According to a news source, the families of those who died or became ill from consuming Salmonella-tainted peanut products scheduled a February 11, 2011, press conference to call for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring criminal charges against the man who headed the bankrupt Peanut Corp. of America, to which the contamination was allegedly traced. More than 700 people were said to have experienced ill effects during the 2008-2009 outbreak and at least nine died. Former Peanut Corp. CEO Stewart Parnell invoked the Fifth Amendment when called to testify before Congress, and, despite a two-year investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office, no charges have yet been filed. The press conference coincided with a food safety seminar at the American University Washington College of Law at which some of the family members were scheduled to speak along with plaintiffs’ lawyer William Marler, who has represented a number of those allegedly…
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The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recently released an updated expert policy report estimating that 340,000 cancer cases in the United States could be prevented each year through “eating a varied and healthy diet, undertaking regular physical activity, being at a healthy weight and limiting alcohol intake.” According to a February 3, 2011, joint press release, positive changes in these lifestyle factors could achieve “significant reductions in particularly common cancers . . . including breast (38 percent of cases), stomach (47 percent of cases) and colon (45 percent of cases).” Reflecting the most recent global incidence data from GLOBOSCAN 2008, these revised estimates evidently square with the World Health Organization’s 2010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, which concluded that “regular physical activity can prevent many diseases such as breast and colon cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.” In addition, AICR and WCRF have…
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) economist, writing in the Journal of Consumer Affairs, has reportedly cited the lack of a suitable definition for nanotechnology as an obstacle to the potential labeling of foods and packaging incorporating nanoparticles or materials. According to Jean Buzby, while the National Nanotechnology Initiative defines nanotechnology in terms of size, i.e., “dimensions between approximately 1 and 100nm,” this range “is an arbitrary measure and was not set on any real meaning or relationship between particle size and toxicological effects or kinetics, such as chemical reaction rates.” Buzby apparently opines that the technology’s potential benefits need to be communicated to the public and calls for increased funding for safety research. In a related development, the Carolina Academic Press is reportedly poised to release a law school treatise on nanotechnology titled Nanotechnology Law and Policy Cases and Materials. Authored by Texas Tech University School of Law Professor…
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced a new advertising campaign designed “to educate New Yorkers about the potentially serious health effects of consuming sugary drinks.” With the tagline “Pouring on the Pounds,” the health department’s latest installment features subway advertisements and a new TV commercial, the latter of which has sparked debate over its allegedly graphic content, including a close-up of a diabetic’s decaying toes. According to a January 31, 2011, press release, the 30-second spot aims to illustrate “how a daily routine of just a few sweetened drinks can cumulate to a whopping 93 packets of sugar by the end of the day.” “Too many sugar-sweetened drinks are fueling the obesity epidemic. Obesity and the serious health consequences that result are making hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers sick or disabled,” said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. “This new campaign shows…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a report claiming that antibiotics used on farms “may be causing more serious pathogens in the nation’s food supply.” Calling for increased scrutiny by the federal government, the January 25, 2011, report asserts that recording outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and subsequently testing the pathogens for antibiotic resistance “is a critical step if policymakers are to document the link between antibiotic use on farm animals and human illness from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.” The consumer watchdog found that between 2000 and 2009, multi-drug resistance was found in 10 out of 14 antibiotic-resistant foodborne outbreaks. Of 35 documented outbreaks between 1973 and 2009, most involved raw milk, raw milk cheeses and ground beef. “Outbreaks from antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella, though rare, cannot be ignored by our food safety regulators,” said CSPI Food Safety Director Caroline Smith DeWaal. “The problem has clearly emerged with respect…
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) have introduced a new front-of-pack (FOP) labeling system in response to first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign for clearer consumer information. According to a January 24, 2011, press release, the Nutrition Keys initiative summarizes important information “from the Nutrition Facts panel in a clear, simple and easy-to-use format” that adheres “to current U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] guidelines and regulations.” The FOP label features four basic icons for calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugars, as well as optional “nutrients to encourage” icons indicating that the product meets FDA “good source” requirements and contains more than 10 percent of the daily value per serving for protein and the following under-consumed nutrients: potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, and iron. See GMA Press Release, January 24, 2011. Food companies can begin using the new icons this year, but…
Walmart has unveiled a plan to provide healthier food choices at reduced prices, setting specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in thousands of packaged foods by 2015. Joined by first lady Michelle Obama at an event in Washington, D.C., the major grocer outlined key elements of the initiative that built on her “Let’s Move” campaign to make healthy choices more convenient and affordable. The initiative includes (i) reducing sodium by 25 percent in grain products, luncheon meats, salad dressings, and frozen entrees; (ii) reducing added sugars by 10 percent in dairy items, sauces and fruit drinks; (iii) removing “all remaining industrially produced trans fats” in packaged foods; (iv) making healthier choices more affordable through a “variety of sourcing, pricing and transportation and logistics initiatives”; (v) developing “strong criteria for a simple front-of-package seal” to identify “truly healthier food options”; (vi) “providing solutions to address food deserts…
Food & Water Watch recently submitted a citizen petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to remove China from the list of eligible processed-poultry exporters to the United States. Using a Freedom of Information Act request, the consumer watchdog claims to have found “serious mistakes” in the USDA approval process that allows the imported chicken. The watchdog asserts that (i) “[i]n its haste to get a final rule announced in time for a visit to the United States by the Chinese President in 2006, USDA missed required steps in the approval process and failed to send the rule to the USDA Office of Civil Rights for review”; (ii) “USDA staff made incorrect public statements that consumers would be able to avoid Chinese poultry imports, despite the fact that country of origin labeling requirements would not apply to processed poultry products”; (iii) “[p]ressure on…
GotMercury.org recently released a report claiming that “nearly one-third of the fish purchased at [California] grocery stores contains levels of mercury the United States has deemed unsafe for consumption and more than half of theretailers did not post mercury advisory signs.” The authors based their findings on 98 samples of swordfish, halibut, salmon, and tuna from 41 grocery stores and sushi restaurants across the state, alleging that all samples “contained measurable levels of mercury, most above 0.5 parts per million (ppm) methylmercury – the upper threshold set by the state of California as acceptable for human consumption in non-commercial fish caught in inland waters.” GotMercury.org also reported that mercury levels (i) averaged 1.47 ppm in swordfish, “well above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) mercury action level of 1 ppm”; (ii) averaged 0.407 ppm in yellowfin tuna; and (iii) averaged 0.721 ppm in sushi tuna, “a level that could…
The Oakland-based Prevention Institute has issued a report claiming that front-of-package (FOP) labeling for children’s food is “misleading.” Authors of the study used the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative’s product list to identify 58 prepared foods, snacks, cereals, and beverages with FOP labeling. The researchers then defined a product as “unhealthful” if it met one or more of the following criteria: (i) greater than 35 percent calories from fat; (ii) greater than 10 percent calories from saturated fat; (iii) greater than 25 percent calories from total sugars; (iv) greater than 480 mg sodium per serving for non-meal items or greater than 600 mg per serving for meal items; and (v) less than 1.25g fiber per serving. Of the products sampled, 84 percent were allegedly “unhealthful and did not meet one or more nutrient criteria” derived from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and the National Academies of Science. The report also…
