USDA Partners With Mexico To Boost Food Stamp Roles

by Caroline May. The Mexican government has been working with the United States Department of Agriculture to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps. USDA has an agreement with Mexico to promote American food assistance programs, including food stamps, among Mexican Americans,  ... MORE