States, Federal Government Considering GMO Labeling Regulations

USA Today (6/13, D’ambrosio, 1.71M) reports an increasing number of US states are “taking on the issue of genetically engineered foods, fanning the flames of a decades-old debate about whether the products are dangerous to human health.” 

Vermont recently became the “first state in the nation to pass a bill requiring labeling of foods produced using these genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, followed weeks later by Connecticut.” 

Washington state will also consider a referendum on GMO labeling in November. Furthermore, US Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a bill in April that directs the FDA to “clearly label” genetically engineered foods. 

Boxer also included amendments in Congress’ farm bill that asks the US to join the other 64 nations that have GMO labeling requirements, as well as ordering a report in six months from agency heads that reviews “the labeling methods used internationally, and the ‘probable impacts’ of having differing labeling requirements passed by states rather than a federal standard.”

USDA Proposes Safety Labels For Mechanically Tenderized Meat

USA Today (6/7, Weise, 1.71M) reports, “After years of food-safety concerns...the US Department of Agriculture is proposing that mechanically tenderized meat – 26% of all the beef sold in the USA – be labeled as such and that labels include cooking instructions.” 

Because “tenderizing meat mechanically involves forcing hundreds of tiny blades or needles through it to break up muscle fibers and make it more tender,” it may “also drive pathogens that might be on the surface, such as E. coli O157: H7, deep into the cut’s interior, where cooking may not kill them.”

Professional Athletes Increasingly Choose Vegan Diets

Reuters (6/10, Internicola) reports on a growing trend among bodybuilders and professional athletes to adopt plant-based diets.

The piece names several vegan sports professionals including Prince Fielder, a first baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball; former World No. 1 tennis player, Venus Williams; and two-time Olympics skier Seba Johnson, among others.

Reuters also notes that health and fitness experts say individuals who choose vegan diets tend to have more physical stamina and experience better sleep quality than do people whose diets include animal-derived foods.

Hep A Cases Linked To Frozen Berry Mix Reach 79

USA Today (6/7, Weise, 1.71M) reported that the “nationwide outbreak of hepatitis A linked to frozen berries grew to 79 Friday, but it is sparing children. 

Of the people in seven states who have become ill with the deadly liver disease, only one was a child.” 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Viral Hepatitis Program Director Dr. John Ward was quoted as saying, “The very, very small number of children involved in this outbreak probably reflects the high vaccination coverage as the result of the routine immunization.”

Lawmakers Worry Smithfield Sale May Affect US Food Safety

Bloomberg News (6/6, Singh) reports US Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is concerned about how “Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.’s deal to buy Smithfield Foods” will affect food safety in the US.

“‘American consumers have long been able to trust the food they buy in the supermarket,’ Stabenow,” who chairs the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, “said in a statement. ... ‘I am concerned about Shuanghui International’s possible purchase of Smithfield Foods and the implications it could have on food safety for American consumers,’” she added.

Kraft Solves Case Of GMO Food Label Warning

The New York Times (6/6, B6, Strom, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports, “The case of the labels warning of genetically modified wheat found on Kraft Mac & Cheese boxes in Britain has been solved.

The labels, posted on the product’s own Facebook page and picked up by a food blogger, set off a buzz among consumers overseas and in the United States around the same time last week that modified wheat was found in a field in Oregon.” 

But, according to Kraft spokesperson Lynne Galia, the company “does not use genetically engineered wheat, which is not commercially available. ... ‘We have no authorized distributor’” in Britain, Galia added.

House Committee Passes Organic Food Bill Amendment

The AP (5/18, Jalonick) reports that that tension over organic and traditional food-industry groups “boiled over” last week “during a late-night House Agriculture Committee debate on farm legislation” after Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), a “former organic farmer, offered an amendment to make it easier for organic companies to organize industry-wide promotional campaigns,” prompting a “swift backlash from some farm-state Republicans.”

For example, Rep. Mike Conaway (TX) “took issue with part of the amendment that would allow the organic producers to opt out of other commodity campaigns, an option that isn't given to conventional producers.”

In contrast, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (MO), “who owns a farm equipment business and a non-organic corn and soybean farm, said she supported the amendment not only because helping organics is good for agriculture but because many of her constituents eat organic foods.” Still, the committee adopted the amendment, with a 29-17 vote; and eight of the 29 favorable votes came from Republicans.

