According to news sources, the Codex Alimentarius Commission concluded its meeting in Geneva by reaching an agreement on labeling foods that contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients. While the guidance is not mandatory, it would allow countries to label GM foods without risking a legal challenge before the World Trade Organization. National laws based on Codex guidance or standards cannot apparently be challenged as trade barriers. The matter has been debated before the commission, which consists of food safety regulatory agencies and organizations from around the world, for some two decades. Consumer interest organizations were apparently pleased with the agreement, but had urged the commission to adopt mandatory labeling. Still, a Consumers Union scientist reportedly said, “We are particularly pleased that the new guidance recognizes that GM labeling is justified as a tool for post-market monitoring. This is one of the key reasons we want all GM foods to be required…
Category Archives Global
Chinese authorities have reportedly seized more than 25 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder from Chongqing-based Jixida Food Co. Ltd., detaining three suspects on allegations that the company planned to use the adulterated ingredient in its ice cream. Found in a warehouse, the contaminated stock evidently included some powder purchased approximately one year ago, although officials claimed that none had been used in ice cream production. According to media sources, investigators have traced the milk powder to a trading company in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and a dairy in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The arrests were apparently part of a 100-day food safety campaign organized by the Chongqing police. In 2008, China faced a widespread scandal involving melamine-tainted milk and infant formula that affected an estimated 300,000 people. See The Associated Press and Global Times, April 27, 2011.
Mexico has reportedly approved its first pilot program to grow genetically modified (GM) corn. Noting that “it is necessary to advance the use of biotechnology to reduce imports and promote national production,” the Ministry of Agriculture approved the planting of GM yellow corn on approximately 2.5 acres in the northern state of Tamaulipas. Since 2009 when it began allowing GM corn on small experimental fields, the Mexican government has evidently received 121 requests for permits and allowed approximately 170 acres. According to the ministry, a pilot program is granted after an experimental field has been deemed safe by government inspectors. Although large commercial farms in northern Mexico have welcomed the GM corn to compete with U.S. imports, smaller farms in southern Mexico have expressed concern that the biotech crops could contaminate native red, blue and yellow corn varieties. See Reuters, March 8, 2011.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has finalized a new standard that apparently establishes parameters for monitoring the concentration, size and size-distribution of nanoscale particles in an inhalation chamber as part of an effort to assess their potential toxicity. ISO 10808-2010, titled “Nanotechnologies—Characterization of nanoparticles in inhalation exposure chambers for inhalation toxicity testing,” reportedly establishes a battery of tests that will help researchers learn about potential effects of nanoparticles on human health and the environment. ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 229, Nanotechnologies, developed the standard, and its Chair Peter Hatto was quoted as saying, “Traditional methods used in other areas are considered insufficient for testing nanoparticles since parameters specific to them like particle surface area or number, might be crucial determinants of toxicity.” He called the test an “important asset to the industry.” See Nanowerk, January 26, 2011.
According to a press report, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that heads of state convening at the United Nations (U.N.), September 19-20, 2011, will use the U.N. General Assembly meeting to discuss restrictions on advertising foods of poor nutritional quality to children. WHO estimates that 43 million preschool children worldwide are overweight or obese, and some refer to the problem as a “fat tsunami,” responsible for millions of premature deaths annually. Norwegian Directorate of Health representative Bjorn-Inge Larsen reportedly indicated that he expects voluntary restrictions on junk food advertising to be adopted as laws that will ultimately ban the practice, similar to the way tobacco was addressed. See The Associated Press, January 21, 2011.
According to a news source, senators representing the Independent and Australian Greens parties have introduced legislation that would require food products to be labeled if they contain genetically modified (GM) material, regardless of amount or how it came to be incorporated in the product. The “Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling—Genetically Modified Material) Bill 2010” would require Food Standards Australia New Zealand to develop labeling standards and establish due diligence guidelines for products claiming to be GM free. Debate on the proposal was adjourned. Senator Nick Xenophon (I) said on introducing the bill, “Not enough Australians seem to realize the implications that the rapid introduction of genetically modified materials may have on our health and potentially on our ability to produce safe foods and foods free from GM contamination. Truth in labeling is vital to enable Australian consumers to have an informed choice about the food they eat and the…
An international panel of experts has identified food as “by far the main source of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure,” although levels of chemical in the human body are “very low” and quickly eliminated through urine. The World Health Organization (WHO) and U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) announced the findings after more than 30 experts convened in Ottawa, Canada, to review the latest scientific data on BPA. The panel apparently concluded that BPA migrates into food from food packaging, such as plastic containers, baby bottles and coated food cans. Other BPA sources–including house dust, soil, toys, dental treatments, and thermal cash register receipts–are “of minor relevance,” according to a November 9, 2010, joint WHO/FAO press release. The panel reportedly noted, however, that “it is difficult to interpret the relevance” of recent scientific studies that have associated BPA exposure with adverse health effects, warning that “[u]ntil these associations can be confirmed,…
The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency has reportedly unveiled draft guidelines that would ask food manufacturers to voluntarily disclose the trans fat content of their products. Intending to finalize the guidelines by the end of 2010, the agency has called for labeling that indicates the amount of trans fat per 100 grams or per meal. The guidelines not only reflect the mandatory measures taken by other countries, but apparently aim to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. According to The Japan Times, “The agency is also considering legislation to make these kinds of food labeling mandatory.” See The Japan Times, October 9, 2010.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization will hold expert and stakeholder meetings to discuss bisphenol A (BPA) on November 1-5, 2010, in Ottawa, Canada. Supported by the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the November 2-5 expert meeting will address the toxicological and health aspects of BPA, assess its safety, and consider alternatives to the ubiquitous plasticizer. The November 1 stakeholder meeting will provide an opportunity for interested parties to present their views on specific questions, which will also be considered during the expert session. The main topics slated for discussion include (i) “General chemistry of BPA and analytical methods for detection in food”; (ii) “Occurrence of BPA in the diet, including studies on migration of BPA from food contact material”; (iii) “Metabolism and toxicokinetic studies of BPA”; (iv) “Toxicity of BPA…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavorings, and processing aids has released its latest risk assessment for bisphenol A, concluding that there was not any “new evidence which would lead them to revise the current Tolerable Daily Intake [TDI] for BPA of 0.05 mg/kg body weight set . . . in its 2006 opinion and re-confirmed in its 2008 opinion.” The CEF panel undertook the reassessment at the request of the European Commission, which directed scientists to (i) decide on the basis of recent literature whether to update the TDI; (ii) “assess a new study on possible neurodevelopmental effects”; and (iii) advise on a risk assessment made by the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark. Although one minority opinion evidently raised questions about “adverse health effects below the level used to determine the current TDI,” panel members agreed on shortcomings in…
