Volume
10, Number 8 - August 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
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About Food Consulting Company
" Your company is a pleasure to do
business with. The method of communication
for initiating and working through projects
is very streamlined and professional."
– Russell Nabors
Lopez Foods, Inc.
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Dear Readers, This month Food Label
News reports on good news for organic
labelers and important but alarming news for
some food processors. Read Food Label News
every month to stay informed on food labeling
issues. Visit
www.foodlabels.com
for help with your food labeling projects. |
Q. Will either the LEAN Act or the MEAL
Act affect supermarket foodservice operations?
K.P., Trade Association, WI
A.
LEAN Act and MEAL
Act are separate bills introduced to the U.S.
Congress that would require mandatory nutrition
disclosure in certain restaurant/retail food
service establishments. In June 2009, the bills
were subject to compromise in the U.S. Senate
and the compromise is to be a component of
health reform legislation currently being
debated.
Read
more.
See Food Label News
archive (April 2009, June 2009, July
2009) for reports on LEAN, MEAL and compromise.
Submit a question
for Reader Q&A (no charge). |
U.S./Canada - Organic Equivalency Agreement
In a June 17, 2009, press release the United
States Department of Agriculture announced that
an equivalency agreement has been reached
between the United States and Canada that allows
producers and processors that are certified to
the National Organic Program (NOP) standards by
a U.S. Department of Agriculture accredited
certifying agent to be automatically certified
to the Canada Organic Product Regulation (COPR)
standards. Likewise, Canadian organic products
certified to COPR standards are automatically
certified to NOP standards. As of June 30, 2009,
certified products from either program can be
labeled with both the USDA Organic seal and the
Canada Organic Biologique logo.
Read
USDA
press release
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Call for President's Commission on Healthy
Weight
In a June 2009 letter to President Obama, a
group of individuals and health organizations
requested that the President sign an executive
order that would create a Presidential
Commission on Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives. The
letter urges the President to act boldly and
promptly since the increased rates in obesity
will negate many of the nation's investments in
health-care reform. As a model for action the
group recommends the United Kingdom's
anti-obesity strategy; advocates say this
strategy is well-funded and involves the national
government, local health agencies, new laws, and
"full use of the
bully pulpit."
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
is the lead organizer and
issued a
press release June 22, 2009.
Read
letter
to President Obama
Commentary: Food Consulting Company expects
U.S. government agencies to enact policies and
programs aimed at reducing obesity and that food and food
labeling will be affected.
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Consumers Demand Food Labels and Restaurant
Disclosures
Four New Jersey
residents with the help of two health-action
groups have filed separate class action lawsuits
that address nutrition disclosure on food labels
and restaurant foods.
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One New Jersey
man, assisted by Center for Science in the
Public Interest (CSPI) seeks to compel
Denny's restaurants to disclose on menus the
amount of sodium in each of its meals and to
place a notice on its menus warning about
high sodium levels. The lawsuit was filed in
Superior Court of New Jersey in Middlesex
County July 23, 2009. A statement from the
press release reads: "By concealing an
important material fact about its
products—namely, that these foods have
disease-promoting levels of sodium—Denny's
is failing its responsibility to its
customers and is in violation of the laws of
New Jersey and several other states."
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Three New
Jersey residents assisted by the Cancer
Project (an affiliate of Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine) seek to
compel five makers of hot dogs to place
cancer risk warning labels on hot dog
packages sold in New Jersey. The label would
read "Warning: Consuming hot dogs and other
processed meats increases the risk of
cancer." The lawsuit was filed in the
Superior Court of New Jersey in Essex County
July 22, 2009.
Read CSPI
press release
Read Cancer
Project
press release
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At Your Service: Does your product suit
the health conscious buyer? Do you need help
formulating a product that will look better up
against the U.S. Dietary Guidelines?
Contact us for
help.
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Copyright 2009, Food Consulting Company.
www.foodlabels.com.
All rights reserved.
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