Regulators Still Reviewing Mercury In Fish Advisory

Reuters (5/16, Clarke) quotes from a letter that about 40 experts and environmental advocacy group representatives sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in April, in which they emphasized that research “carried out in the past decade has both clarified the beneficial nutritional effects of fish consumption during pregnancy and found adverse effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure at very low doses, at least an order of magnitude below exposures known to be harmful when the current Advisory was written.” 

Reuters says that the Food and Drug Administration and the HHS have indicated that the mercury in fish advisory, which hasn't been updated since 2004, is still under review, but declined to elaborate on what stage of the process the guideline is in or when it could be ready for posting publicly to obtain comment.

Food Safety Modernization Act: Industry Leaders Urge Groups To Submit Produce-Safety Rule Comments

The Packer (5/17, Wilkinson, 13K) reports that after the produce-safety “regulations become final under the Food Safety Modernization Act, the industry will have to live with them for a long time. With that in mind, panelists at the May 15 FSMA workshop at United Fresh 2013” in San Diego, “strongly urged attendees to file comments with the Food and Drug Administration before the Sept. 16 deadline.” 

For example, The Packer quotes Giumarra Cos. Food Safety VP Walter Ram, who served as one of the panelists, as saying, “Don’t think that your input isn’t important,” but after the rule is finalized, it “will take an act of Congress to change,” Ram emphasized. 

Separately, The Packer (5/17, Hornick, 13K) reports Sacramento-based California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement is preparing to respond to the FSMA on several levels, from “upgrading food safety training to taking a possible role” in compliance verification. The primary issue “for us is how the FDA will verify compliance,” LGMA CEO Scott Horsfall “said on the United Fresh trade show floor.” 

The group is suggesting the FDA use the California and Arizona LGMAs “as the mechanism to verify compliance once the rules are final. We just don’t want to see another layer of audits, inspections and regulations,” Horsfall added, according to The Packer.

Creatine May Alleviate Fibromyalgia Symptoms, Improve Strength

Reuters (5/3, Stokes) reported that creatine supplements may be a good non-drug alternative to fibromyalgia medications, suggests a study published in the April 1 issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research. In the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, the researchers at the University of São Paulo School of Physical Education and Sports in Brazil gave 23 patients with fibromyalgia daily doses of either creatine supplements or placebo tablets for 16 weeks.

They found that the 15 trial participants in the creatine arm had a significant improvement in pain levels, moods, sleep quality and muscle strength compared to the 13-person placebo group, which reported no changes in the aforementioned qualifiers. Reuters noted that although at present, there are a number of FDA-approved treatments on the market — Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Savella (milnacipran), which are antidepressants; Lyrica (pregabalin), which was initially developed for nerve pain; and several anti-seizure therapies and sedatives — they have not been especially effective in alleviating fibromyalgia symptoms and many of them include unpleasant side effects.

FDA’s Taylor Calls Caffeine-Infused Foods “Very Disturbing.”

In continuing coverage, The Hill (5/4, Hattem, 21K) “RegWatch” blog reported Food and Drug Administration Deputy Commissioner for Food and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor “called caffeine additives in snacks from jellybeans to waffles to energy drinks ‘very disturbing to us’ in an interview posted by the agency on Friday.”

Although earlier last week, Taylor “announced that the FDA would investigate” the health effects of caffeine-infused foods, in the remarks published Friday on the FDA’s website, “he seemed skeptical about the possibility of imposing age restrictions on caffeine,” according to The Hill. The agency’s safety probe on caffeinated food products was prompted by “Wrigley’s recent launch of Alert Energy Caffeine Gum, a product Taylor called ‘just one more unfortunate example of the trend to add caffeine to food.’”

The Los Angeles Times (5/4, Venteicher, 692K) and the New York Times (5/3, O'Connor, 1.68M) “Well” blog also provided more coverage on the FDA’s decision to investigate caffeine-infused food products.

FDA Responds To EWG “Superbugs” On Meat Report

In Forbes (4/22, 928K), contributor Beth Hoffman published a response from the FDA regarding a recently released report by the Environmental Working Group “on the presence of ‘superbugs’ on meat products in grocery stores” that she covered. 

