Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission Votes to Leave MSC Program  Oregon’s Dungeness Crab Commission has elected not renew their MSC certification when it expires on November 30 this year. According to Commission’s Executive Director Hugh Link, the decision to not go forward with the five-year recertification was to spend money on the fishery’s own research priorities, rather than use the funds to meet the MSC’s requirements. The Commission found that the MSC label did not add market value to Dungeness, which has seen strong sales in the West Coast and Asia in recent years. “We just did not see the necessity of the label to move product”, said Link. The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit late yesterday afternoon to block the merger between Sysco and US Foods. According to the FTC’s administration complaint, foodservice customers overwhelmingly see strong price competition between the two distributors. They use that competition to leverage lower prices, better deals and higher levels of customer service. "Consumers across the country, and the businesses that serve them, benefit from the healthy competition between Sysco and US Foods, whether they eat at a restaurant, hotel, or a hospital," said Debbie Feinstein, head of the FTC's bureau of competition. In other news, the USDA’s revised dietary guidelines dropped a longstanding recommendation that consumers restrict their dietary intake of cholesterol from foods like shrimp and eggs. ''For many years, the cholesterol recommendation has been carried forward, but the data just doesn't support it,'' said Alice H. Lichtenstein, the vice chairwoman of the advisory panel and a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University. The guidelines also recommended higher consumption of unsaturated fats found in fish. Finally, it appears West Coast port workers and carriers could be close to a labor agreement. Earlier this week US Labor Secretary Tom Perez was sent to mediate talks between the two sides as the LA and Long Beach ports have been backed up with historic levels of congestion. Reports have been conflicting, but sources say the pace of the negotiations is quickening. Have a great weekend.