European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes tuesday March 17,1992 Toste for foreign foods criticized probe cites us a for ignoring . Farmers . Farm products in 1 Washington apr the agriculture department does a poor Job of ensuring that the billions of dollars it spends on food for anti hunger programs goes to american Farmers and food processors a not their foreign competitors a say the departments investigators. As a result imported foods have been used to fulfil Usdan a contracts according to an audit by the departments office of inspector general. According to Congress and the departments regulations the us a is to buy american foods and farm products to support anti hunger programs at Home and abroad including school lunches and soup kitchens. The regulations also Call for the Agency to ensure that subsidized foreign customers Are buying american goods. Instead us a has been a winking at the Law a said sen. Kent Conrad . A for All we know we re using american taxpayer dollars to Purchase brazilian oranges Argentine beef Canadian wheat and goodness knows what else a Conrad said. A it makes no sense to use our taxpayer dollars to subsidize foreign  the audit found that lax enforcement and cer Titica Tion procedures have allowed foreign foods including Canadian meat to get into the pipeline. However the agriculture department has few Means to assess the problems scope because of the shortcomings in its enforcement and regulations of contractors and their suppliers according to the audit. Sen. Tom Daschle d-s.d., said he would Call a hearing of his Senate agriculture subcommittee on search and general legislation to demand that us a develop consistent procedures to ensure contractor compliance with the a buy american requirements. A us a has a duty to american Farmers and ranchers to make sure government programs buy oily american agricultural products a Daschle said. Us a should be held accountable for its  the August 1991 audit found the total value of agricultural commodities purchased or guaranteed for use in Domestic and Export programs was $6.9 billion in fiscal 1989. The audit did not say How much foreign food May have replaced . Farm products in Usdan a contracts. But investigators found violations of the Domestic Ori Gin requirements by contractors for three us a agencies that buy food or guarantee exports. A review of one of the agencies the agricultural marketing service found that a Large supplier included imported beef in shipments to five ams contractors. In turn the contractors May have sold the us a As much As 1 million pounds of Canadian beef. The agricultural marketing service purchases processed commodities for Domestic use such As for the National school lunch program child nutrition programs and soup kitchens. The agricultural stabilization and conservation service buys farm commodities for Sale to other government agencies foreign governments and Domestic foreign or International Relief efforts. The foreign agricultural service manages Export programs such As the Export credit guarantee programs under which Loans to foreign countries Are guaranteed by us a for purchases of . Food and farm  recovering Economy maybe in Des Moines by Melanie Chase the associated press Des Moines Iowa a if shoppers in one american City Are any indication Consumers Are beginning to listen to economists who say the economic recovery is on firm footing. But they Are not about to go on a buying frenzy. And they Are digging out Cash instead of credit cards to pay for their purchases. A i think the Economy in general is looking a lot brighter than it was a said Linda Owen of Ottumwa retail sales nationally were up 1.3 percent in february following a 2.1 percent increase in january. It was the first time since 1985 that sales have risen More than 1 percent in consecutive months. A1 Kling the venture stores manager said he thinks customers Are feeling More upbeat. A the average Sale has gone up considerably from january to february and it increased every week As february went on one said. A so i think they Are buying More.�?�. Kling said people Are starting to buy More expensive items. Electronics and televisions have been his bestselling items and furniture is a Selling like  other Strong areas Are clothing Home furnishings and housewares. Rich Potts manager of the Best buy discount electronics store in South Des Moines said computers Are the stores top growth category. A people have been coming in buying whole computer systems a he said. A a it a like the restraints have been taken off and people have gone on a buying frenzy. But shoppers done to seem willing to incur debt to buy them. A we re not seeing a lot of charge cards. Its Cash a said Tomi Briseno manager of a casual Corner a women a clothing store at a Des Moines shopping Center. Dennis and Judy Reising of Polk City Iowa compare prices at a discount store in Des Moines while shopping with their daughters Lindsay and Cassie on Friday. Good grades net students discounts As rewards by Marylou Tousignant the Washington Post the phrase a food for thought has new meaning at Gar Field High school in Prince William county va., where students Are being rewarded for their Good grades or Stellar attendance with color coded cards that permit them among other things to feast on free or reduced Price food at local eateries. Nearly 20 merchants have signed up for the academic incentive program offering freebies or discounts on everything from Bowling to boutique clothing. When the program kicked off last month More than half of Gar Fields 2,500 students received Gold red or Blue Honor cards designating various Levels of consumer rewards. A a it a fun to have because a lot of peo ple done to have one a Fawzea Hussain a 16-year-old senior at the Dale City school said As she stopped by the main office recently to pick up her red card which denotes a report card filled with a a and bus. A if you re going out with a Bunch of friends to Burger King it sets you apart. It shows you re doing Well academically and you take school  a i think its great that they Reward us a said Mike Laramie a 15-year-old Sophomore whose straight a average earned him a Gar Field Gold card and a Chance at one of four $500 stereo systems a local merchant donated. A kids need incentive and they need recognition and this gives them both a said Gar Field assistant principal Cynthia l. Freund who is spearheading the program named Renaissance after an education foundation in Minnesota that launched student staff incentive programs nationwide four years ago. More than 1,500 schools across the country have Renaissance programs and countless other schools offer similar programs. Incentives run the Gamut from free pizzas and parking to savings Bonds and University tuition credits. Some rewards Are More coveted than others a 15 percent off at the record store is. A discount at the orthodontists for example a but All share the goal of forming a partnership Between local businesses and their neighbourhood schools to encourage student achievement. Some educators complain that the incentives Are nothing More than bribes to get students to do what they should be doing anyway but supporters have adopted a whatever works philosophy and offer Success stories from school that have adopted incentive programs a Scholastic aptitude test scores up 55 Points at a North Carolina High school. A the number of dropouts Down percent at an Oklahoma High school. A a near tripling of the Honor Roll at a Tennessee High school. A your Hope was that you give then Good reason to study and then Suva by doing it becomes die habit As oppo to doing it for the 10 percent discount Waxie Maxies a said Betsy Burian e utile director of the greater Bowie m a a chamber of Commerce which is restructuring the incentive program it ran three years in several High schools Prince Georges county my