Deceptive Labeling Practices gets called out by FDA-Can you trust labels?
Filed under: Is it Safe?, Labeling and Labels, Tips on Food Safety, What it is?
In a move called “unprecedented” by watchdog agency Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to 17 food companies about their deceptive labeling practices.
Basically, the companies receiving these letters did one of two things wrong. Let me present these two issues and give a few examples for each and then tell you what I think about all of this.
Issue #1: The product label bears a nutrient content claim but does not meet the requirements to make the claim. Specifically if the product package includes the claim “0 grams trans fat” and the product contains more than 13 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat or 480 mg of sodium per labeled serving, it must include a disclosure statement on the label, adjacent to the claim, referring the consumer to nutrition information for those nutrients.
Here are a few examples:
* Gorton’s Beer Batter Crispy Battered Fish Fillet: They make the “0 grams trans fat” claim without a disclosure statement when a serving of the product contains 19 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat and 680 mg sodium per serving.
* Dreyer’s Nestle Drumstick Classic Vanilla Fudge and Dreyer’s Dibs Bite Size Ice Cream Snacks Vanilla Ice Cream with Nestle Crunch Coating: The package label states “O grams trans Fat” but the products contain 19 grams total fat; 10 grams saturated fat (Drumstick) and 28 grams total fat, 20 grams saturated fat (Dibs).
* Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening: This product doesn’t meet the requirement for the use of the term “cholesterol free” on its label because the product contains 6 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon (it exceeds the limit of 2 grams or less saturated fat per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed)… and it doesn’t comply with the requirements for making the claim “less saturated fat than butter.”
Issue #2: The therapeutic claims on their website established that the product is a drug because it is intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease.
* *Salada Naturally Decaf Green Tea (Redco Foods): Their website promotes their tea products for conditions that cause them to be drugs under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. For example, they make the statement that green tea can inhibit the cancer process and regulate cholesterol levels.
* Diamond of California Shelled Walnuts: Again, the FDA determined, based on claims made on their website, that their walnuts products are promoted for conditions that cause them to be drugs. Here are some of the statements made on their website that FDA mentioned specifically:
o “Studies indicate that the omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts may help lower cholesterol; protect against heart disease, stroke and some cancers; ease arthritis and other inflammatory diseases; and even fight depression and other mental illnesses.”
o “In treating major depression, for example, omega-3s seem to work by making it easier for brain cell receptors to process mood-related signals from neighboring
neurons.”
o “There’s good evidence that omega-3s can increase HDL (good cholesterol), further reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.”
So what do I think about all of this? I totally understand FDA going after processed food products like frozen desserts or breaded fish fillets boasting “0 grams trans fat” when they are still high in total fat and saturated fat. Job well done here, although they are really only asking for the companies to add a disclosure statement to correct this. CSPI and other nutrition experts like myself would ideally want them to ban the statement entirely in a product exceeding the total fat and saturated fat guidelines.
And I would understand them going after companies stating “made with whole wheat,” when the product only contains a small portion of whole wheat – but then they didn’t go after these companies in this go-around.
But I’m not so thrilled about them going after companies selling whole foods like olive oil, walnuts and green tea. I am trying to move people toward eating more whole foods – foods that offer phytochemicals and other potentially helpful food components such as fiber and monounsaturated fat – instead of processed foods. These companies mostly got in trouble for the information they include on their websites. Maybe it’s just me, but I am much more concerned about what is being stated on product labels than on company websites.
As far as information on websites, I understand that health information and study results presented should clearly state whether the evidence is “suggestive” or “preliminary.” But in some cases I think consumers actually benefit from seeing some of this new information as it is emerging, especially if the bottom line is leading them to consume more whole foods. If we all waited for the government to review study evidence and make their all important “health claims” for various nutrient and disease associations, some of this potentially powerful information might not get out to those interested for another decade.
What do you think? What are some of the most outrageous health claims you have seen on food packages?
10 Foods that can cause you to get sick
10 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sick
Leafy Greens, Eggs, and Tuna Are Among Foods Mostly Like to Cause Food-borne Illness
By Todd Zwillich
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Oct. 6, 2009 — Here’s a surprise: Some of the healthiest foods may also be the most likely to cause food-borne illness.
That’s the conclusion in a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The report shows leafy greens, sprouts, and berries are among the most prone to carry infections or toxins.
“We don’t recommend that consumers change their eating habits,” says Caroline Smith DeWaal, the CSPI’s head of food safety programs. Instead, the group is trying to point out vulnerabilities in the nation’s food safety system as it lobbies Congress to beef up enforcement.
