FDA won't require Frankenfood labels

So in other words, unless you buy certified organic, you could be eating anything. Big mistake by the FDA.

Despite a growing public demand for more information about how food is produced, that won't happen with the salmon because of idiosyncracies embedded in federal regulations.

The FDA says it cannot require a label on the genetically modified food once it determines that the altered fish is not "materially" different from other salmon - something agency scientists have said is true.

Perhaps more surprising, conventional food makers say the FDA has made it difficult for them to boast that their products do not contain genetically modified ingredients.

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Coburn blocks food safety, wants to deny FDA right to recall dangerous food

Once again, the GOP shows how little it cares about people other than corporate interests. It's laughable to suggest that the FDA is a troubled agency, since it was the GOP who created those problems in the first place. They have denied the agencies ability to issue food recalls, instead relying on the classic Republican lie that self-regulation works. It doesn't, as we know from Wall Street to food. The FDA has been one of the more improved agencies during Obama's term and they're pushing for more corporate responsibility. If there's one thing the Republicans hate, it's corporate responsibility.

Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma says the bill, which has stalled in the Senate for more than a year, adds to the deficit and expands the power of an already troubled agency.

Advocates for the bill say it is crucial to strengthen the nation's toothless food safety oversight and would help prevent large outbreaks of tainted food.

Coburn's office said Wednesday the senator will object to bringing up the bill if his concerns aren't addressed. His objections are a major blow to supporters' chances of passing the legislation this year.

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US meat farmers brace for limits on antibiotics

My favorite part of the story:

Mr. Rowles says he keeps his pigs fit by feeding them antibiotics for weeks after weaning, to ward off possible illness in that vulnerable period. And for months after that, he administers an antibiotic that promotes faster growth with less feed.

Antibiotics to fatten them up? Eeew.

Now, after decades of debate, the Food and Drug Administration appears poised to issue its strongest guidelines on animal antibiotics yet, intended to reduce what it calls a clear risk to human health. They would end farm uses of the drugs simply to promote faster animal growth and call for tighter oversight by veterinarians.

Hallelujah. Read More......

Corn syrup manufacturers ask FDA for a name change

I've got one! How about "disgusting garbage." Think they might go for it? Personally I can't stand the taste of corn syrup and it leaves me with a grossed out feeling inside. Over here in Europe they often push beet root sugar (France used to be the dominant producer) and that too gives me the same feeling. Even with the name "beet root sugar" it's still awful. Although the taste is not that different, it's the after effect that bothers me.

If I want a sweetener I'll use either real cane sugar or honey. They can call corn syrup anything they like but it still won't change the way my body reacts to that junk. Does anyone actually like it compared to real sugar?

The makers of high fructose corn syrup want to sweeten up its image with a new name: corn sugar.

The bid to rename the sweetener by the Corn Refiners Association comes as Americans' concerns about health and obesity have sent consumption of high fructose corn syrup, used in soft drinks but also in bread, cereal and other foods, to a 20-year low.

The group applied Tuesday to the Food and Drug Administration to get the "corn sugar" name approved for use on food labels. They hope a new name will ease confusion about about the sweetener. Some people think it is more harmful or more likely to make them obese than sugar, perceptions for which there is little scientific evidence.

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FDA to review Franken-fish for approval

Just say no.

The Food and Drug Administration is poised to approve the first genetically modified animal for human consumption, a highly anticipated decision that is stirring controversy and could mark a turning point in the way American food is produced.

FDA scientists gave a boost last week to the Massachusetts company that wants federal approval to market a genetically engineered salmon, declaring that the altered salmon is safe to eat and does not pose a threat to the environment.

"Food from AquAdvantage Salmon . . . is as safe to eat as food from other Atlantic salmon," the FDA staff wrote in a briefing document.

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FDA reports filthy conditions at Iowa 'salmonella' egg farm

Dare I say there may have been a slight problem with self-regulation? It's a good thing the Republicans destroyed the food safety system because it only was slowing down business. If only those doggone consumers didn't get in the way of a good thing, profits would have been fine. LA Times:

Federal officials investigating conditions at the two Iowa mega-farms whose products have been at the center of the biggest egg recall in U.S. history found filthy conditions, including chickens and rodents crawling up massive manure piles and flies and maggots "too numerous to count."

Water used to wash eggs at one of the producers tested positive for a strain of salmonella that appears to match the variety identified in eggs that have sickened at least 1,500 people, according to preliminary Food and Drug Administration reports of inspections at facilities operated by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa Inc.

