Category: Issue 340
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Australia Implements New BSE Policy for Imported Beef
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has lifted a nine-year ban on imported beef and beef products, implementing a new policy that requires export countries to undergo a risk assessment for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). According to FSANZ, “certain beef and beef products may be imported from countries that apply and are assessed by…
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EU Approves GM Potato for Cultivation; Some Members Criticize Move
The European Commission (EC) has reportedly approved for the first time in 12 years a genetically modified (GM) crop to be grown solely for industrial or animal feed purposes in the European Union. EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli told reporters that the GM Amflora potato produced by the German company BASF…
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Wisconsin and Maryland Take Action on BPA in Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle (D) has signed a bill (S.B. 271) that bans bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups for children younger than age 3, joining Minnesota and Connecticut in prohibiting this use of a packaging chemical purportedly linked to developmental problems in young children. The Wisconsin bill, effective June 2010, prohibits…
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FDA Commissioner Outlines Agency Priorities During Food Summit in D.C.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg offered her views on how the agency will move forward on food safety and labeling issues during a “Food Summit” sponsored by The Atlantic magazine at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2010. Hamburg stated that she plans to focus on two critical aspects of food policy: safety and how to make…
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FDA Survey Finds That Majority of Consumers Read the Full Food Label
With the recent uptick in consumer fraud class actions targeting food and beverage labels, and opinions like the Ninth Circuit’s in Williams v. Gerber, 552 F.3d 934 (2009) (reinstating a proposed class action and finding that consumers should not be “expected to look beyond misleading representations on the front of the box to discover the…
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FDA Warns Food and Beverage Companies Their Products May Be Seized If Labeling Claims Continue to Violate the Law
Taking aim at companies that make (i) nutrient content claims on foods and beverages intended for children younger than age 2, (ii) 0 gram trans fat claims on products high in saturated fats, and (iii) health-related claims, such as the treatment or mitigation of disease, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warning letters…
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New York Senator Urges EPA to Take Action on Bisphenol A; Controversy Brews over BPA Research
Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who introduced legislation that would prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in children’s products, has written to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) administrator seeking an explanation for the agency’s decision to omit BPA from its December 2009 chemical action plan. In the March 2, 2010, letter, Schumer refers to scientific…
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Federal Government Focuses Attention on Obesity; Childhood Obesity Articles Proliferate
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions conducted a hearing March 4, 2010, to address childhood obesity. Among those testifying was U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, who provided an overview of the “epidemic,” examples of successful individual and community interventions and recent federal initiatives to “help Americans achieve optimal health.” She claimed that keeping…