Finally An Intelligent Move: RIP Smart Choices
After creating quite a stir in the foodie blogosphere, the mainstream media, and even riling up the lethargic FDA, the industry led Smart Choices label is voluntarily suspending the promotion of its program. Â They even had the Attorney General of Connecticut after them–Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced that he was investigating the program and some [...]
October 26, 2009
Tags: blogs, change, education, FDA, Health, heroes, nutrition, policy Posted in: Health, Politics, Science & Technology 
3 Comments
Personal Pleas For Food Safety, Will The Calls Be Heeded This Time?
It’s been 16 years since the Jack-In-The-Box E. coli in 1993, where hundreds were injured and four children died after eating undercooked hamburgers from the chain. Â Court documents later showed that the “fast-food chain knew about but disregarded Washington state laws that would have prevented the deadly 1993 outbreak of E. coli food poisoning” (link). [...]
October 12, 2009
Tags: change, FDA, food safety, Health, policy, USDA Posted in: Health, Politics 2 Comments
A Relentless Focus On Prevention, Or Something
Food safety and child nutrition were topics at this year’s National Food Policy Conference. Â Bringing together the food industry, public health officials, consumer advocacy groups, and the government, the conference makes a concerted effort to demonstrate progressive action on key issues facing the nation and its food supply.
The Child Nutrition Act is due to be [...]
September 14, 2009
Tags: agriculture, change, education, farmers, FDA, food safety, Health, nutrition, policy, USDA Posted in: Politics No Comments
Food Fortification – Too Much Of A Good Thing?
A Short History of Fortification
The first widespread use of fortification was in the early 1900’s. Â In some areas of the United States, upwards of 60% of the population had enlarged thyroid glands, also known as goiters. Â In 1924 officials all over America began iodizing salt and within ten years goiters all but disappeared.
Just before World [...]
September 9, 2009
Tags: FDA, food, food safety, innovation, marketing, moms, nutrition, policy Posted in: Health, Science & Technology One Comment
State Of The Food Nation
Food Inc. is out in theaters and is scaring the “bejesus” out of people. Michelle Obama has harvested her garden and made stirring speeches encouraging change in the American diet. Healthcare reforms are being debated in Congress that will effect the way chronic, food-related diseases are treated. There are massive food recalls almost weekly. Our [...]
July 6, 2009
Tags: agriculture, Barack Obama, change, farmers, FDA, food, food safety, Health, nutrition, policy, USDA Posted in: Health, Politics, Science & Technology No Comments
Celebrate July 4th With Contaminated Cookies And Beef
The Cookies
From January to June 2009, at least 69 people from 29 states have gotten sick with E. coli O157:H7, which stemmed from eating Nestlé’s raw cookie dough.
On June 19, the FDA warned the public not to eat Nestlé’s raw cookie dough and Nestlé issued a voluntary recall.
Like most voluntary recalls, it does not stop [...]
July 3, 2009
Tags: FDA, food, food event, food safety, Health, policy, USDA Posted in: Health, Politics One Comment
Contaminated Pistachios Re-Enter Market After Recall
Just what does a company do with recalled food products? If you’re the irresponsible Orca Distribution West Inc. of Anaheim, California you simply repackage them for sale. FDA officials says that this company received and resold pistachios that had been recalled by Setton Pistachios of Terra Bella Inc. Those pistachios had been recalled because of [...]
June 26, 2009
Tags: agriculture, FDA, food safety, Health, policy, USDA Posted in: Health, Politics 3 Comments
Will We Say Cheerio To Cheerios Health Claims?
The FDA is cracking down on General Mills’ health claim on their Cheerios boxes. The claim, which is rather prominently displayed, says eating Cheerios will lower your cholesterol by 4% in 6 weeks. Even if “clinical trials” have shown such improvement, the issue is that General Mills is making a claim that its product works [...]
May 15, 2009
Tags: change, FDA, food safety, Health, marketing, policy Posted in: Health, Politics, Science & Technology No Comments
Kat Asks Marion Nestle ‘Where’s The Rage At?’
Back before the swine flu started making heads spin, there was major concern for the US’s overall food safety. Â Or was there? Â Foodies and the related blogosphere were taking note, but the general public seemed more blase about it. Â Kat, from Eating Liberally, caught up with the most well-known voice for food safety, Dr. Marion [...]
May 6, 2009
Tags: change, FDA, food safety, USDA Posted in: Health No Comments
Food Safety Q&A With Dr. Marion Nestle
The world of food safety seems more precarious every day, so I thought it pertinent to review this Q&A between Eat.Drink.Better.’s Beth Bader and Dr. Marion Nestle. The interview took place a little over a month ago, when most of us probably thought it couldn’t get worse than the peanut crisis. However, [...]
April 15, 2009
Tags: agriculture, change, FDA, food safety, policy, USDA Posted in: Politics No Comments
