Whole Foods Market has begun selling rabbit meat at select stores nationwide, and rabbit advocacy groups have planned protests in response. In a May 2014 press release, Whole Foods announced its plan to sell rabbit meat raised according to its animal-welfare standards, including the requirements that the rabbits have “continuous access to drinking water, feed, roughage, gnawing blocks, tunnels and places for seclusion” as well as treatment for injuries. Unsatisfied, the House Rabbit Society has planned a day of action for August 17, 2014, encouraging participants to “politely talk to Whole Foods customers about the company’s decision to sell rabbit meat” with the goal of generating comment cards critical of the new policy. Whole Foods said it introduced rabbit meat in response to customer demand, and a spokesperson told Huffington Post that it is “sensitive to the companion animal issue.” Considering the rise in popularity of rabbit meat at restaurants,…
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A recent Trends in Biotechnology review highlighting “genetically edited organisms” (GEOs) has reportedly suggested that new techniques designed to tweak the existing genome could gain greater public acceptance than older methods, which traditionally use plant bacteria to insert foreign genetic material into fruit and vegetables. According to an August 13, 2014, Cell Press news release, the review co-authored by Istituto Agrario San Michele researcher Chidananda Nagamangala Kanchiswamy also raises questions about how regulators will classify crops that possess genomes edited to optimize nutrition or longevity. “The researchers say that genetically edited plants, modified through the insertion, deletion, or altering of existing genes of interest, might even be deemed as nongenetically modified, depending on the interpretation of the EU commission and member state regulators,” notes Cell Press. In particular, these new tools could overcome legal barriers in countries slow to adopt genetically modified organisms (GMOs). “We would like people to understand…
Crickets and other edible insects may be poised for widespread popularity, according to recent New York Times and NPR stories. Cricket flour—pulverized crickets in powder form—offers several nutritional benefits to consumers, including high levels of protein. The flour is gluten-free and compatible with the Paleo Diet, which eschews carbohydrates in favor of meat and vegetables, and cricket flour production is more environmentally friendly and sustainable than other forms of protein production, proponents say. The problem, edible insect-based food producers say, is the “ick factor,” the psychological aversion to eating bugs that many Americans have. According to NPR, marketers have pursued “intelligent cutesiness” to overcome that burden and convince new customers to try insect-based foods, including attempts to rebrand locusts as “sky prawns” to assuage consumer fears. “It tastes like dark toast,” as one investor described cricket flour to The New York Times. Another first-time customer praised her bite of a…
In response to recent sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has prohibited food imports from the United States, European Union, Australia, Norway, and Canada. The ban extends to meat, fish, produce, and milk products and will remain in place for one year. Although alcohol was not included in the announced food import bans, the Russian consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, has reportedly threatened to prohibit the import of Kentucky Gentleman bourbon, citing potential carcinogens. In July 2014, Russia banned the import of soy products, cornmeal, dairy products, and canned foods from Ukraine and most fruit and vegetables from Poland. Some Russians have been critical of the ban and its projected effects on the Russian food supply. “[L]iterally every [Russian] family will be affected,” Yevsey Gurvich, head of Russian company Economic Expert Group, told The Washington Post. Russian bans of food imports have frequently coincided with their political tensions. Information…
A recent Nature editorial warns that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) reluctance to approve genetically-modified (GM) salmon for market could hinder future research into new gene-editing techniques. Titled “Fishy Business,” the article claims that even though a draft assessment found AquaBounty Technologies’ GM salmon “environmentally benign,” FDA conducted many of its deliberations “behind closed doors, fuelling confusion as to the cause of the setbacks, and rumors of political interference.” “As the delays have dragged on, the technology used to make AquaBounty’s salmon has become outdated,” explains the editorial. “In the current excitement over targeted gene editing that allows researchers to modify individual genes without leaving traces of foreign DNA, AquaBounty’s salmon—which contain a gene from another species—seem like a relic.” Meanwhile, FDA has yet to decide “how it will evaluate animals engineered with gene-editing techniques.” Raising questions about how these new products will fare under FDA’s oversight, the…
Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler has authored a perspective article in the July 17, 2014, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, arguing that the agency’s proposed revisions to the Nutrition Facts panel “don’t go far enough.” While praising the first amendments to the panel since its launch in 1997, the article claims that the proposed changes not only stop short of specifying a Daily Value for added sugar but fail to consider a product’s overall nutritional value. Additional details about FDA’s proposed labeling revisions appear in Issue 515 of this Update. “There is nothing in the new framework that actively encourages consumers to purchase food rich in the fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are rightfully considered ‘real food,’” explains Kessler. “Instead, the focus is on specific nutrients—an emphasis that gives food companies an incentive to fortify their products so they can make claims such…
The Food Marketing Workgroup (FMW) has sent a July 16, 2014, letter to Kraft Foods Group, Inc., questioning how the company purportedly markets its Lunchables product line to children. Signed by Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity Director of Marketing Initiatives Jennifer Harris and Center for Science in the Public Interest Director of Nutrition Policy Margo Wootan, the letter cites a recent Rudd Center report alleging that just five out of 42 Lunchables meet nutrition standards under the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). In particular, FMW claims that even though Kraft restricts its child-directed advertising to only those products that comply with CFBAI, the use of sweepstakes offers, in-store displays and other tactics could still contravene industry guidelines. “In the supermarket, less nutritious versions of Lunchables outnumber the healthier ones by six to one, and the healthier varieties are most likely to be stocked on the top…
The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted a resolution pressing the federal government to prohibit the use of antibiotics in farm feed for the purpose of growth promotion in response to the rapid development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. David Wallinga, a physician on the Keep Antibiotics Working steering committee, said that overuse of antibiotics has driven resistant bacteria to develop more quickly, and “[a]s much as 70 percent of the use in agriculture is unnecessary or overuse.” Replacing a previous policy that discouraged the use of anti-microbials for non-therapeutic use in agriculture, Resolution 513 states that the AMA will (i) “support federal efforts to ban antibiotic use in food-producing animals for growth promotion purposes, including through regulatory and legislative measures”; (ii) “support a strong federal requirement that antibiotic prescriptions for animals be overseen by a veterinarian”; and (iii) “support efforts to expand [Food and Drug Administration] surveillance and data collection of…
A Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) report examining the sodium contents of popular restaurant meals has urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set “reasonable limits on the amounts of sodium that can be used in various categories of food.” Although the 17 restaurant chains under review reduced sodium in their menu items by an average of 6 percent between 2009 and 2013, the consumer group singled out some companies for allegedly increasing sodium in the sample meals analyzed for the report. In particular, the report names the top 10 “saltiest meals in America” for both adults and children, noting that “79 percent of the 81 adult meals in the study still contained more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium,” with some meals topping out at 5,000 mg of sodium. “For far too long, the FDA has relied on a voluntary, wait-and-see approach when it comes…
The Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy has published a report describing how companies with an interest in promoting sugar consumption have hidden scientific evidence that reportedly reveals sugar to be a serious health threat. Goldman et al., “Added Sugar, Subtracted Science: How Industry Obscures Science and Undermines Public Health Policy on Sugar,” June 2014. Likening sugar interests to the tobacco industry, the report accuses companies of (i) attacking science, including burying data and threatening funding to the World Health Organization; (ii) spreading misinformation through research institutes, trade associations and front groups; (iii) deploying industry scientists to conduct studies and participate in scientific discussions; (iv) influencing academia by paying academic scientists to persuade other scientists of their positions; and (v) undermining policy through lobbying and supporting political candidates. The report urges the media to call out sugar interests’ misrepresentations of science and encourages scientists to disclose all…
