American Children Get Artificial Dyes -- Kids Get Natural Dyes British

In recent years studies have shown a possible risk to children. Researchers believe they can cause hyperactivity, ADHD and other behavioral problems in some kids.

Most artificial food dyes are made from petroleum oil and coal tar. In the United States the FDA has approved several dyes including Yellow-5, Blue-1 and Red-40, but over in Europe things are much different.

Many American food companies are forced to make two different versions of their products due to the strict rules European countries like England have on artificial food dyes.

Take for example Kraft's macaroni and cheese. The American version gets it's cheddar-like organish glow from artificial dyes Yellow-5 and Yellow-6. The European version however, is colored through paprika extra and beta-carotene (the organic compound that makes pumpkins and carrots orange.)

"It's really unfair that the American children are being affected by these dyes here, but not overseas and not in other countries," food blogger and FoodBabe.com founder Vani Hari says.

Outraged by the idea of not having natural versions of food in American, Hari and another food blogger decided to speak out. They created a petition with close to 300,000 signatures that ask Kraft foods to make their American version of macaroni and cheese as wholesome as the version found overseas. "It's not like we're asking Kraft to reinvent the wheel and come up with a new product and test market. It's already done," Hari says.

Several European countries decided to crack down on the use of artificial dyes after research showed they might be harmful to children. In a study titled, Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks, test animals developed tumors, cancers, changes in behavior and signs of hyperactivity. It lead researchers to believe that in children certain dyes could be responsible for allergic reactions, birth defects, hyperactivity, and behavior problems like ADHD.

WKOW 27 News was able to track down the Kraft macaroni and cheese UK version called "Cheesey Pasta." It's made the same way as the American version using a little bit of butter, milk and some water. We decided to make them both and put them side by side and see if people could tell the difference.

They found arguably the biggest fan of macaroni and cheese. 6-year-old Ava Docherty of Waunakee says she eats it as often as she can."Three times a week or something," Docherty says. Both Ava and her mother Angie agreed to do a blind taste test for us. After sampling each one,

Both were amazed at how similar they looked and tasted. Both were hard-pressed to pick out which one they liked best. In the end they both decided the UK version looked and tasted better. "If this is definitely the better choice with less additives and dyes, there wouldn't be a reason why you wouldn't," Angie Docherty says. Knowing what she knows now, mom says she'll be on the lookout for artificial dyes in her family's food.

But Docherty isn't the only mom focused on what she feeds her kids. With a growing trend of more mindful mothers, scientific researchers have been working on alternatives to artificial dyes. One of them is Dr. Irwin Goldman, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture Department. He has spent the past 20 years studying dye-producing vegetables like beets. The juice from beets is used in many food products like snack foods, ice cream, and yogurt.

"You chop up the vegetable. Think about a blender where you add water to it. That liquid will become the source of your colorant," Goldman says. Other researchers have found viable dyes in potatoes, carrots, cranberries, and radishes.

"I think we eat food with our eyes. I really do and I think beauty and attractiveness is a huge part of the whole social part of eating," Goldman explains.

Despite all this research, Goldman says there's a limit to what these vegetable dyes can do. "They can't be used in something that would be heat processed because the colors will often break down with heat, whereas the synthetic dye will often be more stable," Goldman says.

It's likely natural dyes will never be able to fully replace their artificial counterparts, they're more expensive and have severe limitations, but Hari and her food-blogging counterpart hope  that with more people becoming aware of them and supporting them, businesses will pave the way for innovation.

"When you look at the amount of artificial dyes being put into our food supply versus way back when, these are serious issues that we need to address," Hari says.

Kraft foods does offer a few product choices that don't contain artificial food dyes. They include:

KRAFT Mac & Cheese White Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Organic White Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Organic Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Alfredo

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Deluxe Original Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Deluxe Four Cheese

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Deluxe Sharp Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Homestyle Creamy Parmesan Alfredo

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Homestyle Sharp Cheddar and Bacon

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Homestyle Classic Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Homestyle Hearty Four Cheese

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Homestyle Bowl Southwest Tortilla

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Homestyle Bowl Creamy Broccoli with White Cheddar

KRAFT Mac & Cheese Cup Alfredo

Company representatives from Kraft Food said  they use Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 in their original Kraft Macaroni and Cheese because it has been tested frequently and is approved by the FDA.

