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.