FDA:Remove artificial trans fats from the nation’s food supply

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is taking action to remove artificial trans fats from the nation’s food supply -- a step that could prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks each year! Highlights from the FDA announcement include:

• The FDA says that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of trans fats, are not “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) for use in human food.
• Because PHOs are not GRAS, they may no longer be added to human food after June 18, 2018 unless otherwise approved by the FDA.
• Food manufacturers have three years to remove PHOs from their products. This will allow companies to make the transition -- to either reformulate their products and/or petition the FDA to permit certain specific uses of PHOs.  
• Companies have made strides towards reducing or eliminating PHOs and the FDA expects manufacturers may be in compliance ahead of schedule.
• While some companies have made significant progress in voluntarily replacing PHOs with other fats or oils, the current intake of trans fats remains a public health concern.
• Removing PHOs from processed foods could prevent thousands of heart attacks and deaths each year.
• PHOs are formed when hydrogen is added to oil or fat (a process called hydrogenation) to make it more solid.
• The FDA’s requirement in 2006 to list trans fat on the Nutrition Facts label resulted in the industry substantially reducing the presence of artificial trans fat, however trans fats are still found in a variety of foods.
• PHOs are used in a variety of processed foods such as frostings, microwave popcorn, baked goods, stick margarines, and coffee creamers.

To learn more about the FDA’s action on trans fats, visit http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM372915.htm

Health News: Death of man cooked with tuna ♦ Do not rely on the FDA for safe food ♦ First-graders sickened by E. coli after attending dairy festival

First-graders sickened by E. coli after attending dairy festival The Whatcom County Health Department in Bellingham, WA, is investigating an E. coli outbreak involving at least three area first-graders and potentially a fourth child. The three cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli were confirmed by laboratory testing after the children attended the Milk Makers Fest.

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Bumble Bee Foods, Two managers charged in death of man cooked with tuna Bumble Bee Foods and two managers were charged by Los Angeles prosecutors Monday with violating safety regulations in the death of a worker who was cooked in an industrial oven with tons of tuna.

Bioactive gel to treat knee injuries being developed Current surgical options for repairing damaged cartilage caused by knee injuries are costly, can have complications, and often are not very effective in the long run. But an orthopedics research team is working on a biologic solution -- an injectable gel that encourages self-healing of cartilage

Emergency department treatment for opioid addiction better than referrals The first known randomized trial comparing three treatment strategies for opioid-dependent patients receiving emergency care has been conducted by researchers who found that patients given the medication buprenorphine were more likely to engage in addiction treatment and reduce their illicit opioid use

Health news: 38 Salmonella cases linked to Arizona Winery ♦ Are additives in our food safe ♦ Stem cell injection may soon reverse macular degeneration

38 Salmonella cases linked to catered events at Arizona Winery Catered events on March 18 and 19 at the Windmill Winery in Florence, AZ, have now been linked to 38 suspected Salmonella cases, according to the Pinal County Public Health Services District. The first report of illness related to a March 19 wedding was called in April 1 by the bride’s mother. Four wedding participants were reportedly

Health-reform savings in the United States In the first year of Medicare's Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program, the 32 participating provider organizations achieved a 1.2 percent savings while maintaining or improving performance on measures of quality of care. Researchers examined how savings differed by potentially policy-relevant characteristics of the participating accountable care organizations.

Everything wrong with ‘ generally recognized as safe’ food additives in one smart traffic analogy There’s growing concern in the U.S. about the weird and unpronounceable additives that can be found in all kinds of food items, from cereal and bread to yogurt and salad dressing. This isn’t just an irrational fear of chemicals, it has real concerns for people with health issues like allergies or digestive problems. This great video from The Center for Public Integrity spells it

Stem cell injection may soon reverse vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration

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E-cigarette use is not risk-free E-cigarettes are not without health risks for people who vape or for bystanders, researchers report. The report has only considered e-cigarettes with nicotine since there has been very little research about e-cigarettes without nicotine, they note.

4/9/14 Health News: CHEMICALS ‘QUIETLY ADDED’ TO FOOD ♦ Wis. Cheese Contaminated ♦ Liquid effluent, stagnant water and mice at illegal tofu factory ♦ Texas Children Have High Ch olesterol

REPORT IDENTIFIES CHEMICALS ‘QUIETLY ADDED’ TO FOOD UNDER GRAS

The “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, determination for food additives has been getting a lot of attention lately for being a regulatory loophole. The main issue is that GRAS allows companies to decide whether a substance meets the definition of GRAS without mandating a review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before being... Continue Reading

CDC: LISTERIA PROBABLY CONTAMINATED WI CHEESE DURING PRODUCTION PROCESS

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Liquid effluent, stagnant water and mice infestation found at illegal tofu factory

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One-Third of Children Tested in Texas Have Borderline or High Cholesterol

One in three children undergoing routine lipid screening in primary-care pediatric clinics have cholesterol levels considered high or borderline high, according to a new analysis. Regarding LDL-cholesterol levels, 46% of children have borderline-high or elevated levels and 44% have HDL-cholesterol levels considered low or borderline low,. Continue Reading