The group analyzed CDC data on food illness outbreaks dating back to 1990. They found that leafy greens were involved in 363 outbreaks and about 13,600 illnesses, mostly caused by norovirus, E. coli, and salmonella bacteria.
The rest of the top 10 list included:
* Eggs, involved in 352 outbreaks and 11,163 reported cases of illness.
* Tuna, involved in 268 outbreaks and 2,341 reported cases of illness.
* Oysters, involved in 132 outbreaks and 3,409 reported cases of illness.
* Potatoes, involved in 108 outbreaks and 3,659 reported cases of illness.
* Cheese, involved in 83 outbreaks and 2,761 reported cases of illness.
* Ice cream, involved in 74 outbreaks and 2,594 reported cases of illness.
* Tomatoes, involved in 31 outbreaks and 3,292 reported cases of illness.
* Sprouts, involved in 31 outbreaks and 2,022 reported cases of illness.
* Berries, involved in 25 outbreaks and 3,397 reported cases of illness.
It is unclear how many of the outbreaks can be blamed on the foods themselves. The CDC’s database can’t discriminate between outbreaks caused by tomatoes, for example, vs. those caused by other ingredients in a salad. Foods like potatoes are almost always consumed cooked, so it is unlikely that potatoes themselves caused 108 outbreaks.
Still, Smith DeWaal called the list “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to food-borne illnesses in the U.S. Not all outbreaks are reported to public health authorities. In addition, the analysis focused only on foods regulated by the FDA; that leaves out beef, pork, poultry, and some egg products, which are policed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Consumers always want to know what they should do to avoid getting sick,” says Sarah Klein, lead author of the report. She recommends “defensive eating,” including keeping food cold and cooking it thoroughly, chilling oysters and avoiding them when raw, and avoiding raw eggs or using them in homemade ice cream.
Several bills that are circulating in Congress aim to crack down on food safety by requiring all food producers to keep written safety plans and giving the FDA more power to inspect plans and enforce rules.
“In a relative scale our food supply remains quite safe,” says Craig Hedberg, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The CDC says 76 million Americans get sick from food-borne illnesses each year.
“Because most people don’t experience a bad outcome from a lapse in good behavior it’s difficult to enforce,” he says.
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Consumers need to make sure their food is Safe?
Food Companies Are Placing the Onus for Safety on Consumers
By MICHAEL MOSS
The frozen pot pies that sickened an estimated 15,000 people with salmonella in 2007 left federal inspectors mystified. At first they suspected the turkey. Then they considered the peas, carrots and potatoes.
Banquet pot pies sickened thousands with salmonella in 2007. The corporate parent, ConAgra Foods, and others have decided to leave the “kill step” to eliminate pathogens up to the consumer’s cooking at home.
Found significant levels of harmless bacteria that show ingredients still raw when pies leave the factory.
Lab Test of Banquet Chicken Pot Pie (pdf)
Found significant levels of harmless bacteria that show ingredients still raw when pies leave the factory.
2008 C.D.C. Report on Salmonella in Pot Pies (pdf)
Relevant portion begins on the 5th page.
Food Safety for People Who Don’t Cook
Room for Debate Should consumers bear responsibility for the safe handling of the processed foods they eat?
* ConAgra Foods Incorporated
Banquet pot pies include exacting cooking instructions in order to kill any possible pathogens.
The pie maker, ConAgra Foods, began spot-checking the vegetables for pathogens, but could not find the culprit. It also tried cooking the vegetables at high temperatures, a strategy the industry calls a “kill step,” to wipe out any lingering microbes. But the vegetables turned to mush in the process.
So ConAgra — which sold more than 100 million pot pies last year under its popular Banquet label — decided to make the consumer responsible for the kill step. The “food safety” instructions and four-step diagram on the 69-cent pies offer this guidance: “Internal temperature needs to reach 165° F as measured by a food thermometer in several spots.”
Read whole story on
Foods you cannot ship from overseas. Bureau of Customs and Border Patrol List
Filed under: Safe Shipping Overseas, Tips on Food Safety, banned foods to ship
U.S. personnel overseas can help American farmers in a big way. Just don’t put fresh fruit, vegetables, red meats, sausage or plants into the mail or a personal property shipment. One piece of fruit or sausage can cause such a major outbreak of disease that the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection fines people who mail or take prohibited foods to the States at least $300. When you return from abroad, you will be given a Customs Declaration form on which to declare your agricultural products and will also be asked whether you have visited a farm or ranch outside the United States. Officers inspect passenger baggage for undeclared agricultural products. Failure to declare any items may result in delays and fines of up to $1,000.
