What the heck is GRAS? Read on to find out. And there’s something you need to know about silicone baby pacifiers. More this week… Bayer-Monsanto gets a walloping, courtesy of a Georgia jury. Good news out of West Virginia. And good news from across the pond in Kenya. Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
GRAS No More? Kennedy Moves to End Self-Affirmed Food Additives
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at a long-criticized food safety loophole, directing the Food and Drug Administration to explore rulemaking that would end companies’ ability to “self-affirm” ingredients as safe without oversight. Kennedy’s order targets the FDA’s Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) rule, which lets manufacturers deem ingredients safe by using internal data, often skipping FDA notification. “For far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced into the U.S. food supply without notification to the FDA or the public,” Kennedy said in a March 10 HHS news release. Closing it, he argued, will “help get our nation’s food supply back on track.” A 2013 Pew Charitable Trusts study estimated 3,000 GRAS substances have evaded FDA review. Self-affirmation keeps many ingredients off the agency’s radar, with no public disclosure required. The new regulation would mandate companies notify the FDA with safety data before market entry.
A regulation closing the GRAS loophole would be a good step in the right direction. We can assure you that Big Food will be fighting this tooth and nail. All of us need to get behind this directive.
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Spring is right around the corner. Use our Seed Integrity Pledge for Safe Seeds website’s searchable database to find the seed companies that have taken the Safe Seed Pledge to only sell non-GMO seeds and plants. Let’s support the independent seed companies that share our values. SafeSeedPledge.org
Is your favorite seed seller not on the list? Ask them to take the Pledge. It costs them nothing.
$2 Billion Roundup Jury Verdict Drives Down Bayer Shares as Company Seeks Law Change
A Georgia jury verdict ordering Bayer-Monsanto to pay over $2 billion to a man suffering from cancer he blamed on his use of Roundup weedkiller comes as that state’s governor weighs whether to sign into law a measure that would effectively bar such cases from going to trial in the future. The verdict rocked Bayer investors, driving down the German company’s shares more than 8%. The jury found that Bayer failed to properly warn users of years of scientific evidence that exposure to Roundup could cause cancer, awarding plaintiff John Barnes $2 billion in punitive damages and $65 million in compensatory damages.
On March 13, the Georgia House of Representatives passed SB144, a bill that would shield pesticide companies from legal accountability when their products cause cancer and other health harms. The bill passed the Georgia Senate on March 4. John Barnes would have been prevented from seeking justice if this bill were the law. SB144 now sits on Governor Brian Kemp’s desk. All Georgia residents: speak up now to protect yourself. SIGN THE PETITION TO GOVERNOR KEMP and tell him to VETO SB144: tinyurl.com/GovKempVetoSB144
Study: Silicone Pacifiers Deteriorate With Normal Use and Release Nanoparticles of Silicone Similar to Microplastics
In a study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers found that silicone pacifiers break down with normal use and release nanoparticles of silicone similar to microplastics. Since many parents choose to boil pacifiers to sterilize them, the scientists also tested boiled pacifiers to see if there was a change in the level of particles released. They found that boiling increased the breakdown and the number of silicone particles released during subsequent use. This means that babies who suck on worn silicone pacifiers are ingesting particles of siloxane-based silicone. Siloxane chemicals are linked to a list of nasty health harms including reproductive harms, liver harms, uterine cancer, adverse neurological effects, endocrine disruption and harm to the immune system. The European Chemical Agency published an opinion in 2015 stating that certain siloxane chemicals found in pacifiers “are very persistent and very bioaccumulative substances.” For these reasons, we think silicone pacifiers are not a safe choice. If you use silicone pacifiers or nipples, replace them regularly! The study also tested natural latex pacifiers. Boiling had no effect on natural latex pacifiers. The human risks associated with latex are contamination found in low quality latex and allergies.
HHS, FDA Announce Operation Stork Speed to Expand Options for Safe, Reliable, and Nutritious Infant Formula for American Families
A press release from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration states they are taking steps to enhance agency efforts to ensure the ongoing quality, safety, nutritional adequacy, and resilience of the domestic infant formula supply. “The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them,” said HHS Secretary Kennedy. “Helping each family and child get off to the right start from birth is critical to our pursuit to Make America Healthy Again.” The FDA is announcing a set of actions and initiatives focused on infant formula, such as beginning the nutrient review process and increasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants. These enhanced FDA commitments are focused on making sure a strong supply of the sole source of nutrition for formula-fed babies and children remains available for one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations.
Finally, someone agrees that corn syrup is not a wholesome source of nutrition!
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West Virginia Governor Signs First-in-the-Nation Bill Banning Toxic Synthetic Food Dyes Into Law
WV Governor Patrick Morrisey signed HB2354 into law on March 24, making the state the first to enact a comprehensive statewide ban on certain artificial food dyes and preservatives. The groundbreaking bill bans synthetic food dyes Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, and Green No. 3 — along with preservatives butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and propylparaben. The new law will prohibit the seven synthetic dyes in school meals starting August 1, with the ban extending to all food and drugs sold statewide by January 1, 2028.
These toxic petroleum-derived synthetic food dyes should not be in our food! They’re completely unnecessary and there are already safe, natural alternatives. West Virginia is just the beginning. We can get synthetic food dyes banned across the nation by passing federal bill HR8687, the Do Or Dye Act. Urge your U.S. Representatives to follow West Virginia’s lead. SIGN THE PETITION: tinyurl.com/DoOrDyeAct
Kenya Court Rules Against GMO Corn Imports, Major Win for Food Sovereignty
In a major win for small-scale food producers and peasant farmers in Kenya, “the Kenya Court of Appeal blocked the Kenyan government from importing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the country,” according to a press release by Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa—an alliance of organizations and movements across the continent advocating for agroecology and food sovereignty. “We celebrate this ruling as a major victory for small-scale farmers across Kenya,” said David Otieno, a small-scale farmer and member of the Kenyan Peasants League, a social movement consisting of consumers, farmers, pastoralists, and fishers rallying against the multinational corporate takeover of food systems in Kenya. Mr. Otieno continued: “GMOs are not the solution to food insecurity in our country. Instead, they deepen dependency on multinational agribusinesses, threaten biodiversity, and compromise farmers’ ability to control their food systems.”
Study: Microplastics Hinder Plant Photosynthesis, Threatening Millions With Starvation
The pollution of the planet by microplastics is significantly cutting food supplies by damaging the ability of plants to photosynthesize, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which combined more than 3,000 observations of the impact of microplastics on plants, taken from 157 studies. The analysis estimates that between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops of wheat, rice and maize is being lost due to the pervasive particles. About 700 million people were affected by hunger in 2022. The researchers estimated that microplastic pollution could increase the number at risk of starvation by another 400 million in the next two decades, calling that an “alarming scenario” for global food security. Research has indicated that microplastics can damage plants in multiple ways. The polluting particles can block sunlight reaching leaves and damage the soils on which the plants depend. When taken up by plants, microplastics can block nutrient and water channels, induce unstable molecules that harm cells and release toxic chemicals, which can reduce the level of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll.
