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Center for Science In The Public Interest
News on nutrition, food safety, and more.
- GAO Calls for Greater Coordination, Monitoring of Genetically Engineered Crops
Statement of CSPI Biotechnology Director Gregory Jaffe - Industry Not Lowering Sodium in Processed Foods, Despite Public Health Concerns
A Few Companies Actually Hike Salt Levels Dramatically in Some Products, Says CSPIWASHINGTONHealth experts have been ringing alarm bells about the amount of sodium, or salt, in processed foods for years. But according to discouraging new data published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, most food companies aren't listening. The average sodium content of 528 packaged and restaurant foods stayed essentially the same between 2005 and 2008, increasing by under one percent. But considering the food industry's acknowledgment that sodium levels are too high, the lack of progress is disturbing, said CSPI. The medical community has long agreed that diets high in sodium are a major cause of strokes and heart attacks. - Nestlé Agrees to Curb Children's Marketing
Statement of CSPI Nutrition Policy Director Margo G. WootanWe applaud Nestlé for setting nutrition standards for the products it advertises to children under 12. Switching from promoting Wonka candy to 100 percent juice and low-fat chocolate milk will be better for children and make it easier for parents to feed their children healthfully. - Eating as if Your Life Depends on It
Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson to speak at the 92nd Street Y in New York CityMichael F. Jacobson, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, will speak about eating healthfully as food costs continue to rise at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on Tuesday, December 9th. - Fish & Shellfish Top CSPI Outbreak List
As Thanksgiving Approaches, Group Urges Obama Administration to Make Food Safety Top PriorityWASHINGTONOutbreaks involving produce, including E. coli on spinach, and Salmonella on jalapeno peppers and fresh tomatoes grabbed headlines this year and last. But when you look at relative rates of outbreak-related illnesses caused by various foods, fish and shellfish turn out to cause more sicknesses per bite than any other category. Turkey is linked to three times as many illnesses as chickenno doubt in part because many harried home cooks might not as be as familiar with how to safely thaw and cook a whole big bird, or to store the leftovers - Longer Tests on Lab Animals Urged for Potential Carcinogens
WASHINGTON Current government regulatory agencies typically require that industrial chemicals, including food additives and environmental pollutants, be administered to lab rodents beginning shortly after birth and ending after two years to test whether those substances might cause cancer in humans. But a new peer-reviewed paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives argues that those tests sometimes understate human risks and should start in utero and continue as long as three years, the approximate life spans of rats and mice. The longer, more sensitive tests would provide a more reliable picture of the risk that various chemicals pose to humans throughout their lifespan, the authors say. The authors charged that practically all rodent tests submitted to regulatory agencies are insufficiently sensitive. - CSPI's Director of Litigation Named Advocate of the Year
WASHINGTONThe nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest is pleased to announce Stephen Gardner, director of its litigation project, was named Advocate of the Year by the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). That organization presented the award at its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon on Oct. 25. - How Should the Next Administration Address Genetically Engineered Food Animals?
Audio and Transcript Now AvailableWASHINGTONThe Center for American Progress and the Center for Science in the Public Interest will convene a moderated panel discussion on the commercialization of genetically engineered animals on Monday, November 10, 2008 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the National Press Club in Washington. - Philadelphia Passes Strongest Nutrition Labeling Requirements for Chain Restaurant Menus
Statement of CSPI Nutrition Policy Director Margo G. WootanPhiladelphia now joins New York City, several counties, and the state of California in passing a strong menu labeling requirement for chain restaurants. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2010, chain restaurants with more than 15 outlets will have to disclose calories on menu boards, and calories, saturated and trans fat, sodium and carbohydrates on printed menus. The measure passed today by the Philadelphia City Council is the strongest in the nation so far, and we hope it is used as a model for other jurisdictions. - Brits Get Treats, Americans Get Tricks From Food Companies, Says Nutrition Action Healthletter
Pumpkin, Annatto, & Strawberry Color Foods There, Synthetic Petrochemicals Fill In HereWASHINGTONBritish consumers enjoy products made by General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft and McDonald's that are free of synthetic food dyes, but American customers lack such royal treatment, according to the October issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter. Despite evidence linking food dyes to hyperactivity and other behavior problems in children, companies continue to use the controversial dyes in American product lines while substituting natural colorings in the United Kingdom. - GAO Says FDA Fails to Ensure Accuracy and Truthfulness of Food Labels
FDA Urged to Develop Simple, Front-Label Nutrition SymbolWASHINGTONA new report from the Government Accountability Office gives federal food regulators failing marks when it comes to preventing false and misleading labeling. - Yum! Brands Praised for Adding Calorie Counts to KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell Menu Boards
Statement of CSPI Executive Director Michael F. JacobsonYUM! Brands' groundbreaking announcement that it will add calorie counts to menu boards at KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver's is fabulous news for health-conscious consumers. Talk about thinking outside the bun! - California First State in Nation to Pass Menu Labeling Law
Schwarzenegger Signs Historic Measure Putting Calories on Menu BoardsWASHINGTONCalifornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed landmark legislation that will put calorie counts on chain restaurant menus and menu boards. Though enacted in New York City, Seattle, and several other jurisdictions, California is the first state in the country to pass such a measure. - Despite Pledges, Nickelodeon Still Marketing Nutritionally Poor Food
WASHINGTONDespite its public statements and pledges to help combat childhood obesity, the overwhelming majority of foods marketed by the children's media giant Nickelodeon are of poor nutritional quality, according to an analysis conducted by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. - FDA to Announce Rules for Engineered Animals
Statement of CSPI Biotechnology Director Gregory JaffeToday the government formally acknowledged that genetically engineered animals need regulation and oversight. It may seem strange to consumers that the Food and Drug Administration wants to treat genetically engineered animals as "new animal drugs." But if FDA implements what it has proposed, the agency will at least have to determine whether these newly designed foods are safe to eat. - FDA Web Site on Drug Ads Developed by Drug Industry PR Firm
Should Pharma PR Pros Write the Government's Advice to Consumers?WASHINGTONDrug ads can be confusing and often deceptive, so it makes sense that the Food and Drug Administration would develop a web site aimed at helping consumers separate fact from fiction. But to develop such a site the FDA turned to a nonprofit front group erected by Shaw Science Partners, a public relations firm that specializes in launching new drugs such as Viagra, Celebrex, Zoloft, Cymbalta and the now-withdrawn Rezulin. - MillerCoors Drops Offensive Sparks Ads on Heavy.com
Statement of CSPI Alcohol Policies Director George A. HackerThe Beer Institute has notified CSPI that MillerCoors has decided to eliminate its offensive, degrading, and ill-intentioned ad campaign for Sparks on the Heavy.com web site. But that move does not merit praise. Like a mugger takin