A recent analysis of scientific literature has argued in favor of reclassifying obesity as an addictive disorder based on criteria described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, version IV, in part because such a reclassification would help initiate policy changes aimed at curbing “the obesity epidemic.” Patricia Allen, et al., “Rationale and Consequences of Reclassifying Obesity as an Addictive Disorder: Neurobiology, Food Environment and Social Policy Perspectives,” Physiology & Behavior, May 2012. Concluding that previous research supports its contention that “common dietary obesity satisfy [sic] all DSM criteria for an addictive disorder,” the article draws parallels between “Big Tobacco” and “Big Food” to suggest that strategies used to reduce smoking rates, such as increased taxation and limits on advertising, could be valid policy models for addressing “food addiction/food dependence.” In particular, the study urges lawmakers and other policy makers to view obesity…
Category Archives Issue 440
A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and AARP has reportedly found that older adults who drank either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee “had a lower risk of death overall than others who did not drink coffee,” according to a May 16, 2012, NIH press release. Neal Freedman, et al., “Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality,” New England Journal of Medicine, May 2012. After analyzing data from 400,000 men and women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, researchers evidently concluded that coffee drinkers “were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer.” In particular, the study’s authors noted that the “association between coffee and reduction in risk of death increased with the amount of coffee consumed,” as subjects who reported consuming three or…
A study published in Marine Policy has claimed that many fish stocks certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Friends of the Sea (FOS) are nevertheless overfished or subject to overfishing as defined by the international standards accepted by both certifying organizations. Rainer Froese and Alexander Proelss, “Evaluation and legal assessment of certified seafood,” Marine Policy, May 2012. The two researchers apparently examined data from 71 MSC-certified stocks and 76 FOS-certified stocks to determine how many fish were present in each stock and how many were being removed. They ultimately found that, of the fishing stocks with available status information, 19 percent of those certified by FOS and 31 percent certified by MSC were overfished or subject to ongoing overfishing. According to the study, a stock is deemed “overfished” if its biomass falls below “the level that can produce the maximum sustainable yield” or “subject to overfishing”…
A recent study has claimed that rats fed a diet high in fructose had more difficulty navigating a maze than those that also consumed omega-3 fatty acids, thereby raising questions about the impact of sugar consumption on cognition. Rahul Agrawal and Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, “’Metabolic Syndrome’ in the brain: deficiency in omega-3 fatty acid exacerbates dysfunctions in insulin receptor signaling and cognition,” The Journal of Physiology, May 2012. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), researchers for six weeks supplied two groups of rats with a fructose solution instead of drinking water while supplementing one group’s rat chow with flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). According to the results, the rats in the fructose-only group were not only slower than their counterparts during the maze task, but their brain tissues exhibited an increased resistance to insulin. “The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3…
An Ohio court has apparently released a 9-year-old boy from the supervision of Cuyahoga County Children & Family Services after he lost more than 50 pounds while in foster care and while living with an uncle in Columbus. Additional information about the case appears in Issue 421 of this Update. The boy, who came to the attention of authorities in March 2010 when he was taken to a hospital with breathing problems, was released to his mother’s custody under protective supervision in March 2012. He has gained a few pounds, but because he continues to work out regularly at a YMCA and has been monitored by a Big Brother, and because his mother will evidently be able to access agency assistance for 90 days, the court determined that the child’s interest had been sufficiently protected. During the most recent court proceedings, the prosecuting attorney reportedly recommended that the child’s mother…
A group calling itself “Supermoms Against Superbugs” reportedly gathered in Washington, D.C. recently to lobby for greater limits on antibiotics used in U.S. food production. Organized by the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the coalition included chefs, farmers, pediatricians, and consumers who participated in meetings with congressional staff, the Food and Drug Administration, and the White House Domestic Policy Council. See Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming Press Release, May 15, 2012.
Corporate Accountability International (CAI) has issued a May 2012 report that purportedly aims “to help parents, community residents, health professionals, activists, youth and others take action to safeguard their communities’ health against the abuses of global fast food corporations.” Outlining four policy approaches intended to reduce the “harmful influence of fast food corporations,” the report advocates (i) school policies that would curb fast food marketing to children, (ii) zoning laws that would reduce industry influence “in communities, hospitals and other institutions,” (iii) limits on “fast food promotions that target children,” and (iv) a reduction in public subsidies “for fast food corporations… as a means of leveling the playing field for businesses that sell healthier food.” To these ends, the report supplies 20 specific action items that call for, among other things, prohibiting toy giveaways in children’s meals and encouraging the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to crack down on…
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) recently issued a report questioning the ability of international governing bodies to adequately address the use of engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs) in food contact and packaging materials. Noting that the Codex Alimentarius Commission, operating under the auspices of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), “has yet to agree on any agri-nanotechnology standards, nor indeed, even to begin work on such standards to protect consumer health,” the IATP report calls for a renewed effort to assess and regulate ENMs as a whole before specific applications are released on the market. To this end, IATP policy analyst Steven Suppan provides an overview of Codex’s regulatory mechanisms in addition to outlining challenges unique to ENMs in food packaging, such as a dearth of scientific data and confusion over the definition of “nanomaterials.” In particular, Suppan urges Codex to avoid…
JibJab Media Inc., a digital media company known for its photo cut-out animated videos sometimes used as political satire, has filed a trademark infringement suit against White Castle, alleging that the fast-food chain has infringed its trademarks by launching a social media ad campaign called “Jib Jab Chicken Ring” to promote its “chicken rings” menu item. JibJab Media Inc. v. White Castle Mgmt. Co., No. 12 4178 (C.D. Cal., filed May 14, 2012). According to the complaint, JibJab allows paid subscribers “to personalize videos and images by uploading digital photos and inserting images of faces into JIBJAB® content.” White Castle allegedly named its promotion with the JIBJAB mark, and its online application “copies the look and feel of JibJab’s cut-out animation style and further mimics JibJab’s personalized content by offering users the ability to upload digital photos and insert faces into these video templates.” White Castle also allegedly “explicitly announced that…
A California resident has filed a putative class action against a company that sells Greek-style yogurt products labeled with the terms “evaporated cane juice,” “All Natural Ingredients” or “Only Natural Ingredients,” claiming that they are false and misleading. Kane v. Chobani, Inc., No. 12-2425 (N.D. Cal., filed May 14, 2012). According to plaintiff Katie Kane, the company includes on the ingredients list for some of its yogurt products the term “evaporated cane juice,” which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned other companies is false and misleading, and uses phrases containing the word “natural” despite making the yogurt with artificial ingredients, flavorings and colorings, such as “fruit or vegetable juice concentrate.” She contends that these product representations “mislead consumers into paying a premium price for inferior or undesirable ingredients” and “render products misbranded under federal and California law.” Seeking to certify a statewide class of consumer, the plaintiff alleges…
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