“Goats were the first animals raised for food that were domesticated by humans 9,000 years ago,” writes Participant Media researcher Sarah Newman in this article examining the impact of goats on the world’s food supply. “Currently, two-thirds of all red meat eaten worldwide is goat meat,” common fare for a few billion people currently inhabiting or with roots in Africa, the Middle East and South America, she notes. According to Newman, culinary interest in goat dishes in the United States is on the rise by consumers who “are responding well” to the taste or nutrition benefits of goat meat and dairy products. Dairy goat industry sources assert that goat’s milk contains more calcium and vitamin B6 and vitamin A than cow’s milk, and is lower in calories and more digestible for those prone to lactose intolerance. But the challenge to farmers is keeping up with the demand. “As more chefs…
Category Archives Issue 342
This article invokes public-health campaigns of the past, including measures taken to increase seat belt use and stop drunk driving, to call for “big-think solutions” to the nation’s obesity problems. The author outlines the factors that have led to a tripling of obesity rates among teenagers, such as a decrease in physical activity; ubiquitous high-calorie, low-nutrient foods; “rampant” food advertising to children; and food “deserts” in urban areas where the nearest convenience store sells candy and white bread. She quotes Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity head Kelly Brownell as saying, “The country defaults to giving industry the benefit of the doubt. Industry says you don’t need to regulate us; we’ll police ourselves. The tobacco industry abused that with God knows how many lives as a consequence. To expect the food industry to be different may be wishful thinking.” Among the measures the author recommends to address the…
According to a news source, a putative class action has been filed against retailer Loblaw and meat processor Siena Foods Ltd. following a listeriosis outbreak that sickened a number of Canadian consumers and led to a nationwide recall of salami and prosciutto products. While one press outlet has indicated that the bacterium which sickened two individuals has been matched genetically to the Siena meat, another reports that none of the recent five listeriosis-related deaths has been linked to Siena products. The lawsuit apparently alleges that Siena was aware of its products’ “potential toxicity” but failed to inform consumers, deciding instead to advise its distributors. Siena Foods is apparently closing its facility the weekend of March 20-21, 2010, to sanitize the plant. Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reportedly trying to hire new meat inspectors to increase its inspections of some 80 meat-processing plants. The United States requires inspections every…
A New York resident has sued Campbell Soup Co. alleging that its “Less Sodium” and “Healthy Request” tomato soups are falsely advertised because they contain the same levels of salt and fat as the company’s “regular” tomato soup. Smajlaj v. Campbell Soup Co., No. 10-1332 D.N.J., filed March 12, 2010). Seeking to certify a nationwide class of soup purchasers, the plaintiff alleges that while the company’s “25% Less Sodium” tomato soup contains 480 mg of sodium per serving, so does the company’s “regular” tomato soup. She also alleges that “Healthy Request” soup, advertised as “low in fat and cholesterol,” contains 1.5 grams of fat per serving, while the “regular” tomato soup has 0 grams of fat per serving. According to the complaint, the company sells the “Less Sodium” and “Healthy Request” soups “for a substantially higher price—up to at least 50% higher,” than the “regular” soup. The plaintiff alleges violation of…
A New York resident has filed a false-advertising class action in a California federal court against the companies that make certain ice cream products labeled with the statement “0g trans fat.” Carrea v. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, No. 10-1044 (N.D. Cal., filed March 11, 2010). Seeking to certify a nationwide class of ice cream purchasers, the plaintiff alleges false advertising under the Lanham Act and violations of the California Consumers Legal Remedy Act and the misleading and deceptive advertising provisions of the state Business and Professions Code. The plaintiff seeks a declaration that the defendants have committed the alleged violations, restitution, disgorgement, compensatory and punitive damages, interest, and costs. He also asks the court to order defendants to destroy all misleading and deceptive advertising materials and products. According to the complaint, the plaintiff relied on the alleged misrepresentations to conclude “that the Products were in fact healthy and relied upon…
Nearly 1,000 unnamed plaintiffs, who claim to be family members of individuals purportedly killed by terrorist organizations in Colombia’s Urabá region, have sued Chiquita Brands International, Inc., alleging that throughout the 1990s and at least until 2004, the company “funded, armed, and otherwise supported” these organizations “to produce bananas in an environment free from labor opposition and social disturbances.” Does 1 Through 976 v. Chiquita Brands Int’l, Inc., No. 10-404 (D.D.C., filed March 9, 2010). The plaintiffs allege that “[t]he deaths of Plaintiffs’ relatives were a direct, foreseeable, and intended result of Chiquita’s illegal and tortuous support of terrorist organizations.” According to the complaint, the plaintiffs bring their claims anonymously for fear of “violent reprisals, intimidation and death at the hands of the paramilitaries still operating in Colombia.” Their counsel “or his employees have interviewed each of the Doe Plaintiffs and summarized the details of each incident.” The complaint indicates…
A federal court in California has denied a request for preliminary injunction to halt the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets while the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) completes its court-ordered environmental impact statement (EIS) for the crop under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Ctr. for Food Safety v. Schafer, No. 08-00484 (N.D. Cal., decided March 16, 2010). Because the court already determined that APHIS improperly deregulated Monsanto’s Roundup Ready® sugar beet seed without preparing an EIS, the judge noted that the plaintiffs have established the initial element for obtaining injunctive relief, that is, a likelihood of succeeding on the merits. The judge also found that they have demonstrated the likelihood of irreparable harm, given evidence that the GE crop is capable of contaminating conventional and organic corps. Still, he refused to issue a preliminary injunction to immediately halt the sale, planting, cultivation, and harvesting…
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reportedly revised Health Code Article 16 to allow residents to keep Apis mellifera hives within the city limits. Previously outlawed as too dangerous or venomous for urban life, the common honeybee is currently cultivated by hundreds of clandestine city beekeepers, many of whom quietly flaunted the prohibition. “People fear that if there’s a beehive on their rooftop, they’ll be stung,” one spokesperson for the New York City Beekeepers Association told the media. “Honeybees are interested in water, pollen and nectar. The real danger is the skewed public perception of the danger of honeybees.” In light of this evidence, the health board revisited the ban, which once imposed fines of up to $2,000 per citation and reinforced fears of sting-related litigation. The new regulations require beekeepers to register their hives with the city, but do not compel them to carry…
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board has reportedly agreed to maintain a confidential database of food industry research into nanotechnology, as well as a public registry of food and food packaging products that contain both approved nanomaterials and materials appearing to have nanoscale elements. “The way that we respond in terms of nanotechnology is a test case for the way we, as a regulator respond, to emerging and new technologies,” FSA Chief Scientist Andrew Wadge was quoted as saying. According to media sources, FSA accepted the recommendations put forth in a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report, which called on regulators to develop risk assessment procedures and prioritize research into the safety of nanotechnology. In making its assessment, the committee had apparently favored mandatory industry participation, claiming that a lack of transparency had previously led to public distrust of genetically modified crops. Additional details about this report…
The European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) has apparently issued a legislative report that recommends several changes to EU food labeling laws, but stops short of proposing a uniform “traffic light” system. After considering more than 800 amendments to draft legislation, ENVI approved “minor changes to existing rules on information that is compulsory on all labels, such as name, list of ingredients, ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date, [and] specific conditions of use.” The committee agreed that all EU foodstuffs should list “key nutritional information” pertaining to energy and fat content, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugar, salt, protein, fiber, and natural and artificial trans fats. It also favored country-of-origin labeling for “meat, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruit, vegetables, and other single-ingredient products as well as for meat, poultry and fish when used as an ingredient in processed food.” Other provisions backed by ENVI would require (i)…
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