The European Food Safety Authority’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) has rejected a health claim dossier submitted by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., that sought to link consumption of its products to a reduced risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) in women. Ocean Spray asserted that dried cranberries and juice drinks containing 80 milligrams of cranberry proanthocyanidins (PAC) lessened UTI risk in women older than age 16 by “inhibiting the adhesion of certain bacteria in the urinary tract.” Although NDA acknowledged that some in vitro trials have supported this claim, the panel ultimately cited a lack of convincing clinical trials and ruled that the evidence failed to establish “a cause and effect relationship” between the product and the purported health benefit. Of the 12 studies presented by Ocean Spray, NDA dismissed six because they did not involve normal populations; one because it referenced a higher PAC dosing; and…
Category Archives Issue 293
The European Commission’s (EC’s) Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health reportedly deadlocked on February 16, 2009, over whether France and Greece should be forced to lift their bans on a genetically modified (GM) corn seed that is the only one approved for planting in the European Union. According to a biotechnology industry spokesperson, the increase in votes favoring the cultivation of GM crops signals a new momentum in Europe to open markets to these controversial crops. EU environmentalists and consumers have long opposed their introduction, citing environmental risks and the unwelcome intrusion of large corporate interests into agriculture. A larger vote next week may, say biotech industry executives, lead to the approval of two additional GM corn seeds for marketing in the EU. Mike Hall, a spokesperson for the developer of one of them, has reportedly indicated that the company is waiting to see if the EU…
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack earlier this week canceled a scheduled press conference on mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations, but reportedly told meat industry representatives that USDA intends to pursue stricter COOL guidelines than those approved during the Bush administration. Vilsack has asked meat providers to voluntarily adhere to more stringent standards, noting that the agency will act in the absence of industry direction. In particular, USDA is seeking to extend COOL to some “processed” items, like cured bacon, that are currently exempt from labeling requirements. Vilsack also received a letter from seven U.S. senators asking him to further clarify and restrict the use of multiple country labeling. “These loopholes essentially allow processors to label every product – including exclusively U.S. products and entirely foreign products – under the multiple country category,” stated the letter spearheaded by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.). The announcement followed an administrative hold issued by the Obama administration…
With more than a half dozen food-safety bills already pending before the 111th Congress, legislators have continued to introduce or re-introduce legislation from prior sessions to address the government oversight problems exposed by the latest food contamination outbreak. Details about earlier measures appear in issue 291 of this Update. Among the new proposals are: H.R. 999 – Re-introduced February 11, 2009, by Representative Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), this bill would establish certification standards for food-testing laboratories and require importers to certify the safety of their operations. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. S. 425 – Re-introduced February 12, 2009, by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), this proposal would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandatory recall authority and would create a new food tracking system. Referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. S. 429 – Re-introduced February 12,…
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