They also mentioned that scientific consensus on safety is very important when it comes to the ingredients they use. Studies they are familiar with show that artificial dyes are safe to consume. However, they understand that some consumers are looking for a product that does not contain artificial dyes. That is why they provide the 14 products listed above and will continue to develop new items that are food dye free.

At this time however, company representatives tell us that they plan to keep the original macaroni and cheese recipe the same, because they feel several consumers enjoy the taste and color of the original recipe.

*Anyone who would like to learn more about artificial food dyes should check out these websites for more information:

: Research study on Artificial Food Dyed

Online Petition for Kraft to stop using artificial food dyes in American mac and cheese:

http://www.change.org/petitions/kraft-stop-using-dangerous-food-dyes-in-our-mac-cheese

Kraft Foods Response to Petition:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/03/14/response-kraft-letter-petition-artificial-dyes/

FDA Website- Artificial Food Dyes:

http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ColorAdditives/

Web-MD Article on Artificial Food Dyes:

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/food-dye-adhd

Center for Science in the Public Interest- Artificial Food Dyes

http://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes/

Dr. Irwin Goldman's Research into Beets as a Natural Dye:

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/groups/Goldman/Web/Web%20Pages%20New/PDFs%20for%20publist/43.pdf

UW-Madison Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics Program:

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/groups/Goldman/Web/

Source: WKOW.com

Great Britain: Recall Ginger Beer, Curiosity Cola and Dandelion & Burdock

Some 750ml glass bottles have been found to display signs of weakness, which may result in breakage of the glass bottle.As a precautionary measure, Fentimans Ltd is in the process of recalling the affected products from consumers. Point-of-sale notices will also be issued to all their customers to display in store explaining the reason for the recall and the actions consumers can take if they have bought the affected product(s).

No other Fentimans Ltd products are known to be affected.

Product	Lot code	Best before date
Fentimans Ginger Beer, 750ml bottles	L3092	28.10.14
	L3134	28.11.14
	L3199	28.01.15
	L3230	28.02.15
Fentimans Curiosity Cola, 750ml bottles	L3092	28.10.14
	L3135	28.11.14
	L3199	28.01.15
	L3230	28.02.15
Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock, 750ml bottles	L3135	28.11.14
	L3199	28.01.15
	L3230	28.02.15

If you have purchased any of the products mentioned above with the affected batch code(s), do not consume them. Instead, return them to the store it was purchased from for a full refund.

Fast Food Walkout: Lack of Sick Days Affects Public Health

Thousands of fast-food workers in dozens of U.S. cities are reportedly set to stage a one-day national strike on Thursday to protest the industry’s low wages and predominant lack of basic benefits. Organizations representing restaurant employees say they expect it to be the largest-ever strike within the fast-food industry, which employs an estimated 4 million Americans.

Protest organizers have already held rolling one-day strikes starting this past November in cities such as New York, Chicago and Seattle, but Thursday will mark the first nationwide day of protest. Employees are asking for a minimum wage of $15 an hour up from the current federal minimum of $7.25, or around $15,000 a year full-time.

Protests by workers at fast-food chains are expanding, with employees in 50 cities expected to walk off the job today. Currently, fast-food workers earn well below the poverty level. Workers will picket during lunchtime at McDonald's, Burger King, KFC , and Wendy's restaurants.

Shaniqua Davis, 20, lives in the Bronx with her boyfriend, who is unemployed, and their 1-year-old daughter. Davis has worked at a McDonald’s a few blocks from her apartment for the past three months, earning $7.25 an hour. Her schedule varies, but she never gets close to 40 hours a week. “Forty? Never. They refuse to let you get to that (many) hours.”

Her weekly paycheck is $150 or much lower. “One of my paychecks, I only got $71 on there. So I wasn’t able to do much with that. My daughter needs stuff, I need to get stuff for my apartment,” said Davis, who plans to take part in the strike Thursday.

Raising wages and supplying basic benefits such as paid sick leave would not only boost worker well-being, but directly improve food safety and public health as well, said Saru Jayaraman, co-founder and co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC).

