Category: Issue 567
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CSPI Executive Director Pens Article Linking “Big Food” and “Big Tobacco”
“Food is not tobacco… But the public health community is concerned about both diet and tobacco use for a very good reason,” writes Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Executive Director Michael Jacobson in a June 2, 2015, Huffington Post blog post claiming that both industries “share some common bloodlines.” Jacobson claims that…
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NHS England Chief Executive Dubs Obesity “The New Smoking”
During a May 31, 2015, interview with BBC One’s “The Andrew Marr Show,” National Health Service (NHS) England Chief Executive Simon Stevens called on industry stakeholders to reduce the amount of sugar in food and beverage products. In particular, he claimed that “one in three of our teenagers are drinking high-energy, sugary drinks,” urging “responsible…
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New York Times Explores English Monks’ Caffeinated Wine
Buckfast Abbey, an English monastery approaching its millennial anniversary, has drawn criticism for its production of a sweet caffeinated wine, The New York Times reports. The beverage, which the abbey sells in 750-milliliter bottles through a distributor, is 15 percent alcohol and contains more than 300 milligrams of caffeine. The fortified wine was originally sold…
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BMA Scotland Supports Measure to Ban Alcohol Ads at Sporting Events
The British Medical Association in Scotland (BMA Scotland) has reportedly backed legislation under consideration by the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee that seeks to ban alcohol advertising at all events geared toward children younger than age 18. According to media reports, the proposed measure would also prohibit the marketing of alcoholic beverages near schools…
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EWG Launches New Assault Against BPA in Cans
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a “non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment,” has issued an analysis of more than 250 foods that identifies which of the products’ cans are lined with bisphenol A (BPA) as well as an online petition imploring consumers to encourage companies to stop using BPA-based epoxy…
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GMO-Free Baby Formula Focus of As You Sow Campaign
The shareholder advocacy group As You Sow has announced the success of a three-year campaign targeting baby formula purportedly made with ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). According to a May 27, 2015, press release, the group drafted a shareholder resolution asking Abbott Laboratories to remove GMOs from its Similac® Advance® baby formula. In response…
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KFC Sues Chinese Media Companies for Spreading Eight-Legged Chicken Rumors
Yum! Brands Inc.’s KFC has announced on its Chinese-language website that it has filed lawsuits against three Chinese media companies for allegedly spreading rumors that the company has bred its chickens to have eight legs and six wings. The complaint, filed in Shanghai Xuhui District People’s Court, reportedly alleges that the media companies disseminated false…
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Kahlua® Makers Pursue “Kahfua” Makers in Court
Absolut Co. has filed a complaint and a motion for an injunction against Happy Hearts Wine LLC, a New York City importer of Israeli wine, after Absolut noticed a Certificate of Label Approval filed with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for “Kahfua,” which it alleges is too close to Kahlua®. Absolut Co.…