Category: Issue 541
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GE Salmon Production Banned in California
California Governor Jerry Brown (D) recently signed a bill (A.B. 504) extending the prohibition of spawning, incubating or cultivating of genetically engineered (GE) salmon in the Pacific Ocean to all state waters. Hatchery production and stocking of transgenic fish is also prohibited. The legislation was sponsored by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata), who asserts that the…
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Vermont Invites Public Comments on GMO-Labeling Rule Enforcement
Vermont Attorney General (AG) William Sorrell is inviting public comments on a draft rule intended to enforce the state’s new law requiring the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products. The proposed rule defines relevant terms such as “food,” “genetic engineering” and “in vitro nucleic acid techniques,” providing standards for retailers and food…
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USDA Schedules Meeting of GIPSA Advisory Committee
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has scheduled a November 4-5, 2014, public meeting of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) Advisory Committee at the National Grain Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Issues for discussion at the meeting will reportedly include the reauthorization status and standardization of user fees paid by official agencies;…
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U.S. Chamber and NAM Urge Congress to Suspend COOL Rule
Senior executives from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce have co-authored an October 14, 2014, letter to members of Congress urging the lawmakers to “authorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to rescind elements of [country-of-origin labeling (COOL)] that have been determined to be noncompliant with international trade obligations by a…
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Advocacy Groups Petition FDA for Ban on Chemicals Used in Food Contact Materials
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has joined the Center for Science in the Public Interest and other consumer groups in petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove several chemicals from food contact materials. The first food additive petition asks FDA to promulgate a new rule “prohibiting the use of perchlorate as a…
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New Study Provides Basis for Fructose-Tolerance Test
Investigators with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have for the first time identified a hormone that, when stimulated by fructose ingestion, could serve as the basis for a reliable fructose-tolerance test. Jody Dushay, et al., “Fructose ingestion acutely stimulates circulating FGF21 levels in humans,” Molecular Metabolism, October 2014. Known as Fibroblast Growth Factor 21…
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WHO Reviews Energy Drink Consumption in Europe
World Health Organization (WHO) researchers recently published an analysis of energy drink consumption in Europe that takes into account relevant scientific literature published through June 2014. Joao Breda, et al., “Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond,” Frontiers in Public Health, October 2014. Noting…
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CSPI Report Asserts Food and Beverage Options in Checkout Aisles Promote Obesity
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a report claiming that candy, energy bars, chips, and cookies constitute 90 percent of foods marketed in store checkout lanes, while sugar-sweetened beverages constitute 60 percent of the beverage options. According to the study, which examined 30 retailers in the Washington, D.C., area, 86…