Folks used to sit on the porch shootin’ the breeze. For many, now the porch is a cubicle and the breeze is digital. These are a few of the stories floating around our cyber porch today.

**  Livestock and Antibiotics:  The American Medical Association (AMA) is calling for federal action to ban antibiotic use in food animals for growth promotion purposes so as to slow the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  

Note: This peer-reviewed CAST publication looks at antibiotic use and other animal health issues. The Direct Relationship between Animal Health and Food Safety Outcomes

**  Haggis on the Menu?  The British government has dispatched its Environment Secretary to Washington to try and convince the Obama administration to lift a 43-year-old ban on importing haggis. Haggis, the Scottish delicacy consisting of a sheep’s heart, lungs, and liver simmered with onion, oatmeal, suet, and spices in a sausage casing — or sheep’s stomach for the traditionalists  

**  Food Fears:  Many consumers have found food ingredients and products the subject of their food nightmares. But according to a new study, educators and industry can combat ingredient-based fears if they effectively communicate the substances’ history, background, and general usage.