Category: Issue 415
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Study on Soda Consumption and Violence Revisits “Twinkie Defense”
A recent study has reportedly associated non-diet soft drink consumption among teenagers with an increased risk for violent tendencies, raising questions about the legitimacy of the so-called “Twinkie Defense” used in the 1979 trial of Dan White for the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Sara Solnick and David Hemenway,…
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Study Investigates Prenatal BPA Exposure and Hyperactivity in Girls
A recent study has reportedly claimed that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) could affect “behavioral and emotional regulation” in girls ages 3 and younger. Joe Braun, et al., “Impact of Early-Life Bisphenol A Exposure on Behavior and Executive Function in Children,” Pediatrics, October 2011. The results appear to confirm earlier research led by Harvard…
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Brownell Calls Soft Drink Industry “Bad as Big Tobacco”; Rudd Center to Issue New Report
Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, recently authored commentary for Time magazine’s online opinion section, advocating “a penny-per-ounce tax on any beverage with added sugar.” According to Brownell’s October 24, 2011, article, “Nearly 20 states or cities in the U.S. have considered or are considering the possibility of…
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Common Sense Media Examines Digital Media Use Among Young Children
The nonprofit organization Common Sense Media (CSM) has issued a report titled Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America that documents how infants, toddlers and young children are exposed to media “on everything from television to mobile devices to apps.” Billed as the first national research study to examine young children’s use of iPads…
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Pew Research Center Questions Regulatory Oversight of Food Additives
A recent study analyzing federal oversight of substances added to food has reportedly concluded that the current program, while expediting the review process, both inhibits transparency and delegates critical food safety decisions to manufacturers. Thomas Neltner, et al., “Navigating the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program,” Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, October 2011. Based…
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Canadian Wheat Board Sues to Stop Legislation That Would Dismantle Single Desk
The Canadian Wheat Board, which apparently serves as the marketing organization for western Canadian wheat, durum wheat and barley farmers, has filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in his capacity as Minister Responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, alleging that he failed to consult with the board as required by law…
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European General Court Annuls EC Decision Removing Triclosan from Food Contact Substance List
The European General Court (ECG) has determined that the European Commission (EC) erred in removing the antibacterial chemical 2,4,4’-tricihloro2’-hydroxydiphenyl ether (triclosan) from the list of additives that may be used to make plastic materials and other articles that come into contact with foods. Microban Int’l Ltd. v. EC, No. T-262 (ECG, decided October 25, 2011). The court…
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Lawsuit Claims “Hyperoxygenated” Water Fails to Deliver Promised Benefits
A California resident has filed a putative nationwide class action against Austrian and British companies that sell Oxygizer®, a “designer water” product promoted as an athletic performance aid, alleging that increased oxygen content cannot deliver the benefits claimed. Ghazarian v. Oxy Beverages Handelsgelsellschaft mbH, No. 11-8860 (C.D. Cal., filed October 26, 2011). The companies purportedly…