Category: Issue 548
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Prenatal Phthalate Exposure Allegedly Linked to Lower IQ Scores
A recent study has claimed that children born to women whose urinary phthalate levels during pregnancy were in the top quartile of their study cohort had lower intelligence-quotient (IQ) test scores at age 7 than their peers born to women in the quartile with the lowest exposure. Pam Factor-Litvak, et al., “Persistent Associations between Maternal…
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BPA in Canned Goods Purportedly Raises Blood Pressure
Researchers with Seoul National University have published a study allegedly finding that people who drank soy milk from cans containing bisphenol A (BPA) exhibited a statistically significant increase in blood pressure. Sanghyuk Bae and Yun-Chul Hong, “Exposure to Bisphenol A From Drinking Canned Beverage Increases Blood Pressure,” Hypertension, December 2014. Involving 60 adults older than…
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Oregon GE Alfalfa Farmers Challenge County Ban
Oregon farmers who grow genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa have filed a complaint seeking a declaration that a May 20, 2014, Jackson County ordinance banning GE crops in the county conflicts with state law, or, in the alternative, damages “as just compensation for the forced destruction of their property.” Schulz Family Farms LLC v. Jackson Cty.,…
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Maker’s Mark Bourbon Not “Handmade,” Putative Class Action Alleges
Two consumers have filed a putative class action in California federal court alleging that Maker’s Mark® bourbon whisky is not “handmade,” as the alcohol brand advertises, but is instead manufactured using “mechanized and/or automated processes” with “little to no human supervision, assistance or involvement.” Nowrouzi v. Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc., No. 14-2885 (S.D. Cal., filed…
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Court Refuses to Certify Class Alleging Mott’s False Advertising
A California federal court has denied certification to a putative class action alleging that Mott’s misleadingly labeled its apple juice as having “No Sugar Added” because the plaintiff failed to provide a feasible model for calculating damages. Rahman v. Mott’s LLP, No. 13-3482 (N.D. Cal., order entered December 3, 2014). The court further refused to…
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EU Parliament & Council Reach Accord on GMO Cultivation
A “hand-shake” agreement between the European Union’s Parliament and Council will reportedly end an ongoing dispute over member state control of internal food markets in relation to genetically modified organism (GMO) cultivation. European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Adriukaitis reportedly said, “The agreement, if confirmed, would meet member states’ consistent calls since 2009,…
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Supporters Concede Loss in Oregon GE Labeling Vote Recount
According to a news source, the organizations that supported an Oregon ballot initiative that would have required foods made with genetically engineered (GE) ingredients to be labeled as such have ended efforts to challenge a vote that narrowly defeated the measure. The groups apparently lost an emergency lawsuit seeking to include the ballots of some…