The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, “the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity.” Published every five years, the guidelines are based on the findings of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and consideration of federal agency and public comments. The 2010 version encompasses “two overarching concepts” that tackle both obesity and poor nutritional content by urging Americans to (i) “maintain a healthy calorie balance over time to achieve and sustain a healthy weight” and (ii) “focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages.” To this end, the current guidelines feature 23 key recommendations for the general population and six key recommendations for specific populations, as well as tips “to help consumers translate the Dietary…
U.S. Senators Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have spearheaded a bill (S. 230) that would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prevent the approval of genetically engineered (GE) fish. Companion legislation (S. 229) would require labeling of any genetically engineered fish should such fish get approved. Noting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a proposal by AquaBounty Technologies, Inc., to produce GE salmon as the first such food hybrid safe for human consumption, the senators reintroduced legislation they co-sponsored in the last congressional session in hopes of implementing a quick ban of GE fish. Calling GE fish “Frankenfish ” that is “risky, unprecedented and unnecessary,” Begich said in a statement that such fish “threatens our wild stocks, their habitat, our food safety, and would bring economic harm to Alaska’s wild salmon fishermen.” Citing strong opposition to GE salmon, Begich added that “it…
Representative José Serrano (D-N.Y.) recently introduced legislation (H.R. 254) that would amend several laws to require that consumers “receive notification regarding food products produced from crops, livestock, or poultry raised on land on which sewage sludge was applied.” Titled “Sewage Sludge in Food Production Consumer Notification Act,” the proposal would consider food to be adulterated if it is produced on land to which sewage sludge has been applied or is derived from poultry or livestock raised on or fed with feed produced on such land. It provides several exceptions, including if the sewage sludge has been applied more than one year before the food was produced or if the food is appropriately labeled. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Agriculture.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has renewed his quest to increase the sentences prosecutors can seek to impose on those who knowingly sell tainted food products. He has reintroduced the Food Safety Accountability Act (S. 216) and promises to schedule hearings in the near future before the Judiciary Committee, which he chairs. While the proposal passed unanimously out of that committee in September 2010, Leahy was unable to attach it to the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act, approved during the lame duck session at the close of the year. With five Democratic co-sponsors, the bill would allow prison sentences up to 10 years for the most egregious food safety violators. Referring to the nationwide Salmonella outbreak and recall involving an Iowa egg producer with a history of violations, Leahy said when he introduced the bill, “It is clear that fines are not enough to protect the public and effectively…
A January 25, 2011, commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has claimed that “regular (nonalcoholic) energy drinks might pose just as great a threat to individual and public health and safety” as the alcoholic versions recently barred by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). According to authors Amelia Arria and Mary Claire O’Brien, “health professionals should inform their patients of the risks associated with the use of highly caffeinated energy drinks; the public should educate themselves about the risks of energy drink use, in particular the danger associated with mixing energy drinks and alcohol; and the alcohol and energy drink industries should voluntarily and actively caution consumers against mixing energy drinks with alcohol, both on their product labels and in their advertising materials.” Calling for increased regulation, the article focuses on research suggesting that the caffeine in energy drinks could cause “adverse health…
“Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds of older dairy cows bound for the slaughterhouse,” opens this article about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent decision to begin testing milk from farms “that had repeatedly sold cows tainted by drug residue.” Concerned that “the same poor management practices which led to the meat residues may also result in drug residues in milk,” FDA evidently singled out approximately 900 dairy farms for testing that would include “two dozen antibiotics beyond the six that are typically tested for.” The new protocol also covered flunixin, “a painkiller and anti-inflammatory drug popular on dairy farms . . . which often shows up in the slaughterhouse testing.” Although the plan reportedly drew support from consumer advocates like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, it prompted a backlash from dairy farmers and state regulators who objected to the week-long…
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…
According to a news source, Costa Rican farmers who allege they were injured by exposure to a pesticide used on Dole Food Co.’s banana plantations have been unable to obtain visas to enter the United States for medical testing. A state court ordered that the plaintiffs be tested in U.S. laboratories, apparently to avoid evidence tampering. Embassy officials have reportedly denied the visas finding that the applicants lack “sufficient ties to Costa Rica.” Plaintiffs’ counsel Mark Sparks contends that his clients are “extremely poor” and lack the indicia of residency, such as bank accounts, business records and car titles, that embassy officials have requested. Plaintiffs’ and defendants’ counsel have reportedly drafted a letter for the presiding judge to send to U.S. embassy officials to allow the Costa Rican plaintiffs to travel to Los Angeles for the limited purpose of medical testing and responding to interrogatories. At least one legal commentator…
A Utah woman who claims that E. coli-tainted spinach caused her irritable bowel syndrome and subsequent chronic incapacitation has reportedly settled her lawsuit against three California-based companies. Chelsey Macey, 26, and her husband were seeking damages in excess of $5 million. A jury awarded the couple that amount in compensatory damages, but before it could consider an award for pain and suffering, the parties apparently settled. The defendants were Dole Food Co., Natural Selection Foods and Mission Organics. See KSBW.com, January 20, 2011.
