In
a move that is grossly overdue -
a new government study has found
that better guidelines are needed for healthier school lunches across the
United States. The study is calling on the National School Lunch Program to
create new policies to include less salt, more vegetables, fruits and whole
grains, skim and low-fat milk, and other dairy products. The study claims the
current guidelines, which only contain a minimum caloric content, were created
to make sure no children went undernourished. However, obese children currently
outnumber undernourished children, and the study calls for a ceiling on caloric
content for school lunches as well.
Also,
the FDA will be investigating nutrition claims
on certain food packaging after receiving complaints that they may not be true.
One of the claims the FDA is investigating is the "Smart Choices"
checkmark which has been displayed by some products including Froot Loops
cereal that have almost 50 percent sugar.
Lastly,
in California, the organic baby food company Plum Organics issued a recall on baby food
that was contaminated with clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism. Botulism
is an illness that can lead to muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.
While
all of this news can be taken as somewhat disheartening, the fact is that food
safety is becoming more and more cognizant in Americans’ minds. It is becoming
obvious that stronger food safety protection regulations are needed, and
greater investment must be made in this area.
Whistleblower
protections for food workers must be included in such regulations and bills –
something GAP is pushing for and could be a very real achievement when the Food
Safety Modernization Act (which has passed the House and is currently in Senate
committee) is signed into law.
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