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Central Valley Receives Record Amount of Food Aid; Discovery of More Psyllids Panics Citrus Growers

• Residents of California’s Central Valley region, one of the country’s most active agricultural areas, are accepting record amounts of food aid in the face of drought, recession, and limited water supplies for farms. [Wall St. Journal]

The L.A. Times looks at the devastated state of a victim of e-coli contamination, one of 80 who were sickened by ready-made cookie dough. [L.A. Times]

• More Asian Citrus Psyllid insects have been found in Southern California. So far none carry the disease that devastates citrus industries and has growers in a panic, especially among Ventura’s 24,000 acres of citrus groves. [Venutrra County Star]

• A counter movement to taxing junk-food and soda called Americans Against Food Taxes is being backed by PepsiCo Inc., Welch’s, The Corn Refiners Association, Cargill Inc., and many fast food chains like McDonalds Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc. [Reuters]

• Taco Bell raised $1.8 million to help teen programs within The Boys and Girls Club of America in one day. [PRNewsWire]

• Slow Food is planning to hold “eat-ins” on Labor Day to preach their cause of healthier, sustainable food for school lunches. [Tribune]

• The Food Network’s Sandra Lee recently found herself on a grounded plane and distributed (semi) homemade coffee vanilla brownies with fellow passengers. [NYP]

Central Valley Receives Record Amount of Food Aid; Discovery of More Psyllids