Category: Issue 589
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Mammary Gland Tumors Allegedly Linked to Sucrose Consumption
An animal study examining the purported link between high sucrose intake and the development of mammary gland tumors has attributed the effect in part “to increased expression of 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and its arachidonate metabolite 12-hydroxy-5Z,8Z,10E,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE).” Yan Jiang, et al., “A Sucrose-Enriched Diet Promotes Tumorigenesis in Mammary Gland in Part through the 12-Lipoxygenase Pathway,”…
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Plain Food Packaging Might Encourage Consumption
Plain food packaging for snack foods decreases purchase intention and brand perception but increases actual consumption among some consumers, according to French and Belgian researchers. Carolina O.C. Werle, et al., “Is plain food packaging plain wrong? Plain packaging increases unhealthy snack intake among males,” Food Quality and Preference, December 2015. Billed as the first to…
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Alleged Links Between Cancer and Diet Target of Upcoming Harvard Webcast
“Cancer and Diet: The Latest on Processed Meats, Fats and More” is the title of a January 15, 2016, live forum hosted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Webcast faculty, including Harvard Professors Walter Willett and Frank Hu, will discuss the World Health Organization’s classification of processed meat as a “Group 1”…
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Nestle Pens Article Targeting Industry-Sponsored Food Studies
New York University Professor Marion Nestle has penned an opinion article in the January 2016 edition of JAMA Internal Medicine criticizing industry-backed food studies. Pointing to research reviews posted on her Food Politics blog, Nestle alleges that 70 out of 76 industry-funded studies published between March and October 2015 “reported results favorable to the sponsor’s…
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“Made in USA” Lawsuits Filed Against Rockstar, Heinz
A plaintiff has filed two similar lawsuits against H.J. Heinz Co. and Rockstar, Inc. alleging the companies’ products wrongfully bear “Made in the USA” label claims because they contain “foreign ingredients.” Alaei v. Rockstar, Inc., No. 15-2959 (S.D. Cal., filed December 31, 2015); Alaei v. H.J. Heinz Co., No. 15-2961 (S.D. Cal., filed December 31,…
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New York Consumer Files Slack-Fill Lawsuit Against Trader Joe’s
A consumer has filed a proposed class action against Trader Joe’s Co. alleging the company sells 5-ounce cans of store-brand tuna filled with only 3 ounces of product. Magier v. Trader Joe’s Co., No. 16-0043 (S.D.N.Y., filed January 5, 2016). According to the complaint, “Independent testing by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…
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Chipotle Targeted in Federal Investigations, Shareholder Suit Filed in New York Federal Court
Chipotle Mexican Grill has reportedly been served with a grand jury subpoena as part of a U.S. Attorney’s Office and Food and Drug Administration criminal investigation into a California norovirus outbreak in August 2015 that sickened more than 200 people. The company’s fare was also linked to a norovirus outbreak in Massachusetts in December 2015.…
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PCRM Sues Federal Agencies Seeking to Maintain Existing Federal Cholesterol Intake Guidelines
The nonprofit advocacy group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has brought suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking to prevent the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) from adopting a recommendation of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). The DGAC is a…