Academic
Food Law Prof Blog 
Written by Donna M. Byrne,
Professor of Law,
William Mitchell College of Law
Post Frequency: 1.5/day Last Entry: November 18, 2009 at 17:06:39 Recent Entries: 490
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USDA Report Reveals Highest Rate Of Food Insecurity Since Report Was Initiated In 1995
Posted on November 18, 2009USDA News Release, Nov. 16, 2009: USDA's Economic Research Service's (ERS) today released its annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S., which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had...
Cargill Canola Stopped at Border (from Food Safety News)
Posted on November 17, 2009Cargill Canola Stopped At Border By FDA by Dan Flynn | Nov 17, 2009 It is not too far-fetched to say that trainloads of canola oil manufactured at Cargill Limited's seed processing facility at Clavet, Saskatchewan are being turned back...
FDA and Oyster Policy (from Food Safety News)
Posted on November 17, 2009From Food Safety News: Caving under the weight of a political firestorm over its proposed rule to reduce Vibrio vulnificus poisoning from raw oysters, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday it is putting the proposal on hold....
FDA Issues 2009 FDA Food Code
Posted on November 15, 2009The FDA released the 2009 FDA Food Code last week. Here's an excerpt from the Press Announcement: The 2009 edition of the Food Code is the seventh full edition published by the FDA. The previous full edition was released in...
FDA/CFSAN: New Report Recommends Enhanced Food Tracing Guidelines
Posted on November 15, 2009From an FDA Press Announcement (Nov 14, 2009): The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) today released a report from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), which recommends clear objectives be set for all...
FDA Warning Letters to Caffeinated Alcohol drink makers
Posted on November 15, 2009From the Wall Street Journal: WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration is taking aim at caffeinated alcoholic drinks, saying it will pull them off the market unless manufacturers can prove the beverages are safe to drink. On Friday, the...
Country of Origing Labeling -- Protectionism? Canada thinks so
Posted on November 03, 2009From the New York Times (Oct. 12, 2009 -- still worth posting): Canada Seeks Redress on Food-Labeling Law By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Ratcheting up a trade dispute with the Obama administration, Canada is asking the World Trade Organization to rule against...
FDA Grants to Further Food and Feed Safety
Posted on November 02, 2009FDA New Release, Oct. 9, 2009: FDA Awards $17.5 Million in Grants to Further Food and Feed Safety The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has awarded 83 grants in FY2009 totaling $17.5 million to state and...
Import Safety: Regulatory Governance in the Global Economy
Posted on November 02, 2009I was a member of a panel on Food Imports a couple weeks. I wish I had read this book first. The blurb below is from the publisher. I haven't read the book yet, but it's on my must read...
Ariana R. Levinson, Lawyers as Problem-Solvers One Meal at a Time: A Review of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Posted on November 01, 2009Ariana R. Levinson (Louisville) has published Lawyers as Problem-Solvers One Meal at a Time: A Review of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, 15 Widener Law Review 289 (2009). Abstract from SSRN: Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food...
FDA: Procter & Gamble Unlawfully Marketing Two Vicks Cold and Flu Medicines Containing Vitamin C
Posted on October 31, 2009FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration [Friday, Oct. 30] sent a warning letter to Procter & Gamble notifying the company that its Vicks DayQuil Plus Vitamin C and Vicks Nyquil Plus Vitamin C are illegally marketed combinations...
Food Import Enforcement Actions
Posted on October 30, 2009From FDA Law Blog: On October 21, 2009, First Fishery Development Services filed suit against FDA seeking declaratory judgment and injunctive relief with regard to its product?s placement on Import Alert 99-08 - Detention Without Physical Examination of Processed Foods...
Junk food binges may lead to addiction
Posted on October 30, 2009Using junk food as rewards stimulates the reward centers in the brain, leading to addictive behavior. A recent study presented at Neuroscience 2009 last week is being reported all over the internet. Interestingly, this is the basic premise of former....
NRDC Growing Green Awards
Posted on October 28, 2009Received by email: The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has just announced this year?s Growing Green Awards 2010, a sustainable food award contest hosted by NRDC to honor extraordinary individual contributions to the sustainable food world. NRDC would like to...
No more Big Macs in Iceland
Posted on October 28, 2009From the Associated Press by way of the NY Daily News: The Big Mac, long a symbol of globalization, has become the latest victim of this tiny island nation's overexposure to the world financial crisis. Iceland's three McDonald's restaurants -...
Hamburg: Need stronger food safety bill
Posted on October 27, 2009FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg addressed the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions this week. The full text of her testimony is available on the FDA's website. Keeping America's Families Safe: Reforming the Food Safety System . ...
Fraud Plagues Sugar Subsidy System in Europe
Posted on October 27, 2009From the New York Times: Call it the mystery of the European sugar triangle. It began when Belgian customs officials examined shipping records for dozens of giant tanker trucks that outlined an odd, triangular journey across Europe. The trucks, each....
Yes, we have no bananas: Dole judgment can't be enforced in U.S.
Posted on October 21, 2009From the L.A. Times : Dole Food Inc. can't be forced in the U.S. to pay a $97-million judgment ordered by a Nicaraguan court, a federal judge said. The award, won four years ago by 150 Nicaraguans who said they...
FDA analyzing front of package labels
Posted on October 21, 2009The FDA has issued a Dear Industry letter on front of package or point of purchase nutrition labeling. From the Institute of Food Technologists Weekly: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Oct. 20 that it would seek to...
Farm protests over milk prices ahead of EU meeting
Posted on October 18, 2009From the Associated Press. There are great photos on the linked website! How often do you see a man in a suit and an actual cow in the same photo? On a city street? (Thank you to Neal Axton and...
Wrestling Promoter, Wine School Butt Heads in Trademark Smackdown
Posted on October 18, 2009This is a little off the wall, but I've been saying for a while that Food Law encompasses just about every area of law taught in law school. Here's trademarks in a context I might not have thought of. This...
Anatomy of a Burger
Posted on October 05, 2009Seems like the news is all about contaminated meat. This is part of the New York Times spread on Stephanie Smith's case of HUS from eating E coli O157:H7 contaminated burgers. Click here to see a graphic showing the sources...
Hamburger Confidential -- NYT video showing "safe" food handling
Posted on October 05, 2009I'm tossing kitchen towels in the wash daily from here on! Yuck. Watch this video: Hamburger Confidential, in which a reporter and an editor do everything right and way more carefully than I ever do, and still end up with...
NYT: E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection
Posted on October 05, 2009Two people sent me this article. There's also a video: By MICHAEL MOSS Published: October 3, 2009 Stephanie Smith, a children?s dance instructor, thought she had a stomach virus. The aches and cramping were tolerable that first day, and she...
USDA Joins FDA Efforts on New Food Safety Regulations
Posted on October 05, 2009FDA AND AMS NEWS RELEASE: USDA Joins FDA Efforts on New Food Safety Regulations Agencies Unite on Outreach to Produce Industry USDA?s fresh produce chief will join FDA to help develop new food safety rules, as part of a cooperative...
FDA 101: Product Recalls (Video)
Posted on October 05, 2009Here's another of the FDA's new consumer update videos. This one is about recalls. Cute doggie at 22 seconds. When an FDA-regulated product is defective or potentially harmful, removing it from the market may be necessary. In this Consumer Update...
FDA Video Update on Food Allergies
Posted on October 04, 2009FDA has posted a series of videos for consumers. Here's the one on Food Allergies: Food Allergies: Reducing the Risks (video) Food allergies can range from merely irritating to life-threatening. FDA is working to ensure that major allergenic ingredients in...
Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide
Posted on October 03, 2009Here's a nifty table showing some of the differences between dietary supplement labeling rules and conventional food labeling rules. The table is presented on Food Label News, an online newsletter by Food Consulting Company, which provides nutritional analysis and labeling...
CDC: Majority of Americans not Meeting Recommendations for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Posted on October 02, 2009From the CDC News Release: No U.S. state is meeting national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to the first report to provide state?by?state data about fruit and vegetable consumption and policies that may help Americans eat more...
Put a trial lawyer out of business
Posted on October 02, 2009Bill Marler (Marlerblog.com) is presenting T-shirts to Senators: (That's Marler in the circle.) Also in an effort to convince Congress of the need for Food Safety Legislation, Marler asked us to post the video below. It's the story of a...
New study questions value of eating fish to reduce risk of heart failure
Posted on October 02, 2009European Society of Cardiology Press Release: 'No major role for fish' in the prevention of heart failure; only a possible beneficial effect in those with diabetes The study is published on 30 September in the October issue of the European...
GAO Report on International Food Assistance
Posted on October 02, 2009The Government Accountability Office has just published International Food Assistance: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight. Background Multiple U.S. government agencies and stakeholders coordinate U.S. food assistance programs through various forums...
USDA to Hold Facebook Chat on Local Food
Posted on September 27, 2009USDA is on Facebook, and you can become a fan. Not only that, they're having a live chat: The next Live Facebook Chat will take place on Thursday, October 1 at 3:45 pm ET with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan to...
"Veggie Libel" laws
Posted on September 25, 2009I am in Laramie, Wyoming, at the University of Wyoming's consumer issues conference on Food Safety, Security, and Sources. Tonight I watched the movie Food, Inc., in an auditorium that was packed to overflowing. This was the first time I'd...
My son just sent me this xkcd cartoon
Posted on September 25, 2009My son just sent me this xkcd cartoon about food labels. Click on the link to view on their website, and be sure to hold your mouse over the picture for the rest of the caption.
Wyoming Law Consumer Issues Conference on Food Issues Thursday and Friday
Posted on September 23, 2009I am in Laramie, Wyoming, for the University of Wyoming's annual Consumer Issues Conference. This year the topic is Food, and the sessions cover just about all the issues we blog about here on Food Law Prof Blog. I did...
E coli O157:H7 from produce yet again?
Posted on September 23, 2009From Food Safety News: It appears that fresh produce may once again be responsible for a new outbreak of the dreaded E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in Utah, Colorado, and New York, Food Safety News has learned. . . . ....
FDA Science Writers Symposium, November 4-5
Posted on September 20, 2009From the FDA website: Writing About the Future of Public Health Science is a key foundation for the decisions FDA makes day on a wide-range of products affecting human and animal health?from the most common food ingredients, to complex medical...
NYT: Agricultural Runoff and Drinking Water
Posted on September 19, 2009From the New York Times online, Sept. 18, 2009: Health Ills Abound as Farm Runoff Fouls Wells By CHARLES DUHIGG . . .There are 41,000 dairy cows in Brown County [WI], which includes Morrison, and they produce more than 260...
Shanah Tovah
Posted on September 19, 2009Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Food Law Prof Blog wishes all of its readers a Sweet and Rewarding Year. Shanah Tovah
Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Milk Competition Saturday, Sept. 19
Posted on September 18, 2009From the Wall Street Journal: Farmers Want Industry Probe Dairy farmers, stung by a price-depressing glut of milk, are pressing federal antitrust regulators to investigate competition in the industry. A group of dairy farmers is slated to meet with antitrust...
Friday Lite: CNN on Why We Eat Too Much
Posted on September 18, 2009From CNN.com: We all know we're supposed to eat healthy portions. So why is it that a rough day at the office or even just the smell of chocolate-chip cookies can cause us to throw our best intentions out the...
Soda Tax in the News
Posted on September 17, 2009Proposed taxes on sugar sodas seem to be getting a lot of ink lately. President Obama thinks it's worth considering (blogged here). A recent study by a star-studded cast of nutrition and obesity experts published in the New England Journal...
Wisconsin Campylobacter Outbreak Linked to Raw Milk
Posted on September 17, 2009Wisconsin Department of Agriculture press release: Pronunciation note: CAM puh lo bak ter juh JOO nee MADISON -- DNA test results and other evidence have now established that an outbreak of illness involving at least 35 people, the majority children....
China Probes ?Unfair Trade? in U.S. Chicken and Auto Products
Posted on September 16, 2009From Bloomberg.com: Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- China announced dumping and subsidy probes of chicken and auto products from the U.S., two days after President Barack Obama imposed tariffs on tires from the Asian nation. Chinese industries complain . . ....
Advisory Panel to Consider Nano-materials in Pesticide Products
Posted on September 16, 2009Thank you to Cindy Finley, who contributed this as a comment to our earlier post on nano particles in pesticides (blogged here). There will be a 4-day consultation meeting of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel...
House and Senate Food Safety Bills
Posted on September 15, 2009Bill Marler has prepared a useful comparison of HR 2749, The Food Safety Enhancement Act, passed by the House, and S. 510, The Food Safety Modernization Act, under consideration in the Senate. The comparison appears on Food Safety News: Food...
New website: Food Safety News
Posted on September 15, 2009Kudos to Marler Clark for launching a promising and informative new website. Food Safety News is a news site rather than a blog (Bill Marler's MarlerBlog is still going strong too). The site has reporters who are not lawyers, as...
USDA ERS Report: U.S. Food Import Patterns, 1995-2007
Posted on September 12, 2009The USDA Economic Research Service recently (August 2009) published a report on food imports: Abstract Using import data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this study examines patterns of U.S. food imports for fiscal years 1998-2007. Results indicate faster import growth...
FDA: Updated Guidance on the Reportable Food Registry
Posted on September 10, 2009The Reportable Food Registry Electronic Portal went into effect September 8, but FDA has revised its Guidance to announce "enforcement discretion:" You must comply with the requirements of the Reportable Food Registry (Section 417 of the FD&C Act) on September...
HHS and USDA Launch New Food Safety Consumer Website
Posted on September 10, 2009Health and Human Services News Release: HHS and USDA Unveil New Food Safety Consumer Web Site at www.foodsafety.gov New site features the latest food safety and recall information from across the government Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius...
Criticism and Concern over "Smart Choices" Green Checkmarks
Posted on September 09, 2009From the New York Times: For Your Health, Froot Loops . . . The green checkmark label that is starting to show up on store shelves will appear on hundreds of packages, including ? to the surprise of many nutritionists...
