Food & Energy
Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group support state legislative efforts to ban food additives, prompting industry opposition, as concerns over regulatory expertise, consumer confusion and food safety arise. A representative from NCA explains why these matters should be left to the professionals at accredited government agencies like FDA.
At a Glance
Consumer groups are lobbying for state bans on food additives, arguing that these additives are unsafe.
NCA and other industry representatives oppose the proposed bans, citing concerns over regulatory expertise.
FDA is reviewing food additives and taking steps to remove some from the market, highlighting the ongoing regulatory process.
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Read MoreThe agency continue to investigate how the WanaBana cinnamon applesauce pouches became contaminated with lead.
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it’s winding down some of its U.S. response to lead-contaminated cinnamon applesauce pouches, which have sickened hundreds of children across the country.
The FDA will continue to actively investigate how WanaBana’s apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, which were recalled in late October because of high lead levels, became contaminated. However, much of the work the agency has done to ensure no one else buys the applesauce pouches has ended.
The agency has pulled the product from stores and prevented any more of it from being imported into the United States. Two other products made by WanaBana — Schnucks applesauce pouches with cinnamon and Weis cinnamon applesauce — were also recalled and removed from stores.
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Read MoreSwiss food firm’s infant formula and cereal sold in global south ignore WHO anti-obesity guidelines for Europe, says Public Eye
Nestlé, the world’s largest consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases, a report has found.
Campaigners from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of the Swiss multinational’s baby-food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing.
The results, and examination of product packaging, revealed added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a cereal aimed at children aged between six months and two years.
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Read MoreIn this week’s Field Report, shining a light on India’s exploited shrimp workers, the spread of avian flu, and the big banks undermining climate goals.
A few months ago, along the coast of Andhra Pradesh in eastern India, Josh Farinella drove 40 minutes out of his way to visit workers who peel shrimp for Choice Canning, where he worked as a shrimp factory manager. He didn’t travel to the rural area for any of his job responsibilities; he was there to document injustice. He observed a crew of local women quickly peeling shrimp along rusty tables in 90-degree heat, wearing street clothes and flip-flops. They worked for long hours in a shed in a dirt field, far from the main work site, easily escaping the notice of auditors.
“These peeling sheds aren’t supposed to be there. They’re not supposed to be used by anybody,” Farinella told Civil Eats. “There are 20,000 pounds of shrimp per day going through these peeling sheds that are landing on U.S. grocery store shelves.” The high temperatures in the shed could easily lead to pathogen growth, he warned.
Farinella started his work for Choice Canning in 2015 at a production facility in his hometown of Pittston, Pennsylvania. In 2023, when the company offered him a high-paying managerial position at a new facility in Andhra Pradesh, he accepted. But four months into the job, he decided to come forward as a whistleblower, exposing what he says are the deplorable and unsanitary conditions in one of India’s largest shrimp manufacturers.
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Read MoreMeatable hopes its cultivated sausages will satisfy the world’s appetite for meat without harming animals or the planet
Even before I see the sausages, I am greeted by their rich, meaty aroma. Sizzling in a pan of foaming margarine, they look like regular chipolatas being fried up for a Sunday breakfast, their pink-grey exteriors slowly turning a rich caramel brown.
Consisting of 28% pork fat, bulked out with textured pea, chickpea, soy and wheat protein, these mini-bratwursts would happily sit inside a hotdog or next to a plate of mashed potato. But these are no standard bangers.
Cultivated from cells plucked from a fertilised pig egg and grown inside steel fermentation vessels like those used to make beer, these slaughter-free sausages are being touted as the future of sustainable and ethical meat production.
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Read MoreWealthy households are taking the lion’s share of heat pump subsidies as even with generous taxpayer grants the £13,000 equipment is out of reach for those on lower incomes.
Analysis of government figures found that wealthier regions, including second-home hotspots, were far more likely to take advantage of a £7,500 voucher towards the installation of the green technology.
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Read MoreHalal Mortgages
Canada is home to a vibrant and growing market of alternative financing products, including halal mortgages, that enable Muslim Canadians, and other diverse communities, to further participate in the housing market.
Budget 2024 announces that the government is exploring new measures to expand access to alternative financing products, like halal mortgages. This could include changes in the tax treatment of these products or a new regulatory sandbox for financial service providers, while ensuring adequate consumer protections are in place.
In March 2024, the government began consulting financial services providers and diverse communities to understand how federal policies can better support the needs of all Canadians seeking to become homeowners. The government will provide an update in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement.
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Read MoreLegislation is being advanced in Democratic states over health concerns
Many of the additives targeted have already been outlawed in Europe
Bills advancing in multiple states could see ‘thousands’ of America’s favorite candies, snacks and sodas banned in their current form.
Last October California approved a historic ‘Skittles ban’ that outlawed four food additives linked to cancer and fertility issues.
Now, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois have advanced similar measures, targeting a total of 13 additives that are already banned in some European countries over alleged health risks.
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Read MoreFinance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said this year’s federal budget will pave the way for Canada to build more homes at a pace not seen since the Second World War. The new investment and changes to funding models will also cut through red tape and break down zoning barriers for people who want to build homes faster, she said
Ottawa to spend $52.9 billion more than planned over the next five years.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland projects Ottawa will post a $40 billion deficit this fiscal year.
The budget includes $8.5 billion in new spending for housing.
Other major budget items include a $6 billion Canada Disability Benefit, a $1 billion national school food program and a $500-million fund for youth mental health.
Freeland will hike capital gain taxes paid by the rich and corporations to collect an estimated $19 billion in new revenue.
The cost to service the growing national debt has increased substantially — it’s now about $2 billion more than it was projected to be just a few months ago.
The government will spend more on servicing its debt than on health care this year.
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Read MorePremier Danielle Smith is accusing Trudeau of encroaching on her jurisdiction by working directly with municipalities to solve the housing crisis.
Now as Blake Lough reports, a new provincial law is trying to make Alberta the gatekeeper.
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