House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) has drafted a bill that will dramatically alter the way the FDA handles imported food. Under the draft bill, food imports would be limited to ports clustered near FDA field labs, and would need to display a label identifying the country of origin. Exporters would be subject to a strict new certification program established by the Department of Health and Human Services. And that is just the start.
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Heartburn Drugs Prilosec and Nexium May Cause Heart Attacks
By 8.11.07
The FDA has launched a safety review of the heartburn drugs Prilosec and Nexium after two studies linked the medicines to an increased risk of: “heart attacks, heart failure, and heart-related sudden death.” The FDA warned that the studies are only preliminary, and that doctors and patients should keep using the drugs. From the LA Times:
FDA Warns Consumers Not To Eat Certain Raw Oysters From Washington State
By 8.10.07
The FDA has issued a warning not to eat raw oysters from the southern tip of Hood Canal in Washington state. Oysters from the Hood Canal have been linked to an outbreak of vibriosis, a rare illness caused by the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria.
FDA Ban Fails To Catch 1 Million Pounds Of Chinese Seafood
By 8.8.07
1 million pounds of shrimp, eel, and catfish somehow slipped past the FDA’s ban on Chinese seafood. All seafood covered by the ban arrives at U.S. ports under an import alert, which ostensibly prevents the fish from leaving until private testing proves the absence of banned antibiotics and drugs. Chinese importers, resorting to tricks possibly gleaned from Wile E. Coyote, evade the FDA by shipping their contraband under the names and addresses of companies unaffected by the import alert. From the AP:
Senate Committee Votes To Give FDA Power To Regulate Tobacco
By 8.3.07
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted 13-8 to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco products. States and municipalities have spent years shoving cigarettes out of the public domain, but the FDA would be able to control cigarette advertising, mandate bigger, European-style warning labels, and regulate nicotine content. Only Congress has the power to ban cigarettes outright. From the Boston Globe:
Yesterday’s slim majority however, came as Republican-sponsored amendments loom that could gut the bill’s main intent.
Hey, Let's Not Die Of Botulism From Eating Recalled Food
By 8.1.07
A reader who works at a health department has asked Consumerist to remind everyone to search their cabinets, their friend’s cabinets, the cabinets at their church and the cabinets of any kitchens at work for products included in the botulism recall.
Avandia Stays On The Market
By 8.1.07
Since the study was published, Consumer Reports has come out in favor of older drugs:
Diabetes drugs received wide attention last spring when research found a possible link between rosiglitazone (Avandia) and a higher risk of heart attacks. While those risks remain unclear, the CR Best Buy Drug report cites other reasons that rosiglitazone and the related drug pioglitazone (Actos) are not wise first choices for most people with diabetes, including their higher risk of heart failure compared with other diabetes drugs.
Consumer Reports that patients should first ask their doctors about metformin (Glucophage and generic), claiming that the effectiveness of the older drugs are equivalent to the newer ones, but with less potential risk.
Candy From Denmark Not As Filthy As Previously Reported
By 7.31.07
Remember when we said exports from countries not named China were also tainted and filthy? It turns out the exports aren’t as tainted and filthy as the New York Times originally reported. The Times explains that a “methodology problem was discovered” after the Danish Embassy complained that their candy was refused by FDA inspectors only 82 times, not 520, as the Times claimed. From the Gray Lady:
When the data was re-analyzed, it showed that the number of candy shipments rejected from Denmark had not been higher than the number of seafood shipments rejected from China, as the article stated. The number of shipments rejected from China was also misstated; it was 331, not 391.
Meet The New Powerhouse In Organic Foods: China!
By 7.25.07
That certified organic edamame you bought from the local supermarket may have been made and packaged in China. The exporting juggernaut is quickly and quietly muscling in on the thriving global trade in certified organic products. Organic exports from China are certified by private companies and carry the official USDA organic logo. The logo, however, does not guarantee that products are truly organic:
Recalls: Dog Food and Chili Recalled From Same Manufacturer
By 7.23.07
We’ve always had the sneaking suspicion that canned chili and dog food were one and the same. Adding fuel to that fire, Connors Bros and Castleberry’s expanded a recall of their pet and human foods after the canned meat products were found to contain botulism. The FDA has announced that four people have already taken ill. Here’s hoping they were eating the chili, and not the dog food.
