50 YEARS AGO

Dec. 30, 1966: Washington—The state department’s top food experts reported this week that the US food surplus was no longer sufficient to feed the world’s hungry and that the long-predicted world food crisis has begun. For the first time, the US is unable to fill the deficit made up of the needs of India and other claimant countries.

Green Bay, WI—The extensively damaged building in which the Wisconsin Cheese Exchange was located, will be demolished and rebuilt following a recent fire. None of the property or records of the Exchange sustained any damage of consequence.

25 YEARS AGO

Dec. 27, 1991: Columbus, OH—Finding available solutions for the low price of milk will probably not come from a Congress fighting the national debt, but might come from the unity of dairy producers, said Gordon Riehl, general manager of Milk Marketing, Inc. (MMI).

Washington—An extensive survey of the impact of proposed food labeling regulations has been undertaken by the National Food Processors Association to determine if some segments of the food industry will face undue economic hardship in meeting the deadline for the label changes. Early estimates placed the cost of food labeling changes to food manufacturers at approximately $2 billion over 20 years.

10 YEARS AGO

Dec. 29, 2006: Washington—Milk from cloned cows and goats is as safe to consume as milk from conventionally bred animals, FDA reported this week in a draft risk assessment. The report drew less-than-enthusiastic responses from IDFA and consumer groups who pointed out that milk and meat from cloned animals offer no benefits for consumers.

Washington—Single-serve, round plastic containers accounted for 1.9 percent of total fluid milk product sales during November 2005, up from 1.5 percent in November 2003. Almost 25 percent of flavored whole milk sales were made in single-serve, round plastic containers, compared to 0.4 percent of skim milk sales.