Obama Says Soft Drink Tax Worth Considering
Posted on September 09, 2009From the New York Daily News: . . . The President, in an interview with Men's Health Magazine released yesterday, said he thought taxing soda and other sugary drinks is worth putting on the table as Congress debates health care...
American Heart Association: Eat Less Sugar
Posted on September 09, 2009The American Heart Association is now recommending we eat less sugar. This is probably good news, since there's a possible sugar shortage ahead (blogged here). From the AHA website: Association recommends reduced intake of added sugars Study highlights: High intake...
National Food Policy Conference in DC Tues and Wed, Sept 8-9
Posted on September 08, 2009This is today and tomorrow and I wish I could be there. Here's the blurb from the home page of the National Food Policy Conference, sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America in cooperation with the Grocery Manufacturers Association: For...
FDA Opens the Reportable Food Registry Electronic Portal for Industry
Posted on September 08, 2009Food facilities now required to report potentially dangerous products FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a new way to head off potential cases of foodborne illness ? the Reportable Food Registry (RFR), where food industry officials...
Can they do this? Beer from Civet (weasel-like animal) droppings
Posted on September 04, 2009Bevlog beer and wine label blog comes up with the oddest things. But this one really has me wondering. Here's the blurb: Beer with Civet Droppings Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch. . . is made with weasel excrement. Literally. The label...
Beer that travels
Posted on September 04, 2009Seems like there's a lot of news about beer lately. Perhaps it's Oktoberfest in the air. Thank you to Steven H. Sholk for forwarding this piece from the Wall Street Journal. In Belgium, working with a 1.7 million dollar government...
Animal Cruelty -- Video Shows Male Chicks Ground Up
Posted on September 03, 2009From the Associated Press: Video shows chicks ground up alive at Iowa egg hatchery An animal rights group is calling on the nation's largest grocery story chains to post warnings on egg cartons that unwanted male chicks are ground up...
Reposted -- Call for Papers: University College -- Dublin Workshop on Food Law December 4-5, 2009
Posted on September 02, 2009This looks intriguing! . . . call for papers for an upcoming workshop on food law, organised by the postgraduate research community at the UCD School of Law. The workshop aims to bring together postgraduate researchers in the field of...
Bill Marler: Legal Issues for Food Safety in Food Safety and Quality Magazine
Posted on September 02, 2009Bill Marler (Marlerblog.com) has posted an article from Food Safety and Quality Magazine on MarlerBlog. Each year, millions in North America are sickened from food-borne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, salmonella and listeria. Where a lengthy and costly investigation...
ABA Journal: Hungry for Change
Posted on September 02, 2009The September 2009 issue of the American Bar Association Journal is highlighting food safety: Hungry for Change The feds consider a steady diet of stronger regulation to help fix the U.S. food safety network by Kristin Choo You could fill...
ABA Teleconference Wed, Sept 16: Don't Eat That! Legal Issues in Food Safety
Posted on September 02, 2009Begins: Sep 16, 2009 01:00 PM Ends: Sep 16, 2009 02:00 PM (All times are local per meeting location)Registration information here
WSJ: Recession hits down on the farm
Posted on August 31, 2009From the Wall Street Journal: Recession Hits Down on the Farm By SCOTT KILMAN and LAUREN ETTER The American farm, which has weathered the global recession better than most U.S. industries, is starting to succumb to the downturn. The Agriculture...
Study: A Small Molecule That Blocks Fat Synthesis
Posted on August 31, 2009A study published in Chemistry and Biology found that a synthetic molecule dubbed "Fatostatin" can block cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis in mice with obesity genes. Here's the abstract (it's rather sciency, but that's better than our attempts at translating...
Testing and Certification for "non-GMO" foods
Posted on August 30, 2009From the New York Times: Alarmed that genetically engineered crops may be finding their way into organic and natural foods, an industry group has begun a campaign to test products and label those that are largely free of biotech ingredients....
Study: Bacterial Resistance May be in Stomach
Posted on August 28, 2009In a study published this week in Science, researchers found that stomach bacteria allowed resistance to antibiotics when added to E. coli. Read about the study at Bloomberg.com Read the abstract here: Functional Characterization of the Antibiotic Resistance Reservoir in...
FDLI: Reportable Food Registry Webinar
Posted on August 28, 2009Food and Drug Law Institute is running a series of "webinars." The next one, on the Reportable Food Registry, will take place September 10. From the FDLI website: Program Description The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act (FDAAA) requires FDA...
Relaunch of www.foodsafety.gov
Posted on August 27, 2009HHS will be relaunching www.foodsafety.gov today, Thursday, August 27, 2009, as an initiative of the White House Food Safety Working Group. About the President's Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) The safety of our nation's food supply is a concern for...
USDA ERS Report on Global Economic Crisis and Agricultural Trade
Posted on August 27, 2009From the USDA Economic Research Service: What the 2008/2009 World Economic Crisis Means for Global Agricultural Trade Abstract: The global economic crisis that started in late 2008 has led to a sharp curtailment of international trade, including a short-term decline...
Soft Cheese Listeria Warning
Posted on August 26, 2009This is from Food Poisoning Law Blog, published by the Pritzker Olsen law firm: There have been numerous warnings lately about Mexican-style soft cheeses that may be contaminated with various different food bugs -- none of which should be taken...
This is from Food Liability Law
Posted on August 26, 2009This is from Food Liability Law Blog published by the Stoel Rives law firm: Challenges of a Lanham Act Injunction in Food Cases: Lessons from an Advertising Battle Between Two Major Consumer Products Companies The recent decision in Stokely-Van Camp,...
Little known oxycholesterol may pose the greatest heart disease risk
Posted on August 26, 2009Press release from Eurekalert: WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2009 ? Health-conscious people know that high levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the so-called "bad" cholesterol) can increase the risk of heart attacks. Now scientists are reporting that another form of...
Atrazine Herbicide Used on Corn May be Problem in Drinking Water
Posted on August 25, 2009A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) claims that EPA's current monitoring of drinking water misses spikes in herbicide levels. NRDC?s New Analysis Reveals Widespread Atrazine Contamination and Inadequate Regulation and Monitoring NRDC analyzed?in combination for the first...
Ongoing Safety Review of Weight Loss Drug Orlistat
Posted on August 25, 2009We usually don't post news about drugs here, but since we do sometimes post about obesity and this is about a weight loss drug, here goes. This is from an FDA News Release: FDA Issues Early Communication about Ongoing Safety...
U Arkansas LLM Program now includes Food Law
Posted on August 25, 2009From Agricultural Law Blog, posted by Professor Susan A. Schneider, LLM program director: I am pleased to announce that we passed the final administrative hurdle and can now officially describe our LL.M. Program at the University of Arkansas School of...
Washington Post editorial on Sugar, Imports, and Ag Policy
Posted on August 24, 2009Sugar Shock: U.S. growers' sickeningly sweet deal with the government DOWN ON the farm, the latest dispute pits America's sugar producers against their biggest customers: food manufacturers that add the sweetener to everything from raisin bran to raspberry yogurt...
Study Finds Mercury Contamination in Freshwater Fish Nationwide
Posted on August 24, 2009Department of Interior press release: WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Scientists detected mercury contamination in every fish sampled in 291 streams across the country, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released [August 19, 2009]. About a quarter of these fish were...
Vilsack, Hamburg to speak at National Food Policy Conference September 8-9
Posted on August 23, 2009Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg will be providing keynote addresses at the 32nd Annual National Food Policy Conference, September 8-9, 2009, in Washington, DC. From the conference website: For 32 years, the National Food...
Book-- Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, by Richard Wrangham
Posted on August 22, 2009Since I like very few raw foods, this is a book I will want to read: Richard Wrangham, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human Publisher's abstract: Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has...
Study Questions Need for Mandatory Folic Acid Enrichment
Posted on August 21, 2009From Reuters.com: Study questions need for folic acid mandate NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A study from Ireland suggests that mandatory folic acid fortification may be unnecessary as many people may be getting plenty of folic acid already. There are...
WSJ Law Blog: On Bananas, Pesticides and Lawyers Behaving Badly
Posted on August 21, 2009From the Wall Street Journal Law Blog: We?ve blogged before on the craziness that is the litigation against Dole Food Co. brought by banana-plantation workers. (Click here, here and here.) But WSJ reporter Steve Stecklow takes it all to another...
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Proclaims August 23-29 as National Community Gardening Week
Posted on August 20, 2009From a USDA news release: August 6, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today encouraged Americans to connect with the land, the food it grows and their local communities by proclaiming August 23-29, National Community Gardening Week. A community garden...
Serving Size for Lollipops
Posted on August 20, 2009A post on Small Bites blog raises a question about serving sizes: In one corner, a colorful display of medium-sized ?whirly pops? caught my eye. They were your standard rainbow swirl lollipops (that swirl can be quite hypnotic!). I grabbed...
Study: Allergen Labeling Not Clear Enough
Posted on August 19, 2009A study recently published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology concludes that better allergen labeling is warranted. Here's the abstract: Background The Food Allergy Labeling and Consumer Protection Act became effective January 1, 2006, and mandates disclosure...
When Can FDA Regulate Beer Labeling? When the Beer is not a "Malt Beverage"
Posted on August 19, 2009The usual food regulators -- FDA and USDA -- do not regulate alcohol beverages. Alcohol beverages are regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which is part of the Department of the Treasury (just like the...
Dietary Supplements Lawsuit Over FDA Regulations
Posted on August 18, 2009From FDA Law Blog: Alliance for Natural Health Sues FDA to Invalidate Dietary Supplement CGMPs By Ricardo Carvajal & JP Ellison ? It?s been a busy month at the Alliance for Natural Health. In addition to suing FDA over its...
Fly in the Salad Lawsuit
Posted on August 18, 2009It was a defamation lawsuit against a man who said there were flies. From the Chicago Tribune: An alleged fly in a salad has turned out to be grounds for a lawsuit in Kane County. And according to the suit,...
Obama on School Lunches: Likes mangoes for lunch, but hold the french fries
Posted on August 16, 2009From CBSnews.com: "Do you have the power to make school lunches better?" 11-year-old Damon Weaver asked President Obama. "We are seeing if we can work to make school lunches at least healthier because a lot of school lunches, there's a...
Subscribe to Food Law Prof Blog
Posted on August 15, 2009It is now possible to subscribe to this blog (or to any of the Law Professor Blogs network blogs). Just provide an email address in the box on the left side of the screen, and you can receive a message...
California Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination
Posted on August 15, 2009USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) news release: WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2009 - Sterling Pacific Meat Co., a City of Commerce, Calif., establishment, is recalling approximately 3,516 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E...
Researchers Studying Effect of Cow's Diet on E coli
Posted on August 15, 2009University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are studying the impact of a diet on the growth of E. coli in cows. From the University press release: . . . Early research helped confirm that O157:H7 is common and widespread in feedlot cattle....
Third Circuit Holds Snapple Suit Not Preempted: Stacy Holk v. Snapple Beverage Corp.
Posted on August 14, 2009The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a consumer action against the makers of Snapple is not preempted by the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. The case is Stacy Holk v. Snapple Beverage Corp, 08-3060, 3rd U.S. Circuit...
Dip in Bottled Water Sales
Posted on August 14, 2009From the Washington Post: Bottled Water Boom Appears Tapped Out -- Environmental Concerns, Recession Put Crimp in Sales The recession has finally answered the question that centuries of philosophers could not: The glass is half-empty. That's because sales of bottled...
Washington Post on Taxing Sugar Drinks
Posted on August 14, 2009Last April Kelly D. Brownell (Yale Psychology) and Thomas R. Frieden (CDC) published a perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine: Ounces of Prevention -- The Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages. This week the Washington...
Possible Sugar Shortage Ahead
Posted on August 13, 2009From the Wall Street Journal: Food Firms Warn of Sugar Shortage BY SCOTT KILMAN, CAROLYN CUI AND ILAN BRAT Some of America's biggest food companies say the U.S. could "virtually run out of sugar" if the Obama administration doesn't ease...
Race/ethnicity, family income and education associated with sugar consumption
Posted on August 13, 2009From Eurekalert.com (Elsevier Health Sciences): St. Louis, MO, August 1, 2009 ? The intake of added sugars in the United States is excessive, estimated by the US Department of Agriculture in 1999-2002 as 17% of calories a day. Consuming foods...
Pesticides on Peaches -- Chicago Tribune Study
Posted on August 13, 2009The Chicago Tribune had tests done on organic farmers market peaches and compared the results to USDA tests of conventional peaches. Here's the story: Pesticides on Peaches When the U.S. Department of Agriculture tested hundreds of regular washed peaches in...
Pasture to Plate -- Cool Graphics
Posted on August 12, 2009Here's a light and engaging look at the food production and distribution system. You click on an item on a dinner plate and the following slides outline how the food got there. To see the plate, go to Pasture to...
FDA Law Blog -- great post on draft guidance on Melons, Tomatoes, and Leafy Greens
Posted on August 12, 2009The FDA recently released Draft Guidances on Melons, Tomatoes, and Leafy Greens (blogged here). Today's FDA Law Blog (by Hyman, Phelps & McNamara law firm) has published a post by Jamie K. Wolszon & Ricardo Carvajal that provides a useful...
Ice cream shop gets licked
Posted on August 11, 2009OK, so this isn't about food, per se; it's about the chairs people sit in to eat the food. From the Chicago Tribune: This is a tale of frozen custard and the City of Chicago Municipal Code 10-28-805. . ....
Nano beta-carotene -- natural food color?
Posted on August 11, 2009Here are the parts I understand: beta-carotene is the naturally occurring substance that makes carrots orange. It can be used to color foods (and if you eat really a lot of carrots, you actually turn a little orange). Nanotechnology is...
