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.