U.S. Food and Drug Administration has awarded the Minnesota Department of Agriculture $600,000 grant to help the department quickly trace contaminated food to grocery stores and other distribution points.

The funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration comes in the wake of several food recalls -- ranging from ground turkey meat to cantaloupes. The money will be put towards training and developing an action plan to be used during food safety events.

Reichel Foods, of Rochester, is recalling about 15,880 pounds of ready-to-eat meat products because of a possible contamination with listeria. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture says the recalled products are 5.6-ounce packages of Armour Active Packs Turkey and Cheese Wrap and Armour Active Packs Ham and Cheese Wrap.

Authorities believe they have uncovered a scam in which a man bought food stamp cards at half their value from dozens of homeless-shelter residents in the St. Paul area and then redeemed them at two grocery stores, the Star Tribune reports.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar tells the Duluth News Tribune the U.S. Agriculture secretary is pledging to use money from their budget to re-start the program and keep it running through the end of the year.

Minnetonka's Michael Foods is recalling hard-boiled eggs distributed to 34 states over possible contamination by Listeria bacteria. Minnesota is among the states where the eggs are sold. The product comes from the company's Wakefield, Neb. plant. No illnesses are reported.

Michael Foods, headquartered in Minnetonka, is recalling hard-cooked eggs sold in 10- and 25-pound pails for institutional use. The company says the product may be contaminated with Listeria, which can severe sickness or even death for those with weakened immune systems.

Metro counties contribute almost two-thirds of the money going into the the Legacy Fund set up by a constitutional amendment. But parks in those counties get far less than half of the Legacy grants. Debates to make the distribution more 'equitable' are contentious.