Freelance writer Kristin Choo opens this overview of food safety in the United States by observing, “You could fill a shopping cart with foods recently linked to outbreaks of illness caused by contamination. In June, it was cookie dough. In May, it was alfalfa sprouts. Before that, it was pistachios, peanuts, spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and, of course, hamburger.” She discusses the piecemeal development of national food safety regulation, which has resulted in some 15 “different federal entities now regulat[ing] various aspects of food safety.” And she discusses the most recent initiatives to address the problem, including the Obama administration’s formation of a Food Safety Working Group which recently found that our food supply system “is hamstrung by outdated laws, insufficient resources, suboptimal management structures, and poor coordination across agencies and with states and localities. This approach was not rationally designed. Rather, it developed in fits and starts as the nation’s…
Category Archives Issue 318
A new anti-obesity ad unveiled by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene depicts globs of human fat gushing from a soda bottle and asks the question: “Are you pouring on the pounds? Don’t drink yourself fat.” The ad urges viewers to choose water, seltzer or low-fat milk instead of high-calorie sodas and juice drinks. The $277,000 ad, which will run in 1,500 subways subway cars for three months, was apparently denounced by the American Beverage Association as “counterproductive to serious efforts to address a complex issues such as obesity.” ABA spokesperson Kevin Keane said the ad campaign is “over the top and unfortunately is going to undermine meaningful efforts to educate people about how to maintain a healthy weight by balancing calories consumed from all foods and beverages with calories burned through exercise.” But Cathy Nonas, a dietitian for the city’s health and mental hygiene department,…
The cover story from the latest Chemical & Engineering News details the challenges faced by food and drug makers to keep chemical leaching from product packaging and processing to a minimum. According to the article, even the most inert substances used in food packaging, such as glass, can leach chemicals because they are typically capped with metal, rubber or plastic. For example, carbon black and nitrosamines, both carcinogens, have been used to process rubber and have been found leaching from asthma inhalers and baby-bottle nipples. Bisphenol A and the chemicals in the inks used on labels are also discussed; apparently, even plastic barriers cannot stop ink migration. The article notes, “Speak with anyone who produces, studies, or regulates packaging, and you will hear this point repeated: It is not a question of whether packaging components will leach into a product, it’s a question of how much.” Complicating the issue are…
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has published a report titled Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity, which advises cities, counties and townships to adopt a variety of health measures likely to directly affect children outside the regular school day. According to IOM, “16.3 percent of children and adolescents between the ages of two and 19 are obese” and “more likely than their lower-weight counterparts to develop hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes when they are young.” The report identifies nine healthy eating strategies focused on improving community and individual access to “healthy, safe and affordable foods”; reducing access to “calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods”; and raising awareness about childhood obesity prevention. In addition, IOM offers six strategies designed to encourage physical activity, reduce sedentary behavior and stress the importance of sustained exercise. To further these goals, the report urges local policymakers to consider a number of action steps, including: (i) menu labeling…
Putative class claims have been filed in a California federal court against Old Mother Hubbard, Inc. and Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. alleging fraud in the sale of Wellness pet food. Barney v. Old Mother Hubbard, Inc., No. 09-06194 (C.D. Cal., filed August 25, 2009). According to a news source, the complaint contends that the pet food, which is more expensive than other brands, is advertised as containing only “human grade” meat, while it actually contains feathers, viscera, skin, and bones. The plaintiffs, who have invoked the court’s diversity jurisdiction, seek punitive damages and an injunction to stop ads which allegedly claim that the pet food ingredients are “of the same quality you would feed to your own family.” See Courthouse News Service, August 31, 2009.
Putative class claims have been filed in federal court in Illinois against Denny’s Corp., alleging that the company defrauded consumers by misrepresenting or omitting information about the “excessive amount of sodium—the deadliest ingredient in the food supply—present in its meals.” Ciszewski v. Denny’s Corp., No. 09-5355 (N.D. Ill, filed August 29, 2009). Information about similar litigation filed against the company in a New Jersey state court appears in issue 312 of this Update. The named plaintiff alleges that he has high blood pressure and takes medication for the condition. While he has apparently been advised to limit his salt consumption, he purportedly eats at Denny’s “from time to time and with frequency,” and eats the company’s “Moons Over My Hammy,” “SuperBird Sandwich,” and “Meat Lover’s Scramble,” which allegedly contain more than 3,200 mg, 2,600 mg and 5,600 mg of sodium, respectively. The plaintiff seeks to certify a nationwide class of…
Kentucky and Texas residents have filed a putative class action in federal court against SIGG Switzerland (USA), Inc. claiming that the company misrepresented that its aluminum reusable bottles were free of bisphenol A (BPA). Johnson v. SIGG Switzerland (USA), Inc., 09-669 (W.D. Ky., filed August 28, 2009). The complaint cites actions the company’s CEO took in recent years to counter claims that the bottle’s resin liner contained BPA, including issuing press releases asserting that the products had no BPA, while actually working to reformulate the liner to rid it of the chemical. Seeking to represent a nationwide class of consumers “who purchased SIGG bottles that contained BPA,” the named plaintiffs allege breach of contract, breach of express and implied warranties, and violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act. They seek a class certification order; compensatory, punitive and statutory damages; restitution and disgorgement of profits; attorney’s fees and costs; prejudgment interest; and…
The Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers (ACFM) has reportedly asked the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) to delay a forthcoming public health initiative that warns of excessive salt content in cereals and other products. Slated for release next month, the TV and radio advertisements are part of an ongoing FSA effort to reduce the average adult’s salt consumption to 6 grams per day by 2010. According to the agency, the latest £3 million salvo in this campaign does not seek to explicitly “demonize” cereal manufacturers, but instead targets all food products that contain salt. FSA has since declined to pull the commercials, but has praised ACFM members for reducing the salt content of their products by 44 percent since 1998. The cereal trade group has also reiterated that cereals account for less than 5 percent of the total salt consumed by UK adults. “We don’t believe it’s appropriate, considering the…
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is reportedly seeking comments on a proposal to include acrylamide on its hazardous chemicals list along with 14 additional “Substances of Very High Concern” (SVHC). Tendered by the European Environment Agency and several member states, the proposal would classify acrylamide, which forms in some foods during high-temperature cooking, as a category 2 carcinogen and a category 2 mutagen. If unanimously confirmed as an SVHC by ECHA’s Member State Committee, acrylamide would become eligible for the list of substances subject to authorization under EU’s REACH legislation. ECHA will accept comments focusing on the hazardous properties of acrylamide until October 15, 2009. See FoodProductionDaily. com and IHS News, September 2, 2009. In a related development, new consumer research has reportedly shown that a majority of U.S. consumers are unaware of acrylamide as a suspected carcinogen, even as governmental actions in North America have intensified to deal with…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced two public meetings to discuss the prevention of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) during the production, storage and transportation of shell eggs. Slated for September 30, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois, and November 5, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia, the meetings will explain an FDA final rule that requires shell egg producers “to implement measures to prevent SE from contaminating eggs on the farm and from further growth during storage and transportation, and requires these producers to maintain records concerning their compliance.” The agency has anticipated that the rule will prevent 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths attributed to SE, a leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States. See Federal Register, August 31, 2009.
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