FDA Spokesperson Jalil Isa wrote that the EWG report “oversimplifies the NARMS data. EWG’s evaluation of the NARMS findings does not take into account important differences between various forms of bacteria and antibiotics. The EWG report cites some pathogens that don’t lead to food-borne illnesses or focuses on resistance to antibiotics that are not commonly used to treat sick people. .... The numbers cited are also misleading. We do not believe that EWG fully considered important factors that put these results in context: whether the bacterium is a foodborne pathogen (Enterococcus is not considered a foodborne pathogen), which drug(s) the bacterium are resistant to (for example, most Enterococcusfaecalis is naturally resistant to the antibiotic class of lincosamides), and whether the main therapies for the pathogen are still effective (NARMS data indicates that first-line treatments are still effective).”

Judge Finds FDA’s Rule Delays Violate Food Safety Law

Bloomberg News (4/23, Gullo) reports that a Federal judge on Monday ruled that the US Food and Drug Administration “is violating food-safety law by delaying regulations intended to help prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.”

US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton “in Oakland, California, said the agency has ‘admittedly failed to comply with the mandatory rule-making schedule’ of the Food Safety and Modernization Act,” which President Obama signed into law by “in January 2011. 

The FDA had 18 months to issue new regulations. The agency said the “aggressive timelines” have “proven to be unachievable,” Hamilton said in a ruling.” She “ordered the FDA to come up with proposed deadlines for regulations by May 20.”

Agra-Net.com (4/23) reports the “final menu labeling rules are in the ‘home stretch’ and will be published this year. New legislation would be needed to charge the food industry additional fees to help pay for the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. And FDA is doubling its comment period for the preventive controls and produce safety proposals it published in January,” according to testimony FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg gave recently “before the FDA-USDA appropriations subcommittee.”

FDA CVM Director Responds To Bacteria In Meat Report

In a New York Times (4/24, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) letter-to-the editor, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine Director Dr. Bernadette Dunham responds to an April 17 article “about the Environmental Working Group’s interpretation of government data on antimicrobial resistant bacteria in meat,” noting that the some data in the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System “may have limited direct medical relevance, and it’s important to consider which drugs are used to treat infections and which bacteria actually cause food-borne illness.”

Moreover, Dr. Dunham calls the EWG’s conclusion “that resistance in any bacterium is problematic for human health” an “oversimplication” because some “bacteria are naturally resistant to certain drugs. Also, describing bacteria that are resistant to one, or even a few, drugs as ‘superbugs’ is inappropriate” because superbugs are “pathogens that can cause severe disease and are very difficult to treat,” she notes.

Industry Groups Oppose Food Safety Tax

Food Safety News (4/22, Bottemiller) reports the President’s “FY 2014 budget released earlier this month seeks a $295 million increase” for the Food and Drug Administration’s “food program, but the vast majority of the boost would come from new fees that Congress has not mandated, including $59 million in registration and inspection fees and $166 million in import fees, to help the agency roll out the Food Safety Modernization Act.”

Prior to a “hearing late last week, a coalition of industry groups sent a letter to Sens. Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), the chair and ranking member of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on agriculture and other agencies, urging the committee to ‘appropriately fund’ food safety at FDA ‘rather than support the imposition of any new food regulatory taxes.’”

At the hearing, when Pryor asked FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg about the issue, she said, “I do think it’s appropriate that our budget reflect that with a combination of budget authority commitment and user fees.”

Ricardo Gomez

FDA Seeks Public Comments On Controversial Milk Labels

Several consumer groups object to a petition that groups representing the US dairy industry submitted to the Food and Drug Administration, requesting the agency to permit low-calorie chocolate milk and other flavored milk products to be sold on the market without labeling that conspicuously indicates they are reduced-calorie items.
At present, such information must be displayed prominently on the front of milk products.

In continuing coverage, The Hill (4/16, Wilson) “Regwatch” blog reports that the Food and Drug Administration “is defending new regulations for artificially sweetened milk after receiving a torrent of public criticism.” 

Regulators say the labels, which require “milk producers prominently label their products ‘low calorie’ or ‘reduced calorie’ when they contain artificial sweeteners,” could have the “unintended effect of discouraging children from trying healthier milk products” because “reduced-calorie flavored milk is a turn-off to young consumers.” 