Zicam Nasal Gel Vanquishes Colds, Sense Of Taste, Smell
By 7.23.07
A chewing gum company turned cold remedy manufacturer is under fire for selling a nasal spray that destroys people’s sense of taste and smell. Over 400 lawsuits have been filed against Matrixx Initiatives for the side effects associated with Zicam nasal gel, a zinc-based homeopathic cold remedy. Matrixx has already spent $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits, but some customers won’t be satisfied until the FDA is involved.
What's For Dinner? Mutant Rice
By 7.23.07
The FDA retroactively approved a strain of genetically modified rice that infiltrated our supermarkets after escaping from a 2001 experiment. Six years ago, Avenits Crop Science introduced Liberty Link, a transgenic rice strain resistant to Liberty, an Aventis weed killer. The Liberty Link experiment ended abruptly when StarLink – a transgenic corn strain made by Aventis that was approved only for use in animal feed, not for human consumption – was found in Kraft taco shells. The ensuing public relations disaster led to Aventis’ sale to the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, which immediately discontinued Liberty Link’s production. Yet somehow, the transgenic rice survived…
China To US: Fix Your Own Food Supply Issues First
By 7.20.07
China says the US should fix its own food supply issues and stop picking on China. The Chinese government issued a statement saying that they are trying to fix food export issues but that the US should fix its own issues first.
Choking Concerns Prompt Gerber To Recall Organic Rice And Oatmeal Cereals
By 7.15.07
475,000 affected 8 ounce cereal boxes were sold nationwide. Any organic rice with UPC codes 15000 and 12504, or organic oatmeal with the UPC codes 15000 and 12502 are part of the recall; the UPC codes are on the bottom right side of the boxes. Customers can return the cereals and receive a refund by calling Gerber at (800) 443-7237 or (231) 928-3000.
Tainted Exports Also Come From Countries Not Named China
By 7.14.07
Remember the Washington Post’s analysis of FDA Refusal Reports? The New York Times double-checked the Post’s work and found that China isn’t the only country exporting filthy salmonella-infested goods. Exports from India, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic have all been stopped at the U.S. border for failing to meet basic sanitary requirements.
Salmonella was the top reason that food was rejected from India, and it was found in products like black pepper, coriander powder and shrimp. “Filthy” was the primary reason food was stopped from Mexico, and the rejections included lollipops, crabmeat and dried chili.
FDA: Veggie Booty Snack Food Contaminated With Salmonella
By 6.29.07
The FDA is warning consumers not to eat Veggie Booty snack food, because there is a risk of salmonella contamination. Reader Ethan asked us to announce this recall because “Pretty much everyone I know who has a toddler buys this stuff.” We’d never heard of it, but Salon.com calls it “crack for babies” and says it smells “funkier than poop.” Ok.
The FDA Wants To Fire 196 Food Safety Analysts
By 6.23.07
Congress has questions about an internal FDA memo calling for the sacking of 196 food safety analysts. The memo, titled “New Organization Staffing,” was released to the House Energy and Commerce Committee as part of an ongoing investigation into the contamination of spinach, peanut butter, and other assorted items. The FDA currently inspects less than 1% of regulated imports. Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Bart Stupak (D-MI) sent a letter to the FDA expressing their displeasure with the cuts.
- “This number represents 37 percent of the total number of lab analysts currently working in the Office of Regulatory Affairs laboratories,” the letter states. “This slashing of analysts comes after an already 24 percent reduction in lab analysts between 2003 and 2007. To say the least, these numbers are deeply disturbing.”
The analyst cuts are part of a larger FDA plan to close 7 of the 13 labs that test samples from inspections. The FDA is willing to reconsider its position, but it first wants Congress to pony-up more cash. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
FDA: New Dietary Supplement Safety Rules
By 6.22.07
The FDA has announced new manufacturing standards for vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements in order to help ensure quality throughout the manufacturing, packaging, labeling and storing process.
