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Justice Department Wants Tobacco Companies to Admit Wrongdoing

To all of our readers, this is a story worth following. The AP (2/24) reports, “The Justice Department disclosed Wednesday it wants to require the tobacco industry to admit publicly that smoking causes a multitude of medical problems, killing 1,200 Americans every day.” The department has “proposed that a federal judge order the companies to … Read more

FDA recalls lead contaminated candies

  I guess they had the name right on this one… The AP reported the US distributor of Pakistan-imported candy chew bars is recalling them “because of lead contamination,” the Food and Drug Administration announced. Indianapolis-based Candy Dynamics distributed the bars, which are called Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge. The FDA said no one has fallen … Read more

Fast Food Companies Increase Marketing to Children

The Los Angeles Times (11/9, Stein) reports some fast food companies “have ramped up their marketing efforts in the past couple of years,” according to data from Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Investigators reached that conclusion after looking at “12 large national fast food chains,” zeroing in on “nutritional information” about “more … Read more

A Halloween Candy Reminder

  Parents, make sure to keep an eye out for these recalled products this Halloween. CQ HealthBeat (10/26) reports, that “Nestle USA’s Confections & Snacks Division has voluntarily recalled its Raisinets Fun Size Bags, which the company says may contain peanuts even though there is nothing on the label to indicate that,” and “Colombina, S.A., … Read more

Know the Symptoms of Salmonella

Over 1,300 cases of Salmonella have been linked to tainted eggs in recent days. So, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the symptoms. Here they are courtesy of About-Salmonella.com. Salmonella can cause three different kinds of illness:  gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, and bacteremia. Symptoms of Salmonella gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, and/or … Read more

Senators reach agreement on food safety bill

  This is good news for food safety, but it’s unfortunate it came too late to prevent the salmonella outbreak. The AP (8/13, Freking) reports, “A bipartisan group of senators said Thursday they have reached agreement on legislation designed to enhance the safety of the nation’s food supply,” which “would give the Food and Drug … Read more

Salmonella Illnesses linked to eggs will likely grow

The Associated Press reported that the salmonella linked to tainted eggs from an Iowa firm (Editor’s note: two firms have now been identified and are part of the recall) will likely grow, federal health officials said Thursday. That’s because illnesses occurring after mid-July may not be reported yet, said Dr. Christopher Braden, an epidemiologist with … Read more

Bring Your Own Lunch!

USA Today (6/28, Stoller) reports that according to the paper’s analysis the agency’s “inspectors have cited numerous catering facilities that prepare airline food for suspected health and sanitation violations following inspections of their kitchens this year and last. … The inspections were at the US facilities of two of the world’s biggest airline caterers, LSG … Read more