Category: Issue 354
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Study Claims Consumers Underestimate Calories of “Organic” Foods
A forthcoming Judgment and Decision Making study has reportedly suggested that consumers underestimate the calorie content of foods deemed “organic.” According to media reports, University of Michigan researchers found that students presented with identical food choices were more likely to describe the option labeled “organic” as having fewer calories than the “conventional” product. Participants also…
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Harvard Study Claims to Demonstrate Effectiveness of Soda Tax
A recent study has reportedly linked a 35 percent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to a 26-percent reduction in sales over a four-week period. Jason Block, et al., “Point-of-Purchase and Education Intervention to Reduce Consumption of Sugary Soft Drinks,” American Journal of Public Health, June 2010. Harvard University researchers apparently imposed the equivalent of a penny-per-ounce…
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Rudd Center Claims Children Choose and Prefer Branded Snacks
Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has published a study purportedly showing that children “significantly preferred” snack foods branded with popular cartoon characters. Christina Roberto, et al., “Influence of Licensed Characters on Children’s Taste and Snack Preferences,” Pediatrics, June 2010. Researchers apparently asked 40 children between 4 and 6 years old to…
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Dan Mitchell, “Pollan’s New Rule to Ding Big Food,” The Big Money, June 21, 2010
This recent blog entry claims that author and activist Michael Pollan has publicly renounced his five-ingredient rule—“to eat only foods that list five or fewer ingredients”—because of “the ‘jiu-jitsu’ employed by the food industry whenever someone offers sound advice.” According to Big Money contributor Dan Mitchell, some marketers have capitalized on this widely disseminated “food…
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National Pork Board Takes Umbrage at “The New White Meat”
A website that specializes in geek gear has reportedly drawn the ire of the National Pork Board (NPB), which apparently sent the company a cease-and-desist letter for marketing unicorn pâté as “the other white meat.” ThinkGeek.com offered the fake product as an April Fool’s prank, but later received a 12-page legal missive claiming that advertisements…
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Scientists Urge EFSA Action Regarding BPA Reduction
Several environmental, health and women’s organizations have called on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to consider “all relevant studies” on bisphenol A (BPA) as the safety watchdog prepares to present its opinion on the chemical next month. Signed by approximately 20 scientific experts and 40 non-governmental organizations, the June 23, 2010, letter states that…
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Kosher Meatpacking Plant Manager Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison
The former manager of an Iowa-based kosher meatpacking plant that was raided by immigration authorities in 2008 has reportedly been sentenced to 27 years for financial fraud and ordered to pay $27 million in restitution. While the initial case against Sholom Rubashkin involved the hiring of hundreds of illegal immigrant workers, prosecutors apparently changed their…
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Apple Growers in Minnesota Challenge Restrictive Licensing Agreement
A number of Minnesota-based apple growers have filed a complaint against the regents of the University of Minnesota and others claiming that exclusive and limited licensing agreements pertaining to the cultivation and sale of a new apple variety violate federal and state competition and restraint of trade laws. Aamodt Apple Farm, Inc. v. Regents, U.…