The Hill notes that the FDA on Monday “asked for public input on whether the revised milk labels would provide enough information to consumers.” In a statement, Felicia Billingslea, Director of FDA’s Food Labeling and Standards staff, said, “The FDA recognizes the importance of this decision and is interested in hearing from the public and industry on the petition.”

Report: Supermarket Meat Contains Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

The New York Times (4/17, Strom, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports the findings in report by the Environmental Work Group illuminated Federal data that claims over half of “samples of ground turkey, pork chops and ground beef collected from supermarkets for testing by the government contained a bacteria resistant to antibiotics.”

The 2011 data collected by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, which is jointly run by the FDA, the USDA and the CDC, reveals “a sizable increase in the amount of meat contaminated with antibiotic-resistant forms of bacteria, known as superbugs, like salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter.” 

Dawn Undurraga, the nutritionist for the group, said the study “really raises a question about the antibiotics we are using in raising animals for meat.” The Times also mentions the report was partially underwritten by a company that sells organic and antibiotic-free meat.

Report Examines Areas In Kitchens Where Germs May Hide

The New York Times (4/12, 1.68M) “Well” blog reports that “a new report...looked at the places and appliances in household kitchens that are most – and least – likely to harbor germs like E. coli and salmonella,” finding that “some of the areas people considered most likely to be contaminated, like microwave keypads, were not, while some they had never thought of, like refrigerator water dispensers and the rubber gasket on most blenders, were among the worst.

The findings suggest that many people who try to keep a tidy kitchen may be overlooking some of the more problematic areas, said Lisa Yakas, a microbiologist with NSF International, a nonprofit public health group that published the report.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 20% of food-borne illness outbreaks trace their origins to foods prepared and eaten at home.

Physicians, Health Experts Urge FDA To Restrict Caffeine In Energy Drinks

The New York Times (3/20, Meier, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reported, “A group of 18 doctors, researchers and public health experts” in a letter (pdf) sent Tuesday to FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, “argued that energy drink makers had failed to meet the regulatory burden placed on them to show that the ingredients used in their beverages were safe,” especially for use by children. Therefore, the group urged the agency to “restrict caffeine content in the products and to require manufacturers to include caffeine content on product labels.” The Times notes that energy-drink makers “have insisted their products are safe” and the FDA has “said that it is safe for adults to consume about 400 milligrams of caffeine daily, though many experts say that most adults can consume 600 milligrams or more of caffeine without ill effect.”

Energy Drinks Changing Aisles To Avoid Federal Regs. In a front-page story, the New York Times (3/20, A1, Meier, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports, “Fans of Monster Energy, the popular high-caffeine energy drink, may not notice the change: its ingredients will be the same and its familiar label bearing a green, clawlike monogram will change only slightly. But the drink’s maker has decided after a decade of selling it as a dietary supplement to market it as a beverage, a switch that will bring significant changes in how it is regulated.” For one, the move from the supplement aisle to the beverage aisle in the grocery store means Monster Beverage “will no longer be required to tell federal regulators about reports potentially linking its products to deaths and injuries.” Monster’s move “follows a similar regulatory makeover by another brand, Rockstar Energy,” and comes “amid intensifying scrutiny of energy drink safety.”

Tree Fruit Farmers Worry About Costs To Meet FDA Safety Rules

The Washington Post (4/9, Dennis, 489K) reports that the US Food and Drug Administration, “wrestling to put in place a massive overhaul of the nation’s food safety system, drew a line this year when proposing which fruits and vegetables would be subject to strict new standards” under the 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act. 

Growers, who are “subject to the new produce rules could face a variety of new responsibilities, including regular testing of irrigation water, sanitizing canvas fruit-picking bags and keeping animals away from crops.” Many tree fruit farmers, who are concerned “about the cost” of meeting the new standards “argue that the FDA should focus more on foods that have caused deadly outbreaks, such as spinach and cantaloupes, and less on fruits that have a virtually flawless safety record, grow above the ground and, in some cases, have protective skins or rinds.”

