The Chinese Ministry of Health has apparently announced an investigation into claims linking infant formula manufactured by Synutra International, Inc., to early onset puberty. According to state-run media, the ministry has assembled a panel of nine experts to examine whether the formula caused three infants ages 4 to 15 months to develop prematurely. The group will work with local authorities in Hubei Province to test milk powder samples taken from the homes of the infants in question. See Xinhau News Agency, August 12, 2010. The decision came after China Daily reported that doctors identified excessive levels of two hormones, estradiol and prolactin, in the children, thus sparking public speculation about tainted formula. Synutra, however, has since joined its milk powder supplier, New Zealand based Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd., in denying the rumors, which have noted that both companies were caught up in a 2008 scandal over melamine-tainted dairy products. As Synutra…
Category Archives Global
Mexican health officials have reportedly unveiled stringent guidelines that would prohibit the sale of processed or fried foods on school grounds. According to media sources, the regulations would ban soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages along with more traditional fare such as meat tortas, tamarind candy and atole, unless they were reformulated to meet nutritional guidelines. The school vendors and cooperatives that often function in lieu of cafeterias would be limited to serving low-calorie food and beverages such as bottled water, low-fat milk and 100 percent fruit juices. Meanwhile, Secretary of Public Education Alonso Lujambio has also pledged to incentivize healthier fare at the food stalls outside schools at closing time. If approved by the Federal Regulatory Improvement Commission, the rules will take effect for 220,000 public and private schools in August 2010. See The Guardian, Secretaría de Salud Press Release and The Associated Press, May 27, 2010.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published an action plan to address concerns over bisphenol A (BPA), which has purportedly “caused reproductive and developmental effects in animal studies and may also affect the endocrine system.” Intended to strengthen the agency’s chemical management program, the plan focuses on the plasticizer’s environmental impact and proposes (i) adding BPA to the chemical concern list; (ii) gathering information on BPA concentrations in surface, ground and drinking water; (iii) requiring manufacturers to provide EPA with test data related to long-term effects on growth, reproduction and development in aquatic organisms and wildlife; (iv) using EPA’s Design for the Environment program to reduce unnecessary exposures and find acceptable substitutes; and (v) continuing to evaluate “the potential disproportionate impact on children and other sub-populations through exposure from non-food packaging uses.” In addition, EPA has pledged to work with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal entities to…
The United Nations (U.N.) has reportedly balked at a proposal to ban the international trade of Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, an endangered species prized by sushi aficionados. Gathered in Doha, Qatar, for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), U.N. member states voted 20-68 to reject the measure, which was supported by environmentalists but opposed by the Japanese and Canadian governments. The latter had apparently argued that regulation of the bluefin trade should fall under the jurisdiction of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat). In addition, the European nations with bluefin fishing fleets for the most part abstained from voting. Meanwhile, the United Nations and other environmental regulators have expressed disappointment with the result and questioned Iccat’s ability to effectively manage the vulnerable fisheries. EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik and Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki…
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has lifted a nine-year ban on imported beef and beef products, implementing a new policy that requires export countries to undergo a risk assessment for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). According to FSANZ, “certain beef and beef products may be imported from countries that apply and are assessed by Australian authorities as being able to demonstrate they have in place, and appropriately monitor, controls necessary to ensure that beef and beef products exported to Australia are derived from animals free of BSE.” Australian regulators will also conduct in-country inspections when warranted. The policy uses the BSE risk assessment methodology developed by the World Organization for Animal Health to determine the BSE risk status of a cattle population and to assess whether the beef and beef products from a country represent a health risk. These restrictions currently cover meat, bone and offal from cattle, bison…
The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has apparently imposed an indefinite moratorium on the commercial introduction of genetically modified (GM) eggplant, or brinjal, while the agency considers the recommendations of its Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). In announcing the decision, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh cited negative public reactions to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) brinjal, as well as the objections of state governments, unknown safety and environmental issues, and concerns about foreign influence in the domestic agricultural market. Ramesh has also called for the creation of an independent genetic engineering regulator and further research to examine “the chronic effects of Bt brinjal on human health.” As he stated in his remarks, the ministry has adopted “a cautious, precautionary principle-based approach” to Bt brinjal that “does not, in any way, mean conditional acceptance.” Meanwhile, advocacy groups have reportedly welcomed the ban, which GM Watch has hailed as “a groundbreaking victory for citizens, farmers,…
The state government of Western Australia (WA) recently announced its decisionto allow the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) canola within the region as of this year. State Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman reportedly signed the exemption order under the Genetically Modified Crops Free Areas Act of 2003, thus permitting WA farmers to grow GM canola varieties approved by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. Redman noted that, according to a government report, commercial trials have proven the feasibility of segregating GM canola “from paddock to port,” a requirement of the Act meant to preserve the state’s “markets and reputation by preventing the introduction of GM crops before adequate segregation and identity preservation systems are in place.” As WA Premier Colin Barnett stated, “This decision brings WA in line with other major grain growing states in New South Wales and Victoria, where growers have been able to grow GM canola…
In a development only recently noticed in the United States, New Zealand’s Commerce Commission took action in late 2009 against a poultry producer that claimed its chickens contained no genetically modified (GM) ingredients. According to a November 18, 2009, commission news release, Inghams Enterprises (NZ) Pty. Limited was warned that it risked breaching the Fair Trading Act by stating that its chicken products contained “No . . . GM ingredients” and “have no added hormones, GM ingredients or artificial colours,” when the company’s chickens were fed with a product that contained 13 percent GM soy. The commission based its action on a report issued by a Canterbury University genetics and molecular biology professor who concluded that “GM plant material can transfer to animals exposed to GM feeds in their diets or environment, and that there can be a residual difference in animals or animal-products as a result of exposure to GM…
In collaboration with Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have announced an October 2010 expert meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, to discuss the safety of bisphenol A (BPA), calling for data from the scientific community on any “adverse human health effects at low doses of BPA, especially on reproduction, the nervous system and on behavioral development.” Meeting participants will apparently consider the current literature on BPA toxicology and exposure, weigh available risk assessments and address any knowledge gaps in an effort to develop international guidance. The agencies are specifically requesting both published and unpublished technical information on (i) “current levels of BPA in relevant food groups”; (ii) the analytical methodologies used to detect BPA “in food and other matrices”; (iii) “BPA migration from food contact materials into food”; (iv) “dietary exposure assessments of BPA from foods and other sources”;…
The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme of Australia’s Department of Health and Ageing has released for public comment a plan to (i) eliminate a regulatory review exemption for the production of small quantities of new nanoscale materials; and (ii) establish a voluntary reporting system for manufacturers producing nanoscale chemicals. Comments must be provided no later than December 23, 2009. U.S. observers have reportedly indicated that the Australian proposal is presented in a manner that may make it a model for other countries also grappling with safety issues involving nanomaterials. See BNA Daily Environment Report, November 17, 2009. Meanwhile, new reports on purported health and environmental effects of nanoscale materials continue to be released. The November 16 issue of Cancer Research contains a study suggesting that titanium dioxide nanoparticles, found in toothpaste, food colorants, cosmetics, sunscreens, paints, and vitamins, caused genetic damage in mice. According to senior author Robert Schiestl,…
