Four alcohol brands – Patron tequila, Hennessy cognac, Grey Goose vodka, and Jack Daniel’s whiskey – accounted for more than half of alcohol brand mentions in the songs that mentioned alcohol use in Billboard’s most popular song lists in 2009, 2010 and 2011, according to a new study published online by Substance Use & Misuse. The first study to examine the context of specific brand mentions in depth, researchers found that alcohol use was portrayed as overwhelmingly positive, with negative consequences rarely given.
New Report Says Eating More Fruits and Vegetables Can Save Lives and Money
The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a new report The $11 Trillion Reward that demonstrates that new policies that increase consumption of fruits and vegetables can save lives and money. The report recommends national and local actions to achieve this goal.
California Legislature Considers 30 Gun Laws
The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of 30 new guns laws under consideration by the California state legislature in 2013.
How a Cabal Keeps Generics Scarce
According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, a group that maintains a closely watched drug-shortage database, reports the New York Times, 302 drugs were in short supply as of July 31, up from 211 about a year earlier. About a year ago, President Obama signed a law that was supposed to end chronic shortages of lifesaving drugs. But the critical lack of generic drugs continues unabated. It is a preventable crisis that is inflicting suffering on patients and, in some cases, causing needless deaths.
Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Pact Threatens Public Health
Two recent commentaries summarize the public health objections to the Trans Pacific Partnership, a new global trade pact now in its final stages of negotiation. An editorial in the New York Times argued that “American trade officials need to toughen their stance when Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations resume. They should be siding with the public and those concerned about public health, not the makers of products known to be lethal and highly addictive.” In an earlier Op Ed in the Times, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked “Why is Obama Caving on Tobacco?”. He wrote that “a deal that sells out our national commitment to public health, and forfeits our sovereign authority over our tobacco laws, does not merit the support of Mr. Obama; of the Senate, which would have to ratify it; or of the American people.”
Conflicts of Interest in Approvals of Additives to Food Out of Balance
A recent article in JAMA Internal Medicine concludes that between 1997 and 2012, financial conflicts of interest were ubiquitous in determinations that an additive to food was generally regarded as safe (GRAS). The lack of independent review in GRAS determinations raises concerns about the integrity of the process and whether it ensures the safety of the food supply, particularly in instances where the manufacturer does not notify the Food and Drug Administration of the determination.
Why South Africa’s Proposed Advertising Ban Matters
In an editorial in Addiction, David Jernigan explains that South Africa’s proposed ban on alcohol advertising in Africa is a bellwether for the continent, whose populations are already among the most adversely affected by alcohol use in the world. An advertising ban may give the public health community a chance to keep the abstainers abstaining, and to convince the heavy drinkers that there are better ways to live—and die.
The Impact of Initiatives to Limit the Advertising of Food and Beverage Products to Children: A Systematic Review
In recent years, many governments and food companies have introduced new codes on food advertising to children. A report in Obesity Reviews presents findings from a systematic review of evidence on levels of exposure of children to the advertising of less healthy foods since the introduction of these codes. Scientific, peer-reviewed papers show that high levels of such advertising of less healthy foods continue to be found in several different countries worldwide. In contrast, the evidence provided in industry-sponsored reports indicates a remarkably high adherence to voluntary codes. We conclude that adherence to voluntary codes may not sufficiently reduce the advertising of foods which undermine healthy diets, or reduce children’s exposure to this advertising.
Indonesia to Seek Compensation from US in Tobacco Trade Fight
Indonesia will seek compensation from the United States for pulling its clove cigarettes from shelves despite a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that deemed the ban discriminatory, reports the Jakarta Globe. Indonesia’s trade ministry said it had lost between $200 million and $300 million annually from the 2009 ban, aimed at helping prevent youths from taking up smoking. The WTO found that the US had flouted trade rules in its health act — under which cinnamon, coffee, grape and strawberry-flavored cigarettes were also banned — because it allowed menthol-laced tobacco to stay on the market.
Federal Trade Commission Plans Pay-For-Delay Crackdown in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled on FTC v. Actavis, the Federal Trade Commission is ramping up scrutiny of pay-for-delay deals and will pursue antitrust charges not only for new cases, but also those that “still have delay in effect”. In a hearing at the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition and Consumer Rights, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez called the pay-for-delay issue “one of the Commission’s top priorities” and said the Commission “remains united today in its determination to end these illegal pay-for-delay agreements.”
Corporations and Health Watch 