Sweden has banned the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging intended for children younger than age 3. Mainly affecting the lids of baby food jars, the April 13, 2012, edict also gave the Swedish Chemicals Agency three months to investigate whether the chemical should be prohibited in certain types of thermal paper, such as tickets and receipts, and other relevant agencies the opportunity to determine the extent of its use in drinking-water pipes, toys and other children’s goods. Minister for the Environment Lena Ek, who said she plans to raise the BPA issue soon with the European Commission and European Union (EU) member states, noted that the ban ensures that the country’s current voluntary phaseout of BPA-free packaging becomes permanent. “As a matter of caution, we are now acting in all areas that the agencies believe play a significant role in the exposure of young children,” she said.…
Tag Archives children
A recent study has allegedly linked sugary drink consumption to narrowed retinal blood vessels in children as young as age 12, raising concerns about the youths’ long-term cardiovascular health. Bamini Gopinath, et al., “Carbohydrate nutrition is associated with changes in the retinal vascular structure and branching pattern in children,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2012. Designed to determine whether high-glycemic index (high-GI), high-glycemic load (high-GL) or carbohydrate-laden diets could lead to small vessel dysfunction, the study selected 12-year-old students from 21 schools to undergo “detailed eye examinations” measuring retinal vessel caliber and fractal dimension, that is, “the single ‘global’ measure of the branching pattern of retinal blood vessels as a whole.” In particular, the study noted that narrower arteriolar caliber and wider venular caliber have been associated with incident hypertension and CVD [cardiovascular disease], whereas fractal dimension has been associated with higher blood pressure, acute lacunar stroke and coronary…
A California superior court has dismissed with prejudice putative class claims filed against McDonald’s Corp. seeking to enjoin the company from advertising Happy Meals® to children featuring toys. Parham v. McDonald’s Corp., No. 10-506178 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Francisco Cty., decided April 4, 2012). Additional information about the case appears in Issues 375, 391 and 420 of this Update. While the court did not explain why it sustained the company’s demurrers to the plaintiff’s first, second and third causes of action, it did so without giving the plaintiff leave to amend her complaint. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which was representing the plaintiff, consideration is being given to filing an appeal. In its memorandum of law in support of its demurrers, the company argued that the plaintiff failed to state a claim for relief under the state’s Unfair Competition Law, Consumers Legal Remedies Act…
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has announced a public consultation regarding draft commercial codes that would prohibit the advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) during TV programs where more than 50 percent of viewers are younger than age 18. According to a March 30, 2012, BAI press release, the consultation considers new drafts of the General Commercial Communications Code and Children’s Commercial Communications Code, the latter of which currently makes commercials, sponsorships and other product placements “of particular interest to children, or those broadcast during children’s program[s],… responsible in their messaging and portrayal of food and drink to those aged under 18.” Drafted after receiving more than 226 submissions from a previous consultation, the proposed codes would specifically regulate advertisements for HFSS products as well as adopt a “nutrient profiling model” “to assess the nutritional profile of food and non-alcoholic drink.” In particular, the draft…
A meta-analysis of recent scientific literature has questioned data alleging a link between synthetic food colors approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Joel Nigg, et al., “Meta-Analysis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Restriction Diet, and Synthetic Food Color Additives,” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, January 2012. Researchers evidently assessed 24 articles on synthetic food colors and 10 additional studies on dietary restriction, but ultimately found that several effects observed for food color additives were subject to publication bias or other flaws. In particular, the study authors noted that, while a restriction diet appears “to benefit some children with ADHD,” reports based on information from parents or teachers/observers were not wholly reliable or consistent even “after quality of measure was taken into account.” The analysis also revealed that “nearly all studies examined combinations of colors, with too little consistency…
California Assembly Member Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) recently introduced a bill (A.B. 1746) that would restrict the sale of sports drinks from middle and high schools throughout the state. If enacted, the legislation would prohibit the sale of “electrolyte replacement beverages” during school hours as of July 1, 2013. “Sports drinks are an inappropriate option for California students,” said Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. “They were designed for athletes who have been sweating for an hour or more, not for children as they walk across campus or eat their lunch.” See Press Release of Assembly Member Das Williams, February 21, 2012.
A recent data brief issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested that children and adolescents consume more added sugar calories from food as opposed to beverages. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which relied on data from the National Health and Examination Survey, “Boys consumed more calories per day from added sugars than girls,” with caloric intake from added sugars increasing linearly with age for both boys and girls. In particular, NCHS reported that (i) pre-school aged boys and girls (2-5 years) consumed 13.5 percent and 13.1 percent of their calories from added sugars, respectively; (ii) school-age boys and girls (6-11 years) consumed 16.6 percent and 15.7 percent of their calories from added sugars, respectively; and (iii) adolescent boys and girls (12-19 years) consumed 17.5 percent and 16.6 percent of their calories from added sugars, respectively. NCHS also noted some differences in…
In an article titled “Government Can Regulate Food Advertising to Children Because Cognitive Research Shows That It Is Inherently Misleading,” two attorneys and a communications professor assert that the First Amendment is no bar to the regulation of “junk food” ads targeting children younger than 12 because they lack the ability to understand the advertisers’ intent. Because children are unable to effectively comprehend advertising, according to the authors, any commercial messages directed toward them are “inevitably misleading.” The research and article were supported in part by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant. The article first cites research about the amount of time children spend watching TV as well as “more than sixty published studies” purportedly linking TV exposure and obesity. It also discusses the numbers of “low-nutrient, calorie-dense” products advertised to children daily on TV and notes that the most heavily advertised food brands are also promoted online through advergames…
According to Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to investigate the safety and legality of AeroShot®, which allows consumers to inhale a powder delivering 100 mg of caffeine to the body. Created by a Harvard professor and a company led by Harvard graduate Tom Hadfield, the product was apparently launched in January 2012 in New York and Boston markets. Its sale is not limited by any age restrictions nor has the product been reviewed by any agency. Still, Hadfield has reportedly indicated that the FDA review “will conclude that AeroShot is a safe, effective product that complies with FDA regulations.” Schumer called for the FDA review in a December 2011 letter raising concerns about the use of caffeine by children and adolescents. He also noted that a company marketing video “flashes through a variety of settings, including a dance party, a club scene, and…
Environmental health activists in Maine are reportedly campaigning to extend the state’s current ban on bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups and reusable food containers to all food containers within three years. Spearheaded by the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine, the effort follows a chemical analysis funded by the group that detected BPA in baby and toddler foods. According to the activists, 15 food containers were sent to a San Francisco independent lab to test for BPA, a packaging chemical used as an epoxy liner inside metal food cans and metal lids of glass jars, that has allegedly “been linked to cancer, obesity, learning disabilities, male infertility, and early puberty in girls.” Test results found BPA in 11 of 12 baby food containers manufactured by BeechNut, Gerber, Earth’s Best Organic, and Shaw’s Wild Harvest Brand and in all three canned foods featuring Campbell’s Original Disney Princess…
