The Burlington Free Press reports that Ben and Jerry ice cream maker Jerry Greenfield and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin have teamed up to fight Monsanto’s effort to overturn a new Vermont law that will require labeling of genetically modified food. Ben and Jerry’s has created a new ice cream flavor, Food Fight Fudge, whose profits will contribute to Vermont’s Food Fight Fund.
South Africa Delays Ban on Alcohol Advertising
The Lancet reports that a plan to ban alcohol advertising that was approved by the South African Cabinet in 2013 but not yet released for public comment is now subject to a regulatory impact assessment that could delay implementation for months. The liquor industry is strongly opposed to the bill and has mobilized interest groups to challenge its merits. An advertising ban in South Africa could trigger bans in neighboring countries, thwarting the alcohol industry’s efforts to develop new markets targeting women, a group whose drinking rates are generally low in Africa.
New Guide to Mass Shootings in America
Mother Jones has gathered detailed data on three decades worth of cases of mass shooting in the United States and mapped them, including information on the shooters’ profiles, the types of weapons they used, and the number of victims they injured and killed. The analysis covers the cases from 1982 through 2012, and the map has been updated with cases through 2013. The report concludes that mass shooting are on the increase.
California Counties Sue Drug Makers for Sparking Painkiller Epidemic
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fox News reports, overdoses of prescription opiod painkillers have more than tripled in the past 20 years, killing more than 15,500 people in the United States in 2009. In response to the epidemic, two of California’s largest counties have filed a civil suit against five of the world’s largest painkiller manufactures. Attorneys for Santa Clara and Orange counties filed a complaint, naming Actavis, Endo Health Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ Cephalon Inc. as defendants.
Wine and Spirits Getting Stronger, Setting Back Effort to Cut Illnesses and Death
The Guardian reports that wine and spirits are getting stronger in the United Kingdom, affecting government efforts to get the drinks industry to remove 1bn units of alcohol from high street stores. The average volume of alcohol in drinks edged up from 7.25% to 7.31% between 2011 and 2012, according to a little-noticed Department of Health report. Health ministers want the industry to remove 1bn units from supermarket and off-license shelves by the end of 2015 to help cut alcohol-related illnesses and deaths.
Senators Target Ad Tax Deduction — This Time for the Children
Two U.S. senators are making a new attack on the long-targeted ad tax deduction, and this one goes squarely after the food and beverage industries, reports Advertising Age. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have introduced a bill called the “Stop Subsidizing Childhood Obesity Act,” that would prohibit deductions of expenses from the advertising of foods and beverages of “poor nutritional quality” that are marketed to kids.
Pediatricians Take on the NRA Over Gun Safety
For the past three decades, writes The Daily Beast, the American Academy of Pediatrics has been an outspoken voice on the issue of gun control, a position that has landed it on the NRA’s (admittedly very long) list of enemies. For its part, the National Rifle Association (NRA) says pediatricians have no business talking about gun laws. Now, the AAP has started to focus on how to realistically reach parents in red states as well as blue—and to soften some of its language on gun control.
WHO Proposes Framework of Engagement with Non-state Actors
As part of WHO reform, the WHO Secretariat has submitted a draft framework for engagement with non-State actors, which contains: (a) an overarching framework for engagement with non-State actors, and (b) four separate WHO policies and operational procedures on engagement with nongovernmental organizations, private sector entities, philanthropic foundations and academic institutions.
Private Documents Show Coca-Cola Played Both Sides of the Drunk Driving Debate
According to the Huffington Post, at various moments over the past two decades, Coca-Cola, the massive soft-drink conglomerate, has aligned itself with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in campaigns to promote vehicular safety. But unbeknown to MADD, at the same time that Coca-Cola was helping organizations combat drunk driving, the company was also a member of a trade association that fought tougher drunk driving laws.
Most Polluted U.S. Cities
A new report from the American Lung Association lists the cities that have the worst air pollution in the U.S. In many places, such as Southern California and the Central Valley, including Los Angeles, Fresno, Visalia and Modesto, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City, automobile and truck exhaust are primary contributors to the pollution and the health problems it causes.
Corporations and Health Watch 