Category: Issue 414
-
EC Adopts “Nanomaterial” Definition
The European Commission (EC) has adopted a recommendation defining “nanomaterials” as materials “whose main constituents have a dimension of between 1 and 100 billionth of a meter.” According to an October 18, 2011, press release, this definition considers only “the size of the constituent particles of a material, rather than hazard or risk.” As such,…
-
IOM Recommends “Fundamental Shift” in FOP Labeling
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released the second of its two-phase report on front-of-package (FOP) rating systems and symbols for food products, advocating a “fundamental shift” in labeling strategy. While its first phase, released in October 2010, analyzed nutrition rating systems and the scientific research that underlies them, the new 231-page assessment examines consumers’…
-
FDA Sets Allowable Level for DEHP in Bottled Water
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced changes to its bottled water quality standard “by establishing an allowable level for the chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP).” Effective April 16, 2012, the final rule establishes “in § 165.110(b)(4)(iii)(C) (21 CFR 165.110(b)(4)(iii)(C)), which includes allowable levels for pesticides and other synthetic organic chemicals, an allowable level for DEHP…
-
Consumer Interests Seek FTC Investigation of Digital Youth Marketing; Doritos® Targeted
Several consumer advocacy organizations have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) based on a report that “identifies, analyzes, and documents a set of digital marketing practices that pose particular threats to children and youth, especially when used to promote foods that are high in fat, sugars, and salt, which are known to…
-
U.S. Senate Adopts Amendment to Keep Spuds in Schools
The U.S. Senate has reportedly adopted an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2012 Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill that would prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from reducing the amount of potatoes and other starches in school meals. According to Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who authored the bipartisan measure, USDA earlier this year “proposed a rule…
-
Senators Continue Crusade to Keep GE Salmon Out of U.S. Markets
Alaska’s U.S. Senators Mark Begich (D) and Lisa Murkowski (R) have introduced two new bills as part of their ongoing campaign to prevent the federal government from allowing the sale of genetically engineered (GE) salmon. Information about related legislative proposals they sponsored in January 2011 appears in Issue 380 of this Update. One new proposal…