Category: Issue 379
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JAMA Commentary Warns of Energy Drink Risk
A January 25, 2011, commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has claimed that “regular (nonalcoholic) energy drinks might pose just as great a threat to individual and public health and safety” as the alcoholic versions recently barred by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). According to authors Amelia…
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William Neuman, “F.D.A. and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk,” The New York Times, January 25, 2011
“Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds of older dairy cows bound for the slaughterhouse,” opens this article about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent decision to begin testing milk from farms “that had repeatedly sold cows tainted by drug residue.” Concerned that “the same poor management practices which led…
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CSPI Report Calls Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria “Foodborne Hazard”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a report claiming that antibiotics used on farms “may be causing more serious pathogens in the nation’s food supply.” Calling for increased scrutiny by the federal government, the January 25, 2011, report asserts that recording outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and subsequently testing the pathogens…
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GMA and FMI Announce New FOP Labeling System
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) have introduced a new front-of-pack (FOP) labeling system in response to first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign for clearer consumer information. According to a January 24, 2011, press release, the Nutrition Keys initiative summarizes important information “from the Nutrition Facts panel in a clear, simple…
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No Visas Issued for Costa Rican Banana Plantation Workers
According to a news source, Costa Rican farmers who allege they were injured by exposure to a pesticide used on Dole Food Co.’s banana plantations have been unable to obtain visas to enter the United States for medical testing. A state court ordered that the plaintiffs be tested in U.S. laboratories, apparently to avoid evidence…
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E. Coli-Tainted Spinach Suit Settled
A Utah woman who claims that E. coli-tainted spinach caused her irritable bowel syndrome and subsequent chronic incapacitation has reportedly settled her lawsuit against three California-based companies. Chelsey Macey, 26, and her husband were seeking damages in excess of $5 million. A jury awarded the couple that amount in compensatory damages, but before it could…
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Taco Bell Customer Questions the Beef Content of Tacos, Burritos
A California resident has filed a putative class action against Taco Bell Corp., alleging that the company violates consumer protection laws by mislabeling some of its beef products as containing seasoned beef “when in fact a substantial amount of the filling contains substances other than beef.” Obney v. Taco Bell Corp., No. 11-00101 (C.D. Cal., filed…
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Court Dismisses Claims That HFCS Beverage Is Not “All Natural”
A federal district court in New York has granted the motion for summary judgment filed by Snapple Beverage Corp. in a case alleging that the company misled consumers by labeling its teas and juice drinks as “All Natural” because the company’s beverages contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Weiner v. Snapple Beverage Corp., No. 07-8742 (S.D.N.Y., decided…