Researchers have published a review of studies evaluating the effects of "reducing red meat intake on clinically important outcomes" and purportedly showed that red meat may not have the carcinogenic effects that previous studies have found. Zeraatkar et al., "Effect of Lower Versus Higher Red Meat Intake on Cardiometabolic and Cancer Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials," Annals of Internal Med., October 1, 2019. The researchers only reviewed studies that met certain criteria, including randomized trials, and reportedly found evidence suggesting that "diets restricted in red meat may have little or no effect on major cardiometabolic outcomes and cancer mortality and incidence."
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The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and Consumer Reports have petitioned the Food Safety and Inspection Service, requesting the agency "clarify the labeling of processed meats." "Specifically, we ask that the agency cease requiring that such products be labeled 'Uncured,' and/or 'No Nitrate or Nitrite Added' when they have been processed using non-synthetic sources of nitrate and nitrite, such as celery powder, rather than traditional synthetic sources, such as sodium nitrite." The petition asserts that both "synthetic and non-synthetic nitrites and nitrates may cause cancer," and the petition coincided with the release of a Consumer Reports investigation purportedly finding that "consumers are confused by the 'No Nitrate or Nitrite Added' statements, which are currently accompanied by a fine-print disclaimer on product labels identifying the non-synthetic source of nitrates or nitrites." "We therefore urge the agency to stop requiring, and instead prohibit, the 'No Nitrate or Nitrite Added'…
Mississippi's bill restricting the use of animal-derived food products to describe plant-based foods, which has been in effect since July 2019, has reportedly received proposed amendments that would allow food companies to use such words if they are modified by vegetable-associated qualifiers, such as "veggie," "meatless" or "plant-based." The updated regulation would also allow food establishments to keep animal-derived and plant-derived products separate "provided that such non-meat products comply" with the naming regulations "and do not contain any false or misleading consumer disclosures."
The EU Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the U.K. House of Lords has submitted a letter to the country's agriculture minister in response to a EU committee's approval of a measure that would prohibit the use of meat-associated words and phrases—including "sausage," "burger" and "steak"—to describe plant-derived products. "Veggie tubes proposal a misteak," the subcommittee's press release headline states. "Our witnesses were unanimous in the view that current naming conventions around vegetarian burgers and sausages are clear and easy to understand," the letter states. "[W]e are concerned that the amendment would in fact reduce consumer clarity, be a barrier to growth for a burgeoning sector of the food industry, and ultimately make it more challenging for people to reduce the amount of meat in their diet at a time when Government should be seeking to encourage the opposite." The letter also notes that the amendment is "unlikely to apply directly…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that soy leghemoglobin has been approved for use "as a color additive in ground beef analogue products" following a petition submitted by Impossible Foods. The announcement notes that the agency previously found soy leghemoglobin to be generally recognized as safe as a flavor additive. "FDA concurs with the petitioner that the genetic modifications made to generate the non-toxigenic and non-pathogenic production strain are well-characterized and the production process conforms to good manufacturing practice," the announcement states. "In addition to specification limits for lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium, we are requiring a specification for the minimum purity of soy leghemoglobin protein as a percent of the total protein in the color additive." The rule takes effect September 4, 2019, and objections can be filed until September 3.
Turtle Island Foods, which does business as The Tofurky Co., has filed a civil-rights action alleging an Arkansas law that "prohibits purveyors of plant- or cell-based meats from using the words 'meat' and related terms like 'beef,' 'pork,' 'roast,' and 'sausage'" is "a restriction on commercial speech that prevents companies from sharing truthful and non-misleading information about their products." Turtle Island Foods SPC v. Soman, No. 19-0514 (E.D. Ark., W. Div., filed July 22, 2019). Turtle Island argues that the law creates consumer confusion rather than helping resolve it, asserting that its own marketing and its competitors' marketing "emphasizes—through the use of commonly understood terms like 'veggie burger'—that their products are plant-based alternatives to meat from live animals." The complaint further argues that other laws already prohibit misleading or deceptive labeling, including the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Turtle Island alleges violations of…
Upton's Naturals Co. has filed a lawsuit challenging Mississippi's law prohibiting the use of "meat" to describe products that are not derived from animals. Upton's Naturals Co. v. Bryant, No. 19-0462 (S.D. Miss., filed July 1, 2019). Upton's, which makes "vegan burgers," "vegan bacon" and "vegan chorizo," argues that the law is a "content-based regulation of speech" that "has no positive impact on society"—rather, it "harms society"—and "does not address any real problem in a meaningful way, but instead creates an artificial one" because it lowers consumer understanding of vegan products. Upton's seeks declaratory judgment that the law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments, preliminary and permanent injunctions, attorney's fees and $1 in damages.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released guidance on meal kits requiring inspection by the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The guidance indicates that meal kits do not require assembly subject to FSIS inspection if (i) the "meat or poultry component is prepared and separately packaged under FSIS inspection and labeled with all required features"; (ii) the "outer kit label identifies all of the individual components in the kit"; and (iii) the "outer kit label clearly identifies the product as a single unit or 'kit,' such as 'Chicken BBQ Dinner Kit' and 'Beef Lasagna Meal.'"
A New Zealand pizza restaurant is reportedly under investigation after it sold 3,000 "Burger Pizzas" that only featured a plant-based meat substitute rather than animal-derived meat. The company marketed the pizza topping as a "medium rare burger patty," and a company manager apparently asserted to the BBC that the description was accurate on its face. Many consumers seemed to respond negatively, noting that the stunt could have triggered allergies because of the lack of proper ingredient disclosure. The manager reportedly told BBC, "If covertly adding meat-free options onto a pizza encourages more people to be open-minded, we're happy to do that."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a press release responding to The Washington Post's reporting on an impending change to pork plant inspections. "FSIS is appalled at The Washington Post’s poor attempt at explaining a proposal to modernize inspection," the press release states. "The Post’s decision to continue to parrot arguments that are devoid of factual and scientific evidence only serves to further the personal agenda of special interest groups that have nothing to do with ensuring food safety. Despite FSIS spending countless hours responding to The Post and providing clarification about the proposed rule, The Post chose to ignore the information and went with an already formed opinion and headline." FSIS argues that the article was "deliberately misleading" on several points and lists 11 rebuttals for statements made in the Post article, including the assertion that the pork industry "soon will…
