U.S. Department of Agriculture
R.I. farmers awarded $400K in USDA grants
Rhode Island farmers are set to receive a $400,000 boost in federal funding, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management recently announced. Funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program includes $270,000 to six community organizations or government agencies whose projects expand access to local crops. Projects and funding amounts are: […]
Johnston slaughterhouse admits to violating federal meat inspection law
PROVIDENCE — A Johnston-based beef slaughterhouse admitted in federal court Thursday that it defrauded customers over falsified meat inspections in 2019. Rhode Island Beef and Veal and one of its owners, Michael A. Quattrucci, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding customers by claiming that beef had been inspected under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. The […]
A pandemic experiment in universal free school meals gains traction in the states
WASHINGTON — Every public school kid in the United States was eligible for free school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of family income, thanks to the federal government. While that’s now ended, a growing number of states across the country are enacting universal school meal laws to bolster child food security and academic equity. […]