In 2010, ROC released a report titled “Serving While Sick,” which surveyed more than 4,000 restaurant workers. The survey found that 88 percent of those workers did not have paid sick days and 63 percent reported cooking and serving food while sick.

In turn, those sick workers have been linked to outbreaks of norovirus, hepatitis A and typhoid fever among customers.

In a similar study, 48 percent of restaurant employees reported working shifts while ill, while 11 percent said they had experienced diarrhea or vomiting during a restaurant shift. Workers who did not have paid sick leave were found to be twice as likely to work while sick compared with their counterparts who did receive paid sick time.

Restaurant workers cannot afford to take time off from work, even if they are severely ill. Of those who worked while sick, 74 percent said they could not afford to take the day off without pay, and 27 percent said they coughed or sneezed while handling food.

“Even if you’ve got hepatitis A, if you’re living on minimum wage or living off your tips and don’t get paid to stay home, you’re going to go to work regardless of your condition,” Jayaraman said

The cities of San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Seattle have ordinances in place that require employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers, including those in the restaurant industry.

Low wages also equate to poor living conditions for fast-food employees, Jayaraman added. A portion of workers report being homeless or home-insecure, meaning that they may not have access to showers or other necessities for personal hygiene.

Restaurants found to have shortchanged employees or committed overtime pay violations were also found more likely than restaurants without labor violations to put the safety of employees and customers at risk.

When asked in an ROC survey if they had ever been pressured to cut corners in a way that might have risked public health, 44 percent of workers who experienced wage violations said yes, while 13 percent of workers at non-violating restaurants did. Similarly, 37 percent of workers at wage-violating restaurants said they did not receive health and safety training, while 17 percent of those without violations did.

President Obama has recently asked Congress raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. A July 2013 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 73 percent of Americans favored raising the minimum wage to $10.

Those who oppose raising the minimum wage say it would hurt job creation and lead to higher rates of unemployment.

Historically the economy has improved after a minimum wage hike due to the workers ability to buy things. If Minimum wage workers salary increases at the same rate as top executives they would be making over $28.00 dollars an hour.

A Sexual Supplement and a Dietary Supplement Recalled.

Upon request of the FDA, Hardmenstore.com is voluntarily recalling 1000 lots of 72HP, Evil Root and Pro Power Max at the consumer level. According to representatives of the FDA, 72HP, Evil Root and Pro Power Max have reportedly been found to contain amounts of the PDE-5 Inhibitor, sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved drug for erectile dysfunction (ED).

Sildenafil is not listed on the product labels. Sildenafil may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates. Additionally, the product may cause side effects, such as headaches and flushing.

These products are intended to be used as a dietary supplement and sexual supplement. 72HP is packaged in a single blister pack containing 1 dose. Evil Root is packaged in box containing a bottle of 6 pills. Pro Power Max is packaged in a single blister pack containing 1 dose.

All lots of 72HP, Evil Root and Pro Power Max are included in this recall. 72HP can be identified by the yellow packaging with a black horse insignia. Evil Root can be identified by its orange box with blue Chinese characters. Pro Power Max can be identified by the black and red packaging with flames on the bottom of the packaging. These sealed and packaged products were delivered to Hardmenstore.com as having contained only legitimate and lawful ingredients.

Aided with the information provided by the FDA, Hardmenstore.com is now notifying its distributors and customers by an email and online notice on the homepage of our site. It is arranging for a return of all recalled products. Consumers and retailers that have the 72HP, Evil Root or Pro Power Max supplements should stop using this product immediately, and contact a doctor if any of the side effects have been felt.

Consumers with questions regarding this voluntary recall can contact Howard Andrew by email at info@hardmenstore.com from Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm, EST.

Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

• Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
• Regular Mail: use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500 available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm. Mail to address on the pre-addressed form.
• Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of and at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“As hardmenstore.com receives this product from overseas in a sealed package, representing that it contains only lawful and legitimate ingredients, we are relying on the representations of the Food and Drug Administration that the public interest would best be served by voluntarily complying with their request to get the product off the shelves. Our goal is to protect the safety of the consumer,” stated Howard Andrew, on behalf of Hardmenstore.com.