“We’re having a big problem with canned meats being mailed at the moment,” said William Manning, USDA adviser to the European Command. He explained that the canned meats come mainly from Germany and threaten U.S. agriculture because they are often not cooked long enough to kill Foot and Mouth Disease germs. USDA therefore fines people who mail canned or dried meat, pâté, salamis or sausages to the States because the disease has been eradicated in the USA.
“European food is generally no different from U.S. produce but it can carry agricultural pests and diseases which we don’t have in the States,” Manning added. “These pests cost the American taxpayer $22 billion a year.” Examples of imported pests are the infamous Mediterranean fruit fly and citrus-canker which took 40 years and $13 million to eradicate when it hit the States. Some foods such as bread, cookies and cured cheeses are not banned from import. Candies, cakes, tea, dried or canned fruits, mushrooms and canned or processed vegetables are also good to go.
| Prohibited items | Click on the following options for more information on:
Fish and Wildlife |
||||||
| Bringing Agricultural Products Into the United States | Customs and Border Protection tips on taking food, plants and animal products into the USA. | ||||||
| Know Before You Go | This PDF pamphlet from Customs and Border Protection also contains information on taking and sending Food, plants and agricultural products to the USA | ||||||
| Shipping plants home | All plants in soil are banned from the USA. Aquaculture is the answer. But make sure you have the necessary permits. This U.S. Department of Agriculture page also has details on bulbs, seeds etc. | ||||||
| Endangered | Information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants. | ||||||
Food Safety for the Holidays- Basic Food Safety 101
Food Prep Safety During the Holidays
Preventing foodborne illness is easy as…
1. Clean Wash hands and surfaces often.
2. Separate Don’t cross-contaminate.
3. Cook Cook to proper temperatures.
4. Chill Refrigerate promptly.
* No matter how tempting, don't taste raw cookie dough or cake batter if it contains raw eggs. Harmful bacteria can be lurking in the raw eggs... so wait until the goodies are cooked. The 2-Hour Rule Bring Out the Hibachi! * Grill hot dogs until they're steaming hot and hamburgers until they reach 160° F (71 ° C). Sassy Soups & Cider * Serve up hot soup, chili, or crab dip, but keep it all piping hot by placing these foods in insulated thermal containers. Keep the container closed until serving time. The Must-Chill Menu * If shrimp cocktail and cold dips are on the menu, serve them chilled on a bed of ice. The best thing about the holidays are the leftovers! * Reheat leftovers to 165° F (74° C). Use a food thermometer to check. Happy Thanksgiving! * Cook the turkey to 180° F (82° C). Insert the food thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh muscle without touching the bone to get an accurate reading.
* Before going "bobbing for apples," an all-time favorite Halloween game, reduce the number of bacteria that might be present on apples and other raw fruits and vegetables by thoroughly rinsing them under running water. As an added precaution, use a produce brush to remove surface dirt.
* "Scare" bacteria away by keeping all perishable foods chilled until serving time. These include: finger sandwiches, cheese platters, fruit or tossed salads, cold pasta dishes with meat, poultry, or seafood, and cream pies or cakes with whipped-cream and cream-cheese frostings. Cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from multiplying.
Remember the 2-Hour Rule: Discard any perishables (foods that can spoil or become contaminated by bacteria if unrefrigerated) left out at room temperature for longer than two hours. When temperatures are above 90° F (32° C), discard food after one hour.
Note: See the Food Tampering fact sheet for how to detect and report product tampering.
Time for Tailgating
Keep food safe at a tailgating party by keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Here's how...
* Use a food thermometer to check the temperature. Heating foods to the right temperature for the proper amount of time kills harmful bacteria.
* Toast your team's victory with hot apple cider, but make sure the cider is pasteurized or otherwise treated to kill harmful bacteria. Unpasteurized cider may contain harmful bacteria. Be sure to read the label!
* Pack perishables, like cold fried chicken, directly from the refrigerator into the cooler - and include a cold pack. Keep all perishables chilled until serving time.
Here's how to handle them safely...
* Bring leftover sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil before serving.
* Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours of eating. Remember the 2-Hour Rule: Don't leave food out at room temperature for more than two hours. On a hot day (90° F or higher), reduce this time to one hour.
Here's how to make your holiday feast safe...
* For even heating, cook stuffing separately to 165° F (74° C). Use a food thermometer to check.
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