Category: Issue 319
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FSIS Seeking Comments on Use of “Natural” Claim for Meat and Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to solicit public feedback on the conditions under which the agency should permit “natural” labeling claims for meat and poultry. The current FSIS standard states that minimally processed meat and poultry products can use the “natural”…
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William Neuman, “For Your Health, Froot Loops,” The New York Times, September 5, 2009
This article examines a new food-labeling campaign called the Smart Choices Program™, which uses the government dietary guidelines to identify “smarter food and beverage choices” for consumers. According to reporter William Neuman, the industry-backed system has apparently provoked the ire of some nutritionists who question the use of the green checkmark on “sugar-laden cereals like…
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Michael Pollan, “Big Food vs. Big Insurance,” The New York Times, September 10, 2009
“The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care,” states Times writer Michael Pollan in this op-ed piece asserting that “our success in bringing health care costs under control ultimately depends on whether Washington can summon the political will to take and reform a second, even…
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Plaintiffs Blame Fatal Botulism Case on Faulty Food Processing Equipment
The representatives of a man who died of botulism have filed a lawsuit in federal court against Malo, Inc. and Massmann Enterprises, Inc., claiming that the companies responsible for maintaining food canning equipment at a Atlanta, Georgia, facility failed to warn owner Bumble Bee Foods, LLC about a leaky water valve . Caffrey et al.…
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OEHHA Announces Public Meeting to Receive Comments on Latest Prop. 65 Proposal
California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has reportedly drawn criticism from both the food industry and environmental groups over a recent draft proposal to amend its Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) regulations governing food chemicals. Prop. 65 requires food and beverage manufacturers and retailers to provide “clear and reasonable warning“ to individuals about any…
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California State Assembly Rejects Legislation Banning BPA
California legislators have reportedly rejected a bill (S.B. 797) that would have required manufacturers to remove by 2011 the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from food and beverage containers intended for children ages 3 and younger. Unable to garner the 41 votes needed to pass in the Assembly, the bill will reportedly come under reconsideration in…
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California Senator, Consumer Groups Allege Link Between Soft Drink Consumption and Obesity
The chair of the California Senate’s Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes has reportedly announced a November 2009 hearing to discuss the purported link between sweetened beverage consumption and obesity. An author of the state’s menu labeling laws, California Senator Alex Padilla (D-San Fernando Valley) issued the September 17, 2009, press release in response to…
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FDA Opens Reportable Food Registry That Requires 24-Hour Deadline
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has opened the Reportable Food Registry (RFR) as a new way to head off potential cases of foodborne illness. The system requires food companies that manufacture, process or hold food for consumption in the United States to report potentially dangerous products to FDA within 24 hours “if they find…