Category: Issue 311
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McDonough to Address Risks Related to Food Imports at Food-Borne Illness Litigation Forum
Shook Agribusiness and Food Safety Practice Co-Chair Madeleine McDonough will serve on a panel during the American Conference Institute’s “3rd National Forum on FoodBorne Illness Litigation, Advanced Strategies for Assessing, Managing & Defending Food Contamination Claims,” to be held October 26-27, 2009, in Chicago. McDonough joins a faculty that includes federal regulators and in-house counsel…
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Nicholas D. Kristof, “Chemicals and Our Health,” The New York Times, July 16, 2009
Just last month, the Endocrine Society – composed of thousands of doctors in this field – issued a powerful warning that endocrine disruptors including phthalates are ‘a significant concern to public health,’” writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in this op-ed article examining the chemicals’ purported role in a range of health problems such…
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Whole Foods Joins Non-GMO Project Initiative to Certify Private Label Products
Whole Foods Market Inc. has reportedly announced a partnership with the Non-GMO Project to independently certify that its private label products do not contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients. A non-profit collaboration of manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, and consumers, the Non-GMO Project maintains a product verification program (PVP) “to scientifically test whether a product has met…
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Richard Cupp, “Moving Beyond Animal Rights: A Legal/Contractualist Critique,” San Diego Law Review, 2009
Pepperdine University School of Law Professor Richard Cupp argues in this article that the better way to protect animal welfare is to focus on the human moral obligation to treat animals without cruelty. He contends that the current, rapidly expanding movement to endow animals with legal rights would be counterproductive if successful. Cupp reports that…
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Disability Benefits Ordered for Hog Slaughterhouse Worker with Brucellosis
The Iowa Supreme Court has awarded disability benefits to a former slaughterhouse worker who allegedly contracted brucellosis from butchering hogs. IBP, Inc. v. Burress, No. 07-1887 (Iowa, decided July 10, 2009). The court determined that the disease was caused by a traumatic event and thus was a compensable injury under state law. So ruling, the court…
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DOJ Seeks Injunction in Adulterated Food Case
Acting on behalf of an apparently energized Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a complaint for injunction against a New Jersey company and its owner seeking to halt the manufacture and sale of their dietary supplement products, in part, for failure to comply with good manufacturing practice requirements. U.S.…
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OEHHA Advisory Board Votes Against Adding Bisphenol A to Prop. 65 List; Health Canada Clears BPA in Baby Food Packaging as Safe
According to news sources, the scientific advisory committee considering whether to place bisphenol A (BPA) on California’s Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive effects has voted against the action, calling research on human health effects unclear. During the committee’s July 15, 2009, meeting, dozens of mothers, environmentalists…
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Federal Report Examines Consequences of “Food Deserts”
USDA’s Economic Research Service has issued a report to Congress that assesses the effects of “food deserts,” low-income rural or urban neighborhoods that frequently lack access to affordable, healthy food venues like supermarkets but instead offer convenience and small neighborhood stores that offer few, if any, healthy foods. Public health literature links such access issues…