A coalition of consumer groups led by the Center for Digital Democracy, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and Center for Science in the Public Interest have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), alleging that Google’s YouTube Kids application mixes “advertising and programming in ways that deceive young children, who, unlike adults, lack the cognitive ability to distinguish between the two.” According to the April 7, 2015, press release, the groups also claim that the app promotes several “branded channels” for fast-food and toy companies, as well as “user-generated segments” “that feature toys, candy and other products without disclosing the business relationships that many of the producers of these videos have with the manufacturers of the products, a likely violation of the FTC’s Endorsement Guidelines.” Filed on behalf of these consumer groups by Georgetown Law’s Institute for Public Representation, the complaint asks FTC to investigate whether the…
Category Archives Legislation, Regulations and Standards
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host a public workshop titled “FDA Science Forum 2015” on May 27-28 in Silver Spring, Maryland. The focus of the event will be highlighting science conducted at FDA, the role that research plays in informing regulatory decision making and providing a forum for collaborations with external organizations. The agency’s eight Regulatory Science priority areas include (i) ensuring FDA’s readiness to evaluate innovative emerging technologies, (ii) implementing a prevention-focused food safety system and (iii) strengthening social and behavioral science to help consumers and professionals make informed decisions about regulated products. Registration information is available on FDA’s website. See Federal Register, April 9, 2015. Issue 561
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has scheduled a public meeting of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) for May 5, 2015, in Bethesda, Maryland. Topics of discussion at the meeting will reportedly include (i) NSABB’s proposed framework for guiding risk and benefit assessments of gain-of-function (GOF) studies involving pathogens and toxins deemed to have pandemic potential; (ii) the process of conducting the risk and benefit assessments; and (iii) the board’s future deliberations on the GOF issue. Information about registration, webcast access and submitting comments is available on the National Institutes of Health website. See Federal Register, April 8, 2015. Issue 561
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) officially launched on April 1, 2015, assuming responsibilities previously overseen by the U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA). FSS was established under the Food (Scotland) Act 2015 as a non-ministerial office, “part of the Scottish Administration, alongside, but separate from the Scottish Government.” “This is a great day for the Scottish consumer and for Scotland’s food and drink sector,” Public Health Minister Maureen Watt was quoted as saying. “We now have a new food body that is uniquely placed to focus on our own particular needs and priorities.” See FSS News Release, April 1, 2015.
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has extended the comment period about whether styrene meets the criteria for authoritative bodies listings under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop. 65) until April 29, 2015. OEHHA announced its intent to list styrene as a chemical known to the state to cause cancer under the authoritative bodies listing mechanism of Prop. 65 on February 27. Styrene is used in the manufacture of various consumer products, including polystyrene packaging, synthetic rubber and food containers. Two previous attempts to list styrene as known to cause cancer under Prop. 65’s Labor Code listing mechanism failed. The agency’s latest attempt relies on findings in the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP’s) 2011 Report on Carcinogens which concluded that styrene is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on studies showing that inhalation and oral exposure to the chemical…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a docket for comments related to the agency’s implementation of food safety standards mandated under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA) and announced an April 23-24, 2015, public meeting in Washington, D.C., to solicit input about operational work plans. Operational work plan discussions will focus on produce safety, preventive controls for animal feed and food manufacturing facilities, measures to address intentional adulteration, the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, and FDA’s third-party accreditation program. Meeting participants will also have the opportunity to attend various break-out sessions on particular topics. Registration information is available on FDA’s website, and stakeholders may submit written or electronic comments to the docket by May 26. See Federal Register, March 24, 2015. Issue 560
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reportedly concluded that “[t]here is no evidence that the Ebola virus can be transmitted through food in the European Union.” At the request of the European Commission, EFSA issued a scientific report detailing the risk pathway for the transmission of Zaïre Ebola virus (ZEBOV) via imported food consumed in the European Union. Although the report emphasizes that ZEBOV infections linked to the EU food chain have never been documented, it notes the gaps in scientific research stemming from the unlikelihood of this event. “Due to lack of data and knowledge, which results in very high uncertainty, it is not possible to quantify the risk of foodborne transmission of ZEBOV derived from the consumption of these imported foods, or in fact whether or not this mode of transmission could occur at all,” states EFSA. “The overall conclusions of both approaches are consistent and suggest…
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
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
