Kentucky and Oregon have initiated reasonable school food policies, according to the latest report from Center for Science in the Public Interest, but two-thirds of the states still get bad grades on their report cards. CSPI is working with Senator Harkin to get national standards into the farm bill. The report card is good evidence that voluntary standards aren’t working.
The FDA has just announced that it will be holding public hearings on November 29 to discuss issues related to salt labeling. Right now, the FDA considers salt Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for human consumption but petitions from Center for Science in the Public Interest and other groups are challenging that designation. Should the FDA instead regulate salt as a food additive? How could the FDA best use its regulatory authority to help Americans reduce their salt intake? Expect fireworks at this hearing as the various stakeholders–health advocates vs. industry–weigh in.
Several people have sent me the link to the video of Michael Jacobson’s appearance on the Colbert Report. Jacobson is the director of Center for Science in the Public Interest, the venerable organization for healthy nutrition policy. Take a look at it and let me know how do you think he did.
