Researchers with Portland State University and Washington State University, Vancouver, have reportedly detected caffeine in waters off the coast of Oregon, raising questions about the presence of other potential contaminants in the vicinity. Zoe Rodriguez del Rey, et al., “Occurrence and concentration of caffeine in Oregon coastal waters,” Marine Pollution Bulletin, July 2012. The study apparently analyzed caffeine levels at 14 coastal locations “stratified between populated areas with sources of caffeine pollution and sparsely populated areas with no major caffeine pollution sources.” Although levels ranged from below the reporting limit of 8.5 nanograms per liter (ng/L) to 44.7 ng/L, the marine ecologists noted that “caffeine concentration did not correspond with human population density and pollution source.” “Our hypothesis from these results is that the bigger source of contamination here is probably on-site waste disposal,” said one of the study’s authors. “Wastewater treatment plants, for the most part, have to do with regular…
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A recent study has reportedly concluded that a New York City regulation restricting the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil by all food service establishments “was associated with a substantial and statistically significant decrease in the trans fat content of purchases at fast-food chains, without a commensurate increase in saturated fat.” Sonia Angell, et al., “Change in Trans Fatty Acid Content of Fast-Food Purchases Associated with New York City’s Restaurant Regulation,” Annals of Internal Medicine, July 2012. Funded by New York City and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Eating Research Program, researchers between 2007 and 2009 conducted a cross-sectional study matching purchase receipts with available nutrition information and consumer surveys at 168 randomly selected locations of 11 fast-food chains. Compared with data gathered before the trans fat restrictions took effect, the information collected after the regulation’s implementation allegedly demonstrated “an associated large and probably clinically meaningful reduction in the…
A nutritionist who published a study about the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has objected to Dean Foods Co.’s decision to cite her work in marketing the health benefits of its Horizon organic milk fortified with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Penn State University Professor Penny Kris-Etherton apparently took issue with Horizon milk labels that used her paper to support a claim that “many Americans don’t get the recommended DHA from their everyday diet.” According to Kris-Etherton, however, her research did not establish an optimum level of DHA consumption for the average consumer. “It’s not right—it’s inaccurate,” she was quoted as saying. “It’s a marketing strategy to sell more of their milk.” Kris-Etherton’s concerns have evidently led Whole Foods Market Inc. to review its policy on DHA health claims and Dean Foods to consider voluntarily withdrawing the citation. “It’s appropriate to use published scientific studies…
Seeking to represent everyone who purchased a mahi mahi dish in Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grills throughout California, four Los Angeles County residents have filed suit alleging that the menu items do not contain mahi mahi fish as advertised. Chenier v. Sharky’s Franchise Group, LLC, No. 30-2012-00587784 (Cal. Super. Ct., filed July 31, 2012). The plaintiffs claim that they would not have purchased the products had they known the products were not made with mahi mahi. They allege violations of the California Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act, negligent and intentional misrepresentation, and breach of express warranty, and seek disgorgement, restitution, public disclosure, injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and costs.
Daniele International, Inc. has requested that a federal court in Rhode Island enter a $33.1 million default judgment against a spice and seasonings company that allegedly supplied the Salmonella-tainted pepper which resulted in a recall of more than 1.2 million pounds of salami products in 2010. Daniele Int’l, Inc. v. Wholesome Spice & Seasonings, Inc., No. 10-1558 (D.R.I., motion filed July 30, 2012). The defendant has purportedly failed to respond to the complaint or to Daniele’s motion for entry of default. The plaintiff contends that its damages totaled $33,181,174.
University of Melbourne researchers have reportedly demonstrated that viruses from two live-attenuated poultry vaccines have combined in the field to produce new infectious viruses “responsible for widespread disease in Australian commercial poultry flocks.” Sang-Won Lee, et al., “Attenuated Vaccines Can Recombine to Form Virulent Field Viruses,” Science, July 2012. According to a July 13, 2012, press release, two vaccines used simultaneously in chickens to control laryngotracheitis (ILT), an acute respiratory disease, apparently produced two new recombinant viruses that scientists then identified using whole-genome sequencing. Previous studies had apparently suggested that such recombination could happen under laboratory conditions but was unlikely in field settings. “We alerted the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to our findings and they are now working closely with our research team, vaccine registrants and the poultry industry to determine both short and long term regulatory actions,” a study co-author was quoted as saying. “Short-term measures include…
The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources will hold a teleconference on July 31, 2012, titled “California’s Proposed GM Food Labeling Law: Pros, Cons, and Legal Issues.” A panel of speakers, including the Center for Food Safety’s George Kimbrell and the Global Environmental Ethics Counsel’s Thomas Redick, will consider the latest information on this ballot proposal, the current status of genetically modified (GM) food labeling laws elsewhere and information about pending federal initiatives relating to the labeling of biotech food products. See The U.S. Agricultural & Food Law & Policy Blog, July 12, 2012.
According to news sources, human-services authorities in Victoria have sought protection for extremely obese children on at least two occasions in 2012, arguing to children’s court magistrates that they would be unable to lose weight in their parents’ care. One case reportedly involved a preteen boy who weighed more than 240 pounds and a teenage girl with a 66½-inch waist that was greater than her height; she had apparently gained 66 pounds over 18 months. The public is divided about whether weight management is an appropriate reason for removing children from their homes, and at least one obesity expert, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Associate Professor John Dixon, suggested that more cases like this can be expected. Dixon said that removal can be the best option in some cases, although he acknowledged that obesity “can be the result of a whole range of environmental issues, the food, the lack of…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has sent a July 18, 2012, letter to the chief executive officer of DreamWorks Animation SKG, criticizing the studio’s decision to license its popular film characters to food companies. Focusing on the recent film Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, the consumer group cited tie-ins “with multiple companies and retailers” that allegedly market food products to children, but singled out DreamWorks’ partnership with Snyder’s-Lance, Inc. as particularly problematic because the snack manufacturer is not currently a member of the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). “DreamWorks characters from Madagascar 3 are depicted on the packages of Nekot Cookies and Sandwich Crackers, which are of poor nutritional value,” alleges CSPI, which has also called on Snyder’s-Lance to apply nutrition standards “to 100% of the company’s marketing, not only via television, print, radio, Internet, and mobile devices, but…
Suggesting that soft drinks are associated with “addictive mechanisms,” a coalition of nearly 100 federal, state and local public health organizations and individuals have added their voices to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s, urging the U.S. Surgeon General to “prepare a Report on the health effects of sugary drinks and to issue a Call to Action so spur national efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption.” Further details on the Network’s letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appear in Issue 446 of this Update. Citing risks to young people’s health and national security interests, the latest correspondence claims that sugary drinks “have become a routine, daily beverage for tens of millions of Americans” and they are “aggressively marketed, especially to young consumers and minorities, in both traditional and digital media, and in event sponsorships.” The July 19, 2012, letter suggests that a Surgeon…
