According to ConsumerLab.com, many of the probiotic supplements it tested contained far less of the amount of viable organisms advertised, due, primarily, to the death of the purportedly beneficial organisms after manufacture. Some companies apparently qualify their claims of cell amounts by stating “at the time of manufacture” on product labels. ConsumerLab’s president was quoted as saying, “It’s shocking how many products really don’t have what they claim on their labels. The buyer has to be careful.” Those promoting probiotics reportedly claim that 1 billion organisms will provide some benefit for digestion and some infections, so those products starting with tens of billions of live cells likely have the minimum amount deemed necessary by the time of consumption. At least one company responded to the study by claiming that its marketing, which includes the qualifier, is not deceptive. According to the company that makes Nature’s Secret Ultimate Probiotics®, which was…
Category Archives Other Developments
The Organic Center, Union for Concerned Scientists and Center for Food Safety have issued a report claiming that U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that the use of weed-killing herbicides on genetically engineered (GE) corn, soybeans and cotton has increased by 383 pounds over a 13-year period ending in 2008. According to the preface to the report, titled “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years,” this finding will be “news to the public at large, which still harbors the illusion, fed by misleading industry claims and advertising, that biotechnology crops are reducing pesticide use. Such a claim was valid for the first few years of commercial use of GE corn, soybeans, and cotton. But, as this report shows, it is no longer.” The report contends that widespread adoption of glyphosate-resistant crops “has vastly increased the use of glyphosate herbicide,” which “has spawned a growing epidemic…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has published a report criticizing movie chain concessions for their nutritional content, comparing some medium popcorn and soda combos to “three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter.” CSPI purportedly analyzed concessions from the three largest theater chains—AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA, Inc., and Regal Entertainment Group. Faulting both AMC and Regal for popping popcorn in coconut oil, the consumer watchdog alleged that a large Regal popcorn contains 1,200 calories and 60 grams of fat, and a large AMC popcorn contains 1,030 calories and 57 grams of fat. CSPI also reported that although Cinemark uses “heart-healthy” canola oil, its large popcorn is “almost as high in calories and has the most sodium—about twice as much as Regal or AMC.” In addition, the group purportedly found that other movie snacks, including candies sold in 4 to 5 ounce servings, can have “between…
The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check™ program has reportedly revised its front-of-package (FOP) labeling scheme to better reflect current nutritional guidelines. Similar to the Smart Choices® system recently discontinued in the United States, Health Check allows subscribing manufacturers to use its FOP logo on products that meet specific nutritional requirements. Partly in response to criticism leveled at its U.S. counterpart, the non-profit organization has announced plans to disqualify any cookies, puddings, snack foods, flans, or frozen dairy, soy or tofu desserts from entering the program after December 28, 2009. Health Check has also set new salt, sugar and fat limits for endorsed products, stipulating that trans fat cannot comprise more than 5 percent of the total fat content. In addition, soups in the restaurant program must reduce sodium levels to 480 mg per 250 mL by November 1, 2010. “The Health Check nutrient criteria developed by the Heart…
An Environmental Health News (EHN) special report has allegedly identified significant lead levels in aged balsamic and other red wine vinegars, noting that “some vinegars had 8-9 times more lead than recommended” by California’s Proposition 65 regulations. The Environmental Health Sciences Foundation purportedly tested a range of domestic and imported vinegars sold in California in 2002, claiming that “for three imported varieties… people who eat one tablespoon per day would be exposed to seven to 10 times the maximum daily level of lead set by California.” Likewise, according to EHN, “eating one tablespoon a day of some balsamic or red wine vinegars can raise a young child’s lead level by more than 30 percent.” Although EHN noted that lead levels in vinegar can “vary widely,” it suggested that “aged varieties produced by the traditional method, which involved concentration in wood barrels for at least 12 years, have the highest levels.”…