Columnist Takes Issue With Genetically Modified Food Bill

In the syndicated “Alternative Health with Dr. Lind” column in the Washington Times (3/28, 76K), Dr. Peter Lind, who practices metabolic and neurologic chiropractic at his wellness clinic in Salem, OR, wrote, “President Barack Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933, into law, the ‘Monsanto Protection Act,’ that strips federal courts of the authority to immediately halt the planting and sale of genetically modified (GMO) seed crop regardless of any consumer health concerns.”

In voicing his opposition to the bill, Lind quoted several studies and group statements pointing to potential safety issues with genetically modified foods, including one from the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, which concluded, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation, ‘as defined by recognized scientific criteria.”

Lind urged readers to educate themselves about genetically modified foods and seeds and to get in touch with elected officials on all levels of government to voice their concerns.

GMO Food Labels Would Increase Transparency For Consumers

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (3/31, 335K) editorialized Minnesota officials should craft legislation that informs consumers about genetically engineered foods. The editorial board writes, “As Americans awaken in greater numbers to the link between nutrition and health, they’re demanding transparency on food labels in order to make the best choices for their diets, whether because of allergies, diabetes, vegetarianism, religion or other reasons.”

The board believes that American consumers “have a right to know what’s in the food they’re buying, and that’s currently not the case with genetically engineered ingredients, which are in the majority of processed foods in US supermarkets.” The board also warns that “the nation’s most powerful biotech, agribusiness, chemical and packaged-food companies are spending millions to prevent change,” and what at stake is not about “food safety, but basic consumer information.”

The Roll Call (4/2, Rojas, Subscription Publication) “Heard on the Hill” blog reports that on April 8, “food activists opposed to genetically modified crops will take their fight to the US Food and Drug Administration...sponsoring an old school eat-in at the agency’s College Park, Md., campus staged around a truly historic meal.”

An all-day “anti-GMO protest is scheduled for April 8 outside the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and will feature a full day of activities. It will include the preparation and consumption of a massive cauldron...of all-inclusive ‘stone soup.’” According to the blog, “Occupy Monsanto organizer Adam Eidinger told HOH that the event is geared toward one simple goal: a clear understanding of what we are all eating.”

Former Kraft Exec: Government Must Reform Food Industry

In a New York Times (3/16, Mudd, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) op-ed, Michael Mudd, former executive vice president of global corporate affairs for Kraft Foods, wrote that the food industry has “strayed from the honorable business of feeding people appropriately to the deplorable mission of ‘increasing shareholder value’ by enticing people to consume more and more high-margin, low-nutrition branded products.” 

Mudd believes that “food companies must be made to change their worst practices” as “it’s obvious the industry won’t change on its own. Quite simply, change will have to be forced — by public pressure, media attention, regulation and litigation.” 

Mudd proposed levying “federal and state excise taxes on sugared beverages and a few categories — snack foods, candy, sweet baked goods — that most undermine health mandatory” and making mandatory “federal guidelines for marketing food to children that were proposed in 2011” and “written jointly by the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Agriculture.”

Bumble Bee Expands Recall Of 5-Ounce Tuna Products

In continuing coverage, ABC World News (3/8, story 5, 0:35, Sawyer, 7.43M) reported, “An iconic American brand in millions of kitchens, Bumble Bee Tuna: Tonight, the recall of their tuna” has expanded to “2.4 million cans.”

Reuters (3/8, Sutton) reported Bumble Bee Foods LLC issued the recall for some of its Chunk White Albacore and Chunk Light Tuna products in 5-ounce cans, because the cans did not meet seal-tightness standards, according to a notice that the Food and Drug Administration posted on its website.

The San Diego, California-based company said the cans with loose seams could result in product contamination and spoilage, although so far, no reports of illness have been received.

The products under the recall were shipped to retailers across the nation, between Jan. 17 and March 6, and they are stamped with “best-by” dates from Jan. 14, 2016 to Jan. 18, 2018. USA Today (3/8, Painter, 1.71M) also covered the Bumble Bee recall as was well as the similar recall for Chicken of the Sea brand tuna products.

Study: Salsa, Guacamole Pose Safety Risks

The Packer (3/12, Nelson) reports that a new study shows, "Fresh salsa and guacamole can pose significant food safety risks," because they "often contain diced raw produce, are often made in large batches and are often poorly refrigerated, fresh salsa and guacamole can be prone to contamination that can cause food-borne illness."

