The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has issued its “2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce,” updating “pesticide loads” on 45 conventional fruits and vegetables. EWG’s contamination rankings were derived from the organization’s review of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration data from 2000 and 2010 that detailed the amounts and types of pesticides detected on sampled produce washed and peeled before testing. Providing “Dirty Dozen™” and “Clean 15™” lists, the guide once again singles out apples as the “worst offender,” reporting that 98 percent of the fruit tested contained pesticide residues. Although they did not make the criteria as worst offenders, green beans and leafy greens such as kale and collard greens were named in EWG’s “Dirty Dozen Plus™” list because they are “commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides,” according to EWG. “These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed…
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The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and Berkeley Media Studies Group have asked Nestlé CEO Brad Alford to stop marketing limited-edition Crunch® candy bars with three Girl Scout cookie flavors. Their June 18, 2012, letter contends that the co-branding initiative “violates your pledge not to target children with marketing for candy.” The products apparently feature the Girl Scout logo, and the groups assert that this tie-in and logo “will attract the attention of and appeal to children” because Girl Scouts are children, with some “2.3 million girls, in Kindergarten through 12th grade,” participating in scout activities nationwide. “Even if the candy bar advertising is targeted towards adults, the Girl Scout’s theme is inherently appealing to children and so constitutes marketing to children,” according to the letter. The groups close with, “Marketing thematically geared towards children is marketing to children. We look forward to discussing this further with…
The American Medical Association (AMA) has reportedly championed taxes on sugar-sweetened sodas as a way to fight obesity. Although it failed to pass a policy that outright supports such a measure, the AMA recognized during its recent annual meeting that “while a number of factors contribute to the obesity epidemic, taxes on beverages with added sweeteners are one way to finance consumer education campaigns and other obesity-related programs.” To that end, the physicians group voted to adopt a policy supporting obesity-prevention education for children and teens in public schools that encourages doctors to volunteer to teach classes on causes, consequences and prevention. “I can’t tell you the number of 40-pound 1 year-olds I see every day,” pediatrician Melissa Garretson was quoted as saying. See AMA Press Release, June 20, 2012; Associated Press, June 21, 2012.
The American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates has reportedly updated its policy on genetically engineered (GE) foods, voting at its 2012 Annual Meeting to adopt a statement that supports pre-market product testing but opposes special labeling. According to media sources, AMA’s statement concludes that “there is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered foods, as a class, and that voluntary labeling is without value unless it is accompanied by focused consumer education.” At the same time, however, the association has backed “mandatory pre-market systematic safety assessments of bioengineered foods.” “The science-based labeling policies of the [Food and Drug Administration] do not support special product labeling without evidence of material differences between bioengineered foods and their traditional counterparts. The AMA adopted policy support[s] this science-based approach, recognizing that there currently is no evidence that there are material differences or safety concerns in available bioengineered foods,” explained AMA board member…
According to a news source, more than 2,300 consumer products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and food, at a pace of some 6.5 each day, were recalled in 2011. This represents a reported increase of 14 percent over recalls in 2010 and compares to about 1,500 recalls in 2007. Regulators, retailers and manufacturers are apparently concerned that the surge in product recalls will produce a recall “fatigue” that means consumers could ignore or miss a recall which puts them at risk. A Rutgers study from 2009 found that 12 percent of Americans eat food they know has been recalled and 40 percent admit never looking for recalled products in their homes. Some retailers, such as Costco, that have mechanisms to automatically notify members who have purchased recalled products, have opined that the national recall system would be more effective if a single, uniform network were in place instead of the varying recall…
The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) has issued a June 7, 2012, fact sheet calling on school districts to consider the energy costs of cold beverage vending machines when deciding whether to renew vending contracts. Claiming that a traditional vending machine consumes approximately 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year (kWh/yr), the fact sheet estimates that schools spend an average of $313 in annual energy costs per machine. “When multiplied over a total number of machines housed on school property, the electricity cost required to operate cold beverage vending machines amounts to a significant hidden expense for schools that should be subtracted from school beverage vending revenue,” argues PHAI, which has also provided a breakdown of vending machine energy costs by state. As an example, the fact sheet thus calculates that a large California school district with 225 traditional vending machines would accrue $477,000 in electricity fees over five years.…
Public health lawyer Michele Simon has published a June 2012 report that raises questions about the purported influence of food and banking corporations on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Titled “Food Stamps: Follow the Money,” the report focuses on food manufacturers, food retailers and large banks with “a critical stake in debates over SNAP,” which Simon describes as “the largest, most overlooked subsidy in the farm bill.” In particular, she alleges that food industry lobbyists have joined with anti-hunger groups to oppose state and federal efforts to disallow soda, candy and snack food purchases under the program. “Among the most vocal opponents of health-oriented improvements to SNAP purchases are several national anti-hunger groups, each of which accepts significant funding from major players in the food industry,” opines Simon. “While it’s not clear exactly how such relationships might influence policy positions, the potential for conflict exists.…
The Food Chain Workers Alliance has issued a report claiming that most U.S. workers across the food sector—from production, processing, distribution, retail, and service—earn low wages with few health benefits, a situation that can pose safety risks to both employees and the public. Titled “The Hands That Feed Us: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers Along the Food Chain,” the 92-page report based its findings on nearly 700 surveys and interviews with employers and workers in the sector, which employs 20 million people and comprises one-sixth of the country’s workforce. Among the report’s findings of workers surveyed: (i) more than 86 percent reported earning low or poverty wages, (ii) 79 percent said they either do not have a single paid sick day or do not know if they do, (iii) 83 percent do not receive health insurance from their employers, (iv) 53 percent admitted to working while sick, (v) 57 percent…
Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) Robert M. Kerr Food and Agriculture Products Center has reportedly signaled its intention to patent a new kind of steak after unveiling the product at the “Protein Innovation Summit” held April 16-17, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois. According to media sources, OSU researchers have dubbed the cut of beef a “Vegas Strip Steak” and said it derives from a part of the animal previously used for hamburgers. “It’s an un-obvious chunk of meat that has just been sitting there—a little diamond surrounded by a bunch of coal. The patent actually claims the kind of knife strokes that you make in order to create this cut of meat,” explained OSU Associate Vice President for Technology Development Steve Price in a May 23, 2012, NPR interview. “You take this muscle, you make cuts here, here and here and you end up with this Vegas Strip Steak.” Because it would be…
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), Public Citizen and Corporate Accountability International are reportedly urging the PBS network to “end a four-year marketing agreement between the popular children’s show ‘Martha Speaks’ and the fast food chain Chick-fil-A.” The marketing agreement includes 15-second ads for the restaurant before and after the show and in-store giveaways at more than 1,600 Chick-fil-A locations. According to the watchdog groups, “an astounding 56 million Chick-fil-A Kids’ Meals—which contain as much as 670 calories and 29 grams of fat—were distributed in Martha Speaks co-branded bags” in 2011. The groups also called for PBS member station WGBH, which produces “Martha Speaks,” to withdraw the ads from nomination for a children’s marketing award. “PBS deserves lots of awards, but using a beloved character to lure kids to a fast food restaurant is nothing to celebrate,” said CCFC’s Susan Linn. See CCFC Press Release, May 23, 2012.
