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Investors Urge Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Others to Provide Transparency on Products’ Health Impact
A coalition of shareholders is asking leading food and beverage companies to increase transparency on how their products impact consumers’ health. The group said this would be a “first step” towards corporations taking accountability for their “significant impact on public health.”
Investors asked top executives from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Mondelez International and Kellanova to adopt an internationally accepted nutrition rating or scoring system that discloses the healthiness of their products in a letter released Thursday. The letter also urged the companies to increase transparency by annually disclosing “healthiness metrics” for their products.
The letter is spearheaded by responsible investment nonprofit ShareAction and backed by over 30 investors and asset managers that collectively manage over $3 trillion in assets. These include Mercy Investment Services, Trinity Health, Greenbank, Nest and the Socially Responsible Investment Coalition.
Newly Identified Chemical in Drinking Water Is Most Likely Present in Many Homes and Could Be Toxic, Study Finds
About a third of U.S. residents have been receiving tap water containing a previously unidentified chemical byproduct, a new study has found. Some scientists are now concerned — and actively investigating — whether that chemical could be toxic.
The newly identified substance, named “chloronitramide anion,” is produced when water is treated with chloramine, a chemical formed by mixing chlorine and ammonia. Chloramine is often used to kill viruses and bacteria in municipal water treatment systems. Researchers said the existence of the byproduct was discovered about 40 years ago, but it was only identified now because analysis techniques have improved, which finally enabled scientists to determine the chemical’s structure.
At Least 15 People Are Sick in Minnesota From Ground Beef Tied to E. Coli Recall
At least 15 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef, federal health officials said.
Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat this week after Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, which can cause life-threatening infections.
To date, no illnesses have been reported outside of Minnesota, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. People fell ill between Nov. 2 and Nov. 10. The investigation is ongoing.
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Recall Issued for Nature’s Promise Organic Carrots: Everything to Know
The GIANT Company is recalling Nature’s Promise Organic baby and whole carrots following notification from its supplier due to potential presence of E. coli.
The recall includes the following products:
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- Nature’s Promise organic baby carrots, 1 pound, UPC: 68826704735, with best if used by dates through Oct. 25, 2024
- Nature’s Promise organic whole carrots, 1 pound, UPC: 68826705750, purchased between Aug. 14, 2024 and Oct. 10, 2024
- Nature’s Promise organic whole carrots, 5 pounds, UPC: 68826705751, purchased between Aug. 14, 2024 and Oct. 10, 2024
Customers who purchased an impacted product should discard it and contact Customer Service or bring their purchase receipt to a nearby store for a full refund. If a customer feels they are experiencing illness as a result of a product they consumed, they should contact their health care provider. The GIANT Company is known locally as GIANT, MARTIN’S and GIANT Heirloom Market.
Report: Most Fast-Food Chains Aren’t Making the Grade on Antibiotic Policies
A new report suggests most U.S. fast-food and fast-casual restaurant chains have made little progress on efforts to reduce antibiotic use by their meat and poultry suppliers. Of the 20 restaurant chains reviewed in the Serving Up Superbugs report, which grades the chains based on antibiotic use policies in the meat they serve, only Chipotle and KFC received A grades for having meaningful policies for all types of meat they serve. Five chains received a C grade, six a D grade and five received an F.
The report, produced by Food Animal Concerns Trust and Keep Antibiotics Working, awards policy points to restaurant chains that prohibit their meat suppliers from using medically important antibiotics for disease prevention — a practice the groups believe is irresponsible and contributes to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The report found that, while 15 chains have implemented meaningful policies to limit the use of medically important antibiotics in their chicken supply, most had no policies governing antibiotic use in their beef, pork, or turkey supply chains. Taco Bell, which received a C grade, raised its grade from previous reports by committing to reducing medically important antibiotics in their beef supply chains by 2025.
Study Finds Health Disparities in PFAS Levels Linked to Drinking Water, Food Access and Industrial Pollution
Evidence is mounting on the health problems linked to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of manufactured chemicals used in consumer products that accumulate in the body and take a very long time to break down. These substances increase risk for a number of medical concerns, including cancer, liver damage and fertility issues.
In a new study, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have explored whether drinking water, food access and industrial pollution were linked to differences in blood levels of PFAS among 446 Southern California residents. It is one of the first studies to analyze PFAS in relation to certain neighborhood factors, including food access and proximity to Superfund sites — areas designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as contaminated with toxic substances.
“Instead of placing the burden on individuals to avoid PFAS, we’re looking at neighborhood factors beyond their control. How can we improve our neighborhood environments to reduce PFAS and the associated disease risk?” said first author Shiwen (Sherlock) Li, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine.
Several factors were associated with higher levels of PFAS in the blood. These include living in a neighborhood with low food access, living in a water district with PFAS contamination, and living within a three-mile radius of a PFAS-polluting facility or Superfund site. The results are published in the journal Environmental Research.
Whole Foods Organic Carrots and Celery Recalled Amid Deadly E. Coli Outbreak
Organic carrots and celery sold at Whole Foods Market in five states are being recalled amid a deadly E. coli outbreak that has stricken 39 people in 18 states. The recall, posted Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, involves 15-ounce containers of Whole Foods Market-branded organic carrot sticks and organic carrots & celery sticks sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho and Nevada, according to the announcement by Sacramento, California-based F&S Fresh Foods.
F&S initiated the recall after being notified by a local supplier, Grimmway Farms, of potential contamination with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The notice comes only days after a nationwide recall of multiple brands of whole and baby organic carrots.
