Category: Global
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Barbados Imposes SSB Tax
The Government of Barbados has announced a 10-percent excise tax on the purchase of locally produced and imported sugar-sweetened beverages as of August 1, 2015. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) lauded the action, citing consumption of sugary drinks as a major contributing factor to escalating rates of obesity and related health conditions such as diabetes,…
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WHO Seeks Comments on Childhood Obesity Report
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an interim report that seeks to identify policy options for mitigating the risk of childhood obesity. Published by WHO’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, the strategy document emphasizes “the importance of a life-course approach to simultaneously address the risk factors for childhood obesity from before conception, through pregnancy…
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ICE and CBP Seize Chinese Honey Worth $2.45 Million
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have reportedly confiscated since October 2014 about 450,000 pounds of honey produced in China but falsely declared to be from Latvia on import documents. Chinese honey has been subject to a high import tax—currently 221 percent—since 2001, when…
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Argentine Import Restrictions Violate WTO Rules, Appellate Body Affirms
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Appellate Body has affirmed its August 2013 decision condemning Argentina’s broad trade-related restrictions affecting a variety of goods and food products. In one case that the WTO considered, Argentine government officials approved an agreement with a firm that imported Porsche vehicles that would require the company to offset the imports…
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FAO/WHO Committee Issues Report on Veterinary Drug Residues in Food
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a technical report from a joint Food and Agriculture Organization/WHO Expert Committee tasked with evaluating the safety of certain veterinary drugs and recommending maximum residue limits (MRLs) in food. Among other things, the report addresses toxicological and residue data on various anthelminthic, antiparasitic, antifungal, and antibacterial agents and…
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WTO Reportedly Decides Against U.S. in COOL Dispute
According to the Wall Street Journal, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has decided for Canada and Mexico and against the United States in a battle over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) of meat products. The decision has reportedly been disclosed to the three governments and is expected to be made public in late September or early October,…
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Russia Takes Further Action on Food Sanctions
Russia has relaxed its food ban against the European Union by clarifying that it will allow imports of salmon and trout hatchlings, potato and onion seed, sugar maize hybrid and peas for planting, lactose-free milk, flavor additives, and food fibers. The move follows criticism from within the country on the effects the import prohibitions would…
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China Yanks Approval for GM Crop Programs
The People’s Republic of China Ministry of Agriculture has reportedly failed to renew the biosafety permits for two research programs growing genetically modified (GM) corn and rice, raising concerns about the future of GMO production in China. According to media sources, the Agriculture Ministry has not yet authorized any GMOs for public consumption and decided…