The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced the final results of an aspartame study commissioned by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), which peer-reviewed the initial findings in December 2013. Authored by Hull York Medical School researchers, the study relied on data from 48 individuals who self-identified as sensitive to the artificial sweetener aspartame. After examining various factors—including psychological testing, clinical observation and biochemistry, and metabolomics—the authors found that the participants “showed no difference in their responses after consuming a cereal bar, whether it contained aspartame or not,” according to FSA’s March 19, 2015, press release. Additional details about COT’s review of the study data appear in Issue 506 of this Update. Issue 559
Category Archives Issue 559
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an interim report that seeks to identify policy options for mitigating the risk of childhood obesity. Published by WHO’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, the strategy document emphasizes “the importance of a life-course approach to simultaneously address the risk factors for childhood obesity from before conception, through pregnancy and during childhood, as well as the obesogenic environment in which children and adolescents grow and develop.” Among other things, the interim report urges policymakers to “tackle the obesogenic environment” by adopting standardized food labeling schemes and addressing food and beverage marketing to children. “There is unequivocal evidence that unhealthy food and non-alcoholic beverage marketing is related to childhood obesity,” states the commission. “The increasing number of voluntary efforts by industry and communities suggest that the need for change is widely agreed. Any attempt to tackle childhood obesity should, therefore, include a reduction in exposure…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has scheduled an April 7-8, 2015, public meeting of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) Advisory Committee at the National Grain Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Topics of discussion will reportedly include service delivery updates, utilizing new technology to conduct inspections, quality assurance updates, and the reauthorization status of user fees paid by official agencies. See Federal Register, March 16, 2015. Issue 559
Citing research studies alleging links between exposure to bisphenol A and various adverse health effects, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) have introduced the BPA in Food Packaging Right to Know Act. “Knowledge is empowering, and knowledge about BPA ingredients can also stimulate further reforms by the marketplace,” Leahy was quoted as saying. Among other things, the draft bill would require the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a safety assessment of low-dose, long-term exposure to BPA and any resulting potential negative health effects on vulnerable populations (e.g., pregnant women, children, senior adults) as well any potential adverse health effects on populations with high exposure to the chemical, such as workers involved in product manufacturing processes. The proposal would also mandate labels on food packaging containing BPA to carry the warning statement: “This food packaging contains BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, according to…
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