The Massachusetts House of Representatives has reportedly approved a bill (H.B. 4459) that would allow the state to prohibit high-calorie sodas and fatty, salty and sugary snacks in elementary, middle and high schools. The legislation, which supporters believe will help fight childhood obesity, also encourages schools to serve low-fat dairy products and whole grain breads and pastas, non-fried fruit and vegetables, non-carbonated water, and juice with no additives. The bill applies only to “competitive” foods or beverages—those sold à la carte, in vending machines or as side dishes—which are not part of the larger federal lunch program. “What this bill would do is get junk food out of the schools, but more importantly get healthy food into the schools,” sponsor Representative Peter Koutoujian (D-Waltham) was quoted as saying. Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, praised the legislation, saying, “This offers parents a greater…
The Humane Society of the United States is apparently continuing to push for ballot initiatives and legislation that would impose new requirements on the livestock industry. In Vermont, legislators are considering a bill (S. 230) that would require that “a representative of the Vermont humane society be present when livestock are bled or slaughtered, and to report and increase penalties for violations of the humane slaughter rules.” Proposed penalties for violation of the law could include fines no less than $5,000 and 90 days in prison. Meanwhile, a petition has reportedly been filed with Ohio’s attorney general seeking the certification of an initiative to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in fall 2010 to require that the state’s newly formed livestock board adopt humane slaughtering measures. The proposed amendment would also prohibit killing animals by strangulation and prevent the sale, transport or receipt “for use in the human…
The committee drafting an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Sustainable Agriculture Standard (SCS-001) has published its first quarterly e-newsletter to report on standard development activities and solicit donations to support the work. The newsletter provides the names of those recently appointed to serve on the standards committee and includes subcommittee reports. The next meeting will apparently be scheduled sometime between March and June 2010 at the University of Arkansas. Shook, Hardy & Bacon attorneys James Andreasen and Chris McDonald have been monitoring the committee’s work on behalf of a coalition of stakeholders concerned about early drafts developed without industry input.
Surgeon General Regina Benjamin has issued a report calling for Americans to join her in a “national grassroots effort” to reverse the “crisis” of overweight and obese adults and children. The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010 warns that if the trend continues, many children “will be afflicted in early adulthood with medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.” The report’s recommendations include (i) making healthy choices at home by consuming less sodas and juices with added sugars and eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; (ii) creating healthy schools by providing fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, water, and low fat beverages; and (iii) creating healthy work sites that promote healthy eating in cafeterias.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule that “would require persons who intend to manufacture, import, or process [multi-walled carbon nanotubes] for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this proposed rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity.” The activities identified in the proposed rule as “a significant new use” are (i) “protection in the workplace” (“full-face respirators with N100 cartridges”), and (ii) “industrial, commercial, and consumer activities” (“additive/filler for polymer composites and support media for industrial catalysts”). According to the notice, EPA has issued the proposal under the authority of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and would adopt the 90-day notice requirement to give the agency the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and “prohibit or limit that activity before it occurs,” if necessary. Comments must be submitted by March 5, 2010. See Federal Register, February 3,…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced its intention to abandon the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and develop a “new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability,” citing public feedback and input from states, tribal nations, industry groups, and small and organic farmers. Created in 2004, NAIS aimed to register all domestic livestock in a national database to facilitate the response of state and federal officials during a disease outbreak. The system apparently drew criticism from many quarters that objected to both the cost and intrusiveness of the measure, which some felt would eventually become mandatory. Unveiled at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Mid-Year Meeting, the new initiative outlines “the basic tenets of an improved animal disease traceability capability in the United States.” According to USDA, this framework will (i) “Only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce”; (ii) “Be administered by the States and…
The Council of Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division (NAD), which serves as the investigative arm of the advertising industry’s voluntary self-regulation program, has recommended that Heartland Sweeteners cease making some claims about its Ideal® sweetener product. The recommendation apparently followed a complaint by Merisant Co., a Heartland competitor, that Ideal® is not “natural” or “more than 99 percent natural” as the company claims because the majority of its sweetness comes from the artificial sweetener sucralose. While Heartland agreed that its sweetener contains sucralose, the company contends that the natural sweetener Xylitol is the product’s main ingredient. According to NAD, Ideal® as a whole may be “more than 99% natural,” but “the context in which it is presented may still cause it to convey a message that is false or misleading to consumers.” NAD found that the product’s sweetness is “not due primarily to Xylitol, but, rather, the synthetic sucralose it…
A recent study has reportedly linked the consumption of animal protein to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Ivonne Sluij, et al., “ Dietary Intake of Total, Animal, and Vegetable Protein and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-NL Study,” Diabetes Care, January 2010. Using data from 38,094 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-NL study, researchers apparently examined the association among diabetes incidence and dietary intake of vegetable and animal proteins. The study claims that diabetes risk increased 30 percent for every 5 percent of calories consumed from animal protein at the expense of carbohydrates or fat. According to the authors, “Our findings also suggest a similar association for total protein itself instead of only animal sources... This finding indicates that accounting for protein content in dietary recommendations for diabetes prevention may be useful.” See…
A recent study has reportedly linked dry food containing low amounts of carbohydrates to increased acrylamide levels. Edoardo Capuano, et al., “Lipid oxidation promotes acrylamide formation in fat-rich model systems,” Food Research International, (January 2010). Sponsored by the European Science Foundation, researchers formulated a range of fat-rich model systems and then measured acrylamide levels after heating. Results apparently showed that the degree of fat oxidation significantly influenced the presence of acrylamide, a chemical by product of some high-temperature cooking processes that has been linked to cancer in laboratory rats. According to the study’s abstract, foods formulated with antioxidants such as catechins and certain oils reduced acrylamide levels particularly in fat-rich, sugar-free foods “presumably by trapping carbohydrates and/or preventing lipid oxidation. More acrylamide was formed in model systems composed with sunflower oil than in those containing palm oil which is less susceptible to oxidation.” The abstract noted that acrylamide formation was…
In this article, Slate contributor James McWilliams questions “the conventional wisdom among culinary tastemakers” that pasture-raised cattle does not harbor E. coli O157:H7 at the same levels as conventional livestock. “In fact,” he writes, “exploring the connection between grass-fed beef and these dangerous bacteria offers a disturbing lesson in how culinary wisdom becomes foodie dogma and how foodie dogma can turn into a recipe for disaster.” McWilliams traces the misconception to a 2006 New York Times op-ed piece by food activist Nina Planck, who claimed that E. coli was “not found in the intestinal tracts of cattle raised on their natural diets of grass, hay, and other fibrous forage.” According to McWilliams, Planck drew her conclusions from a 1998 report published in Science that found more acid-resistant E. coli in grain-fed cattle, but failed to specifically test for the O157:H7 strain. Further studies have apparently shown that grass-fed cattle “do…