Ground beef recall due to antibiotic-resistant salmonella
Posted on August 10, 2009From a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service News Release: WASHINGTON, August 6, 2009 - Beef Packers, Inc., a Fresno, Calif., establishment, is recalling approximately 825,769 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis,...
FDA Commissioner Hamburg -- "Effective Enforcement and Benefits to Public Health"
Posted on August 10, 2009FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg spoke to the Food and Drug Law Institute Thursday on FDA's food safety enforcement efforts. The speech and webcast are available on the FDA website. . . . Again and again, from all sides of various...
Sugar shortage?
Posted on August 10, 2009From Bloomberg.com: Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Damaged crops from India to Brazil mean the world won?t have enough sugar for a second straight year. Global demand will exceed output by as much as 5 million metric tons in the year...
Hot dog vendor behind on $50K monthly rent
Posted on August 10, 2009You read that right -- $50,000 a month to have a hot dog stand by the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. From the NY Daily News: Hot dog heartache has come to the Metropolitan...
Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks
Posted on August 06, 2009This article is reminding me that I haven't had my caffeine yet today. From the Wall Street Journal: Buzz Kill? Critics Target Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks By DAVID KESMODEL State attorneys general and health-advocacy groups are urging the federal government to more...
Call for Papers, UC Dublin -- Legal Research Conference: Transnational Regulation of Food Safety and Quality, December 2009
Posted on August 06, 2009We blogged this a couple weeks ago, but now the conference website is up. The organizers wrote me this: We would be very keen to get postgraduate students from the US to present at the conference; it would give very...
Bill Would Provide Tax Breaks for Buying Dietary Supplements
Posted on August 05, 2009Press Release from Congressman Earl Blumenauer's website: Thursday, 30 July 2009 Washington, DC?Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore) and Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla) today introduced bipartisan legislation that will make those vitamins, wellness and nutritional supplements eligible for FDA-approved health claims more affordable...
FDA Draft Guidances for Tomatoes, Leafy Greens, and Melons
Posted on August 05, 2009From the FDA Website: July 31, 2009 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published three draft guidances designed to help growers and others across the entire supply chain minimize or eliminate microbial contamination in tomatoes, leafy greens, and...
Fisheries Over-exploitation Declining
Posted on August 04, 2009A study published in Science magazine examines the state of global fisheries after years of efforts to reduce overfishing: Rebuilding Global Fisheries Abstract: After a long history of overexploitation, increasing efforts to restore marine ecosystems and rebuild fisheries are under...
Oysters on Rebound in Chesapeake Bay
Posted on August 04, 2009From the New York Times: After decades of overharvesting of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and many fruitless efforts to replenish them, scientists have re-established a significant population of the shellfish along the Virginia shore. read more
Tastier Sounding Fish Names Lead to Overfishing (or Who Wants Slimehead?)
Posted on August 02, 2009When the Slimehead was renamed the Orange Roughy, it became dinner worthy and was overfished, according to a Washington Post article: . . . An arm-long fish with the look of a prehistoric fossil, the slimehead lived in obscurity a...
NYT: 2 Agencies Take Steps to Improve Food Safety
Posted on August 01, 2009The August 1, 2009, New York Times online includes an article on recent food safety efforts: 2 Agencies Take Steps to Improve Food Safety By WILLIAM NEUMAN Strengthening its efforts to keep a deadly strain of E. coli out of...
Food Safety Bill H.R. 2749 passes House
Posted on August 01, 2009H.R. 2749, The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, passed the House 283-142 this week. The discussion now moves to the Senate, which is also considering S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Here is the H.R. 2749 Summary written...
NAIS and Amish: District Court Dismisses Suit Against USDA, Grants Michigan Dept of Ag's Motion for Summary Judgment
Posted on July 31, 2009Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund sued USDA and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) to enjoin implementation of the National Animal Identification System as it applies to Amish farmers. District Court judge, Rosemary Collyer has dismissed the case against USDA and...
Study: Organic Foods No More Nutritious than Conventional
Posted on July 31, 2009A recent review of research findings on organically produced foods and conventional foods found no differences in most nutrients ? including vitamin C, calcium and iron. The review of 162 studies conducted over the last 50 years was commissioned by...
From the New York Times Federal
Posted on July 30, 2009From the New York Times Federal regulators warned consumers on Tuesday not to use body-building products that are sold as nutritional supplements but may contain steroids or steroidlike substances, citing reports of acute liver injury and kidney failure...
Call for Papers: University College -- Dublin Workshop on Food Law December 4-5, 2009
Posted on July 30, 2009This looks intriguing! . . . call for papers for an upcoming workshop on food law, organised by the postgraduate research community at the UCD School of Law. The workshop aims to bring together postgraduate researchers in the field of...
Wonder Foods, Part 2 -- Grapefruit
Posted on July 29, 2009According to a favorite xkcd cartoon, grapefruit is difficult to eat and UNtasty. But it does seem to be good for us. US News.com just ran one of those fun little collections of wonder foods. The five foods in the...
Wonder foods, Part I -- Blue M&M's
Posted on July 29, 2009US News.com just ran one of those fun little collections of wonder foods. The five foods in the article are Blue M&M's, Grapefruit, Peas, Watermelon and Chocolate.: Can Blue M&M's, Blue Gatorade Protect Your Spine? Surprisingly Helpful Foods -- 5...
Genetically Engineered Potatoes On the Way
Posted on July 29, 2009From London Reuters: Genetically modified potato crop trial resumes A crop trial of genetically engineered potatoes has resumed in northern Britain, a year after the trial was abandoned when protesters ripped up plants. "We granted a three-year consent," a government...
Conference: Food Safety Security and Sources -- University of Wyoming, Sept. 24-25, 2009
Posted on July 28, 2009Save the date for the next Consumer Issues Conference: Food Safety, Security and Sources on September 24th and 25th. As usual there will be several keynote presentations by nationally known speakers, breakout sessions by experts on issue topics, poster presentations...
Monday morning lite -- Nutrition Quiz
Posted on July 27, 2009Here's a fun little nutrition quiz from the Sacramento Bee: Nutrition Quiz Sodium in excess is evil ? or so they say. We're always told to cut down on soy sauce consumption, for example. But a new study in the...
NPR's Joanne Silberner on Contaminated Food
Posted on July 27, 2009National Public Radio's Morning Edition did a piece on food safety today. Contaminated Food: A More Watchful Eye Needed by Joanne Silberner The president, the new head of the Food and Drug Administration, and some members of Congress have all...
Risque TV Ad for donut holes -- Careful, this is PG13
Posted on July 26, 2009It made me chuckle. It's not really law, but every now and then something that's slightly off is just, well, funny. Hardee's got some grief about this from one of it's store owners (a company that owns over 300 of...
Article: Salmonella in Produce -- Not Just From Eggs!
Posted on July 25, 2009And speaking of salmonella (see yesterday's recall post), here's an interesting article from Foodborne Pathogens and Disease (published July 6, 2009, online ahead of print) examining the incidence of salmonella in produce. Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law...
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Turns 40
Posted on July 24, 2009USDA News Release: USDA'S FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE TURNS 40; CONTINUES SERVING AS THE NATION'S NUTRITIONAL SAFETY NET FOR THOSE IN NEED Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs Now Serve One in Every Five Americans WASHINGTON, July 23, 2009-Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen...
Tanimura & Antle Romaine Lettuce Recalled for Possible Salmonella
Posted on July 24, 2009A California firm, Tanimura & Antle, is recalling some of its romaine lettuce. The recall has been expanded to include all 50 states. From the company's website: As a precautionary measure, Tanimura & Antle has issued a voluntary recall of...
FDA Sends Warning Letter to Probiotics Company for Making Unapproved Claims re: Swine Flu
Posted on July 24, 2009From Food QualityNews.com : The Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to a Minnesota-based supplements manufacturer for making misleading claims that its probiotic supplements could prevent or treat human swine flu (H1N1). . . . The FDA...
Agricultural Policy, Marketing, and Obesity -- 2004 Peter Jennings documentary
Posted on July 23, 2009This comment by a UK reader was posted recently: I think the problem is with the food source than the consumers.. The food industry has pulled the wool over every american eyes and they are lovin it.. see url The...
European beauty standards for veggies? The knobbly carrot and others
Posted on July 23, 2009There's a great post on Food Liability Law Blog (by Stoel Rives law firm) about a British grocery store chain that launched a campaign to save ugly fruits and vegetables. The EU has marketing standards from some kinds of produce...
More on the TV ad study and Free Will
Posted on July 22, 2009A few days ago, we blogged a New York Times article about a study of TV ads on snacking. Snack Ads Spur Children to Eat More By ALEX MINDLIN Psychologists recognize that certain behaviors can be automatic. For example, unrecognized...
Vaccine for Bees -- "Helping the Bee Tug the Rope"
Posted on July 22, 2009Wow. I would not have imagined this. I think of bees as fairly wild, coming and going, and even though people set up hives and harvest the honey, it seems like one of the few reliably drug-free, natural foods. But...
Study: Fish Consumption Associated with Lower Rates of Dementia
Posted on July 21, 2009A recent study confirmed earlier findings of an association between fish consumption and lower incidence of dementia in many lower and middle income countries. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Dietary fish and meat intake...
Researchers Question Safety of GMOs
Posted on July 21, 2009A study recently published in the International Journal of Biological Science questions the safety conclusions regarding consumption of genetically modified organisms. The researchers state that toxic effects seem undeniable. The official abstract is kind of a tough read, but here's...
TV Snack Ads Make Us Eat More
Posted on July 20, 2009From the New York Times: Snack Ads Spur Children to Eat More By ALEX MINDLIN Psychologists recognize that certain behaviors can be automatic. For example, unrecognized external stimuli can unconsciously stir us to anger, spur us to loyalty or incite....
Egg Safety Measures
Posted on July 20, 2009This news is a couple weeks old, but probably worth noting. This is from a July 7, 2009, FDA News Release: FDA: New Public Health Regulation to Improve Egg Safety and Reduce Salmonella Illnesses The U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
WSJ: Caffeinated malt beverages draw scrutiny
Posted on July 19, 2009From the Wall Street Journal, Friday, July 17: Drinks With a Jolt Draw New Scrutiny After Taming Big Brands, States Examine Other Caffeinated Malt Liquors Article By DAVID KESMODEL Two hot-selling new beverages have come under scrutiny by state attorneys...
Study: Dating and eating.
Posted on July 18, 2009What are you favorite date foods? Why? A Cornell University study on Dating and Food surveyed college students. The study will appear in the journal, Appetite. Dating and eating. Beliefs about dating foods among university students Appetite, In Press, Uncorrected...
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders -- concerns about milk monopoly
Posted on July 17, 2009News Release from Bernie Sanders's website: July 14, 2009 Citing a ?disaster in the making? on Vermont dairy farms, Sen. Bernie Sanders has asked the U.S. Justice Department antitrust division to investigate milk processors. The senator met last week with...
Food Safety Bill Backlash
Posted on July 17, 2009From the WallStreet Journal: Legislation to overhaul the nation's food-safety system has spurred a backlash from livestock and grain farmers who don't want the Food and Drug Administration inspecting farms. The legislation, approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee...
Today: Organic Milk Dump at the Fair in La Crosse, WI
Posted on July 16, 2009A collection of organic dairy groups are advocating an organic milk dump this coming Thursday at the La Crosse Interstate Fair at West Salem, Wisconsin. The action would be just before a scheduled town hall meeting at the fair with...
FDA: Industry Guidance on Adverse Event Reporting for Dietary Supplements
Posted on July 16, 2009FDA: Questions and Answers Regarding Adverse Event Reporting and Recordkeeping for Dietary Supplements From the Introduction: This document provides guidance to the dietary supplement industry for complying with the adverse event reporting and recordkeeping requirements prescribed for dietary supplement manufacturers,...
FDA Law Blog: FDA Serious About Food Allergen GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
Posted on July 16, 2009FDA Law Blog has blurbed a recent complaint against some manufacturers of protein powders and dietary supplements. The complaint calls for an injunction due to adulteration with filth (because of unsanitary conditions), and misbranding of products containing allergens (because of...
Politics of kosher hot dogs
Posted on July 15, 2009This piece from the Baltimore Jewish Times has some interesting background on the history of the hot dog. I only eat non-meat hotdogs, myself, but kosher certification symbols (like all voluntary label symbols) get me excited. Thanks to Steven H....
Book: The End of Overeating, by David A. Kessler
Posted on July 15, 2009Here's the next book I want to read, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, by former FDA Commissioner Dr. David A. Kessler. The Wall Street Journal did a book review and interview with Dr. Kessler:...
Wall Street Journal Opinion on "Max Baucus's Fish Sense"
Posted on July 15, 2009From theWall Street Journal Opinion Journal, July 14, 2009: Senator Max Baucus . . . .[is] right on a trade issue now percolating in Washington: There's no reason to launch a trade war with Vietnam over fish. At issue is...
Habitat destruction for food safety
Posted on July 14, 2009From the San Francisco Chronicle: Crops, ponds destroyed in quest for food safety Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau . . .Invisible to a public that sees only the headlines of the latest food-safety scare - spinach, peppers and now cookie....
Richard L. Cupp -- Moving Beyond Animal Rights: A Legal/Contractualist Critique
Posted on July 14, 2009Professor Richard L. Cupp, Jr. (Pepperdine), has published Moving Beyond Animal Rights: A Legal/Contractualist Critique, in the San Diego Law Review. The article articulates a contractualist approach to the question of legal personhood and rights for animals, asserting that both...
Videos from conference on food safety, May 2009
Posted on July 14, 2009I could not attend this conference, which is too bad, because these talks are really interesting. The conference was: Food Import Safety: Systems, Infrastructure and Governance May 26-27, 2009, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison This conference will address food import safety...
Concerns about antibiotics in animals
Posted on July 14, 2009From the New York Times: Administration Seeks to Restrict Antibiotics in Livestock by Gardiner Harris The Obama administration announced Monday that it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals in hopes of reducing the spread...
