Category: Issue 352
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OEHHA Withdraws Amendment Proposal on Calculating “Safe Harbor” Levels
California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently announced that it is withdrawing a regulatory proposal to amend several provisions of the Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) implementing regulations that establish procedures for calculating “safe harbor” levels for listed chemicals. The public comment period on the proposal closed May 28, 2010. According to OEHHA,…
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UK Environment Secretary Endorses GM Crops
The United Kingdom’s environmental secretary has reportedly endorsed genetically modified (GM) crops, making the current Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the most supportive of GM crops to date. In contrast to the previous government’s unwillingness to back what some apparently fear are “Frankenstein foods,” Secretary Caroline Spelman told a news source that she…
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Health Canada Says BPA in Canned Foods Poses No Risk; Germany Advises Manufacturers to Find Alternatives
Health Canada’s Bureau of Chemical Safety has released a survey of bisphenol A (BPA) in canned foods that finds low rates of exposure and no risk to public health. Researchers apparently examined samples from 78 domestic and imported canned food products, including pastas, soups, tomato paste, tuna and vegetables. The results indicated that canned tuna…
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European Commission Adopts Recommendations for Monitoring Acrylamide in Food
The European Commission (EC) has adopted recommendations for member states to monitor acrylamide levels in food as a way to obtain a consistent reduction of the known carcinogen found in a number of food categories. The recommendations, adopted June 2, 2010, urge member states to provide acrylamide monitoring information to the European Food Safety Authority…
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FSIS Seeks Input on Food Safety Standards for Codex Consideration
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced the 33rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission slated for July 5-9, 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland. FSIS seeks public comments before the meeting on “those standards that are currently under consideration or planned for consideration and recommendations for new standards.” The standards…
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APHIS Seeks Comments on GM Sugar Beet Assessment
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has published a notice of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on genetically modified (GM) sugar beets. The agency had previously deregulated sugar beets genetically modified for glyphosate resistance without preparing an EIS and was ordered in September 2009 by…
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USDA Announces Ambitious Honey Bee Research Initiative
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an ambitious research effort “to determine the prevalence of parasites and disease-causing microorganisms that may be contributing to the decline of honey bee colonies nationwide.” According to a June 7, 2010, news release, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS)…
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FTC Seeks Comments on Deceptive Marketing Research
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget its intention to study consumer susceptibility to fraudulent and deceptive marketing. The commission plans to conduct an “economic laboratory experiment” with 250 subjects to better target its enforcement actions and consumer education initiatives, and to improve future…