Japanese officials have reportedly confirmed that beef registering up to seven times more radioactive cesium than permitted has entered the food supply, raising concerns among consumers about the country’s safety precautions. The first batch of tainted beef apparently came from six cattle farmed within 18 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was compromised by an earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. After passing external radiation tests, the cattle were sold to butchers in Tokyo—where government workers first detected the contamination—and then to wholesalers and retailers in eight prefectures. A second batch of compromised cattle originated in Asakawa, approximately 37 miles from the power plant, and was shipped to slaughterhouses in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Miyagi prefectures three months ago. In both cases, the cattle allegedly ate rice straw containing 97,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram instead of the 300 becquerels permitted by law, thus causing internal contamination…
Category Archives Other Developments
Harvard University obesity experts have reportedly proposed that some parents should lose custody of their extremely overweight children to foster care. In a July 13, 2011, Journal of the American Medical Association opinion piece titled “State Intervention in Life-Threatening Childhood Obesity,” David Ludwig and Lindsey Murtagh suggest that the same legal precedents that protect undernourished children should apply to severely obese kids. According to news sources, Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Harvard-affiliated Children’s Hospital Boston, and Murtagh, a lawyer and Harvard School of Public Health researcher, claim that removing a severely obese child from the home may be legally justifiable because of imminent heath risks such as Type 2 diabetes, liver problems and breathing issues. State intervention “ideally will support not just the child but the whole family, with the goal of reuniting child and family as soon as possible,” after possible parenting instruction, Ludwig reportedly said. The commentary has…
Corporations and Health Watch (CHW) has published a June 22, 2011, article claiming that food and beverage companies frequently deploy a public relations strategy known as “astroturfing” to disguise “corporatedriven” propaganda as “bottom-up, grassroots community activism.” Titled “Corporations, the Public’s Health and Astroturf,” the article specifically warns consumers against “cloaked websites” that “intentionally disguise authorship in order to put forward a political agenda,” as well as against front groups funded and organized by industry interests. In particular, CHW singles out Americans Against Food Taxes as a group that advertises itself as “a coalition of concerned citizens” who oppose the soda tax, but which is purportedly funded by the American Beverage Association and includes as members “the world’s largest food and soft drink manufacturers.” “In some ways, these sorts of propaganda efforts are not new,” opines the article, which likens astroturfing to legislative efforts led by the National Smokers Alliance in the…
The Corporate European Observatory (CEO) has published a report accusing European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) food additive experts of concealing conflicts of interest and industry ties. CEO claims that 11 out of 20 experts on EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources in Food (ANS) “have a conflict of interest, as defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,” which states that such conflicts arise when an individual or corporation “is in position to exploit his or their own professional or official capacity in some way for personal or corporate benefit,” whether or not an unethical or improper act results. The report also alleges that four ANS members have “failed to declare active collaborations with the food-industry funded think-tank and lobby group, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI).” In particular, CEO faults EFSA for failing to adopt a “red list” similar to the one used by the European Medicines…
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its “2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce” updating “pesticide loads” on 53 conventional fruits and vegetables. EWG analysts reportedly reviewed U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration data from 2000 to 2009 that detailed the amounts and types of pesticides found on sampled produce, most of which was washed and peeled before testing. Providing “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” lists, the guide replaces celery with apples as the worst offender, with pesticides found on 98 percent of more than 700 apples tested. Cilantro was tested for the first time since EWG started tracking data in 1995, with 33 unapproved pesticides showing up on 44 percent of samples—“the highest percentage of unapproved pesticides recorded on any item” since tracking began, according to EWG. EWG claims that consumers who eat five fruits and vegetables daily from its clean list can lower their…
Calling for the food industry to put voluntary nutrition labeling initiatives on hold, Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Childhood Obesity, has co-authored an opinion piece about front-of-package nutrition labeling in The New England Journal of Medicine. Among other matters, the article recommends that industry leaders await an Institute of Medicine report with nutrition labeling recommendations due for release this fall. Brownell suggests that the nutrition keys system under development by the industry may confuse consumers by “including so many symbols” and allowing companies the discretion to change the nutrients listed. According to the article, “The most notable deficiency of the industry system is its lack of a science-based, easily understood way to show consumers whether foods have a high, medium, or low amount of a particular nutrient.” Brownell contends that the traffic-light system used in Great Britain is much clearer. See NEJM, June 23,…
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has reportedly issued a preliminary ruling that U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) laws violate the organization’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. According to Feedstuffs, a WTO panel found that COOL “constitutes an illegal, non-tariff trade barrier that treats U.S. livestock and perishable commodities more favorably than livestock, fruits and vegetables and other covered commodities from Canada and Mexico.” The preliminary ruling will remain confidential for 30 days with a final version slated for release in September 2011, when the United States will have two months to appeal. See Feedstuffs, May 25, 2011. News of the preliminary ruling has since elicited a favorable reaction from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which described the decision as “unfortunate for the U.S. government” but a positive development for industry. As NCBA President Bill Donald explained, “Proponents of COOL have always believed that restricting imports of Mexican and/or Canadian…
Food & Water Watch has issued a report cautioning that potentially unsafe food from China may likely provide the next food safety scare in the United States. Titled “A Decade of Dangerous Food Imports from China,” the report describes “where [Chinese] food manufacturers are legendary for cutting corners, substituting dangerous ingredients, and compromising safety in order to boost sales.” Noting that U.S. food safety oversight has “not remotely” kept pace with China’s food exports that have tripled over the past decade, the report recommends (i) “revisiting the current trade agenda to make public health, environmental standards and consumer safety the highest priorities”; (ii) “removing agriculture from the WTO” (World Trade Organization), which “has been a failure for U.S. farmers and has encouraged companies to offshore food manufacturing to places like China with low wages and weak regulatory standards, putting consumers around the world at risk”; (iii) “restarting the assessment of…
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a report warning that children and adolescents should not consume energy drinks because the beverages “pose potential health risks.” Titled “Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate?”, the report appears in the June 2011 issue of Pediatrics. Sports drinks and energy drinks are not the same, the report says, noting that sports drinks contain carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes, and flavoring intended to replace water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise. “Sports drinks can be helpful for young athletes engages in prolonged, vigorous physical activities, but in most cases they are unnecessary on the sports field or the school lunchroom,” according to the report. Energy drinks, however, “are never appropriate for children or adolescents,” and should be avoided because they contain stimulants, such as caffeine, guarana and taurine, the report says. “Caffeine—by far the most popular stimulant—has been…
Rumors that Denmark banned the sale of Marmite and other savory yeast extract spreads because they contain added vitamins have apparently given rise to online protests and calls to boycott iconic Danish brands such as Lego®. Media sources have reported that Marmite fans rallied on Facebook and other social media sites after hearing that the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) ordered the product off store shelves along with other fortified foods like Ovaltine and Vegemite. “Spread the word, but most importantly spread the Marmite,” wrote the founder of one Facebook page devoted to expat Marmite aficionados. “Let the rise of the Marmite army begin!” According to DVFA, however, authorities have not banned the spread but simply reiterated that foods with added vitamins, minerals or other substances cannot be marketed in Denmark without agency review and approval. “Products with food additives, vitamins and minerals claims in their marketing need to…
