A recent study has reportedly suggested that multiple viruses are responsible for the increase of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among global honeybee populations. Reed M. Johnson, et al., “Changes in transcript abundance relating to colony collapse disorder in honey bees (Apis mellifera),” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2009. According to researchers, “Microarray analysis revealed unusual ribosomal RNA [rRNA] fragments that were conspicuously more abundant in the guts of CCD bees,” which also carried more viruses and other pathogens than their healthy counterparts. The study posits that fragmented rRNA “may be a possible consequence of picorna-like viral infection, including deformed wing virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus.” These viruses are known to “hijack the ribosome” of bees to produce viral proteins instead of the ones needed for survival, explained lead study author May Berenbaum, who noted that the viral overload leaves CCD bees vulnerable to pesticides, disease and other…
Category Archives Issue 317
According to researchers with the University of Pittsburgh and UCLA Schools of Medicine, brain scans of 94 elderly individuals showed that “obese subjects with a high BMI (BMI>30) showed atrophy of the frontal lobes [planning and memory functions], anterior cingulate gyrus [attention and executive functions], hippocampus [long-term memory], and thalamus [sensory information processing and relay] compared with individuals with a normal BMI (18.5-25).” Cyrus Raji, et al., “Brain Structure and Obesity,” Human Brain Mapping, August 6, 2009. They also apparently found that higher BMI was associated with lower brain volumes in overweight and obese elderly subjects. The scientists conclude, “Obesity is therefore associated with detectable brain volume deficits in cognitively normal elderly subjects.” Senior author Paul Thompson, UCLA professor of neurology, was quoted as saying, “That’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack…
This article discusses a four-month Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel investigation into the initiatives allegedly undertaken by the plastics industry to forestall the proliferation of local, statewide and national restrictions on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage product packaging. According to the authors, “The industry has launched an unprecedented public relations blitz that uses many of the same tactics—and people—the tobacco industry used in its decades-long fight against regulation. This time, the industry’s arsenal includes state-of-the-art technology. Their modern-day Trojan horses: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and YouTube.” The reporters apparently relied on IRS reports, disclosure forms and e-mails exchanged by lobbyists and government officials, in addition to the industry’s public relations documents and materials. They contend, “The documents offer a rare glimpse of the hardball politics of chemical regulation, where judgments about safety are made not necessarily on the merits of science but because of the clout of lobbyists working…
Jointly sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the 32nd annual National Food Policy Conference will feature keynote addresses by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. Scheduled for September 8-9, 2009, in Washington, D.C., the conference will convene speakers representing industry, government, academia, and consumer interest organizations to address food safety and child nutrition, “two issues that have become critical concerns in recent months both domestically and internationally.” Among the scheduled speakers are Margo Wootan, Director of Nutrition Policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and representatives of organic associations, Trust for America’s Health, the National Wildlife Federation, American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumers Union, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, Food & Water Watch, American Council for Fitness & Nutrition, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. They will discuss pending federal legislation, improving children’s health with better nutrition,…
According to a researcher with a non-profit think tank that focuses on curbing “globalization,” the Codex Alimentarius Commission is controlled by corporate interests and thus poses a threat to consumer health and fair trade practices in the food market. According to Stephen Lendman of the Montreal-based Centre for Research on Globalization, genetically modified (GMO) foods and drugs will proliferate under the commission’s standards and guidelines, labeling will be banned and industry will determine “what will and won’t be sold.” The article explains how the commission is organized and operates and argues that World Trade Organization member nations are legally bound to adopt the commission’s standards to the detriment of consumer choice and health. Lendman contends that Codex standards will become “globally mandated” at the end of 2009 in the absence of any legal challenges. According to Lendman, this means that “[c]ommon foods, herbs, nutrients, amino acids, homeopathic and other natural remedies…
The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued guidelines on limiting the consumption of added sugars, claiming that most American women should consume no more than 100 calories (six teaspoons) of added sugars per day and men no more than 150 calories (nine teaspoons). Citing a report from the 2001-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, AHA notes that the average intake of added sugars for all Americans was 22.2 teaspoons per day. The AHA guidelines provide information about “the relationship between excess sugar intake and metabolic abnormalities, adverse health conditions and shortfalls in essential nutrients.” “Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories,” said lead author and nutrition professor Rachel Johnson in an AHA press release. “Consuming foods and beverages with excessive amounts of added sugars displaces more nutritious foods and beverages for many people.” Johnson purports that sugars added to foods during processing or preparation are linked…
A California trial court has determined that the insurer of the nation’s largest seller of bagged fresh spinach must pay for its losses from the 2006 nationwide E. coli outbreak that led to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory against eating any fresh spinach. Fresh Express, Inc. v. Beazley Syndicate 2623/623 at Lloyd’s, No. M88545 (Cal. Super. Ct., Monterey Cty., decided August 18, 2009). The outbreak was ultimately traced to a different producer, and the insurer denied coverage. Following a bench trial, the court determined that (i) the produce company introduced sufficient evidence to establish that it committed “errors” within the policy’s meaning by failing, before purchasing spinach, to conduct a food safety audit of the field where it was grown to verify that the growers had complied with good agricultural practices; (ii) this verification of good practices compliance “was an integral and inseparable part of its safe manufacturing practices”;…
The Boulder County Board of Commissioners has reportedly delayed a decision about whether genetically modified (GM) sugar beets can be grown on open-space land. At a August 25, 2009, public hearing, six farmers who in December requested permission to grow the beets on county land apparently asked the commissioners to delay the decision. “I don’t think any of us thought for a second that this issue would have become as emotionally charged as it has today,” one of the farmers was quoted as saying. In 2003, the commissioners voted to allow GM corn but stipulated that any new GM crop would need new permission. This spring, county staffers researched the pros and cons of GM sugar beets but during the recent meeting the commissioners asked the Parks and Open Space Department to create a broader policy that would address GM crops in general. “We do not want to be in…
The European Commission (EC) has reportedly entered the second phase of a crackdown on functional food health claims advertising a product’s purported health benefits. EC regulations currently require the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to draw up a “positive list” of permitted health claims by 2010, but the commission is now discussing further restrictions on functional foods that also contain high levels of sugar, saturated fat or salt. According to EFSA, the agency has received “4,185 main health claim entries” that each comprise “a food component, a health relationship and an example of wording.” This review process “takes into account the conditions of use and references available for around 10,000 similar health claims.” Meanwhile, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has asked the commission to restrict advertising for products with more than 15 percent sugar content, although the final threshold appears likely to fall between 20-25 percent sugar content. Several…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a request for “comments and scientific data and information on acrylamide in food,” noting that the agency is considering industry guidance on this issue. Describing acrylamide as “a chemical that can form in some foods during certain types of high-temperature cooking,” the agency is seeking information from manufacturers on how to measure and reduce acrylamide levels in food. The agency has also asked responders to provide detailed feedback about: (i) techniques for acrylamide mitigation; (ii) best monitoring practices; (iii) standard practices for the delivery, storage, temperature control, reconditioning, and screening of potatoes; (iv) changes to food packaging instructions and other measures that can reduce acrylamide levels during a product’s final preparation by consumers; (v) food types for which the agency could recommend target acrylamide levels; and (vi) achievable acrylamide levels for french fries, potato chips, breakfast cereals, coffee, cookies, and other baked goods…
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