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Opinion

Functional foods at a crossroads

19-Jul-2010 - Do functional foods work?

Class action may follow FTC-Nestlé settlement

15-Jul-2010 - Nestlé was not dealt a financial penalty in its settlement this week with the Federal Trade Commission over immunity health claims being made for some of its probiotic products, but a class action is possible, says a food attorney.

China reduces minimum protein levels to combat melamine

15-Jul-2010 - China has lowered minimum protein levels in raw milk in the country’s latest effort to stamp out the use of melamine in the dairy industry.

Obama says new food safety legislation would promote prevention

09-Jul-2010 - President Obama has said that passing the Food Safety Modernization Act would provide government with the tools it needs to better ensure food safety, as long-awaited discussion began in the Senate this week.

Kids see more fast food adverts, fewer for sweets

09-Jul-2010 - American children now see less TV advertising for confectionery products, but more for fast food, according to a new study that recommends continued monitoring of marketing practices and food company pledges.

Wrigley to pay millions over misleading gum claims

07-Jul-2010 - Mars-owned Wrigley will pay consumers up to $7m after settling a class action that challenged its right to claim its Eclipse gum was, "scientifically proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath".

USDA seeks industry comments on Codex standards

07-Jul-2010 - The US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Food Safety (OFS) has said it is seeking comments on the standards-setting activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

USDA says soda tax would reduce obesity

06-Jul-2010 - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has added its voice to the debate on soda tax and the prevalence of overweight and obesity, saying that a 20 percent price increase would make a significant difference.

FDA urges phasing out of antibiotics in meat

30-Jun-2010 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has produced draft guidelines for reducing the use of growth-promoting antibiotic drugs for meat-producing animals, saying it contributes to drug resistance in humans.

News in brief

DOT drops proposed peanut ban on planes

28-Jun-2010 - The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has dropped a proposal it made last week to ban peanuts on planes due to potential allergic reactions, after realizing that it does not have the power to implement a ban.

Baltimore approves two-cent bottle tax

28-Jun-2010 - Baltimore City Council gave its final approval late last week for a two-cent tax on bottled beverages as part of its $2.2bn budget for fiscal 2011.

FTC denied expansion of powers

25-Jun-2010 - The Federal Trade Commission will not be granted extra authority to police healthy foods and supplements marketing – among other powers – after a provision that would have done just that was removed from a Bill designed to reform Wall Street practices.

Supreme Court overturns ban on GM alfalfa planting

23-Jun-2010 - In its first ever assessment on genetically modified (GM) crops, the Supreme Court has overturned a ban on planting of GM alfalfa, with potential implications for GM crops throughout the US.

New federal policy proposals could damage dairy industry, says IDFA

14-Jun-2010 - Newly agreed supply management policy in the dairy sector could hurt industry by encouraging consumption of lower priced non-dairy foods, the International Dairy Foods Association has said.

FDA orders seizure of adulterated Chinese honey

11-Jun-2010 - FDA officials have seized 64 drums of honey imported to the US from China, because it is adulterated with an antibiotic that could cause serious illness or death.

Precaution should be watchword of FDA, says IOM

09-Jun-2010 - The Food and Drug Administration is not currently equipped to handle food safety problems and needs to switch to a risk based system, argues a report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

Kellogg’s escapes FTC fine over false immunity claims

04-Jun-2010 - The Kellogg Company will change immunity claims for Rice Krispies after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled the claims misleading – but ruled out a financial penalty.

‘Fat tax’ opposition varies by location, education

04-Jun-2010 - People living in the eastern parts of the United States are the most supportive of placing a tax on soft drinks and fast food as a way to deter obesity, but the idea is still opposed by the majority of the country’s consumers, finds a new survey.

Meat industry opposes legislation to require new E. coli tests

03-Jun-2010 - Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced legislation to test for six E. coli strains that currently are not regulated – but the meat industry claims there are significant problems with the proposal.

Dingell calls for food safety action following latest salmonella recalls

01-Jun-2010 - Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich) has called for action on the Senate’s food safety bill, which has seen no attempt to move it forward since it passed from Committee with strong bipartisan support in November.

D.C. Council approves soda tax

28-May-2010 - The Washington D.C. Council has voted to include sweetened soft drinks in its six percent sales tax bracket to help bridge the city’s half-billion dollar gap between spending and earnings.

FDA, NIH to streamline online food safety reporting

25-May-2010 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have launched a new online platform for the reporting and monitoring of food safety.

Nutter’s soda tax shelved as Philadelphia passes budget

21-May-2010 - Philadelphia City Council has shelved a proposed soda tax in the state, as it passed a $3.9bn budget on Thursday.

Proposed standards for food claims ‘unwise’, says industry

14-May-2010 - The US food and supplements industry has taken a skeptical stance to a new report that recommends the same scientific approach is used to evaluate health claims on foods and supplements as on drugs and medical devices.