Food Law Prof Blog

Taste is not the reason for consuming sweets

A study in the March 27 issue of the scientific journal Neuron reports that mice prefers sweets, even when they can’t taste. From a CBC News Report:

Researchers at Duke University Center in Durham, N.C., genetically altered the brains of mice, making them unable to taste "sweet,” then gave them either a higher-calorie sugar solution or a non-caloric artificially sweetened one. 

“They found the mice showed a decided preference for the higher-calorie sugar solution — indicating that the calorie content — not the taste — likely governed their decision.”

“The preference for the sugar developed after ten minutes of an hour-long feeding session, they found.”

“The study shows that even in the absence of taste, physiologic changes in the body let the brain know a high-calorie food has been ingested.”

Link to the online study in Neuron: Food Reward in the Absence of Taste Receptor Signaling

Link to Health Day News report on this topic.

Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student Joan Pearson for preparing this post.

Politicians Play Chicken with Poultry Plants

Saying that "Poultry workers' health and safety is threatened every day in a variety of ways," Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass, has called for stiffer penalties and stronger enforcement against chronic violators of worker safety.

The legislation calls for up to 40 percent higher fines -- as much as $100,000 for willful and repeat violations -- and criminal penalties for repeat and willful violations of safety laws.

Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, said that the industry has a good safety record, that worker safety is a very important value in the industry, that they are concerned for their associates and employees.

Source: McClatchy Company

Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student Lucas Nesse for preparing this post.

Food Protection Plan and Third Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds

CFSAN Constituent Update:

On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a teleconference to announce the establishment of two public Dockets. The FDA is requesting information and comments on its 2007 Food Protection Plan that presents a robust strategy to protect the nation's food supply from both unintentional contamination and deliberate attack. The FDA is also requesting stakeholder comments on the use of Third-Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds.

Commenting on FDA's Food Protection Plan
FDA encourages interested persons to submit written comments on the Food Protection Plan to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. The Federal Register Notice can be viewed and electronic comments can be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov. All comments should be identified with docket number FDA-2008-N-00188.

Third-Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds
FDA also encourages interested persons to submit written comments on Third-Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. The Federal Register Notice can be viewed and electronic comments can be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov. All comments should be identified with the docket number FDA-2008-N-0183.

Teleconference Replay
A replay of the teleconference is available now and ends Tuesday, April 8, 2008 (CT). You can access the replay by calling 1-866-505-6449.

Resource material on the Food Protection Plan is available on the FDA Web site.

Constituent Updates are also available on the web at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsupdat.html.

Summary of Recent Developments in EPA's Drinking Water Program and Areas for Additional Focus

EPA Office of Inspector General: Summary of Recent Developments in EPA's Drinking Water Program and Areas for Additional Focus, March 31, 2008. At a Glance PDF | Report PDF

"...the drinking water program faces challenges, notably limited resources, emerging contaminants and new regulations, and system security issues. We suggest future evaluations for several areas of the drinking water program. These reviews should allow EPA to determine how well its programs are working and help it direct resources toward its most pressing needs. Priority should be given to: water security-response capability, chemical security at drinking water facilities, variances/exemptions and waivers, effectiveness of Agency funding, and the contaminant selection process."

Special thanks to Mary Ann Archer, Associate Director for Public Services, Warren E. Burger Library, William Mitchell College of Law.

Food Stamp Use Approaches a Record High

The New York Times reported that the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach a record high of 28 million this year (the U.S. population is estimated at over 303 million; therefore nearly 10% of the U.S. population is receiving food stamps).

According to the article, although food stamp use has fluctuated since the program was implemented in the 1960’s, the recent upward trend is attributed to economic slowdown and inflation.  In Michigan, one in 8 residents now receives food stamps, and the caseload has more than doubled since 2000. 
Food stamp eligibility is determined by a complex formula, but generally recipients must have incomes below 130% of the poverty line.

Congress is considering bills that would alter the food stamp eligibility formula to more closely track the cost of living, but the bills may be stalled as part of partisan farm policy disagreements.   The Wall Street Journal recently reviewed the current status of the farm bill in Congress. 

A short history of the food stamp program is available from at the USDA website.

Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student Ellen Laine for preparing this post.

KFC wins "Teadog set meal" lawsuit

This story is being reported all over the internet.  It relies on translations from a Chinese news article, but the issue is more or less clear, even if the translations are not:

Tongzhou District court ruled on Tuesday that the two plaintiffs surnamed Jin would not get compensation from the KFC fast-food chain as they couldn't provide substantive evidence to prove the set meal had led to a "lower social evaluation" and reputation damage to them, as they claimed.

The meal was advertised under the name “Teadog Set Meal,” which the patron took to mean “man and dog sharing meal.”

He then sued KFC for insulting consumers, because "according to the advertisement, my grandson has eaten dog food and we two have become 'dog friends'", -- a term that means "a dissolute company" in Chinese.

Note: Substantive Evidence is defined as “Evidence offered to help establish a fact in issue” Black’s Law Dictionary  (7th ed. 1999). 

Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student Emily Brooks-Lipor for finding this story and preparing this post.

More Foul Fowl: An Updated Analysis of Salmonella Contamination in Broiler Chickens

Food & Water Watch - a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food: More Foul Fowl - An Updated Analysis of Salmonella Contamination in Broiler Chickens, March 2008: "The bacteria Salmonella is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States with nearly a million cases of salmonellosis attributed annually to meat and poultry consumption. Of these, more than 14,000 of the victims are hospitalized and more than 400 die. The estimated total annual cost of all cases, foodborne and otherwise, of salmonellosis is about $2.46 billion (in 2006 dollars). Concern about the potential for pathogens, including Salmonella, to become resistant to antibiotics also is increasing. Infections caused by antibiotic–resistant bacteria are more frequently associated with illness and death than those caused by bacteria that are not resistant."

Special thanks to Mary Ann Archer of the Warren E Burger Library at William Mitchell College of Law for preparing this post.

Religious Investors Call for Boycott of GM Sugar

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) has launched an on-line campaign protesting the planting of genetically modified sugar beets in the upcoming spring planting season, arguing genetically engineered crops suffer from “‘weak governmental review and oversight, and the lack of long-term independent and peer-reviewed safety studies.’”

According to a March 5, 2008 news article on NutraIngredients-USA.com, ICCR’s campaign encourages consumers to print off and mail a letter to major food companies and manufacturers including, McDonald’s, Campbell’s Soup, and Kellogg’s, urging them to publicly oppose the planting of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar beets.

Leslie Lowe, Director of ICCR’s Energy and Environment Program, is optimistic the campaign will be successful because the companies targeted “face major potential backlashes if they do not act now to stop the use of genetically modified sugar from sugar beets.” She also went on to say that similar campaigns have successfully persuaded companies not to use genetically modified organisms in its food products.

Link to ICCR’s Press Release regarding the launch of its “Don’t Plant GMO Beets” campaign.

Thank you to William Mitchell College of Law student Sene Binsfeld for preparing this post.