“We got big quite a while before we stopped acting like we were small,” said Austin “Jack” DeCoster, founder of Wright County Egg and the country’s eighth largest egg producer, during testimony Wednesday before the House Energy …
Regulation
FDA Panel Can’t Make Heads or Tails of Genetically Modified Salmon
As you’ve probably heard by now, the first genetically engineered animal grown for food may soon be on the market. But not quite yet. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel assigned to assess the safety of the new …
Stalling On Food Safety
Breaches on food safety are so common these days, my eyes glaze over looking at the FDA’s recall list. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 16,112 confirmed cases of foodborne illness, which amount to …
‘Frankenfish’ May Soon Be Spawning: Is Genetically Modified Salmon Safe?
I haven’t decided what to think about the controversial “Frankenfish,” the genetically modified salmon whose maker, Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies, is seeking Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval — and seems …
Egg Investigation Heads to Maine
The AP is reporting an inquiry into 3 egg farms in Maine that have ties to Jack DeCoster, owner of an Iowa farm involved in the largest ever egg recall. DeCoster’s company recalled 380 million eggs for salmonella contamination, …
No More Outdoor Smoking in New York City?
New York City’s government proposed legislation yesterday to ban smoking in city parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas like Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Despite rumors, the ban would not extend to city streets.
New Fat Fighting Machines: Real, FDA Approved
Two new machines that either freeze or deflate fat cells, helping to assist weight loss and even change a person’s overall shape, may be on the market soon. According to the FDA, they are not a gimmick.
FDA Panel Won’t Restrict Cough Syrup
As Healthland noted earlier, the FDA considered imposing an age limit on purchasing cough syrup, due to its abuse among teenagers. But last night, a panel assembled by the FDA voted to keep cough syrups like Robitussin and …
The BPA Debate: Bad Reputation and Still No Answers
Bisphenol-A (BPA), the endocrine-disrupting chemical in plastics — and the go-to environmental health villain — has vexed public-health experts for at least a decade. Reams of inconclusive and conflicting studies on the …
Thousands Are Sick In Salmonella Outbreak
Roughly 2,000 people have fallen sick this summer from salmonella enteritidis, in what has become one of the biggest salmonella epidemics in years.
There are almost three times as many cases as would be expected from recent years’ trends, according to a report yesterday from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). …
Rated R For Smoking?
Cigarettes are finally becoming less common in the movies. But there’s still more big-screen smoke today than there was back in 1998, when tobacco companies were banned from paying for product placement, according to a new report today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
That means that public-health …
FDA: At-Home DNA Tests Should Be Regulated
In early May, national pharmacy chain Walgreens indefinitely delayed sales of an at home genetic test kit after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that kit had not been proven safe or effective, and that further inquiry …
Walgreens Halts Sale of Genetic Test Kit After FDA Criticism
Walgreens pharmacy has decided to postpone the sale of an at-home genetic testing kit manufactured by Pathway Genomics after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that the tests had not been proven safe or accurate, and …