The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has published an August 2013 report that seeks to provide guidance to federal, state and local groups “for systematic and routine planning, implementation, and evaluation of the advancement of obesity prevention efforts.” Titled Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress, the latest effort complements the specific goals and strategies outlined in a 2012 report funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation as part of IOM’s Weight of the NationTM campaign. To this end, it offers frameworks for national, state and community-level obesity evaluation plans that address “aspects of data collection and infrastructure systems, capacity for conducting evaluations, and feedback mechanisms for the data collected,” among other things. In particular, the report identifies 83 indicators for evaluation, including overarching indicators that “focus on obesity, overweight, and weight status for evaluating the combined effect of the full system of the goals and strategies outlined…
Category Archives Other Developments
A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has faulted the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) process for declaring food additives “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), citing alleged financial conflicts of interest among those chosen by companies to verify the safety of new additives. Thomas Neltner, et al., “Conflicts of Interest in Approvals of Additives to Food Determined to Be Generally Recognized as Safe: Out of Balance,” JAMA Internal Medicine, August 2013. Led by Thomas Neltner, director of the Pew Health Group’s Food Additive Project, researchers used the Institute of Medicine’s conflict of interest criteria to analyze “451 GRAS notifications voluntarily submitted to FDA between 1997 and 2012.” In particular, they sought to determine (i) “the likelihood that a decision by an individual making a [GRAS] determination would be unduly influenced by the financial interests of a manufacturer of an additive,” and (ii) “the seriousness of possible harm if a GRAS…
Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity has announced researcher Marlene Schwartz as its next director following the departure of Kelly Brownell for Duke University’s Sanford School. According to a July 19, 2013, press release, Schwartz previously served as co-director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, where she studied “how children’s diets and health are influenced by home, school, and community environments,” as well as the impact of local, state and federal policies on nutrition. “Right now, we live in a world where it is difficult for parents to feed their children well, and people are discriminated against based on body size and weight. This must change,” said Schwartz, whose work received support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and Horizon Foun- dation. “At the Rudd Center, we are working to create a world that supports parents’ efforts to…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has asked Dannon to stop using carmine—a dye reportedly derived from the dried, crushed bodies of cochineal insects—to fruit-flavored yogurt to give it a pink color. According to the advocacy watchdog, Dannon’s practice not only cheats consumers, “who might expect that the named fruits—and not the unnamed creepy crawlies— are providing the color,” but also puts consumers at risk because it has been linked to allergic reactions ranging from hives to anaphylactic shock. See CSPI News Release, July 24, 2013.
Former basketball star Shaquille O’Neal reportedly plans to endorse a new line of “low calorie sodas” that critics say promote obesity and other health problems. The Soda Shaq line is manufactured by AriZona beverages and will be distributed by convenience retailer 7-Eleven at stores nationwide. A press release announcing the product states that Soda Shaq contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, is made with pure cane sugar and contains only 90 calories per serving, allowing fans to “satisfy their sweet tooth without the guilt from the very first clean and refreshing sip.” Consumer advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), however, claims that each 24-ounce can of Soda Shaq contains three servings, or 270 calories, and 17 teaspoons of sugar per can. “Despite the implausible assertion on the label that the non-resealable vessel contains three servings, a single can of Soda Shaq cream soda contains…
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) has announced that the Australian Advertising Standards Board (ASB) has upheld its complaints alleging that TV commercials for Kellogg Co.’s LCM® cereal bars violated the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative (RCMI). According to OPC, the two advertisements in question were directed primarily toward children but failed to promote “a healthy dietary choice consistent with established scientific or Australian government standards,” healthy dietary habits or physical activity. In upholding the two complaints, ASB disagreed with Kellogg’s claims that the commercials were not aired during programming “where the proportion of children under 12 years of age is below 25 percent,” ruling instead that LCM® products “do not meet the Kellogg Global Nutrient Criteria for a healthier dietary choice” and therefore are “not permitted to be advertised to children under 12.” The board also found that although the commercials did not violate any provisions of the Australian Association of…
Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has published a paper criticizing the use of food and beverage advertising on websites directed at children. A.E. Ustjanauskas, et al., “Food and beverage advertising on children’s web sites,” Pediatric Obesity, July 2013. Using data provided by comScore, researchers evaluated a total of 3.4 billion food and beverage advertisements shown over a one-year period on 72 popular children’s sites, including Nick.com, NeoPets.com and CartoonNetwork.com. Of the 254 different food products advertised, cereals apparently accounted for 45 percent of ad impressions, followed by fast food restaurants (19 percent) and prepared foods and meals (8 percent). The study singled out companies committed to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), reporting that signatories were responsible for 89 percent of all food and beverage advertisements on children’s sites. In particular, the authors claimed that CFBAI companies “placed 320 million impressions for brands not…
According to a news source, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has become involved in the search for the person or persons responsible for the destruction of genetically modified (GM) sugar beet crops in southern Oregon. The purported “economic sabotage” occurred in different fields during two nights in June 2013 and resulted in the loss of some 6,500 plants. Oregonians for Food and Shelter has reportedly offered $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. The state Department of Agriculture secretary said that to her knowledge “this is the first time someone has deliberately taken the cowardly step of uprooting high value plants growing in our state. Regardless of how one feels about biotechnology, there is no justification for committing these crimes.” See Ag Professional, June 24, 2013.
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) recently announced that the Australian Advertising Standards Board (ASB) has upheld its complaint alleging that a TV commercial for Kellogg Co.’s Coco Pops® cereal violated the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative (RCMI). According to ASB’s case report, the advertisement under review featured a bowl of Coco Pops® playing “Marco Polo” in a cereal bowl, followed by an image of a child consuming the product and a voiceover stating, “Just like a chocolate milkshake only crunchy.” OPC claimed that this commercial violated RCMI by (i) communicating directly with children, (ii) advertising a product that does not “represent a healthy dietary choice consistent with established scientific or Australian government standards,” and (iii) failing to promote “healthy dietary habits or physical activity.” In particular, the coalition argued that the commercial not only imitated children’s voices and behavior in a bid to appeal “overwhelmingly to children,” but was broadcast during…
Alcohol Concern, a U.K. charity “working on alcohol issues,” has issued a report titled “Stick to the Facts” that claims “[a]dvertisers exploit weak rules to develop content that appeals to both adults and young people. Audience thresholds limiting the percentage of minors insufficiently shield those underage. Children and young people in the UK aged 10-15 years are today exposed to significantly more alcohol adverts than adults than would be expected, given their viewership patterns.” The report also claims that self-regulation, particularly as to digital and online content, “is failing to adequately protect children and young people.” Among other matters, the charity calls on policymakers to prohibit alcohol company sponsorship of sporting, cultural and music events, including branded merchandise, restrict advertising at cinemas for all films without an 18 classification, and regulate alcohol promotion by statute, independent of the alcohol and advertising industries.