From Food Ingredients Online (although
Posted on July 13, 2009From Food Ingredients Online (although I'm not sure this is really a food ingredient. I don't quite know what chromium picolinate is!): EFSA Issues Positive Safety Statement For The Use Of Chromium Picolinate In EU Food Supplements . . ....
Choices (Amer Ag Econ Assoc. magazine) on Food Safety
Posted on July 13, 2009Choices is a "policy-oriented magazine on Food, Farm & Resources" published by the American Agricultural Economics Association. It is available online. The current issue is about food safety: This issue features Emerging Issues in Food Safety, a theme edited by...
National Food Policy Conference
Posted on July 13, 2009The Consumer Federation's annual Food Policy Conference takes place September 8 & 9 in Washington, DC. "For 32 years, the National Food Policy Conference has been a Washington institution and a unique collaboration between consumer advocates, government and the food...
FDA to study consumer reactions to front-of-package nutrition labels
Posted on July 13, 2009This came from Food Label News: FDA is proposing to conduct an experimental study to assess quantitative consumer reactions to front-of-package nutrition symbols. The proposed study is described in the June 1, 2009, Federal Register. In part the study design...
FDA to study consumer reactions to front-of-package nutrition labels
Posted on July 03, 2009This came from Food Label News: FDA is proposing to conduct an experimental study to assess quantitative consumer reactions to front-of-package nutrition symbols. The proposed study is described in the June 1, 2009, Federal Register. In part the study design...
Shipping wine across state lines -- but not to New York
Posted on July 03, 2009This one is from Wine Spectator: Federal Court Tells Out-of-State Wine Stores to Stay Out of New York . . . A three-judge panel on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that New York's law permitting in-state retailers...
Changing definitions of organic
Posted on July 03, 2009From the Washington Post: Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label Is Questioned Three years ago, U.S. Department of Agriculture employees determined that synthetic additives in organic baby formula violated federal standards and should be banned from a product carrying the federal...
TIME Magazine on posting restaurant calorie info
Posted on July 01, 2009Interesting piece on Time.com (June 29, 2009) on the restaurant calorie labeling issue: Fast Food: Would You Like 1,000 Calories with That?, by Sean Gregory How sloppy is that triple Whopper with cheese? It has 1,250 calories, or 62.5% of...
E Coli in cookie dough -- don't eat it!
Posted on June 30, 2009We shouldn't eat raw cookie dough anyway, but this is scary. FDA news release: FDA CONFIRMS E. COLI O157:H7 IN PREPACKAGED NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE REFRIGERATED COOKIE DOUGH Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has found E....
FDA: Pistachio warning
Posted on June 24, 2009Here's a voluntary recall that didn't happen: FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat California Prime Produce and Orange County Orchards Brands of Pistachios Products linked to the previous recall by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. The U.S. Food and...
FDA Seeks Public Input on Transparency
Posted on June 24, 2009This is today: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will host a daylong meeting on June 24, 2009. During this meeting, the FDA will seek recommendations on how to make information on FDA activities and decision-making useful, understandable, and more...
GE Roundtable on Seed Magazine.com
Posted on June 24, 2009From SeedMagazine.com: Five experts debate the roots of GM opposition, the role of big agribusiness, and whether we?ve achieved real scientific consensus. . . . But despite Mon810?s official sanction under EU law, several countries?including France, Austria, Greece, Hungary and...
GE Roundtable on Seed Magazine
Posted on June 19, 2009From SeedMagazine.com: Five experts debate the roots of GM opposition, the role of big agribusiness, and whether we?ve achieved real scientific consensus. . . . But despite Mon810?s official sanction under EU law, several countries?including France, Austria, Greece, Hungary and...
Guilty plea in tainted pet food case
Posted on June 19, 2009U.S. District Attorney news release: KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? Matt J. Whitworth, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nevada company and its owners pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing a tainted...
Canada's Organic Trade Association supports Organic Equivalent Agreement
Posted on June 19, 2009From Canadian Business.com The Organic Trade Association in Canada (OTA) responded in support of the announcement that Canada and the United States have signed an equivalency agreement allowing organic products to be traded between the two countries. (blogged here) "This...
House Energy Committee -- more funding for FDA and food safety
Posted on June 19, 2009From the Wall Street Journal: WASHINGTON -- The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration significantly more funding and power to police food safety. The bill comes in response to...
U.S., Canada Agreement For Organic Trade Equivalence
Posted on June 19, 2009USDA News Release: CHICAGO, June 17, 2009 -- Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that a first-of-its-kind agreement has been reached between the United States and Canada that will expand opportunities for organic producers in both countries...
Food, Inc. -- a film I want to see
Posted on June 17, 2009Food, Inc. opens this week in my area: Of course, the title keeps reminding me of Monsters, Inc., one of my favorites that has nothing to do with food:
More Atlantic salmon now "endangered"
Posted on June 17, 2009From a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) news release: NOAA?s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today extended Endangered Species Act protection to more Atlantic salmon by adding fish in the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin rivers...
Tracing food origins -- barcodes?
Posted on June 17, 2009Here's an interesting article from NewScientist.com on the possibility of using barcodes to trace food origins: Barcodes could reveal your food's credentials, by Mason Inman . . . Most manufacturers already use barcodes or RFID chips to track their products...
FDA Forms Transparency Task Force
Posted on June 02, 2009FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the formation of a task force to develop recommendations for enhancing the transparency of the agency?s operations and decision-making process. To support the efforts of the task force,...
ABA Section of Business Law: Food and The Law
Posted on May 29, 2009The May/June 2009 issue of Business Law Today (the magazine of the ABA business law section), is all about Food! Here's the Food portion of the table of contents for the online version (slightly different from the print edition): Features...
Marler will pay Michael Pollan's speaking fee
Posted on May 27, 2009Bill Marler has offered to pay Michael Pollan's speaking fee at Marler's alma mater, Washington State University, and the university has accepted Marler's offer. From the Chronicle of Higher Education: In the recent case of Washington State University?s dropping Michael...
When is breakfast cereal a "drug"? When it's Cheerios
Posted on May 13, 2009General Mills, maker of Cheerios, received a letter from the FDA yesterday warning that the health claims about fiber and heart disease on Cheerios boxes are unauthorized and make the cereal into a "drug." The claims about fiber show that...
Stanford Law & Policy Review Symposium: Food Policy and Health -- Call for Papers
Posted on April 21, 2009The Stanford Law & Policy Review seeks articles or short essays for publication in the Stanford Law & Policy Review?s upcoming symposium on ?Food Policy and Health.? The Stanford Law & Policy Review is an academic journal at Stanford Law...
With Salmonella Scare, Shoppers turn to ?Sacred Foods?
Posted on April 08, 2009An article on Examiner.com, reports that the Salmonella scare associated with pistachios has caused many shoppers to turn toward so-called ?sacred foods.? Sacred Foods include kosher and Halal foods and foods that are gluten-free and dairy-free. According to an article...
More Children taking Diabetes and Blood Pressure Drugs
Posted on April 08, 2009According to a recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, the number of children taking drugs for diabetes and hypertension is increasing. From a Forbes article: ?[R]esearchers at Caremark, a large supplier of medications to people with...
No mandatory recall, but . . .
Posted on April 08, 2009FDA News Release: FDA Serves Warrant for Inspection of Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. New Jersey-based company received peanuts implicated in Salmonella outbreak; refused to provide access to records and refused to recall products At the request of the U...
US Food Producers File 1 Billion Dollar Lawsuit
Posted on April 07, 2009A recent release from the Dow Jones Newswire reports that five domestic producers of food products filed a $1 billion lawsuit seeking class-action status against a handful of major insurance companies and the U.S. government for alleged damages caused by...
Renewed commitment to banning ?Downer' cows from the US food supply
Posted on April 04, 2009[Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student, Brooke Mengel, for preparing this post.] ?Downer' cows will be banned from the US food supply. In his March 14, 2009, weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of...
A Change From Fast to Slow Food:
Posted on April 04, 2009[Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student, Blake Sandven, for preparing this post.] I was watching an episode of CBS?s 60 Minutes recently and something food related caught my eye. The segment talked about Alice Waters, the so-called...
What?s In Your Milk Fat?
Posted on April 04, 2009Sales in the organic milk market are increasing dramatically. That?s because organic milk means the milk came from cows raised humanely with access to pasture, who were never treated with artificial growth hormones and never ate feed treated with fertilizer...
There?s ?nut?ting like a good recall?
Posted on April 04, 2009We've blogged about the pistachio recall a couple of times now (here and here). This post has a link to the recalled products too. In the ever expanding list of things not to eat because of Salmonella risks, we now...
PLEASE DON?T TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME!!
Posted on April 04, 2009WASHINGTON, March 25, 2009 ? It?s spring time! That?s right! Time for baseball and recalled frankfurters! The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that Sara Lee North American Retail is recalling approximately 1,728 pounds of cheese frank products...
FDA Adds Pet Foods to List of Recalled Products Containing Peanuts
Posted on April 04, 2009Well folks, here?s some more ?food for thought.? According to the FDA, pet food products containing peanuts are being recalled because of concern over salmonella. Apparently Fido is in the same boat as his owners? From a New York Daily...
Voluntary Testing Makes Difference
Posted on April 04, 2009The Food and Drug Administration released a press release on March 30, 2009, warning consumers of a salmonella contamination found in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., California. According to sources in an April 2, 2009,...
Mad Cow Disease Specialist Literally Consumed by His Work
Posted on April 04, 2009Mad Cow disease has claimed another human life in Spain. Ironically, this victim was a pathologist who specialized in a human strain of mad cow disease. The pathologist died Saturday, and officials suspect the disease played a role in his...
Fish Fraud? US Government Study Finds Seafood Scamming
Posted on April 04, 2009According to a report published in February 2009 by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), fraudulent mislabeling of fish is a serious problem for US consumers. Investigators found there are three ways that consumers are commonly cheated: the product...
Red Meat ? The Killer in Disguise?
Posted on March 31, 2009According to a study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, diets high in red meat and processed meats may have some connection to mortality rates. The study took place over a ten-year period, and included over half a...
New Food Safety Legislation and Non-Industrial Scale Food Production
Posted on March 30, 2009The Cornucopia Institute has recently released information on the pending food safety legislation. With the Obama administration and its culture of change combined with the recent PCA scandal policy makers are looking to make serious changes to how they food...
Citizen civil actions under HR 875 (Food Safety Modernization Act)
Posted on March 27, 2009Under section 409 of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, HR 875 (blogged here), individuals would have a cause of action directly against those in violation of a food safety regulation, order, or other action. A commenter on our...
Pistachios too?
Posted on March 27, 2009I came across this latest on Food Poisoning Law Blog: A Georgia company announced this week that it is voluntarily recalling several pistachio products because of possible salmonella poisoning. This is evidently NOT related to the peanut salmonella outbreak...
Seeking others interested in AALS Open Source Idea
Posted on March 24, 2009For law professors: The AALS just sent out a request for Open Source proposals for the next annual meeting. See Below. I am writing to see if others are interested in joining me in putting together a proposal focusing on...
FDA Warnings -- Westco Peanuts and raw oysters from Mississippi
Posted on March 23, 2009Westco Peanuts -- This is an FDA warning, not a recall. The topic of FDA authority has come up a lot recently; while FDA cannot force a recall, it can request one, and it can warn us all not to...
Mexico OKs GM corn experiments
Posted on March 18, 2009From Latin America Press Mexico has revised its biosafety law to reverse a nationwide ban on genetically-modified corn, the country´s most important crop and the centerpiece of the Mexican diet, and allow the varieties to be used in experiments. In...
E coli cattle vaccine
Posted on March 18, 2009From the University of Minnesota, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP): Mar 11, 2009 (CIDRAP News) ? The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently granted a conditional license for the nation's first Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine for cattle,...
Mercury in tuna is naturally occurring under California's Proposition 65
Posted on March 18, 2009From FDA Law Blog -- In 2004, the State of California sued three tuna companies, Tri-Union Seafoods, LLC, Del Monte Corporation, and Bumble Bee Seafoods, LLC, for violation of California?s Proposition 65 because they failed to provide the required clear...
What is implied preemption in food liability cases?
Posted on March 18, 2009FDA Law Blog had a post on February 10 -- California District Court Rules Against FDA Preemption of ?Natural? Claim, describing a ruling in a California case about whether a product containing high fructose corn syrup can be labeled as...
Raw Milk Bill HR778
Posted on March 18, 2009At the end of January, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced HR 778, which would legalize interstate shipments of raw milk. Raw milk is legal to consume, but in half the states not legal to sell. So this would only remove...
Final USDA COOL rules, January 2009
Posted on March 18, 2009(Brought to my attention by a Center for Food Safety press release dated January 16, 2009.) USDA issued final country of origin labeling(COOL) rules January 15, 2009. The rules are available in the Federal Register. Center for Food Safety criticized....
Austrian study -- GE corn linked to reduced fertility in mice
Posted on March 18, 2009This is from a Center for Food Safety press release dated November 13, 2008: Vienna, Austria - (November 13, 2008) - [a]. . . study[1] released Monday by the Austrian government. . . . found that mice fed a type...
Margaret Hamburg FDA Commissioner
Posted on March 18, 2009From the Office of the White House Press Secretary, Saturday, March 14 -- WASHINGTON ? In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced the appointments of Dr. Margaret Hamburg as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Joshua...
FDA and Eight Academic and Research Institutions to Collaborate Under Nanotechnology Initiative
Posted on March 11, 2009Although much of the nanotechnology focus probably pertains to drugs, nanotechnology also has implications for food use, so here goes . . . FDA News Release, 3/10/2009: FDA and Eight Academic and Research Institutions to Collaborate Under Nanotechnology Initiative The...