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Egg producers consolidate, putting us all at risk

Wash Post:

The largest egg recall in U.S. history comes at a point of great consolidation in the egg industry, when a shrinking number of companies produce most of the eggs found on grocery shelves and a defect in one operation can jeopardize a significant segment of the marketplace.

Just 192 large egg companies own about 95 percent of laying hens in this country, down from 2,500 in 1987, according to United Egg Producers, an industry group. Most of those producers are concentrated in five states: Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and California.

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228 million eggs recalled after salmonella outbreak

Somewhere in Spain, "Chris in Paris" is saying "told ya so."

An Iowa egg producer is recalling 228 million eggs after being linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said eggs from Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, were linked to several illnesses in Colorado, California and Minnesota. The CDC said about 200 cases of the strain of salmonella linked to the eggs were reported weekly during June and July, four times the normal number of such occurrences.

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FDA approves emergency 5-day contraceptive

Good. From ABC:

Federal health officials on Friday approved a new type of morning-after contraceptive that works longer than the current leading drug on the market.

The pill ella from HRA Pharma reduces the chance of pregnancy up to five days after sex. Plan B, the most widely used emergency contraceptive pill, begins losing its ability to prevent pregnancy within three days of sex.

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Is the FDA about to let genetically engineered salmon hit the US market?

From AOL News:

A major U.S. fish research company has tampered with the DNA of Atlantic salmon by adding a quick-growth gene that allows the fish to eat year-around and grow more quickly. And the Food and Drug Administration is about to allow these genetically engineered salmon to head to market, the company says.

But food safety activists insist that the FDA doesn't have adequate tests and regulations to ensure the safety of modified seafood, and others question whether consumers are even ready for it.

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2nd cloned cow accidentally enters UK food chain

I know they claim it's safe. I still find it creepy. Read More......

FDA reviewing antibacterial soap

It's hard not to really like Obama's FDA. The Bush FDA had a partnership with industry that resembled Fox News and the GOP so this has been a very welcome change. Safety for consumers matters.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it was reviewing the safety of triclosan, a widely used antibacterial agent found in soap, toothpaste and a range of other consumer products.

The agency stressed there are no grounds to recommend any changes in the use of triclosan but said some recent studies merited a closer look.

One member of Congress, Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, called for strict limits.

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Food company sold contaminated food and knew about it

This is a classic example of why the government and not business should be in the lead for food recalls. The FDA could have pushed this a bit faster but compared to the previous FDA, they are doing an incredible job.

The company responsible for a ballooning recall of processed foods continued to manufacture and distribute a flavor-enhancing ingredient for a month after tests confirmed it was made with contaminated equipment, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

FDA inspectors said the company, Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., knew of salmonella contamination on its equipment after it received the results of a private inspection on Jan. 21. They said the company continued to distribute the ingredient, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, until Feb. 15.

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FDA orders food recalls

This new FDA is serious. The problems are going to take time to correct after years of letting the factory food industry do whatever they like (and pushing expensive health care costs to consumers) but the change in attitude is impressive. Until Democrats in Congress started to change the rules, there were no recalls unless the company decided to recall a product. This tended to occur after serious problems including death, so getting ahead of the problem makes a lot of sense.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of a common flavor enhancer that could be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

The product, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein or HVP, is potentially in thousands of food products, including soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings. HVP is manufactured by a Las Vegas company.

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FDA warns on false food labels

I'm really starting to like this new FDA. It's amazing what a new team can do.

U.S. health regulators warned units of Nestle and more than a dozen other foodmakers about overstating or misstating the nutritional value of baby food, nuts and other products on their labels.

Most of the letters made public on Wednesday accuse the companies of making claims on their food packages and websites over trans fat content, antioxidant advantages, and omega-3 benefits that fail to Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

The warnings come as the FDA is set to push for new package labeling to make it easier for people to understand the nutritional content of food.

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And yet another reason why the FDA needs to get back to its mission

It's too expensive to do otherwise. This new study shows how expensive it is for consumers. The Republicans always love to talk about the high cost of regulations and oversight for business but they conveniently forget about the cost to everyone else. Sure business wants to cut costs but as this study shows, the costs are pushed out to others. Obama has been moving the FDA in the right direction and Democrats in Congress have been leading the way since coming back into power but there's more to be done.

