The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned consumers to avoid eating all pistachio and pistachio-containing products after a California-based processor issued a voluntary recall for its entire 2008 crop due to suspected Salmonella contamination. Meanwhile, the agency has praised Kraft Foods Inc. for demonstrating how the country should handle food safety issues. Kraft voluntarily notified FDA after one of its suppliers, Georgia Nut Co., discovered Salmonella on its pistachios during routine testing and traced the tainted products to Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc, the nation’s second-largest pistachio processor. “You can call it a fluke, you can call it good luck, or you can call it good judgment on the part of Kraft,” David Acheson, FDA’s associate commissioner on food safety, was quoted as saying. “They’re not required to tell us. They did and we’re moving on it.” See Foodproductiondaily.com, March 31 and April 3, 2009; The Associated Press, April 2,…
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated its news information services by establishing RSS feeds and Twitter accounts for some of its major divisions, including the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) and Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). The department has joined several other government agencies in revamping its media outreach efforts, responding in part to the availability of new social networking sites in which a wide spectrum of consumers, interested citizens and industry stakeholders are participating. In what the White House web blog has described as “a smart match,” FSIS has thus far used its Twitter account to “tweet” about recalled products, the importance of food safety precautions during natural disasters and newly available resources. See Meatingplace.com, March 30, 2009.
The Agricultural Research Service has requested nominations for individuals to serve two-year terms on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture. The committee is charged with examining the long-term impacts of biotechnology on the U.S. food and agriculture system. A minimum of 12 committee slots need to be filled, including the chairperson’s. Written nominations must be received by fax or postmarked on or before April 29, 2009. See Federal Register, March 30, 2009.
According to a news source, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has elected not to change its position on the deregulation of genetically modified (GM) sugar beets. The Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice apparently requested that USDA reconsider its deregulation decision pertaining to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready® sugar beets, and the agency’s lawyers apparently chose to “stand by” its decision. Center for Food Safety lawyer Zelig Golden was quoted as saying, “This certainly is not the ‘change’ the Obama administration promised. We’re very disappointed that the USDA and Secretary [Tom] Vilsack did not take this important opportunity to reverse the Bush administration’s flawed position on [genetically modified organisms], and take steps to safeguard public health, environment and farmers’ livelihoods.” Critics of GM crops are particularly concerned about the contamination of non-GM and organic crops. See Foodnavigator-USA.com, April 1, 2009.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have reportedly found that “liquid calorie intake had a stronger impact on weight than solid calorie intake.” Liwei Chen, et al, “Reduction in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight loss: the PREMIER trial,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2009. According to an April 2, 2009, press release, the study focused on 810 adults ages 25 to 79 enrolled in the PREMIER trial, an 18-month, randomized, controlled, behavioral intervention. Using unannounced phone interviews to track dietary habits, researchers found that sugar-sweetened beverage accounted for 37 percent of all liquid calories consumed by participants. The authors apparently speculated that although the body can regulate its intake of solid food, it is unable to similarly manage liquid calories. “Among beverages, sugar-sweetened beverages was the only beverage type significantly associated with weight change at both the 6- and 18-month follow up,” lead…
The CBC Radio program "Quirks and Quarks" recently featured the efforts of nonprofit research organization New Harvest to engineer meat cultures on a large scale for human consumption. Co-founded by doctoral student Jason Matheny of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, New Harvest harbors “the long-term goal of delivering economically competitive alternatives to conventional meat production” that are “safer, more nutritious, less polluting, and more humane.” CBC host Bob McDonald highlighted the research in his roundup of “Nine-and-Half Technologies That Could Change the World,” which also lauded developments in sustainable agriculture and clean water accessibility. See Cbc.ca, March 28, 2009. Meanwhile, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is currently holding a $1 million contest for the first firm to produce in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public by June 30, 2012. The winning contestant must submit an entry with “a taste and texture…
This article comprehensively summarizes the events and proceedings that led Whole Foods Market, Inc. to agree in March 2009 to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that its merger with Wild Oats Markets, Inc. violated antitrust laws. According to freelance journalist Jenna Greene, the two-year fight ultimately cost Whole Foods $28 million and resulted in a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision “that some fear will make it too easy for the FTC to effectively block future mergers.” She quotes an unnamed antitrust expert who opined, “so long as their lawyers don’t get up there and fall asleep at the podium,” the FTC will win is merger challenges. Apparently, a week after the Whole Foods settlement, a $1.4 billion merger between CCC Holdings and Mitchell International collapsed after it was enjoined by a federal district judge who cited the new Whole Foods standard.
In response to a shareholder resolution, McDonald’s Corp. this week reportedly agreed to take preliminary steps to reduce pesticide use in its domestic potato supply. According to a news source, the fast-food chain will survey its U.S. potato suppliers, compile a list of best practices in pesticide-use reduction and recommend those practices to global suppliers. The results, to be shared with investors, will be included in the company’s annual corporate social responsibility report. McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of potatoes in the United States and said in a statement that the process would support ongoing efforts to make its supply chain sustainable. “Our U.S. potato suppliers are already working with their growers to advance sustainable pesticide practices, such as reductions and alternative methods.” See Reuters.com, March 31, 2009.
Food & Water Watch has called on supporters to tell the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they do not want milk protein concentrates (MPCs) in their dairy products. According to the advocacy group, unregulated imports of inexpensive MPCs “are driving down the price of domestically produced milk and putting American dairy farmers out of business.” Food & Water Watch also claims, “No one in the government is checking to make sure that they’re safe to eat, and now FDA is thinking about letting them be used to make yogurt.” FDA is apparently considering an industry proposal to change yogurt’s “standard of identity” to allow the use of MPCs. The organization explains in its call for action how MPCs are created and then used as an additive in processed cheeses, frozen dairy desserts, crackers, and energy bars. While most MPCs used in the United States are apparently imported, “MPCs have…
A recent National Cancer Institute (NCI) study has concluded that consumption of red and processed meat modestly raises the risk of death from all causes, including heart disease and cancer. Rashmi Sinha, et al., “Meat Intake and Mortality: A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People,” Archives of Internal Medicine, March 23, 2009. In one of the largest studies of its kind, NCI researchers examined dietary and lifestyle questionnaires submitted by more than 500,000 people ages 50 to 71. During 10 follow-up years in which 47,976 men and 23,276 women died, the group that reported eating the most red meat had the higher risk of death overall, death from heart disease and death from cancer, than the people who ate the least amount of red meat. “Red and processed meat intakes were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality,” the study concludes. “In…