The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009: HR 875
Posted on March 11, 2009A large food safety bill was introduced to the house in early February of this year. It is currently in committee. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 has been described by some as "monstrous". One blogger recently wrote: The...
Almond growers suit dismissed
Posted on March 11, 2009A federal district court has dismissed a lawsuit (blogged here) by California almond growers and handlers challenging a USDA regulation requiring pasteurization of raw almonds to reduce Salmonella contamination. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued...
FDA Issues Guidance on Safe Production of Foods Containing Peanut-Derived Ingredients
Posted on March 10, 2009FDA/CFSAN constituent update Monday, March 9, 2009: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) today issued guidance to the food industry advising manufacturers that peanuts and peanut-derived products used as food ingredients...
New Bill Would Give FDA Authority Over Tobacco Products
Posted on March 09, 2009Under a new bill that has passed in the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is heading to the full House, tobacco products may be regulated by the FDA. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act would give the...
Private Food Inspectors
Posted on March 06, 2009There's an interesting article on the New York Times website about private food investigators: Food Problems Elude Private Inspectors by Michael Moss and Andrew Martin When food industry giants like Kellogg want to ensure that American consumers are being protected...
The Danger of Zip Codes Revisited
Posted on February 24, 2009In a previous post we saw the correlation between zip code and obesity. A new study out recently from reported on Reuters suggests people who live in neighborhoods packed with fast-food restaurants are more likely to suffer strokes. One example...
Moldy Tomato Paste Shipped By SK Foods
Posted on February 19, 2009Nearly a year ago, the Monterey offices of SK Foods, a grower and processor of vegetable products, were raided by federal agents. SK Foods was initially raided because of its involvement in a bribery scheme. On Thursday, as a result...
New Drug for Celiacs?
Posted on February 17, 2009The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University is conducting a new study that may help individuals recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. The study is testing a drug that may allow people to heal intestinal damage faster than the gluten-free diet....
NYT: ?Spinach and Peanuts With a Dash of Radiation?
Posted on February 17, 2009The New York Times ran an interesting article on February 1: Spinach and Peanuts With a Dash of Radiation, By Andrew Martin Abstract?Irradiation is one tool being used to sterilize food, but some say it is being under-utilized. The procedure...
Genetically modified eggplant for India
Posted on February 16, 2009Southeast Asia has yet to introduce any genetically modified foods. This week, the Cornell Chronicle published an article reporting that field trials of the Bt eggplant?developed by Cornell in conjunction with the US Agency for International Development and an Indian...
What's In A Label?
Posted on February 16, 2009Have you ever wondered what it means for your coffee to be Rainforest Alliance Certified or for your beef to be Food Alliance Certified? National Geographic has included as part of its website a "Green Guide". Among other things the...
Wide Array of Charges Possible Against PCA
Posted on February 15, 2009In what is turning out to be, according to a recent article, "one of the Food and Drug Administration's most high-profile tainted food cases in decades", the possible charges against PCA and its owner Stewart Parnell are mounting. One tool...
Dennys Hits a Grand Slam with Free Breakfast Giveaway
Posted on February 12, 2009Denny?s restaurants all across the nation were filled to the brim with fans attempting to take advantage of a free Grand Slam breakfast Tuesday, February 3rd. From a CNN News Article: ?Denny's announced in a commercial Sunday during the Super...
Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup
Posted on February 12, 2009On January 27, 2009, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on a study conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). It tested popular processed foods and found mercury present in foods with high fructose corn syrup. The original...
Diagnosis of the Liberian caterpillar plague
Posted on February 12, 2009According to Dr. Winfred Hammond of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the caterpillars of the moth Achaea catocaloides are responsible for the Liberian pest outbreak. From a BBC article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7868086...
Peanut Corporation Owner takes the Fifth
Posted on February 11, 2009From CBSNews.com: (CBS/ AP) The owner of a peanut company refused to testify to Congress on Wednesday amid the disclosure that he urged his workers to ship bacteria-tainted products, pleading with federal health officials that he should be able "turn...
Kellogg Caught Up In The Peanut Salmonella Case
Posted on February 11, 2009A recent article from the Battle Creek Enquirer reports: San Francisco-based law firm Marler Clark has added Kellogg Co. to its lawsuit in the salmonella outbreak linked to Peanut Corporation of America products. On Feb. 5, Marler Clark added Kellogg...
The Raw Milk Debate Continues
Posted on February 10, 2009A recent article posted by the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund reports a new bill brought in the House to allow for the interstate traffic of raw milk. On January 28 Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced HR 778, a...
Search the FDA Peanut Recall Widget
Posted on February 09, 2009The FDA has posted a peanut containing product recall widget in an effort to inform consumers about the potentially dangerous peanut containing products. Disclaimer (from the FDA website) Placement of the FDA's widget is to be used only as a...
Are X-Rays, Gamma Rays, and Electron Beams the Answer?
Posted on February 04, 2009As the peanut paste problem persists some food experts think that widespread food irradiation is the solution to our food safety problems. A recent article from the New York Times posted on The Cornucopia Institutes website discusses food irradiation...
Peanut Recall Free Graphics
Posted on February 04, 2009Available on the CDC website: < And this: And this!:
Kroger recalls peanut butter products
Posted on February 03, 2009Kroger, a grocery chain including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, Fry's, King Soopers, Smith's, Dillons, QFC, City Market, Foods Co., Jay C, Scott's, Owen's, Baker's, Gerbes, Hilander and Pay Less, has voluntarily recalled products containing peanut butter...
ABA Sponsors Food Law CLE
Posted on February 03, 2009Hot topics in food law will be discussed in this teleconference and live audio webcast. From melamine in infant formula, to BPA in food packaging, to false or misleading labeling of products, food safety and marketing have been in the...
One Food Safety Expert Calls For FDA Reform
Posted on February 01, 2009In the wake of the recent ongoing colossal peanut paste debacle, Caroline Smith DeWaal has recommended institutional and policy change at the FDA. Smith DeWaal is the director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest....
Yogurt Standards
Posted on January 30, 2009Two wees ago, the FDA proposed a change to the standards of identity for yogurt. FDA Law Blog has a nice post on the proposed rules: FDA Law Blog The proposal itself is in the Federal Register (here). From FDA...
Peanut Corporation of America Expands Recall and Issues Statement
Posted on January 29, 2009The Peanut Corporation of America published two press releases yesterday. First an extended recall notice: Peanut Corporation of America Expands Nationwide Recall of Peanut Products PCA Announces the Voluntary Recall of All Peanuts and Peanut Products Shipped from Georgia Plant...
More and More People Promote a White House Veggie Garden
Posted on January 29, 2009Almost a year ago Roger Doiron, founder and director of Kitchen Gardens International, initiated the campaign to convince the new president to create a Victory Garden at the White House. He named the campaign Eat the View. Thousands have joined...
$$ SEED MONEY $$
Posted on January 28, 2009On January 12, 2009 the USDA fined the Olean Seed Co. $1,050. On January 13, 2009 the USDA fined the Lesco Seed Co. $1,050. Both companies neither admitted nor denied the charges. William Mitchell College of Law student Michael Fahy...
Organic Fertilizer Producer Might Be Full of It, Says Feds
Posted on January 28, 2009According to a report by the Organic Consumer Association (OCA), federal agents recently searched Port Organic Products Ltd. of Bakersfield, ?a major producer of fertilizer for California's organic farmers.? The investigation raises concerns about the possible use of synthetic nitrogen-based...
Peanut Corporation of America Knowingly Shipped Contaminated Peanut Products
Posted on January 28, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Tuesday that the Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia, shipped out products that managers knew might be tainted with Salmonella. It appears from the report that the PCA, having received positive...
Study Shows Presence of Mercury in Some Food Products Containing High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Posted on January 26, 2009In an article just published by the journal Environmental Health, researchers report having found mercury in 9 of 20 samples of commercial high fructose corn syrup. They point to an outdated processing technique that employs mercury to make high-fructose corn...
FDA Update Notice and Database on Search for Peanut Butter Product Recalls
Posted on January 23, 2009FDA News release: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a very active and dynamic investigation into the source of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak.
"Natural" Food Outsells "Organic" Food in 2008
Posted on January 23, 2009Nielsen Media Research, of Nielsen TV rating fame, has released its "Healthy Eating Report for 2008". "Although much is written about organics, products labeled 'natural' generate much higher sales," said a representative of Nielsen Media Research. Read excerpts from the...
USDA Admits a Lack of Strategy for Monitoring GMO Imports
Posted on January 22, 2009In a report released by the U.S. Agriculture Department's Office of Inspector General, the Office of Inspector General said it does not have an import control policy to regulate imported GMO animals. The Office of Inspector General recommended the department...
Coke Sued over Vitamin Water -- Sugar!!
Posted on January 21, 2009Center for Science in the Public Interest has sued Coca Cola over its promotion of Vitamin Water as "healthful". In fact, the drink has 33 grams of sugar per bottle, about the same as a can of pop. From the...
Vilsack confirmed as the new Secretary of Agriculture
Posted on January 21, 2009The U.S. Senate confirmed former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as Secretary of A griculture on Tuesday. Vilsack plans to promote biofuels and to make the school lunches in America?s schools healthier. He also hopes, along with Obama, to put a...
New York Governor?s ?Soda Tax? Debate Bubbling Up
Posted on January 20, 2009The controversial New York ?soda tax? proposed by Governor David Paterson is not easy to digest for some of his constituents. On December 16, 2008, Mr. Paterson unveiled a proposal to place an 18% tax increase on ?fruit drinks that...
Study: Zip Code causes obesity
Posted on January 12, 2009Not really, but a study in Seattle did find that zip codes of low income neighborhoods are associated with higher rates of obesity. In other words, lower incomes are associated with obesity. Obviously, this doesn't mean that your zip code...
Peanut Butter and Salmonella
Posted on January 12, 2009Salmonella poisoning cases are being linked to peanut butter right here in Minnesota. I had peanut butter on my toast this very morning. (Not this kind, but still.) FDA recall notice: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/kingnut01_09.html Excerpt: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --Solon, Ohio (January 10,...
Color additive ruling: cochineal extract and carmine must be labeled
Posted on January 06, 2009Thanks to Ricardo Carvajal of FDA Law Blog for this one: FDA has issued a final rule that requires declaration of the color additives cochineal extract and carmine in the ingredient statement on the label of all food and cosmetic...
Tim Lang: Food Needs Rethinking
Posted on December 30, 2008From BBC News A sustainable global food system in the 21st Century needs to be built on a series of "new fundamentals", according to a leading food expert. Tim Lang warned that the current system, designed in the 1940s, was...
Happy New Year
Posted on December 30, 2008Food Law Prof Blog has been taking a break, but we'll be back next week. Thanks for all of the comments, feeds, and contacts in 2008. Best wishes for a Happy and safe New Year. -- Donna Byrne
From FDA Law Blog: Cargill to make Stevia-derived sweetener
Posted on December 18, 2008Cargill has evidently applied for GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status for its new sweetener, but FDA has not yet ruled on the GRAS application: Cargill Announces Plans to Market Stevia-Derived Sweetener Without FDA?s Blessing, and CSPI Cries Foul On...
Nat'l Ag Law Center Call for Articles
Posted on December 12, 2008The National Agricultural Law Center at U Arkansas is seeking articles for its agricultural law bibliography. From the Ag law Center newsletter: A major component of the Center's 2008 strategic plan is to significantly increase the number of publications authored...
GAO Report on Genetically Engineered Crops
Posted on December 12, 2008From the Document Summary: Why GAO Did This Study Genetically engineered (GE) crops?including crops engineered to resist pests or tolerate herbicides?are widespread in the United States and around the world. Taking direction from the 1986 Coordinated Framework for Regulation of...
Serving Facts Labeling on alcohol beverages
Posted on November 20, 2008Bevlog (all about beer and wine labels) has a post with pictures about serving facts labeling for alcohol beverages. Since Bevlog has great label pictures, it's worth seeing! FDA Cider, Apples and Nutrition Facts
EPA Considering Action on Nano particles as pesticides
Posted on November 19, 2008From the International Center for Technology Assessment: Washington, DC (November 19, 2008)- Acknowledging the critical need for in-depth review of products utilizing nanotechnology pesticides, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened a 60-day public comment period in response to a petition...
NOSB aquaculture recommendations
Posted on November 19, 2008The National Organic Standards Board has just met to vote on recommendations for "organic" fish. There are no organic standards for fish yet. Here is a brief summary of the issues from Farmedsalmonexposed.org: The NOSB will vote on their recommendations...
Consumers Want Label Info -- Consumers Union Poll
Posted on November 19, 2008From OMBwatch.org: Public Wants More Info on Food Labels A national poll shows strong consumer support for improved food labeling and more frequent inspections of food-processing facilities. According to food safety advocates, Americans want labels that identify use of genetically...
USDA Publication: Household Food Security in the United States, 2007
Posted on November 19, 2008A report on household food security is available on the website of the USDA Economic Research Service: Household Food Security in the United States, 2007, By Mark Nord, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson Eighty-nine percent of American households were food...
Study: corn present in most fast food
Posted on November 11, 2008Found this one on Wired Science: "That the $100-billion fast food industry rests on a foundation of corn has been known more through inference and observation than hard scientific fact ? until now. Chemical analysis from restaurants across the United...
GAO: Revamping Food Safety
Posted on November 11, 2008The Government Accountability Office has a new webpage on the need to revamp oversight of food safety. Here's a short excerpt: Fifteen federal agencies collectively administer at least 30 laws related to food safety. The two primary agencies are the....
European Consumers and Food Labels
Posted on November 10, 2008Here's an article on a study of consumer purchasing behavior. European consumers spend about 30 seconds choosing a food product, and they are more likely to read nutrition information when choosing yogurt, breakfast cereals, and "ready meals." Europeans understand food...
FDA Announces Nutrition Roundtable Discussion with Stakeholders
Posted on November 10, 2008The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has scheduled a Nutrition Roundtable Discussion on Friday, December 12, 2008 from 1:00 until 3:30 PM, at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Harvey W. Wiley Building, 5100...
