Consumer Reports' latest tests of canned foods, including soups,
juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19
name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of Bisphenol A (BPA).
The results are reported in the December 2009 issue and also available online.
BPA, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and
food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S.
US President Barack Obama has launched a staunch defence of his proposed new agency to protect the interests of the American consumer.
Mr Obama said it was more important than ever to have a new consumer watchdog, and accused vested interests of trying to scupper reform.
He accused the US Chamber of Commerce of trying to "kill" plans for the Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
The president was talking on the day he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
More protection
The New York Times pointed out how a flawed and inadequate USDA meat inspection system has
jeopardized the safety of those who eat meat and makes the simple act
of eating a burger a potential game of Russian roulette.
E. coli O157:H7, a virulent bacteria found in cattle manure was first
identified in 1975 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and identified as a cause of human illness in 1982.
YAKIMA, Wa. — The apples look like Christmas tree ornaments, wearing a blush of dew at first light. The grapes could have been painted on, those clusters of sweet calories in their best October color. And here and there is the smell of hops, newly freed from their climbing nets, headed for breweries bottling a taste of fall.
I drove into the Yakima Valley, an edible landscape fed by water from the ice-covered volcanoes, on a day when yet another story appeared about how our food can kill you.
I think we need a whole lot more public outrage about unsafe food. Maybe the recent front-page articles in the Washington Post and New York Times will do the trick.
After healthcare--if you can imagine an "after healthcare"--the next
Big Fight in Congress will likely be over financial reform,
particularly the proposed creation of a Consumer Financial Protection
Agency (CFPA). The CFPA would focus solely on protecting consumers'
financial interests--a task currently shared (with disastrous results)
by several agencies whose primary focus is on monitoring the safety and
soundness of financial institutions.
Tens of thousands of chemicals found in
everyday items, from toys and cell phones to food containers and
medical devices, would face high levels of federal scrutiny and control
under a set of guidelines unveiled Tuesday in San Francisco by
President Obama's top environmental official.
The effort to rewrite how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
evaluates and enforces the use of potentially harmful chemicals marks
the most significant overhaul of the nation's chemical policies since
the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.
WASHINGTON — If you doubt that U.S. banks long to return to the days of impotent regulation, you need only look at one of the financial sector's top legislative priorities: killing a proposed new agency that would be dedicated solely to protecting consumers' financial interests.
The Obama administration is asking Congress to create a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate consumer financial products ranging from credit cards to mortgages, and to simplify disclosure about them all.
Lost in the ear-splitting uproar over Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's
controversial venture into the health care debate, is a bigger, though
less subtle story.
Hormone-like chemicals in plastics, pesticides and other products pose "significant concern for public health," possibly causing infertility, cancer and malformations, a medical society announced Wednesday.
