Category: Global
-
EPA Publishes Action Plan to Address BPA Concerns
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published an action plan to address concerns over bisphenol A (BPA), which has purportedly “caused reproductive and developmental effects in animal studies and may also affect the endocrine system.” Intended to strengthen the agency’s chemical management program, the plan focuses on the plasticizer’s environmental impact and proposes (i) adding BPA…
-
U.N. Members Vote to Continue Trade in Bluefin Tuna
The United Nations (U.N.) has reportedly balked at a proposal to ban the international trade of Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, an endangered species prized by sushi aficionados. Gathered in Doha, Qatar, for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), U.N. member states voted 20-68 to reject…
-
Australia Implements New BSE Policy for Imported Beef
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has lifted a nine-year ban on imported beef and beef products, implementing a new policy that requires export countries to undergo a risk assessment for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). According to FSANZ, “certain beef and beef products may be imported from countries that apply and are assessed by…
-
India Blocks Commercial Release of GM Eggplant
The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has apparently imposed an indefinite moratorium on the commercial introduction of genetically modified (GM) eggplant, or brinjal, while the agency considers the recommendations of its Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). In announcing the decision, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh cited negative public reactions to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) brinjal, as well…
-
Western Australia Approves GM Canola
The state government of Western Australia (WA) recently announced its decisionto allow the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) canola within the region as of this year. State Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman reportedly signed the exemption order under the Genetically Modified Crops Free Areas Act of 2003, thus permitting WA farmers to grow GM…
-
New Zealand Takes Stand on GM Advertising
In a development only recently noticed in the United States, New Zealand’s Commerce Commission took action in late 2009 against a poultry producer that claimed its chickens contained no genetically modified (GM) ingredients. According to a November 18, 2009, commission news release, Inghams Enterprises (NZ) Pty. Limited was warned that it risked breaching the Fair Trading…
-
WHO and FAO Request Bisphenol A Data for October 2010 Meeting
In collaboration with Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have announced an October 2010 expert meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, to discuss the safety of bisphenol A (BPA), calling for data from the scientific community on any “adverse human health effects at low…
-
Australian Agency Seeks Comment on Proposal to Regulate Industrial Nanomaterials; Scientific Studies Continue to Generate Debate over Potential Health Effects
The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme of Australia’s Department of Health and Ageing has released for public comment a plan to (i) eliminate a regulatory review exemption for the production of small quantities of new nanoscale materials; and (ii) establish a voluntary reporting system for manufacturers producing nanoscale chemicals. Comments must be provided…