Microbes can Feed the World

A greater emphasis on the role of microbiology in agriculture combined with new technologies can help stop potential food shortages associated with the increase of the world population according to a new report from the American Academy of Microbiology.

Microbes are essential partners in all aspects of plant physiology, but the man's efforts to improve plant productivity focused only on plants, "says Ian Sanders of the University of Lausanne, President the conference that produced the report. "  Optimize the microbial communities living in, on and around the plants, can significantly reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  "

The report, "  How Microbes can Help Feed the World  "is based on the deliberations of a group of scientists who met for two days in Washington in December 2012 to review a series of questions about how interactions plants microorganisms could be used to increase agricultural productivity in an environmentally and economically responsible.

It begins with a startling statistic: In order to feed the estimated 9 billion by 2050 world population, agricultural yields will increase by 70-100%.

A better understanding of the interactions plant-microorganisms has the potential to increase crop productivity by 20% while reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides by 20% within 20 years, according to the report. These estimates are based on the recognition that all plants rely on microbial partners to secure nutrients, pathogens and discourage resistance to environmental stress.

"  New technologies make ecosystems plants microorganisms easier to study and investment in this area of research could have important benefits  , "said Marilynn Roossinck, Pennsylvania State University, who helped organize the conference.

Note Check out this informative report .

Beef Jerky Recalled Due to Improper Cooking

Beef Jerky Recalled Due to Improper Cooking

Lone Star Western Beef, Inc. of Fairmont, W.Va. is recalling approximately 109 pounds of beef jerky products due to a processing deviation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The products subject to recall are 1-oz., 3-oz. and 16-oz. packages of “Lone Star Western Beef Inc. W.V. Original Beef Jerky.”

The products were produced on Aug. 12, 2013, and bear the establishment number “EST. 19563” inside the USDA Mark of Inspection. The 16-oz. package can be further identified by the package code “081213.” The products were shipped to a distributor in North Central West Virginia and sold to retail stores.     

The problem was discovered by FSIS personnel during a routine verification activity. The inspector was reviewing processing records and found that the beef jerky was not processed at the correct temperature to ensure that the ready-to-eat product was safe to consume.

FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers and media with questions about the recall should contact John Bachman, Lone Star Western Beef, Inc.’s Owner, at 1-800-332-4305.

                      

New Zealand: Tests Wrong-- NO Botulinum in Fonterra’s Whey Powder

Whey Protein powder made by the New Zealand company Fonterra that were at the center of a global contamination scare this month did NOT contain a bacterium that could cause botulism and posed no food safety threat, New Zealand officials said on Wednesday.

Tests showed that whey protein concentrate manufactured by the world’s largest dairy processor contained Clostridium sporogenes, which cannot cause botulism but which at elevated levels can be associated with food spoiling.

Initial tests conducted by Fonterra and a New Zealand government research institute had indicated the presence of Clostridium botulinum, raising fears that infant formula and sports drinks made from the product and widely exported could be dangerous.

The botulism scare caused a recall of products made by multinational brands that may have contained the whey protein in markets like China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. It also prompted bans in Russia and Sri Lanka.

“We went to world-leading labs, which are accredited and can test for this,” said Scott Gallacher, acting director-general of the Ministry for Primary Industries. “That has given us a clear and definitive sense that it isn’t Clostridium botulinum. There is no food safety risk here.”

Theo Spierings, the chief of Fonterra, said he was “very relieved” at the results of the ministry’s tests. He said Fonterra “did the right thing” in announcing the possible risk earlier this month.

“When you go through a global recall, you know it will affect your reputation,” he said. “If we had not acted on this, and if something had happened with one child in the world, then it would have caused a massive reputation issue in the long term, or even you could be wiped off the map and possibly face closure.”

Mr. Spierings said that Fonterra’s interim tests had indicated the possible presence of either Clostridium sporogenes or Clostridium botulinum and that the final stage of the company’s testing had shown a positive result for the botulinum strain.

Analysts said the all-clear could help Fonterra repair its reputation. “Obviously, it’s caused some damage, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Fonterra did raise the alert even if it wasn’t absolutely certain,” said Doug Steel, an economist at Bank of New Zealand.