The study, published in the journal Food-borne Pathogens and Disease, found "136 outbreaks in which salsa or guacamole was reported as a possible vehicle. Those outbreaks resulted in 5,658 illnesses," 24% of which were norovirus, and 19% of which were salmonella.

Many restaurants use Cambro's fractional food pans for condiments and salsas and the best way to prevent cross-contamination is to use Cambro's GripLids that have a molded-in polyurethane gasket on the lid that grips the side of the food pan also reducing spills. Another economical option for light storage are the seal covers.

Monster Beverage Refutes Lawsuit Alleging Energy Drink Is Responsible For Death

The AP (3/5) reports Monster Beverage responded to a lawsuit “alleging its energy drinks were responsible for the death of a 14-year-old Maryland girl” by arguing that the girl never received a blood test to confirm she died of caffeine toxicity.

The family of Anais Fournier filed a lawsuit last year against the energy beverage maker, claiming she went into “cardiac arrest after drinking two, 24-ounce cans of Monster drinks in a 24-hour period.”

The FDA is currently “investigating reports of deaths linked to energy drinks, including five that cite Monster beverages,” but noted there is no proof that the drinks are responsible for the deaths. An attorney for Monster told the AP that physicians hired by the company to review medical records in the case concluded that the girl’s death was likely due to natural causes related to pre-existing cardiac conditions.

FDA: Benefits Of Salmon Hormone May Not Outweigh Cancer Risks

Bloomberg News (3/1, Edney) reported that according to a Food and Drug Administration report, a “salmon hormone used to treat post-menopausal osteoporosis may not reduce bone fractures enough to outweigh the drug’s cancer risks.”

The agency said “three studies on oral, injectable and nasal calcitonin-salmon formulations sold by Novartis AG (NOVN), Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc. and other companies showed unreliable or disappointing results.” FDA staff said, “This lack of effectiveness when combined with the potential for a cancer risk associated with calcitonin salmon therapy raises concerns about the overall risk and benefit assessment.”

Reuters (3/1, Clarke) reported that an advisory panel to the FDA will meet on March 5 and make a recommendation to the agency on the continued marketing of products containing calcitonin salmon to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. European regulators recommended last July that the extended use of calcitonin be reduced after evidence revealed a link between the hormone and an small, elevated risk in cancer.

Study: Certain Foods May Contain High Levels Of Phthalates

HealthDay (2/28, Storrs) reports, “Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, two types of chemicals in plastics that have been linked to a number of health effects, could still find their way into your body even if you avoid foods that are shipped, stored or cooked using plastic materials.”

In a study published Feb. 27 in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, the researchers “detected high levels in milk, butter and cream, and also in some of the spices, such as cinnamon and ground coriander.” The Food and Drug Administration “approved phthalates for use in food packaging back in the 1960s, and has not reevaluated their safety since then, said Dr. Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist in the Health and Environment program of the Natural Resources Defense Council.” The FDA “has been reviewing the safety” of BPA, but “its evaluation has depended heavily on studies funded by the chemical industry, Janssen said.”

Cambro, a manufacturer of Food Pans and Food Storage Containers for the restaurant and catering industry provided the following information in regards to BPA in their polycarbonate products:

Recent news coverage regarding baby bottles, has suggested that all plastic containers and bottles labeled with the number "7" contain BPA. While all polycarbonate plastics containing BPA are labeled with the number "7" recycling category, not all number "7" contain BPA.

Based on the combination of materials used, some of Cambro products that do not contain BPA fall into category "7" for recycling. Cambro certifies that the food contact products made from the polycarbonate resins meet all applicable requests and regulations in the U. S. regarding food and safety. Bisphenol-A is key building block used to make the polycarbonate resin. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation prescribing safe conditions of use can be found at 21 CFR 177.1580.

Products produced with the polycarbonate plastic based resin are meant for its intended use as specified in Cambro’s written materials (e.g. instructions and product labels). The resin meets the FDA regulations to be used safely with food. The Polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins made with bisphenol-a (BPA) have been rigorously tested and safely used for more than 40 years. They have been repeatedly found to be safe for consumer use by governments around the world.

Further information can be found at www.bisphenol-a.org.