A new report by Food and Water Watch and the Public Health Institute challenges the belief that farm subsidies are an important cause of obesity. “It’s convenient to blame farmers for making Americans fatter, rather than putting the blame squarely on the corporations that lobbied for the deregulation that led to overproduction of cheap corn and soy,” said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch. “Cutting subsidies without fixing commodity policies will do nothing to address the overabundance of heavily advertised junk food in our country or help more people access healthy foods, but it could have a devastating impact on the thousands of small to midsize family farmers who rely on subsidies to stay afloat.”
Why the Food Movement Should Occupy Wall Street
Writing for Civil Eats, Siena Chrisman notes, “food justice advocates are connecting with Occupy (Wall Street) sites all around the country to donate fresh, healthy, local food or to help find kitchen space. On a broader philosophical level, as Mark Bittman writes in the Times, ‘Whether we’re talking about food, politics, healthcare, housing, the environment, or banking, the big question remains the same: How do we bring about fundamental change?’ But there are also clear and specific reasons that all of us working for a just and fair food system, as the food movement should make the connection between our work and Occupy Wall Street explicit and strong.”
Food Industry and Ad Groups Condemn New Voluntary Guidelines on Food Marketing to Kids
Although the Obama administration has rolled back some of its proposals on the marketing of food to children, Ad Age reports that “manufacturers and advertisers say the federal government should scrap the plan entirely. At a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Wednesday, opponents of the marketing guidelines said they would cost the nation thousands of jobs and do little to fight obesity among children. ‘These are unprecedented and extreme proposals,’ testified Dan Jaffe, exec VP for government relations for the Association of National Advertisers. ‘These guidelines need to be formally withdrawn and taken back to the drawing board.’”
We’re Not Buying It: New video on deceptive food marketing to children
In a new two minute video, Prevention Institute highlights the deceptive ways that food and beverage companies target kids with unhealthy foods. Food industry and media companies are lobbying to get Congress to stop the Interagency Working Group on Foods Marketed to Children (IWG) from finalizing voluntary, science-based nutrition guidelines that provide a model for companies that market to kids. You can share the video and petition on Facebook by copying and pasting this link into your status update: http://www.preventioninstitute.org/notbuyingit, or share the video on your own site through this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab9zbqHJ_p4.
FTC To Loko: Add resealable caps to discourage binge drinking
In its latest strike against fruity and boozy Four Loko, reports Ad Age, the Federal Trade Commission is forcing the malt beverage maker to add a new warning label on its super-sized version while adding resealable caps to discourage binge drinking. FTC will also require Loko to give the drink’s equivalency to regular beers on the package label.
FDA Seeks to Improve Retail Food Safety
Following several high profile food poisoning outbreaks, the US Food and Drug Administration has unveiled a new plan for improving food safety practices at commercial establishments, reports Food Safety News. The Retail Food Safety Action Plan calls for stronger state and local food safety requirements for grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and other food vending facilities, as well improvements in the oversight of food facilities by public health agencies. The plan also calls on state and local health departments to strengthen food safety requirements and ensure better training programs for personnel.
Bud Light Hires Pitbull to Target Cuban-American Beer Drinkers
Hoping to add some bite to its multicultural advertising, Bud Light has hired hip hop star Pitbull in a new TV campaign aimed at tapping into the Cuban-American’s rising stardom and crossover appeal, reports AdvertisingAge. Alcohol companies are competing fiercely for Hispanic dollars. Pitbull “epitomizes everything that our brand is about. He’s fun. He’s outgoing. He’s social,” Mike Sundet, senior director for Bud Light, told Ad Age.
Judge Weighs Constitutionality of Graphic Labels on Cigarette Packages
The five major tobacco companies sent their lawyers to federal court in Washington last week to argue in support of their effort to obtain an injunction that would bar the US Food and Drug Administration from enforcing regulations requiring graphic new warning labels. The tobacco companies claim that the new requirements violate the First Amendment by forcing the companies to take up the government’s anti-smoking campaign.
Indonesia Challenges Global Tobacco Reform
With 240 million people and weak public health regulations, Indonesia is of the world’s last countries refusing to sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the World Health Organization’s treaty to limit the tobacco industry’s influence by encouraging nations to restrict tobacco advertising and raise excise taxes. In a major investigation on the role of the tobacco industry in Indonesia, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists documents the role of the tobacco industry in Indonesian politics.
New Study Tracks Pharmaceutical Fraud and Abuse in the United States, 1996-2010
In a recent article in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Zaina Qureshi and colleagues report that between 1996 and 2005, $3.6 billion wasrecovered for 13 pharmaceutical fraud cases initiated by “whistleblowers” and that since 1996, a total of $12 billion has been recovered from 31 pharmaceutical prosecutions for violations of the False Claims Act. The authors conclude that “industrywide changes in the way pharmaceutical corporations conduct marketing activities are needed.”
Corporations and Health Watch 