Category: Issue 401
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Codex Alimentarius Commission Approves GM Food Labeling Guidance
According to news sources, the Codex Alimentarius Commission concluded its meeting in Geneva by reaching an agreement on labeling foods that contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients. While the guidance is not mandatory, it would allow countries to label GM foods without risking a legal challenge before the World Trade Organization. National laws based on Codex…
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EU Approves Food Labeling Rules
The European Parliament has reportedly approved new food labeling rules aimed at helping consumers make “better informed, healthier choices.” As outlined in a July 6, 2011, press release, the new regulations will require labels “to spell out a food’s energy content as well as fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and salt levels, in a…
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Michigan Liquor Board Lifts Ban of “Raging Bitch” Beer
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission has reportedly reversed its decision to ban sales of a Maryland-based beer with a controversial name. Flying Dog Brewery has received approval to promote and sell its “Raging Bitch” Belgian-Style IPA in Michigan. According to Flying Dog, the commission has barred the beer’s sale in Michigan since 2009, claiming its…
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Advocacy Groups Seek FDA Rule on Mercury in Seafood
Several consumer protection organizations have filed a citizen petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seeking a rulemaking “for labeling and point of sale advisories concerning mercury in seafood to minimize methylmercury exposure to women of childbearing age and children.” According to the petition, some 200,000 children in the United States, between ages two…
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GAO Report Claims FCC Could Improve Children’s Television Act Enforcement
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report recommending that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) improve its enforcement of the Children’s Television Act (CTA) of 1990, which restricts advertising during children’s programs, requires a certain amount of informational/educational programming as a condition of broadcast license renewals and prohibits the use of program characters in…
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Federal Agencies Address Salmonella in Meat, Poultry, Shell Eggs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced an expansion of the Salmonella Initiative Program (SIP) to help industry reduce foodborne pathogens in raw meat and poultry products. The agency has extended the comment period to September 12, 2011. According to FSIS, the voluntary, incentive-based program allows “participating establishments…
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U.S. and Mexico Resolve Cross-Border Trucking Dispute Under NAFTA
The United States and Mexico have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that resolves a long-haul, cross-border trucking dispute involving “retaliatory tariffs” on more than $2 billion in U.S. exports, including food and agricultural products. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the July 6, 2011, agreement will “lift tariffs and put safety first.”…
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Phthalates, BPA Allegedly Influence Thyroid Hormones
A recent University of Michigan study has reportedly suggested that phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) could affect thyroid functioning in humans. John Meeker and Kelly Ferguson, “Relationship Between Urinary Phthalate and Bisphenol A Concentrations and Serum Thyroid Measures in U.S. Adults and Adolescents from NHANES 2007-08,” Environmental Health Perspectives, July 11, 2011. Researchers apparently used thyroid…