Food-borne illnesses, such as E. coli and salmonella, cost the United States $152 billion annually in health care and other losses, according to a report released Wednesday by a food safety group.

The report comes as the U.S. Senate considers legislation that would require more government inspections of food manufacturers and give the Food and Drug Administration new authority to order recalls, among other things. The House passed a similar bill last year.

The government estimates 76 million people each year are sickened by food-borne illness, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and about 5,000 die. Recent outbreaks have resulted in large recalls of peanuts, spinach and peppers.

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Doctors want hot dogs redesigned

This is a fascinating article. It's the way 60 minutes used to be, like two decades ago. You'd watch one guy and think "he's right." Then you'd watch the other guy and think "he's right." I really enjoy articles that challenge your underlying beliefs. I heard about this, that doctors wanted to force the redesign of hot dogs to make them safer for kids, and thought "this is ridiculous." Now, not so much.

"The most common cause of death for kids aged roughly 1 to 5 is choking...

Hot dogs are a prime offender, accounting for 17 percent of food-related asphyxiations in children under the age of 10, according to one study.

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and asked them to design a perfect plug for a child's airway, you couldn't do better than a hot dog," Smith said. "It's the right size, right shape. It's compressible so it wedges itself in. When they're in that tight [it's] almost impossible, even with the correct training and the correct equipment, to get out. When it's wedged in tightly, that child is going to die."

Other high-risk foods include hard candy, peanuts and nuts, even peanut butter.

The article warns about small candies as well. And if you think about it, they're exactly the size of small things you'd normally keep out of your kids' hands, lest they choke. As for peanut butter, I remember the only time in my life I actually choked on food for real - meaning, total stoppage of air, couldn't even breathe enough to cough or hack, just utter horrifying silence - was while eating a Snickers in undergrad. Somehow got a piece of the ooey gooey candy lodged in my wind pipe. Couldn't breathe, couldn't even make a sound. I remember frantically trying to get the attention of the people I was walking with, because when you're really choking, you're silent. My two friends, upon realizing I was desperately grabbing for my throat, immediately started screaming "he's choking, he's choking," while not giving me the Heimlich. Fortunately, some guy came running from across the street and went to work on me.

Choking for real, not coughing choking, but silent choking, is a pretty horrifying thing. And a very small kid can't walk over and hit you in the arm to let you know he's about to die. Read More......

More signs of life from the FDA

The Obama FDA is worlds apart from the business-focused Bush FDA. It has to be one of the highlights of the Obama administration so far. If only we saw the same movement from some of the other teams that answer to the president.

Under the Obama administration, the F.D.A. has stepped up scrutiny of drug advertising, dispatching many warning letters about misleading commercials and online marketing efforts. But this is believed to be the first time the agency has warned an individual investigator — a medical researcher who oversees a clinical trial — for apparently promoting an unapproved drug.

Dr. Baumann is far from the only cosmetic doctor to have jumped the gun. Some talk show hosts and beauty editors (including this reporter in her previous job at W magazine) have often turned to clinical investigators for news of the latest cosmetic medical treatments.

Now, some industry experts say the F.D.A. warning may curb the media enthusiasm of certain cosmetic doctors who until now have provided scoops about coming medical products — or have talked up the latest unapproved cosmetic uses for drugs and devices that the agency had approved only for other purposes.

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FDA investigating BPA in food packaging

Now would be a good time to get rid of it. Obama's FDA has come a long way since the dark years of the Bush administration, when industry could call all of the shots.

In a shift of position, the Food and Drug Administration is expressing concerns about possible health risks from bisphenol-A, or BPA, a widely used component of plastic bottles and food packaging that it declared safe in 2008.

The agency said Friday that it had “some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children,” and would join other federal health agencies in studying the chemical in both animals and humans.

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Cows are eating chicken what?

The new FDA is getting back in the business of protecting consumers after an eight year drought. This sounds like a reasonable request. I don't eat at McDonald's but well done for joining the call for change. A large buyer like that carries a lot of weight which in this case, is good news.

A coalition of food and consumer groups that includes Consumers Union and the Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the practice of feeding chicken feces and other poultry farm waste to cattle. McDonald's Corp., the nation's largest restaurant user of beef, also wants the FDA to prohibit the feeding of so-called poultry litter to cattle.

Members of the coalition are threatening to file a lawsuit or to push for federal legislation establishing such a ban if the FDA doesn't act to do so in the coming months.

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