The fossil plant discovered near Granite Bay in the 1990s but only recently understood proves the family that led to popular foods like tomatoes, potatoes, mint, and even coffee survived the extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs.
The federal government has a new plan to crack down on organic label fraud in the food industry. And with about 20 percent of the nation's organic farms and acreage, California has a strong interest in how that's done.
The USDA sets guidelines for which foods can be labeled “certified organic.” This week, it announced a series of new, tighter regulations, aimed at closing loopholes that previously allowed non-organic ingredients into products labeled organic.