Buy a cupcake? Not in school
Posted on November 10, 2008From the New York Times: Bake Sales Fall Victim to Push for Healthier Foods . . . The old-fashioned school bake sale, once as American as apple pie, is fast becoming obsolete in California, a result of strict new state...
Call for papers: Science Food and Nutrition Panel at American Sociological Association
Posted on November 05, 2008Proposals are being accepted for a panel on Science, Food and Nutrition at the 2009 American Sociological Association meeting, which takes place August 8-11 in San Francisco. The panel seeks to bring together scholars to consider how interactions among environments,...
Melamine-tainted eggs in China
Posted on October 29, 2008By now it is certainly not news that melamine is toxic to humans, or that melamine can raise the apparent protein level of a food to which it is added, or that melamine actually was added to milk in China....
LLM in Ag Law and Food Law Studies
Posted on October 29, 2008I think this may be an official name change. The University of Arkansas graduate program sent this announcement: Now Accepting Applications for LL.M. Program for Fall 2009 Agricultural Law and Food Law Studies While issues involving food and agriculture have...
Food Companies Creating their own Nutritional Standards
Posted on October 28, 2008Coming soon: A new nutrition icon on the front of some food packages. The "Smart Choices" icon is the outcome of a Keystone Center project, the Food and Nutrition Roundtable, which is "made up of consumer and health advocates, food...
The Food Stamp Program And Older Americans
Posted on October 28, 2008Information on Food Stamps and Nutrition Assistance for older Americans from the AARP Public Policy Institute: The Food Stamp Program And Older Americans Fact Sheet, Jean C. Accius, October 2008? This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Jean Accius...
USDA: Proposed Rule on Organic Dairy Pasture Requirements
Posted on October 26, 2008USDA has just published its Proposed Rule on Access to Pasture for organic dairy operations. The pasture requirements of the National Organic Standards have been a source of controversy for years. The proposed rules are not confined to the pasture...
Two Open CRS Reports on Food Imports (from China)
Posted on October 22, 2008Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview September 22, 2008 China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of...
Genetically engineered animals
Posted on October 22, 2008In September, FDA released draft guidance on GE animals (blogged here). JAVMA, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, has posted an article describing the draft guidance, and it has PICTURES of genetically engineered animals!! Click to go to...
Caffeine in . . . Soap?!
Posted on October 22, 2008Interesting article on Time.com about the proliferation of caffeinated products, including some personal hygiene products (Bath Buzz anyone?) . . . But recently companies began unleashing a barrage of unfamiliar products packed with extreme amounts of caffeine...
Ethical Brands -- Turn on, Tune in, Sell out
Posted on October 15, 2008The American Enterprise Institute has posted a short article by Jon Entine, Ethical Brands--Turn On, Tune In, Sell Out. Here's the blurb: During the past decade, multinationals have been gobbling up small, ethical brands. Are ethical firms and their founders...
Michael Pollan's letter to the next President -- Food Policy is a National Security Issue
Posted on October 15, 2008Michael Pollan (author of Omnivore's Dilemma) published an Open Letter to the next President in the NY Times Magazine last week. ". . .with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food...
CSPI -- GAO Food Labeling findings "disturbing"
Posted on October 15, 2008The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Food Labeling (blogged here) is summarized in a Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) news release. CSPI calls the results "disturbing:" ?Americans rely on food labels for accurate nutrition information to...
Who owns Hummus?
Posted on October 10, 2008From National Public Radio: Lebanon (by way of Lebanese businessmen) wants to sue Israel for exclusive rights to name products with labels like "hummus" and "falafel" and others. They claim this is what France has done with "champagne" and Greece...
GAO Report on Food Safety: Improvements Needed in FDA Oversight of Fresh Produce
Posted on October 08, 2008The full text of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to Congressional Requesters is available as a PDF file on the GAO website. Here's their blurb: Why GAO Did This Study In recent years, both domestic and imported produce have...
USDA's new regulations on genetically engineered crops
Posted on October 08, 2008The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Center for Food Safety have both criticized proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules governing genetically engineered crops, including food crops engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial products...
Made in USA foods could be contaminated
Posted on October 07, 2008From The Epoch Times: Food labeled as made in the U.S.A. could contain tainted ingredients from China. Amid recent concerns over the safety of food products from China, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has stepped up efforts...
FDA Detects Melamine Contamination in Flavored Drink
Posted on October 06, 2008FDA News Release The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increased inspections and product testing efforts in response to the melamine contamination problem which originated in Chinese dairy products. As a result of the FDA?s on-going testing program, the...
FDA: Interim Safety and Risk Assessment of Melamine in Food
Posted on October 03, 2008FDA News Release: FDA Issues Interim Safety and Risk Assessment of Melamine and Melamine-related Compounds in Food The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued the results of its interim safety and risk assessment of melamine and melamine-related compounds...
Cadbury chocolates and melamine
Posted on September 29, 2008Just in time for Halloween. From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: HONG KONG - A Cadbury spokesman says preliminary results show its Chinese-made chocolates contain the industrial chemical melamine. more
Conference: Agricultural Markets and Food Price Inflation
Posted on September 29, 2008The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will hold a conference on the economic impacts of volatile agricultural costs and food price inflation. This conference will bring together experts from industry, academia and policy institutions to discuss agricultural and food policy,...
Melamine contamination health advisory
Posted on September 26, 2008FDA Statement: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers that seven Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products manufactured in China are being recalled by the King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd. due to possible contamination...
Japanese groups reject GE sugar beet imports
Posted on September 23, 2008Center for Food Safety news release: Washington, DC ? September 23, 2008 ? The No! GMO Campaign, representing 53 of Japan?s leading farmer, consumer, and public interest groups, have joined the Center for Food Safety and a coalition of US...
Mislabeled restaurant fish
Posted on September 21, 2008Last night I went out for dinner with some bicycling buddies. I ordered some sort of white fish. I don't remember what kind of fish it was supposed to be. It was good, but who knows what it really was?...
Prenatal maternal diet affects asthma risk in offspring
Posted on September 19, 2008A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that a mother's use of folic acid supplements during pregnancy may contribute to development of asthma in her children. This was a mouse study that sought to test the...
FDA Mulls Changes to Food Allergy Labeling
Posted on September 19, 2008FDA held a public hearing earlier this week as part of its long-term plan to help manufacturers upgrade their labeling practices. From HealthDay.com: TUESDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Responding to concerns that food labels aren't doing enough to alert...
Creekstone Farms v. USDA -- no private testing for BSE
Posted on September 18, 2008Last week in Creekstone Farms v. USDA, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a district court ruling that a private company may not test all its cows for mad cow disease without USDA approval. Creekstone Farms...
FDA Proposes Label Requirements for Refused Imported Foods
Posted on September 18, 2008Under a proposed rule, foreign food that is refused entry at one port will now be labeled "REFUSED" so that it will be easier to identify at the next port. FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today...
What's so bad about high fructose corn syrup?
Posted on September 18, 2008Article on the TIME/CNN website: Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Really Good for You? , by Lisa McLaughlin Shopping last week in her local New York City grocery store, Elise Mackin, 32, filled her cart with items she knows to be...
FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Regulating Genetically Engineered Animals
Posted on September 18, 2008FDA has issued draft guidance on regulation of genetically engineered animals. There is a 60-day comment period that ends November 18, 2008. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, today released for...
Health Risks and Plastics
Posted on September 17, 2008From the Wall Street Journal: WASHINGTON -- A chemical commonly used in plastic food and drink containers was associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to the first large-scale study in humans. Wall Street Journal article, New Study Links Plastic...
USDA: $5 million in grants to increase food stamp access
Posted on September 17, 2008WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced $5 million in grants for six state agencies, one local agency and a non-profit organization to simplify the Food Stamp Program application and eligibility systems and improve access to...
Fat tax in Alabama
Posted on September 12, 2008This news broke the week of August 21 (while I was out of town and about to turn 50), but it's interesting enough to post anyway. From WebMD.com: August 26, 2008 ? Obese Alabama state workers may soon pay a...
Food Safety Research
Posted on September 12, 2008Fresh Express (a Chiquita Company) recently held a conference on food safety research. Bill Marler attended and summarized some of the main points on his Marlerblog. The Fresh Express website also provides summaries of recent research. And here is a....
FDA Issues Health Information Advisory on Infant Formula
Posted on September 12, 2008FDA New Release, September 12, 2008: In response to reports of contaminated milk-based infant formula manufactured in China, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today is issuing a Health Information Advisory. This is to assure the American public that...
McGill Conference on Global Food Security, Sept 24-26
Posted on September 11, 2008Click for Conference website. Blurb: Developing countries, as well as developed countries, in every corner of the globe are being affected by the current global food crisis. The world's poor are the hardest hit. Rapidly rising food prices in a...
FDA: West Virginia Livestock Owner Sentenced in Criminal and Civil Contempt Case
Posted on September 11, 2008FDA News Release, September 11, 2008: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that a West Virginia cattle dealer has been sentenced to six months probation for refusing to obey court orders in 2006 and 2008 that prohibited her...
New: European Food Law Handbook
Posted on September 11, 2008Just published: European Food Law Handbook, by B. v.d. Meulen and M. v.d. Velde (Wageningen, Netherlands) 2008, 632 pages, hardback The first decade of the twenty-first Century has witnessed a fundamental reform of European food law. We have now come...
Fifth Conference on Pulbic Health, Law, and Obesity
Posted on September 10, 2008The Public Health Advocacy Institute and Public Health Law & Policy are sponsoring A Time for Action: An Obesity Agenda for the Next Administration at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, September 19-21, 2008. Advocates, public health practitioners, legal scholars, researchers, and...
NY State Council on Food Policy website
Posted on September 10, 2008The New York State Council on Food Policy has a new website. From the press release announcing creation of the council: New York State Governor?s Office issued Executive Order No. 13 on May 18, 2007 that established the New York...
Almond Growers Sue over mandatory chemical treatment of "raw" almonds
Posted on September 10, 2008Raw almonds must be treated before sale (more on this). I just received the following from the Cornucopia Institute: WASHINGTON, D.C. ? A group of fifteen American almond growers and wholesale nut handlers filed a lawsuit in the Washington, D.C....
Call for Papers -- Food, Law, and Culture
Posted on September 09, 2008This post relates to three opportunities: Panel presentations at the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities in Boston April 3-4. Deadline for abstracts: October 1, 2008. Panel presentations at the Association for the Study of Food...
A. Bryan Endres on Coexistence Strategies, The Common Law of Biotechnology and Economic Liability Risks
Posted on September 08, 2008A. Bryan Endres has published Coexistence Strategies, The Common Law of Biotechnology and Economic Liability Risks in the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, Spring 2008. The following is an excerpt from the introduction:
World's Largest Cheeseburger
Posted on September 08, 2008Bob's BBQ and Grill of Pattaya, Thailand, has created the world's largest cheeseburger. Weighing in at over 70 pounds, it beat the previous record by over 20 pounds. (The cheeseburger was created in July 2007, but I just found out...
Future look -- mandatory food irradiation
Posted on September 08, 2008eFoodAlert.com has a great post by Phyllis Entis about mandatory food irradiation written from the perspective of 25 years from now: Washington, DC. August 28, 2033? The Secretary of State for Food Safety announced today that ? effective January 1,...
GE Alfalfa ruling upheld
Posted on September 03, 2008Yesterday the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction against planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa issued last year in Geertson Seed Farms. The Federal District Court for the Northern District of California had entered an injunction prohibiting the planting...
20 US Companies Reject Clones
Posted on September 03, 2008News Release from the Center for Food Safety: Washington, D.C., September 3, 2008 ? The Center for Food Safety and Friends of the Earth today announced that 20 of America?s leading food producers and retailers have stated that they will...
California bill, SB 1420 -- calorie labeling for fast food
Posted on August 21, 2008A California bill would require calorie labeling for fast food. From the Los Angeles Times: The proposed law, SB 1420, which the state Senate has passed and the Assembly will consider soon, would require chain restaurants with 15 or more...
Eli Lilly's Elanco buys Posilac (rBGH) from Monsanto
Posted on August 21, 2008Earlier this week Monsanto announced that it was selling off it's recombinant bovine growth hormone product, Posilac. Here is the news release from Eli Lilly, whose Elanco acquired Posilac for $300 million plus contingent consideration (whatever that is)...
Mercury in Tuna -- Preemption in Fellner v. Tri-Union Seafoods
Posted on August 21, 2008Interesting discussion on Drug and Device law Blog about a recent food safety case, Fellner v. Tri-Union Seafoods, in which the Third Circuit found that claims stemming from food poisoning from eating canned tuna were not preempted. Drug and Device...
Interview with Paul Roberts, The End of Food
Posted on August 21, 2008Go to Washington Post.com for an online discussion with Paul Roberts, author of The End of Food. Here's the intro: Paul Roberts: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining the online discussion for my book, The End of Food. I'll admit, the...
FDA Nanotechnology Public Meeting Sept 8, 2008
Posted on August 15, 2008From the FDA: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a public meeting to gather information that will assist the Agency in implementing the recommendations of the Nanotechnology Task Force Report. For more information on the Nanotechnology Task Force...
FDA/FSIS Food Safety Consumer Survey
Posted on August 14, 2008The results of a 2006 telephone survey of consumers is available on the CFSAN website: link to survey. Some of the results are interesting. For example, 56% of respondents thought one was more like to get food poisoning from eating...
"Natural" is still an unregulated term
Posted on August 14, 2008From NaturalNews.com: FDA Refuses to Regulate "Natural" Claim on Food Packaging The article points out that FDA received two petitions in the last year related to the word "natural." Here's my favorite quote: While the FDA has not responded to...
Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing: Targeting Children and Youth in the Digital Age
Posted on August 13, 2008Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) has recently released a report on digital marketing to children. Here's the blurb: "The Proliferation of the media in children's lives has created a new "marketing ecosystem" that encompasses cell phones, mobile music devices, instant...
Salmonella St Paul found at Mexican pepper farm
Posted on July 30, 2008The Associated Press: WASHINGTON - The salmonella strain linked to a nationwide outbreak has been found in irrigation water and a serrano pepper at a Mexican farm, federal health officials said Wednesday. More of this report on Yahoo!
FTC Report Sheds New Light on Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents
Posted on July 30, 2008FTC News release: "The Federal Trade Commission today announced the results of a study on food marketing to children and adolescents. The report, Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation [see also Appendices...
FDA Seeks Comments on Newly-Enacted Section 301(ll) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Which Prohibits the Interstate Shipment of Certain Foods
Posted on July 30, 2008I'm not sure what I think about this one: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently published a notice in the Federal Register requesting data, information, and comments relevant to the agency's implementation of Section 912 of the Food and...
FDA Advises Against Consumption of American Lobster (Maine Lobster) Tomalley
Posted on July 29, 2008FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers to avoid eating tomalley in American Lobster (Maine Lobster), regardless of where the lobster was harvested, because of potential contamination with dangerous levels of the toxins that cause...
The Economist -- Debate on whether Rising Food Prices can be Good for Humanity
Posted on July 29, 2008I just received this announcement from The Economist. I don't have a response just now, but the debate looks interesting: Starting today and lasting through August 8, The Economist will be hosting an online, Oxford-style debate on whether or not...
Jalapeno pepper linked to specific salmonella illness
Posted on July 28, 2008Colorado Department of Health News Release: State Laboratory Confirms First Human Case of Salmonella from Jalapeno DENVER - The Laboratory Services Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed that a jalapeno pepper provided by an...
FDA: U.S. Grown Jalapeño and Serrano Peppers Not Connected to Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak
Posted on July 25, 2008FDA Statement: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers that jalapeño and Serrano peppers grown in the United States are not connected with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. However, the FDA continues to advise consumers to avoid raw...
DHA and grass fed cows
Posted on July 21, 2008Confession -- I was trying to learn about self-tanning lotions. A review website said the active ingredient is DHA (dihydroxyacetone). So I googled DHA and read the entry on Docosahexaenoic acid on Wikipedia. (Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture,...
Swiss Consumers' Perceptions of Nanotechnology in Food
Posted on July 21, 2008Here's the headline on Science Daily.com: Nanotechnology In Food And Packaging Accepted By Consumers. Most people I know have never even heard of nanotechnology and certainly have no idea it has anything to do with food, so I found the...
GRAS applications and No Questions letters
Posted on July 21, 2008FDA Law Blog (published by Hyman, Phelps, and McNamara) has an interesting post on GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) applications for food ingredients and uses for food ingredients: FDA GRAS Response Letter Offers No Safe Harbor from FDAAA § 912...
Food Czar Bill Marler on E. coli and Food Safety
Posted on July 19, 2008Posted on Marlerblog.com: E. coli O157:H7 is a powerful and deadly bacterium You cannot see it, taste it, or smell it. 250,000 E. coli O157:H7 (E. coli) bacteria will fit on the head of a pin. Ten to 50 will...
School Nutrition Association meeting in Philly July 20-23
Posted on July 15, 2008The School Nutrition Association annual meeting starts this weekend in Philadelphia. Here's the conference website: http://docs.schoolnutrition.org/meetingsandevents/anc2008/ Wish I could go!
Britain Urging Return to Wartime Food Frugality
Posted on July 13, 2008Associate Press article by David Stringer: Evoking an era of World War II austerity, British families are being urged to cut food waste and use leftovers in a nationwide effort to fight sharply rising global food prices. It's not back...
USDA Will List Retail Stores Receiving Recalled Meat and Poultry Products
Posted on July 13, 2008USDA Press Release: July 11, 2008: USDA Will List Retail Stores Receiving Recalled Meat and Poultry Products WASHINGTON, July 11, 2008 - Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer today announced that beginning next month, USDA will begin listing retail stores receiving...
Intellectual Property in the Food Technology Industry (new book)
Posted on July 12, 2008Just published: Intellectual Property in the Food Technology Industry, Protecting Your Innovation, by O?Donnell, R.W., O?Malley, J.J., Huis, R.J., Halt, Jr., G.B. Considering the effort and funding devoted to a company's success, understanding Intellectual Property rights patents, trade secrets, trademarks,...
Salmonella outbreak
Posted on July 12, 2008The salmonella St Paul outbreak has now sickened well over 1000 people and the source is still unknown. See MarlerBlog for more information: OK, So it seems like it is Jalapenos and salmonella, or is Serrano Peppers or Cilantro? (July...
Rising Food Costs and School Lunches
Posted on July 12, 2008From Time.com: Food Prices Eat Up School Lunch, by Kathleen Kingsbury Students at about three-quarters of American schools can expect to find higher prices in their cafeterias when they return this fall, according to a recent survey by the School...
E. coli Ground Beef Recall -- Cook the Meat!!
Posted on July 03, 2008Get your meat thermometer ready. This one is scary because there is apparently no way for consumers to know whether their ground beef came from the affected source. To protect yourself, you must make sure the inside of the meat...
Raw Milk and Gray Dye
Posted on July 03, 2008In North Carolina, raw milk can only legally be sold for animal consumption. So a black market has developed to meet some of the demand for raw milk for humans. Here's the fun: last September, the N.C. Board of Agriculture...
Country of Origin Labeling for Mississippi catfish
Posted on July 01, 2008It's always interesting! Julie McLemore, who works for the state of Mississippi alerted me to this bit of news. Effective today, Mississippi restaurants offering catfish for sale must indicate the country of origin of the catfish on the menu. The...
CSPI: high fructose corn syrup not "natural"
Posted on June 30, 2008The American Medical Association recently announced its conclusion that ?high fructose corn syrup does not contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.? Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association applauded this finding: ?This science-based decision by the nation?s leading medical...
Antibiotics for Chickens
Posted on June 30, 2008When is an antibiotic not an antibiotic? When it is administered "in ovo" according to Tyson Foods. Earlier this month, Tyson Foods filed suit against USDA over the agency's ruling about Tyson's "Raised Without Antibiotics That Impact Human Antibiotic Resistance"...
FDA to open post in Latin America?
Posted on June 26, 2008According to the Associated Press, the FDA may open an office in Latin America to better monitor the safety of imported foods. Over the weekend, FDA has been in Mexico investigating some farms believed to be possible sources of the...
BSE (Mad Cow) case confirmed in British Columbia
Posted on June 26, 2008Canadian Food Inspection Agency news release: June 23, 2008 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow in the Province of British Columbia. This case poses no risk to human or animal...
Kroger Recalls Ground Beef because of possible E. coli
Posted on June 26, 2008Bill Marler (Marler Blog) has been asking when this would happen. Kroger grocery company is voluntarily recalling ground beef because of the possibility of E. coli O157:H7 contamination. USDA news release: WASHINGTON, June 25, 2008 ? The Kroger Co., a...
Rising food prices and land use
Posted on June 26, 2008Interesting column by Ross Clark at Timesonline.co.uk this morning -- We Can Feed the Word: Just Look at All the Space. Clark suggests using Google Earth to get a sense of how much space there is and how little of...
More on raw milk from NPR
Posted on June 25, 2008From NPR.org The Bryant Park Project. "The NPR website has an audio clip as well as the rest of the following article. Raw Milk: Panacea or Poison? by Dan Pashman Rick and Julie Vreeland opened Freedom Hill Farm last year...
Raw Milk
Posted on June 23, 2008I just spent the weekend with friends and relatives, some of whom go to some effort to acquire raw milk for their families. One person buys it in New Hampshire, as part of a community supported agriculture program. Another, who...
United States and China Outline Progress on Agreement on Food and Feed Safety
Posted on June 21, 2008HHS News Release: United States and China Outline Progress on Agreement on Food and Feed Safety U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mike Leavitt signed a Joint Progress Statement today with the Honorable Li Changjiang, Minister of the...
Open CRS Report: Food Safety Provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill
Posted on June 21, 2008Food Safety Provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill, May 27, 2008 Summary: Food safety has re-emerged as an issue in the 110th Congress following a series of widely publicized incidents -- including adulterated Chinese seafood and pet food ingredient imports,...
FDA Requests Seizure of Animal Food Products at PETCO Distribution Center
Posted on June 21, 2008This hits close to home. I buy food for my housemates, Teva and Maddie, at the local Petco. They are home in Minnesota with a housesitter while I am in Princeton, NJ, visiting relatives. FDA News Release, June 19, 2008:...
What is organic milk?
Posted on June 21, 2008Organic watchdog organization, the Cornucopia Institute sent me this news release: Farmers at Organic Valley Assert Control to Maintain High Ethics Standards at Co-op $500 Million Cooperative Back on Track to Uphold Mission LA FARGE, WI: After years of being...
Open CRS Report: Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview
Posted on June 21, 2008Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview Summary: China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood,...
Open CRS Report: Safe Drinking Water Act: A Summary of the Act and Its Major Requirements
Posted on June 21, 2008Safe Drinking Water Act: A Summary of the Act and Its Major Requirements Abstract: This report summarizes the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and its major programs and regulatory requirements. It excerpts, with several additions, the SDWA chapter of CRS...
Salad season, E. coli lettuce, and salmonella tomatoes
Posted on June 10, 2008It's hardly news by now (even if I haven't blogged it), but bagged romaine lettuce is being blamed for an E. coli outbreak in Washington state, and several fast food chains and Wal-mart are pulling raw tomatoes from the menu...
FDA amicus on New York City menu board labeling
Posted on June 10, 2008Ricardo Carvajal and Diane McColl of Hyman, Phelps and McNamara have posted a discussion of the FDA's recent amicus brief in the New York City menu board nutrition labeling case. From FDA Law Blog: FDA has filed an amicus curiae...
Administration Proposes Additional Funding for FDA to Improve Food and Medical Product Safety
Posted on June 10, 2008FDA Press Release: HHS Secretary Leavitt today announced that the Administration is amending its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2009 to include an additional $275 million for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He called on Congress to....
IFT International Food Nanoscience Conference
Posted on June 10, 2008Friday, June 27, 5:30 ? 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, 8:00 a.m. ? 5:00 p.m. Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel Leading authorities from around the world will convene to examine the latest research and information in the emerging arena of...
FDA Warns Consumers Nationwide Not to Eat Certain Types of Raw Red Tomatoes
Posted on June 08, 2008FDA news release: The Food and Drug Administration is expanding its warning to consumers nationwide that a salmonellosis outbreak has been linked to consumption of certain raw red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes, and products containing these raw,...
UN Conference on World Food Security, June 3-5, 2008
Posted on May 29, 2008High-Level Conference on World Food Security: The Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, Rome, 3 - 5 June 2008. Report: Soaring food prices: facts, perspectives, impacts and actions required (50 pages, PDF) From the introduction to the report: 1...
Biofortification for China
Posted on May 25, 2008Interesting article on genetically engineered crops in China -- Biofortification for China: Political Responses to Food Fortification and GM Technology, Interest Groups, and Possible Strategies, by Carl Pray (Rutgers University) and Jikun Huang (Chinese Academy of Sciences), 10(3) AgBioForum 161...
Coming in 2009: Basmati Blues -- a film about love, adventure, and genetically modified rice"
Posted on May 25, 2008In preproduction: Basmati Blues, a film about love, adventure, and genetically modified rice. I don't know anything about the film, but the science will be accurate because a University of California, Riverside, genetics professor, Norman Ellstrand, was asked to review...
California considering clone labeling bill this week
Posted on May 20, 2008A California bill requiring labeling of cloned animal food products comes up for hearing this week. SB 1121 was introduced last March. It requires each seller of a cloned animal to inform the buyer that the animal is a clone...
FDA shuts down seafood processor -- no HACCP plan
Posted on May 16, 2008FDA is serious about HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plans. FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today directed Hope Food Supply Inc., a Pasadena, Texas, food processing company, to shut down and immediately recall all...
FDA Action against Cream Cheese Companies for HACCP, seafood processing, and labeling violations
Posted on May 16, 2008FDA News Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the shut down of cream cheese and seafood operations at Lifeway Foods, Inc. and its subsidiary, LFI Enterprises, Inc., both Illinois companies, until they are found compliant with food-safety...
GAO Report on Offshore Marine Aquaculture
Posted on May 12, 2008The Government Accountability Office has recently released a report considering the administrative and environmental issues inherent in developing a regulatory system for offshore marine aquaculture. From the introduction: Globally, aquaculture production has grown significantly over the past 50 years, from...
Dog meat on the menu in Korea (illegally)
Posted on May 12, 2008From The Wall Street Journal online: Seoul Hounds Meat Vendors For Cleaner Chow Dog meat is illegal in Seoul, but not in the rest of South Korea, according to the Wall Street Journal. Nevertheless, many Seoul restaurants serve it anyway....
CRS Report: The U.S. Trade Situation for Fruit and Vegetable Products
Posted on May 09, 2008Another food-related Congressional Research Service report available on OpenCRS: The U.S. Trade Situation for Fruit and Vegetable Products. Here's the abstract: Over the last decade, there has been a growing U.S. trade deficit in fresh and processed fruits and vegetables...
CRS Report: High Agricultural Commodity Prices: What Are the Issues?
Posted on May 09, 2008A Congressional Research Service report, High Agricultural Commodity Prices: What Are the Issues? is available on the Open CRS website. Here is the abstract: Prices for nearly all major U.S. agricultural program crops -- corn, barley, sorghum, oats, wheat, rice,...
GE Roundup Ready sugar beets and Mother's Day candy -- Andrew Kimbrell on Huffington Post blog
Posted on May 08, 2008Genetically engineered sugar beets are on the way, and next year's candy will include sugar from the new plants. Andrew Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety has a post on The Huffington Post that's kind of interesting. I had...
