public health
Appeals court tells EPA to ban pesticide in 60 days
On Thursday, the U.S Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals gave the federal government 60 days to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which is widely used in agriculture but criticized as a risk to children and farmworkers.
Poll: Six in 10 voters oppose cuts in SNAP
A public opinion survey commissioned by the Johns Hopkins school of public health found that six in 10 voters oppose cuts in food stamps, the largest U.S. anti-hunger program. SNAP is the major issue in Senate and House negotiations over the 2018 farm bill.
Is BPA safe? FDA says yes, but independent scientists say not so fast.
A six-year effort to determine the best way to assess the toxicity of man-made chemicals in the food supply, such as bisphenol A (BPA), is winding down. But the debate over what the results mean is just getting started, with independent scientists worried that the FDA is ignoring cutting-edge research and doubling down on the industry-backed status quo that says BPA is safe, according to FERN’s latest story, published with HuffPost. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Skeptical greeting for USDA nominee Hutchins
The Senate should reject President Trump’s nomination of DowDuPont executive Scott Hutchins for USDA chief scientist, said Food and Water Watch on Wednesday, calling him “a particularly egregious gift to the chemical industry that imperils our food system from field to plate.”
In a win for the industry, California bans soda tax referendums for 12 years
California’s legislature rushed to pass a last-minute measure that bans cities and counties from passing soda taxes until 2031. The bill was passed to stave off a ballot initiative backed by the soda industry that would have made it much harder for municipalities to hike any type of tax.
USDA wins food safety, loses SNAP in Trump reorganization
On Thursday, budget director Mick Mulvaney unveiled the federal reorganization plan that President Trump set in motion in his second month in office. Under the proposal, SNAP and WIC would be moved from the USDA to a new agency, the Department of Health and Public Welfare.
For first time, FDA orders a food recall
The FDA ordered a mandatory recall of powdered kratom products manufactured by a Nevada company because salmonella bacteria were found in the herbal supplement, said the Washington Post.
FDA commissioner announces sweeping nutrition plan
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, announced a multiyear nutrition strategy Thursday that pursues many Obama-era nutrition goals.
USDA will name a ‘chief integrity officer’ for public nutrition
The USDA’s senior nutrition official, Brandon Lipps, announced an enhanced focus on program integrity for the agency’s 15 public nutrition programs, which include SNAP, school meals, and WIC.
U.S. judge rules EPA pesticide applicator regulation is in effect
The Trump administration improperly and repeatedly delayed the pesticide applicator rule issued by the EPA in early 2017, decided U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who declared the rule to be in effect.
CDC chief, entangled in ‘complex financial interests,’ resigns
Two days after he was sworn into office, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar accepted the resignation of CDC director Brenda Fitzgerald, whose six-month tenure at the agency ended in a warren of “complex financial interests” that prevented her from doing her job, said the HHS.
CDC director bought tobacco shares after taking office
Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “bought shares in a tobacco company one month into her leadership of the agency charged with reducing tobacco use,” reported Politico.
Study finds obesity may be contagious
Two researchers who studied Army families say that those assigned to communities with higher rates of obesity were more likely to be overweight or obese than those assigned to bases where obesity was less common.
Tom Colicchio, co-founder of Food Policy Action, resigns from its board
Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio has resigned from the board of Food Policy Action, which he co-founded in 2012 as the lobbying arm of the food movement on U.S. food and ag policy. Colicchio said on Instagram that he would “continue to do the work of championing a more just and equitable food system in everything I do and from every platform available to me.”
Iowa residents petition for better manure regulation
Four Iowa residents have petitioned the state to better regulate airborne waste from hog farms. Currently, Iowa requires farmers to retain manure until it is applied as fertilizer. But the residents argue that farmers aren’t retaining all the manure — that some is being spread to nearby homes by blowers and air vents.
USDA again rejects Maine request to limit food stamp purchases
Maine Gov. Paul LePage said it was “extremely disappointing” that the USDA denied his request to ban the purchase of candy and sugary drinks with food stamps on grounds it would help prevent obesity, reported the Bangor Daily News.
Glyphosate not likely to cause cancer in people, says EPA
A draft human health risk assessment of the most widely used weedkiller in the world concludes that glyphosate is not likely to be a human cancer agent, says the Environmental Protection Agency.
Would a meat tax bring better health and environmental benefits?
An investment network, Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return, says in a report that countries could begin taxing meat to drive down consumption and meet their goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reports Civil Eats.
One mutation could make H5N1 a greater threat, researchers say
While there has been no sign of person-to-person spread of bird flu, researchers said on Thursday that a single mutation in the H5N1 avian influenza virus could enhance the virus’ ability to attach to human cells. That could potentially increase the possibility of transmission among humans, said the study, led by a team of scientists at the Scripps Research Institute.