Johanns repeats call for setting timeframe for relaxing beef controls (Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News) _ Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Wednesday repeated his call for Japan and other countries to set a specific timeframe for relaxing restrictions on U.S. beef imports. [News Source]

Humane Society of US again scaring people away from good diets? (AG Weekly) The Humane Society of the U.S. has, for years, been trying to frighten people away from consuming meat, milk and eggs -- but its recent testimony before a congressional committee reached a new low when the HSUS president, Wayne Pacelle, made the unsupported claim that pigs could be harboring the infamous and deadly British ‘mad cow” disease. [News Source]

Md. deer test negative for fatal disease (Baltimore Sun) Nearly 1,000 animals tested after chronic wasting disease found in W.Va. For the fifth consecutive year Maryland's wild deer population has tested negative for a fatal affliction similar to Mad Cow Disease, the Department of Natural Resources said. [News Source]

Pushing produce. At first glance, cookbooks simply are collections of recipes. But look closer, and you'll see they chronicle political, cultural, social and health trends. Concerns about health and the environment drive this trend. [News Source]

Japan reduces inspection of American beef (The York Dispatch) TOKYO -- Japan will no longer check every American beef shipment after finding no safety problems at dozens of U.S. meatpacking facilities it inspected last month, the government said today. [News Source]

Japan Relaxes Safety Checks on American Beef (Fox News) Japan says it will stop checking all beef shipments from the U.S. after inspections revealed no safety issues in meatpacking facilities. [News Source]

Japan: No Problems at US Meat Facilities (San Francisco Chronicle) Japan will no longer check every American beef shipment after finding no safety problems at dozens of U.S. meatpacking facilities it inspected last month, the government said Wednesday. The two countries are expected to hold talks aimed at easing... [News Source]

Japan: No problems at US meat facilities (AP via Yahoo! News) Japan will no longer check every American beef shipment after finding no safety problems at dozens of U.S. meatpacking facilities it inspected last month, the government said Wednesday. [News Source]

Japanese inspectors found no problems at US meatpacking facilities (Pravda) Japan will no longer check all American beef shipments for it has found no safety problems at the dozens of U.S. meatpacking facilities last month, the Government said Wednesday. [News Source]

Steaks high on diners’ lists (The Cincinnati Enquirer) If you take your father out to dinner Sunday, reward him for all his hard work with Americans' favorite way to feel like we're living the good life: A steak dinner. [News Source]