FDA Final Rule on Soluble Fiber Health Claims and fat content
Posted on May 08, 2008Last week the FDA published a final rule on soluble fiber and coronory heart disease. (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-9590.pdf). The interesting tidbit involves the fat content of foods that carry the label. Under regulation, sec. 101.62, a food could only carry the soluble...
Food at the border
Posted on May 08, 2008Here's a food law issue I hadn't thought about: what can you bring across the border in your suitcase? An AP article by Michele Kayal caught my eye: Think twice before stuffing your suitcase with prosciutto (on USAtoday.com) Jamie Mitchell...
Sleep and Obesity
Posted on May 08, 2008According to my morning St. Paul Pioneer Press, a recent study shows a correlation between obesity and hours of sleep. The study reportedly found that people who sleep less than six hours a night or more than nine were more...
Michael Pollan interview on YouTube
Posted on May 07, 2008From cookingupastory.com: Michael Pollan talks about his recent book, In Defense of Food, in Portland, Oregon. Here's the blurb: Michael Pollan's new book, In Defense of Food, provides the backdrop for his talk at the Bagdad Theater in Portland, Oregon,...
Parke Wilde and Mark Winne on YouTube
Posted on May 07, 2008Parke Wilde (U.S. Food Policy blog)has posted his interview with Mark Winne on YouTube. Mark Winne is the author of Closing the Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty.
FDA Health and Diet Survey: Dietary Guidelines Supplement
Posted on May 07, 2008The government's Health and Diet Survey: Dietary Guidelines Supplement -- Report of Findings (2004 & 2005) is available on the FDA website. From the Foreward: The choices we make every day of what to eat and how much physical activity...
FDA's new regs on animal feed
Posted on April 28, 2008Last week the FDA issued new regulations barring certain cattle materials from animal feed. From the FDA news release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today [April 23, 2008] issued a final regulation barring certain cattle materials from all animal...
Sam's Club and Costco rationing bulk rice
Posted on April 27, 2008From CNN.com: (AP) -- The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., called on Wednesday "recent supply and demand trends." The broader...
FDA: pet food maker needs emergency operating permit
Posted on April 27, 2008From an FDA news release (April 24, 2008): The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an order requiring that Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc., in Wheeling, Ill., obtain an emergency permit from the FDA before its canned pet...
Protozoa May Enable Food-Borne Pathogens On Leafy Vegetables.
Posted on April 27, 2008From ScienceDaily.com: Protozoa found on lettuce and spinach may sequester harmful food-borne pathogens ultimately contributing to their survival on produce surfaces say researchers from Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, and the Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Albany, California [an arm...
Article: Litigating the Economic Effects of Biotech Crops
Posted on April 16, 2008Thomas P. Redick (Global Environmental Ethics Counsel) and A. Bryan Endres (U. Illinois -- Agriculture) have published Litigating the Economic Effects of Biotech Crops, 22 SPG-Nat. Res. & Env't 24 (2008). The article begins: The past year has seen groundbreaking...
"Cool Foods" Campaign: Consumer Initiative to Address Climate Change Crisis through Food Choices
Posted on April 16, 2008From a Center for Food Safety news release: New York, NY, April 16th, 2008 ? This afternoon the Center for Food Safety and the CornerStone Campaign announced the launch of the ?Cool Foods Campaign.? This national initiative is designed to...
Six Flags Great Escape Lodge Can't Escape Norovirus
Posted on April 16, 2008Found on efoodalert.com : According to a recent announcement by the New York State Health Department, the state is investigating over 200 cases of gastrointestinal illness caused by the Norovirus among people who stayed at the Six Flags Great Escape....
"Dieting for Dollars?"
Posted on April 16, 2008In a recent Newsweek article, author Jennifer Barrett discussed a new trend among employers--tying financial incentives to staying at a healthy weight. Barrett discusses several legal issues that can arise with such requirements as well as whether or not those...
America?s diet -- need for Processed Food Reformulation?
Posted on April 16, 2008According to a USDA study titled, ?Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in the US Food Consumption; 1970-2005?, America?s fat consumption is up and Americans are failing to meet the Federal Dietary Guidelines. This study, coupled with a study conducted by...
How does being overweight impact children?s teeth?
Posted on April 16, 2008The answer may surprise you. While being overweight or obese increases the risk for many diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart disease, the impact on teeth seems to be different. A recent NY Times article reports...
Got Food Poisoning? Try Raw Milk?.Feta Cheese
Posted on April 16, 2008On April 3, 2008 researchers at the Society for General Microbiology?s 162nd meeting in Edinburgh Scotland announced that eating Feta cheese made from raw milk combats food poisoning. Panagiotis Chanos, a researcher from the University of Lincoln, isolated and identified...
Water and Health: Too Much or Not Enough?
Posted on April 16, 2008According to a new scientific review published by the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have determined that there is no evidence that drinking a lot of water has any beneficial affect to...
Study of Popular New Cholesterol Drug Shows its Effects are Limited
Posted on April 16, 2008The Schering-Plough developed drug, Vytorin, is marketed in America to not only lower LDL cholesterol levels, but also to limit plaque buildup in arteries. A recent study has shown, however, that Vytorin may not be any more effective in controlling...
Fat Bias Worse for Women
Posted on April 11, 2008According to a new report published this month in the International Journal of Obesity, society is less tolerant of weight gain with women than men from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. From the New...
Taste is not the reason for consuming sweets
Posted on April 03, 2008A study in the March 27 issue of the scientific journal Neuron reports that mice prefers sweets, even when they can?t taste. From a CBC News Report: Researchers at Duke University Center in Durham, N.C., genetically altered the brains of...
Politicians Play Chicken with Poultry Plants
Posted on April 03, 2008Saying that "Poultry workers' health and safety is threatened every day in a variety of ways," Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass, has called for stiffer penalties and stronger enforcement against chronic violators of worker safety. The legislation calls for up to...
Food Protection Plan and Third Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds
Posted on April 03, 2008CFSAN Constituent Update: On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a teleconference to announce the establishment of two public Dockets. The FDA is requesting information and comments on its 2007 Food Protection Plan that presents...
Summary of Recent Developments in EPA's Drinking Water Program and Areas for Additional Focus
Posted on April 03, 2008EPA Office of Inspector General: Summary of Recent Developments in EPA's Drinking Water Program and Areas for Additional Focus, March 31, 2008. At a Glance PDF | Report PDF "...the drinking water program faces challenges, notably limited resources, emerging contaminants...
Food Stamp Use Approaches a Record High
Posted on April 03, 2008The New York Times reported that the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach a record high of 28 million this year (the U.S. population is estimated at over 303 million; therefore nearly 10% of the U.S....
KFC wins "Teadog set meal" lawsuit
Posted on March 31, 2008This story is being reported all over the internet. It relies on translations from a Chinese news article, but the issue is more or less clear, even if the translations are not: Tongzhou District court ruled on Tuesday that the...
More Foul Fowl: An Updated Analysis of Salmonella Contamination in Broiler Chickens
Posted on March 31, 2008Food & Water Watch - a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food: More Foul Fowl - An Updated Analysis of Salmonella Contamination in Broiler Chickens, March 2008: "The bacteria Salmonella is the leading cause...
Religious Investors Call for Boycott of GM Sugar
Posted on March 31, 2008The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) has launched an on-line campaign protesting the planting of genetically modified sugar beets in the upcoming spring planting season, arguing genetically engineered crops suffer from ??weak governmental review and oversight, and the lack...
Square melons
Posted on March 28, 2008I've been meaning to post this for some time. These are square melons grown to facilitate closer packing in shipping. I don't think it's new, and all it requires is growing each melon in a box, but it's fun anyway....
Health Warning and Recall: Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega Formula
Posted on March 28, 2008FDA Warns Consumers about "Total Body Formula" and "Total Body Mega Formula" The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to purchase or consume Total Body Formula in the flavors of Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar, or Total...
Mom was right! Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day
Posted on March 26, 2008On March 25, 2008, The New York Times reported that researchers have found adolescents that eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. According to The Times, the authors of the study ?found a direct relationship between eating breakfast and...
Wales bans junk food vending in hospitals
Posted on March 26, 2008On March 25, 2008, the Welsh Assembly Government (Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru) banned the vending of junk food in NHS hospitals in Wales. Most junk food is expected to be removed from vending machines in the next six months. From a...
FDA Alert -- Cantaloupes and salmonella
Posted on March 23, 2008The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an import alert regarding entry of cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer, because, based on current information, fruit from this company appears to be associated with a Salmonella Litchfield...
Is it Food? Cornflake sells for $1350
Posted on March 23, 2008A single cornflake shaped like the state of Illinois has reportedly been sold on eBay for $1350. Here's the fun part for me. According to CNN: McIntire and her sister Emily, 15, listed the cornflake on eBay last week, but...
FDA Report finds consumers don't want clones
Posted on March 18, 2008From American Anti-Vivisection Society, Center for Food Safety, Consumers Union, Farm Sanctuary, Food & Water Watch, and Humane Society of the United States: March 18th, 2008 ? A report commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that the...
Label Claims and What They Mean
Posted on March 18, 2008The San Diego Union Tribune website ran a piece on nutrition labels. I do not agree with all of the nutritional advice in the article, but it does include a concise list of what various label claims mean. For example,...
Food is first on new FDA website
Posted on March 18, 2008The FDA has redesigned its home page and FOOD is now the topmost link on the left side. I consider this good news. I have heard (or read) that many people believe the F in FDA stands for federal. I...
How a mouse got in the salad
Posted on March 15, 2008Marlerblog has posted a link to a great powerpoint presentation about the investigation of a mouse-in-the-salad restaurant incident: CSI: Critter Salad Warning: includes some closeups of the dead mouse, but you don't have to look closely if you don't want...
Is It Love or Food Poisoning? -- music video with accordion
Posted on March 11, 2008I knew there had to be some way to get an accordion into this blog. This is Slim's Cyder Co. performing an acoustic version of Slim's song, Is it Love or Food Poisoning, at the 12 Bar Club in London....
Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Heart Disease --not connected
Posted on March 11, 2008This is a video of a presentation to British Medical Association last November. The presenter is a physician, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick. He presents data about saturated fat, blood cholesterol, and heart disease and makes a very credible and compelling argument...
UK study: consumers misinformed about food risks
Posted on March 10, 2008From Food Productiondaily.com (Europe) A survey of consumer perceptions of food risks in the United Kingdom indicates that many people are misinformed, prompting the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to seek out constructive ways of engaging with the public over concerns...
YouTube video about sea lice and salmon
Posted on March 10, 2008The Farmed Salmon Cases decision a couple weeks ago (blogged here), which I was asked to write about for FindLaw (here) has me thinking more about salmon. I wrote briefly about the sea lice problem in my guest commentary for...
OpEd: [Organic] "Cod is Dead"
Posted on March 10, 2008OpEd article in the Sunday Herald in Scotland March 9, 2008: Cod is dead...now let's get rid of fish-farm blight by award-winning food writer Joanna Blythman "I'D BE lying if I said that I was sorry to see Johnson Seafarms...
Study shows association between Glycemic Index and Disease Risk
Posted on March 10, 2008Study published in the Amercian Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Glycemic index, glycemic load, and chronic disease risk?a meta-analysis of observational studies From an article on Medical News Today.com: The first meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the GI (glycemic index)...
Study finds natural trans fats not as bad as industrial trans fats
Posted on March 10, 2008From Food Productiondaily.com (Europe): Trans fatty acids are not created equal, according to the results of the European-wide TRANSFACT study, with natural sources not sharing the detrimental health effects as their industrially-produced counterparts...
Interesting and thoughtful commentary on downer cows on Marlerblog
Posted on March 05, 2008Marlerblog featured two posts this week giving a broader perspective on downer cows. Both pieces give clear and useful background information with links to sources: Should ALL Downers be banned from the food supply? (posted 3/2/08) I am thinking about...
Mandatory meat recall authority -- House Bill
Posted on March 03, 2008Twice in the past week I've been interviewed on the issue of mandatory food recall authority. The agencies want it; Grocery Manufacturers Association thinks it's a good idea; and now Represenative Tom Udall (D- NM) has introduced H.R. 5518, A...
Maine considers banning energy drinks in wake of Blow and Cocaine controversies
Posted on February 26, 2008Ionophores and Tyson's chicken advertising -- Ionophores are antibiotics
Posted on February 22, 2008Study shows diet soda consumption may be associated with metabolic syndrome
Posted on February 12, 2008Dutch study: Preventing Obesity and Smoking Saves Lives -- But Costs Big Bucks
Posted on February 12, 2008Comment period on Labeling of Ultrafiltered Milk in Cheeses closes February 11, 2008
Posted on February 07, 2008FDA Investigation Leads to Several Indictments for Importing Contaminated Ingredients Used in Pet Food
Posted on February 06, 2008Who's Minding the Store? - The Current State of Food Safety and How it Can be Improved - Friday and Saturday, April 11 & 12, 2008
Posted on February 05, 2008FSIS posts Salmonella Verification Sampling Program: Response to Comments and New Agency Policies
Posted on January 29, 2008Remarks by Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner to the International Dairy Foods Association Annual Conference Luncheon
Posted on January 28, 2008Center for Food Safety says FDA research is "wishful thinking"; calls for peer-reviewed trials of cloning technology
Posted on January 15, 2008
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How do i go bout geting a free laywer to sue the durham police department for drug raids and nothing is found?they have been in my house 4 or 5 times seems like every 4 months or so and breaking down my door tearing up m
They need a warrant to get into your house...if they never showed you one...you ...
Do I have a case against my former employer?
Yes you have a case against them. Walmart just lost a case for several million d...
Is it libel to write blog posts and/or online reviews about a local business that defames one's reputation?
Libel is the form of defamation expressed in fixed-- usually written form. Sland...
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