The American Cancer Society has released a position paper, “American Cancer Society Perspectives on Environmental Factors and Cancer,” discussing human exposures to carcinogens, including those in food. The paper calls for additional resources to (i) “accelerate testing of new and existing chemicals for potential carcinogenicity,” (ii) “monitor the bioaccumulation of chemicals in humans and in the food chain,” and (iii) “monitor and evaluate trends in cancers for which incidence is increasing.” Among the positions the society takes on cancer prevention is that “decisions regarding prevention must inevitably be made in the face of accruing but still incomplete evidence.” While the paper acknowledges that environmental exposures to carcinogens are generally minimal, its authors contend, “there is reason to be concerned about low-level exposures to carcinogenic pollutants because of the multiplicity of substances, the involuntary nature of many exposures, and the potential that even low-level exposures contribute to the cancer burden when…
According to a news source, employers may have more reason to avoid hiring overweight employees after a workers’ compensation board in Indiana and the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that employers must pay for weight-loss surgery if their obese employees suffer weight-related injuries on the job. With no laws banning employment discrimination against the obese, beyond limited areas to which the Americans with Disabilities Act applies, human resource consultants are apparently speculating that fears about the costs of providing weight-loss treatment could increase an existing bias against hiring overweight job applicants. At the very least, some employers have begun requiring that their overweight employees either pay more for health-insurance premiums or enroll in weight-loss programs. While the obese “might call it a gross invasion of privacy and personal choice to have employers so involved in their weight . . . it’s come down to a case where this personal ‘freedom’ is…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) recently published a report titled “Complacency on the Farm: Significant Noncompliance With EPA’s Refuge Requirements Threatens the Future Effectiveness of Genetically Engineered Pest-Protected Corn,” which maintains that “one out of every four farmers who plants genetically engineered (GE) corn is failing to comply with at least one important insect-resistance management requirement.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) apparently requires farmers to plant a conventional corn refuge in or adjacent to corn crops engineered with Bacillus thuringeiensis (Bt), a toxin fatal to rootworms and corn borers. The refuge reduces the risk that pests which survive the Bt corn will breed only with their own kind, thus producing Bt-resistant pest variants. “Resistant offspring would not only reduce crop yields of the Bt crops, but could also threaten organic or conventional farmers who use natural Bt-based pesticides on non-GE crops,” stated a November 5, 2009, CSPI…
Consumers Union (CU) has issued the results of bisphenol A (BPA) testing on 19 name-brand canned foods such as soups, juice, tuna, green beans, and infant formula. According to a December 2009 Consumer Reports article titled “Concern Over Canned Foods,” the tests revealed that both organic and conventional foods contained detectable BPA levels, including “some products in cans that were labeled ‘BPA-free.’” The average amount of BPA purportedly “varied widely,” ranging from trace amounts to 32 parts per billion (ppb), for both epoxy-lined metal cans and alternative packaging. “Nevertheless, our findings are notable because they indicate the extent of potential exposure,” concludes the article. “Consumers eating just one serving of the canned vegetable soup we tested would get about double what the FDA now considers typical average dietary daily exposure.” While noting that these results “convey a snapshot of the marketplace and do not provide a general conclusion about the…
Pine nuts imported from China have reportedly left some Americans with a bitter, metallic aftertaste, prompting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the claims. According to a news source, FDA has received about two dozen complaints of “pine mouth” in recent months, but no illnesses have been reported. “Should the FDA find a public health hazard, then we will advise consumers accordingly,” an agency press officer said. The United States reportedly imports some 25 million pounds of pine nuts annually, 90 percent of which comes from China. A Richmond, Virginia, importer of Chinese pine nuts has scoffed at the pine mouth phenomenon, calling it an “Internet sensation” on food websites and blogs. He said he first heard reports of pine mouth a few years ago and had his product tested for heavy metals, Salmonella, yeast, and mold, but that testing revealed nothing unusual. See The Baltimore Sun, October…
