The Huffington Post, Gordon Campbell, October 28, 2010
New York City has an obesity problem and it’s hurting our children. Almost 40% of New York City public school children in kindergarten through eighth grade are overweight or obese. Obesity rates are substantially higher in low-income neighborhoods like Harlem and Corona, Queens where the percentages of obese or overweight children are 48% and 51% respectively. It is telling that consumption of sugar-packed drinks is consistently higher in those neighborhoods.
This is why Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson are seeking permission …
The EFSA, European Food Safety Authority published an official statement to reject the request for health claims for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural trans fatty acid that raises cholesterol. Below their decision:
Summary
Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to provide a scientific opinion on a list of health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. This opinion addresses the scientific substantiation of health claims in relation to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers and contribution to …
Los Angeles Times, Karen Kaplan, October 26, 2010
High-fructose corn syrup is often singled out as Food Enemy No. 1 because it has become ubiquitous in processed foods over about the last 30 years – a period that coincides with a steep rise in obesity. One of the primary sources of HFCS in the American diet is soda – in fact, many public health advocates refer to soda as “liquid candy.”
That nickname is more apt than advocates realized, according to a study published online this month by the journal Obesity.
Researchers from …
CBC News, October 22, 2010
Canada’s food industry and federal government have developed a guide to help consumers better understand the nutrition labels that have been affixed to food products for 22 years.
Health Canada and Food & Consumer Products of Canada have begun a campaign to help Canadians better read nutrition labels on food. (Health Canada)The Nutrition Facts Education Campaign is a multimedia effort developed by Health Canada and the national industry association Food & Consumer Products of Canada.
Its basic goal is to increase consumer understanding of the information contained in …
Cleveland.com, Evelyn Theiss, October 24, 2010
Move over, trans fat. There’s a new nutritional pariah.
It’s high-fructose corn syrup, a moniker that has become so unappealing that the industry trade group behind it — the Corn Refiners Association — made a bid to the Food and Drug Administration in September to change the name to “corn sugar.”
The group says that “corn sugar” is more accurate, because “high-fructose corn syrup” incorrectly implies that the product, which is used in foods as a sweetener, is high in fructose when actually its proportion of …