Tag: sugar
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APHIS Partially Deregulates GE Sugar Beet Root Crop Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced its decision to partially deregulate the Roundup Ready® sugar beets developed by the Monsanto Co. These genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets resist the company’s Roundup Ready® herbicide. A court previously determined that APHIS violated the National Environmental Policy Act by deregulating…
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Walmart Launches Effort to Provide Healthier Food Choices
Walmart has unveiled a plan to provide healthier food choices at reduced prices, setting specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in thousands of packaged foods by 2015. Joined by first lady Michelle Obama at an event in Washington, D.C., the major grocer outlined key elements of the initiative that built on…
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Court-Ordered GE Sugar Beet Seedling Destruction on Hold
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reportedly issued a temporary stay of a district court order mandating the destruction of 256 acres of genetically engineered (GE) sugar beet seedlings that were, according to the lower court, planted illegally in September 2010. Ctr. for Food Safety v. Vilsack, No. 10-04038 (N.D. Cal., decided November 30,…
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USDA Completes Draft Assessment of GE Sugar Beets
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published a notice inviting public comment on its draft environmental assessment for genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets. Comments must be submitted by December 6, 2010. APHIS conducted the assessment in response to a request that it partially deregulate GE…
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California Researchers Question Fructose Content of HFCS
The University of Southern California Childhood Obesity Research Center (CORC) has published a study claiming that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contains 18 percent more fructose than estimated by soft drink manufacturers. Emily Ventura, Jaimie Davis and Michael I. Goran, “Sugar Content of Popular Sweetened Beverages Based on Objective Laboratory Analysis: Focus on Fructose Content,” Obesity,…
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Legal and Cultural Issues Related to Sugar Are Focus of Two New Articles
In a recent FindLaw article, Cornell Law School Professor Sherry Colb addresses whether New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to prevent food stamp recipients from buying sugar-sweetened sodas and beverages violates any constitutional proscriptions. Titled “No Buying Soda with Food Stamps? Considering Mayor Bloomberg’s New Health Initiative,” Colb’s article concludes that arguments about equal…
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FOP Nutrition Rating Systems Addressed in New IOM Report
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released the first phase of its report on front-of-package (FOP) rating systems and symbols for food products and recommends that the nutrients of greatest concern to consumers—calories, saturated fats, trans fat, and sodium—as well as serving size, should be highlighted, with calorie-count and serving-size information displayed prominently. According to…
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Plaintiffs Likely to Succeed on Merits of Challenge to APHIS GM Sugar Beet Permits
A federal court in California has determined that an agency decision to allow planting of genetically modified (GM) sugar beet stecklings (seedlings) without conducting an environmental assessment likely violated federal law and has ordered the parties to file briefs as to the appropriate remedy now that most of the stecklings authorized have been planted. Ctr.…