Category: Issue 453
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Rudd Center Study Examines Obesity-Related Health Messaging
Researchers with Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have published a study purportedly assessing the effectiveness of “major obesity public health campaigns from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.” R. Puhl, et al., “Fighting obesity or obese persons? Public perceptions of obesity-related health messages,” International Journal of Obesity, September 2012.…
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Research Suggests BPA Association with Anxiety in Adolescents
A new study in which Wistar rats were exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) through drinking water from gestation through puberty purportedly shows that “behavioral impacts of BPA can manifest during adolescence, but wane in adulthood, and may be mitigated by diet.” Heather Patisaul, et al., “Anxiogenic Effects of Developmental Bisphenol A Exposure Are Associated with Gene Expression…
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Study Allegedly Links Obesity to “Structural Brain Impairments” in Adolescence
A recent study has reportedly documented “lower cognitive performance and reductions in brain structural integrity” among adolescents with metabolic syndrome (MeTS), “thus suggesting that even relatively short-term impairments in metabolism, in the absence of clinically manifest vascular disease, may give rise to brain complications.” Po Lai Yau, et al., “Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome and Functional and…
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UK Doctors Urge 9 p.m. Watershed for Food Advertising
The U.K. Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has issued a statement urging regulators to prohibit all TV advertising for foods high in sugar, fat or salt before the 9 p.m. watershed. Citing a 2003 Food Standards Agency review that allegedly measured the impact of food promotion on children, RCPCH President Hilary Cass…
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CARU Recommends Changes to “Froot Loops” Website; Kellogg Agrees
The Kellogg Co. has reportedly agreed to modify its “Froot Loops” cereal website following recommendations from the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), which called for better disclosure that advertising is present within the site’s games and activities. An “investigative unit of the advertising industry’s self-regulatory system . . . administered by of the Council of Better…
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Golden Rice Study Criticized on Ethical Grounds
A recently published study involving transgenic rice has reportedly drawn criticism from Greenpeace China, which has accused U.S. researchers of using Chinese children “as guinea pigs in [a] genetically engineered ‘Golden Rice’ trial.” According to media sources, the advocacy group has cited a joint Chinese-U.S. study appearing in the August 2012 edition of the American Journal…
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European Court of Justice Decides Winemaker Cannot Label Product as “Wholesome”
A European Court of Justice panel has determined that a German winemaker may not, under European Union law, place labels on its bottles including the word bekömmlich (meaning digestible, wholesome or nourishing). Deutsches Weintor eG v. Land Rehinland-Pfalz, Case C 544/10 (E.C.J., decided September 6, 2012). According to the court, “[b]y highlighting only the easy digestion…
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Class Claims Dog Treats from China Allegedly Sickened Pets
A New York resident has filed a putative class action in a California federal court seeking to recover damages allegedly sustained by pet owners whose dogs became sick after eating “Chinese Chicken Jerky.” Langone v. Del Monte Corp., No. 12-4671 (N.D. Cal., filed September 6, 2012). The plaintiff cites and quotes a number of items published…