Category: Issue 315
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Challenge to “Natural” HFCS Beverage Claims Not Preempted by Federal Law
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that federal food labeling law does not preempt the state law-based claims filed by a consumer who challenged Snapple’s designation of beverages containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as “natural.” Holk v. Snapple Beverage Corp., No. 08-3060 (3d Cir., decided August 12, 2009). The appeals court reversed…
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Researchers Consider Use of Nanoparticles to Color Water-Based Foods
According to Louisiana and Arkansas university researchers, entrapping betacarotene with nanoparticles could provide a way to use “natural” ingredients as food colorants. Carlos Astete, et al., “Ca2+ Cross-Linked Alginic Acid Nanoparticles for Solubilization of Lipophilic Natural Colorants,” Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, August 3, 2009. The research was undertaken in response to consumer concerns about…
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Study Finds No Link Between Artificial Sweeteners and Increased Cancer Risk
An Italian study has reportedly found that the consumption of artificial sweeteners, including saccharin and aspartame, does not increase the risk of developing gastric, pancreatic or endometrial cancers. Cristina Bosetti, et al., “Artificial Sweeteners and the Risk of Gastric, Pancreatic, and Endometrial Cancers in Italy,” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention (August 1, 2009). Classifying participants as…
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Study Suggests Food Stamp Program May Play a Role in Obesity
A recent study has reportedly claimed that the average American woman enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is 5.8 pounds heavier than someone of the same socioeconomic background who does not receive food stamps. Jay L. Zagorsky, et al., “Does the U.S. Food Stamp Program Contribute to Adult Weight Gain?”, Economics &…
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Karen Kaplan, “The Science of Salmonella,” The Los Angeles Times, August 10, 2009
“This is Salmonella’s world. We’re just living in it,” claims science writer Karen Kaplan of The Los Angeles Times in this article exploring the evolution of the deadly bug responsible for recent pistachio and peanut recalls. “The bacterium appeared on the planet millions of years before humans, and scientists are certain it will outlast us too.…
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Chicago Tribune Investigates Pesticide Residue in Peaches
The Chicago Tribune has released the results of a preliminary 2008 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study that purportedly found “more than 50 pesticide compounds . . . on domestic and imported peaches headed for U.S. stores.” According to the August 12, 2009, article, “Five of the compounds exceeded the limits set by the Environmental…
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Court Stops OEHHA From Listing Styrene as Carcinogen
A California state judge has reportedly issued a tentative ruling on the styrene industry’s request to enjoin Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) regulators from listing styrene as a chemical known to the state to cause cancer. Styrene Info. & Research Ctr. v. OEHHA, No. 09-53089 (Cal. Super. Ct., Sacramento Cty., decided August 12, 2009). Further details about…
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Federal Appeals Court Sends Banana Plantation Torture Suit to Guatemala
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that a district court did not abuse its discretion by deciding that the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victim Protection Act claims of seven Guatemalan banana plantation workers would best be heard in a Guatemalan court. Aldana v. Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc., No 07-15471…