Tag: additive
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Cornucopia Institute Asks FDA to Remove Carrageenan from Food Supply
The Cornucopia Institute (CI) has issued a report that questions the safety of food-grade or undegraded carrageenan, “a common food additive extracted from red seaweed.” Titled “Carrageenan: How a ‘Natural’ Food Additive is Making Us Sick,” the report claims that animal studies “have repeatedly shown that food-grade carrageenan causes gastrointestinal inflammation and higher rates of…
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RWJF Issues Recommendations for Healthier Beverages
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF’s) Healthy Eating Research (HER) panel has released a set of age-based “Recommendations for Healthier Beverages” that urge government buildings, workplaces and other public venues to increase the availability of water and unflavored milk as replacements for high-calorie beverages. Billed as “an advisory panel of prominent researchers, nutritionists and policy experts,”…
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Senators Urge U.S. Trade Representative to Resolve Russian Meat Import Ban
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich), who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, has joined ranking committee member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and 31 other senators in asking U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk “to quickly address Russia’s new import ban on U.S. beef, poultry and turkey.” According to a February 19, 2013, news release,…
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PepsiCo to Remove BVO from Gatorade
Apparently motivated in part by an online petition started by a 15-year-old from Mississippi, PepsiCo has reportedly decided to remove brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a flame retardant, from Gatorade®. Sarah Kavanagh posted the petition on Change.org after she read about studies linking BVO to possible health effects, and it was signed by more than 200,000…
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Health Canada Approves Stevia for Tabletop and Food Use
Health Canada has issued a notice of modification adding steviol glycosides derived from the stevia plant to its list of permitted sweeteners. After concluding a technical consultation published on July 31, 2012, in response to three separate food additive submissions, Health Canada has evidently agreed that “available data support the safety and efficacy of steviol…
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FDA Issues Final Food Irradiation Rules
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final rules amending food additive regulations pertaining to the use of ionizing radiation in the production, processing and handling of meat and poultry products. Promulgated at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rules took effect on November 30, 2012. FDA requests written objections or…
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EFSA Issues Guidance for Demonstrating Food Additive Safety
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued new guidance for the submission of food additive applications that reflects recent scientific advances as well as “the latest risk assessment principles.” Developed by EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food, the new data submission guidelines aim to streamline the testing process while…
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EFSA Issues Opinion on Dietary Exposure to Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a scientific opinion on dietary exposure to mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) found mainly in “food packaging materials, food additives, processing aids, and environmental contaminants such as lubricants.” According to a June 6, 2012, press release, EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) focused on two…