Category: Issue 477
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Salt Intake Allegedly Linked to 2.3 Million Heart-Related Deaths Annually
An abstract recently presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions reportedly linked high salt intake to 2.3 million heart-related deaths per year worldwide. According to a March 21, 2013, AHA press release, researchers analyzed data on adult sodium intake from 247 surveys conducted…
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CSPI Says Most Restaurant Kids’ Meals Fail to Meet Nutritional Guidelines
“Nearly all of the meal possibilities offered to kids at America’s top chain restaurants are of poor nutritional quality,” according to a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). “One out of every three American children is overweight or obese, but it’s as if the chain restaurant industry didn’t get…
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Lancet Commentary Questions Food and Beverage Philanthropy
A Lancet commentary supportive of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s effort to curb the size of sugar-sweetened beverages sold in the city questions whether food and beverage industry partnerships with minority advocacy organizations are “merely a smokescreen to hide the continued targeting of the most susceptible consumers.” Comparing “Big Soda” to “Big Tobacco,” the…
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WTO Member Delegations Challenge Chile’s Proposed “STOP” Sign Food Labels
During a recent meeting of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee, several member delegations expressed concerns about Chile’s proposed food health regulation amendments that would, among other things, require certain foods high in fat, sugar or salt to bear “STOP” sign-shaped warnings on 20 percent of the “main surface of…
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Legal Scholars Address Constitutional Parameters of Commercial Speech
In an article titled “Snake Oil Salesmen or Purveyors of Knowledge: Off-Label Promotions and the Commercial Speech Doctrine,” Yale Law School Senior Research Scholar Constance Bagley and her co-authors critique the Second Circuit’s December 2012 determination in United States v. Caronia that Food and Drug Administration rules prohibiting prescription drug makers from promoting their products…
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Amicus Briefs Filed to Support NYC’s Appeal of Ruling on Sugary Drink Size Limits
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that the city’s request for an expedited hearing on its appeal of a court ruling striking down a limitation on the size of sugar-sweetened beverages sold in certain retail venues has been granted and that friend-of-the court briefs have been filed in support of the city’s appeal.…
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Food Labeling Claims Filed Against Trader Joe’s in California
Three California residents have filed a putative class action against food retailer Trader Joe’s in federal court, alleging three different types of misleading labeling claims: using the terms “evaporated cane juice” or “organic evaporated cane juice,” identifying as “natural” or “no added coloring or preservatives” foods that contain added preservatives and artificial colors, and representing…
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Animal Rights Groups Sue Federal Agencies over Egg Labeling
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and Compassion Over Killing have reportedly filed a complaint in a California federal court against the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Federal Trade Commission claiming that the agencies have failed to regulate animal-welfare labeling on egg cartons. According to ALDF, rulemaking petitions were filed in…